Any pronouns! || Minor || Black
I'm just a silly lil thing who also has a My Inner Demons Rewrite you should totally check out on ao3 called My Inner Demons: The Kingdoms of Old *winks aggressively*
(Also I like cookie run, splatoon, Dandadan and aphverse stuff)
A/n: Ty!! I tried making a longer story so... I also might make a pt2 if people are intrested ofc!!
Genre: slow burn, 90s au
Pair: Pierce x Rhys
Tw: none
In the furthest corner of Oregon, hidden away, settled between large trees and always under the cover of clouds, sat a small town called Silverpine. With a population of only thirty-three hundred, it was a town where everyone knew everyone. With no tourist spots, visitors were quite rare. In the almost eighteen years that Rhys had lived there, he had never seen anyone move in. Who would? The town had nothing to do, especially for a teenager who would rather be anywhere but there. The town was quiet, peaceful, but lonely. Full of older people who thought they knew better, bored teens, and oblivious kids who were dying to grow up.
Silverpine always felt like it existed in its own pocket universe. No one came or went. The radios are always playing Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Grandfathers and fathers would always be sitting on their porches, a cigarette hanging out of their mouths, beer bottles in hand, waving at each neighbor as they passed in their cars. Rhys grew comfortable with the silence and secluded nature of Silverpine. It was predictable, it was safe. He knew every crack in the sidewalk on Main Street, every vendor at the Saturday morning farmer’s market, and exactly how long the silence would stretch in the school hallways before someone’s laugh would break it. So that day when the new kid walked into second-period math, nearly a week into the second semester of their senior year, everything stopped. Rhys watched as this new guy walked into class. Rhys noticed how different this guy looked compared to the others in his class. He was tall, likely taller than Rhys. This man was different, and Rhys, along with the rest of the class, was intrigued to say the least.
Mrs. Palmer, who hasn’t ever missed a single attendance roll call in years, paused mid-sentence. It was the kind of pause that made the whole room turn and look. He stood in the doorway, his tall frame taking up almost all of it. His tan skin was a stark contrast to his ash grey hoodie and silver chain that dangled loosely around his neck. The new guy shifted on his feet, his long hair falling into his icy blue eyes. “Class,” Mrs. Palmer cleared her throat as she regained her voice. “This is Pierce. He’s transferred here from California.” The class nodded and then turned back to what they were doing. Rhys' gaze lingered on Pierce for a moment longer before he turned back to his notebook.
Rhys had a system. Wake up, shower, get dressed, then head to campus. He took the same path there and from home every day. Walked the same paths through the halls, sat in the same seats, and was rarely deterred from this system. But when this tall brunette slotted down in the empty chair next to him, he knew that change was on the horizon. By lunch, that change started. Whispers started spreading through the halls: “He’s gotta be, like, 6'7. Did you see how he ducked through the door?” “Someone said he got expelled from his last school.” “He doesn’t even talk.” Rhys tried to ignore the wildfire of rumors and continue with his day. Lunch time. Get food and eat in the corner away from he hustle and bustle. Rhys grabbed his tray and walked over to the table in the furthest corner, his normal spot. He was stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that Pierce was sitting at the same table. Pierce didn’t look up right away. He sat with his arms crossed on the table, long legs stretched out under the bench, head tilted slightly toward the window. A Walkman sat in front of him, headset draped loosely across the table like he hadn’t decided if he actually wanted to use it. The machine is releasing a static hum from the music being played.
Rhys hesitated, his knuckles grasping at the tray in his hand had enough for them to turn white. Anxiety crept down his spine. Pierce sensed Rhys's presence and looked up. “Am I in your spot?” the taller male mumbled, his voice was low and deeper than Rhys had expected. “I.. um yeah..” Rhys' voice fizzled out, “but it’s okay,” he quickly added, sitting down in front of the new kid. Rhys set his tray down on the table. “No one really sits back here except me.” Pierce tilted his head, shrugged, and then went back to eating. Rhys couldn’t help but watch him closely.
- - -
As the weeks passed, Pierce became a part of Rhys' system. Wake up, shower, get dressed, head to campus, sit with Pierce in home room, then do it again at lunch. Rhys was surprised at how easily Pierce integrated himself into Rhys' routine daily. Though he tried to pretend Pierce hadn’t become a part of his routine, it was hard to deny. Rhys still scribbled in his planner, took the same paths, and kept up with his weekend shifts at the library. But now his planner had Pierce's name scribbled through it. Rhys had even started checking out an extra book every week for Pierce, as he quickly learned that Pierce enjoyed reading. Rhys had started noticing that Pierce began leaving his Walkman in his locker. He was still as quiet as ever, but slowly, Rhys started hearing his voice more and more. And as the days progressed, Rhys found himself taking longer to walk home. Not because he forgot the way or took a different path… no. It was because Pierce had started joining him when walking home. Quietly at first, not saying much, just walking side by side.
