the creeps when ur in a depressive episode, cw for sh in ej's. this might be the healthiest i'll ever write them but tbh i need the indulgence cs i js got on lexapro again lol
includes: toby, ben, ej, evan, brian, tim, jeff, and liu
for @pomegranatseed <3 comment "jiji noo dont kys ur so sexy aha" if u wna be in the taglist
southern!brian who kissed you the very same night the two of you first met. you had just moved to a new town for work or for a change of scenery, and decided to unwind at the local bar where you locked eyes with brian thomas. he wore bootcut jeans and a fitted white tee that shaped all the right arcs of his built torso. half-empty whiskey in hand, he got you a drink to dance the night away, swirling and twirling into his bed.
southern!brian who told you he's just a simple farmer, spending his days tending to animals and other hard chores. he lets you observe the little scars on his hands and chuckles darkly when you drunkenly said you want them all over you. his room is well-kept, having lived here nearly his whole life, so faded blurs of his childhood stood tall on the walls.
southern!brian who wouldn't let you give him head because he thought it felt rude for your first night together, so he spent a whole hour giving you head. by the time you actually had sex your he had already emptied your mind through endless praises in that southern drawl of his. "feelin' like a real lucky bastard tonight, sweetheart," he coos, cradling your jaw softly. "you're so good to me."
southern!brian who says he's usually much rougher and follows through. he's bending you over furniture, manhandling you around, grunting obscene filth into your ear, and yet you find yourself being smothered in feather-light kisses across your entire body afterwards.
southern!brian who acted so charming that you thought he would be a one night stand, at best a week-long fling, but made you breakfast and took you out on a proper date the next morning. when you joked about lovebombing, he just said, "i like you an' i wanna get to know you. why shouldn't i show it?"
southern!brian who remembers everything about you. every first of the month he'll get you something that either reminds him of you or something you've mentioned in passing, not forgetting flowers, of course! sometimes you're genuinely surprised by how well he knows you, especially when he notes a detail you forgot you ever said.
southern!brian who's a bit older than you, a little less than ten