It wasn’t until late March that Rhys realized how much his life had shifted. It felt like a regular Thursday; the rain pattered against the windows of the school. The town is set in its usual overcast. Rhys sighed and slid into their usual table in the cafeteria. Pierce was already settled into the table. His long brown hair framed his face as he scribbled away at something in his notebook. Rhys tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. “Whatcha drawing?” Rhys asked, grabbing at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Pierce glanced up at Rhys, his blue eyes caught in the cafeteria lights. Pierce straightened up and slid his notebook over to Rhys. Rhys took a bite from his sandwich and looked down at the notebook, expecting to see some sort of last-minute study notes. Instead, Rhys was met with a drawing. It was a sketch done in pencil, slightly messy but unmistakable. It was a sketch of him. Rhys’ head shot back up to Pierce, “You drew this?” Pierce nodded, picking at his own sandwich, “yeah.. Sorry if it’s weird.” Rhys stared back down at the sketch, his lunch forgotten, “weird? No, it's not weird,” he mumbled in awe. “Can I keep it?” Rhys asked. For a second, Rhys swore he saw Pierce’s eyes widen and his cheeks get dusted over with red, but it was gone as he blinked. Pierce rubbed his neck, “yeah,” he muttered. Rhys smiled and pulled the page out, folding it and placing it in his pocket.
That night, Rhys didn’t sleep. He kept staring at the drawing. His eyes traced over the lines hundreds of times. A warm feeling seeped into his chest. Rhys sighed and covered his eyes with his arm, sleep slowly taking hold of him. That morning, Silverpine was covered in fog. Rhys groaned, pulling himself from his soft comforters. He rubbed his eyes, the red glow of his alarm clock slowly unblurred as the sleepiness was rubbed away from his eyes. His eyes settled on the clock, and Rhys felt his heart sink. 7:30 am. Rhys nearly screamed. His alarm did not go off; he forgot to set his alarm. For the first time in years, Rhys’ schedule was thrown. Rhys jumped off the bed and rushed to his wardrobe. He pulled on his shirt and jeans, scurrying around to find his socks and shoes and rushing out the door. He barely had time to grab his backpack as he swung the door closed behind him. Rhys ran down the sidewalk to his school campus. He got to his classroom with a minute to spare. He walked into the classroom, panting desperately, trying to catch his breath from the sprint. He glanced around the room as he instinctively walked to his seat. Only to be stopped in his tracks as he realized his seat was already taken. A girl was sitting in his seat, her gaze on Pierce, who sat next to her. Rhys’ eyes narrowed as he stared at the girl in his seat. She didn’t notice; she was too busy drooling over Pierce to notice. Rhys took a shaky breath and moved to find a seat elsewhere, but the only open seat was on the complete opposite side. Rhys huffed slightly but sat down, slumping against the table slightly. The whole class, Rhys couldn’t pay attention. Instead, he found his attention drifting back to Pierce, who sat through the whole class stone face — unlike the girl next to him, who desperately tried everything to get the taller male's attention.
By the time the bell rang, Rhys was already halfway out of his seat. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and hurried out of the classroom. Not sparing Pierce a glance as he left. He rushed out of the classroom and down the hall. He didn’t even stop at his locker. His gaze locked forward on the floor in front of him as his emotions swirled through his head and chest. The way that girl smiled at Pierce, the way she so casually slipped into a spot she had never once spared a glance at before. He grunted slightly, his knuckles turning white with how hard he grasped at his backpack's strap. A sinking feeling spread throughout his chest. Rhys had made it halfway down the next hall when he heard rushed footsteps behind him. “Rhys!” Pierced shouted as he caught up with him. “Hey,” he panted softly, “you okay?” he asked. Rhys turned to look at Pierce. He forced his expression to stay neutral. “Yeah,” he deadpanned and kept walking. Peirce stood frozen in shock for a moment before catching up with the smaller male. “You ran out of class, you.. Didn't even say hello to me,” Pierce expressed, worry slightly etched into his voice. Rhys shrugged, “I was bored,” he muttered before adding, “didn't sleep well last night, so.” Pierce nodded shortly but stayed silent. “She sat in my seat,” Rhys mumbled suddenly, before he could stop himself. “I was late, and she just… sat there.” Pierce blinked. “Yeah. I noticed.” Rhys frowned. “And you didn’t… I dunno… say anything?” Pierce’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Why would I?” Rhys opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He felt silly being upset, but for months, Rhys had sat next to Pierce every single day. His jaw clenched, “Never mind.”
Rhys turned to leave, frustrated, hurt, and angry, festering under his skin. Before he could take a step further away, Pierce grabbed Rhys's wrist. His hand wrapped tightly around him. Rhys turned around, confusion etched onto his face. “I didn’t like sitting next to her,” Pierce admitted. Rhys swallowed hard. “You didn’t?”
“No.” Pierce let go of his wrist slowly. “I kept thinking about you.” Rhys felt his heart slam so hard against his ribs that he was pretty sure it echoed down the hall. “I didn’t know if you’d want me to say something,” Pierce added, quieter. “But I’ll save your seat for lunch. Okay?” Rhys could feel his face heat up but he nodded, “I-I wold like that.”
they should’ve talked about so much. they should’ve had more time. gihun should’ve asked inho what his real name was, how he got into all this, why he was doing all this. he should’ve asked him if what he told him about his wife was the truth or just a manipulation. gihun should’ve asked him why he entered the games and why he had to kill his friend. gihun should’ve recognized his name and identified him as junho’s brother and told inho how desperately junho was looking for him and we should’ve had a reaction to that. they should’ve discussed those fucking VIPs and why they get such sick pleasure from poor peoples misery. in-ho could’ve told him about the choices he had to make in the games and how he came to have such a bleak outlook about humans. in-ho could’ve told gihun how this was happening everywhere not just in south korea. they should’ve argued more about their moral philosophies and opinions on humanity. i feel cheated
Wait no why was it ass??? 😭 bc wdym all the finalists were some randoms??? Wdym Inho and Gihun’s talk (which was hyped up in the trailers and ALLL the promo) was two goddamn minutes??? Wdym people were right about Junho and Gihun being kinda useless??? Wdym Inho did more to protect the people he actually cares about in season 1 than in here???? Wdym all junho did when he saw Inho was yell “brother!!!😨” and dipped??? WDYM ALL THE MOST LOVED AND IMPORTANT CHARACTERS WERE KILLED OFF?? IM GETTING JJK FLASHBACKS
lowkey i will never forgive the stans for reframing the narrative of squid game, because in the first season the central relationship—and the plot is structured in a way to support this—is that of inho and junho. gihun’s function in the show is not to engage within the frame of a relationship beyond that of himself as a player and with other players, as an audience stand-in, because he serves a different purpose: he portrays the struggle of those involved in the games as players and is actually commentary on what capitalistic society does to an individual (most of the players are, in season one those are especially sangwoo, saebyeok, and gihun, of course).
yes, both inho and gihun are or have been players, and yes, they begin to symbolize the different outcomes of surviving the games, of winning, but it is actually junho's quest to search for his brother that is at the heart of the show (why else would it be drawn out over all seasons?). the reveal of inho as the front man is the biggest twist in the entire show and the plot point with most narrative significance, which it only has because the front man is hwang inho and hwang inho is hwang junho's brother. the man we have seen infiltrate the games, who has shown us the other side of it, is there for the front man, because of the front man. inho and junho are so distinctively tied together and to act like this is not the most integral relationship in the entire show is absolutely bonkers to me, and screams of cheap fan service. why give in to the audience's demand when it betrays the nature of the story? riddle me that?
MID season two WILL happen trust. It’ll happen I swear. It’s within our sights. Reachable, even. My Inner Demons! Just [whatever amount of days the release that will most definitely be announced trust.] away! Listen, it’ll happen. How could it not? This’ll happen. We’ve got this everyone. Get your summoning circles ready.
MID season two WILL happen trust. It’ll happen I swear. It’s within our sights. Reachable, even. My Inner Demons! Just [whatever amount of days the release that will most definitely be announced trust.] away! Listen, it’ll happen. How could it not? This’ll happen. We’ve got this everyone. Get your summoning circles ready.
ch. 12 is taking decades….i applegize. It’s only like 40%(?) done only because I keep not liking it and then redoing it over and over again. Grah….makes me wanna write brain dead…
Make Me Bad by Korn kinda fits Inho’s relationship with Gihun me thinks….typa thing that makes me wanna spin around in my room while imagining an animatic as I listen to it…but alas….no such artistic talent fills my veins to actually make it a reality…no matter how hard it goes in my head hypothetically…
I don’t post often, but I have to get this silent salt cookie prediction out there man
a lot of people want them to actually be silent and not talk at all (AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE VALID IF MY THING DOESNT END UP HAPPENING, I’D RATHER HAVE THAT) and although that’s cool, I’m actually hoping that they DO talk, but it’s the most broken raspy and hoarse voice to have ever graced this earth. I’m talking it barely registers as something above a sob or gasp. THEREFORE their lack of talking aside from simple words or phrases can be more impactful and terrifying.
if you want any kind of idea of how this’d sound, I’d recommend searching up the meeting the tethered scene from Us. Red’s voice is just PERFECT AAAAA IMAGINE A CUTSCENE LIKE THAT WITH SILENT SALT COOKIE AND WHITE LILY COOKIE AAAAA
SET UR CALENDARS!!! CANCEL PLANS!!! SACRIFICE UR NEWBORNS!!! THE REWRITE SHALL GRACE UR EYES ON MAY 30!!!
I hope yall like it and stuff. Also don’t let the word count draw you away I beg 🙏 it’ll definitely look like a lot since I’m posting every chapter so far plus 11 and they all have a pretty sizable word count but I promise it’s a good reading experience. At least I think.
I SHALL POST HERE ONCE ITS FINALLY UP ON AO3!!! THX FOR WAITING!!!
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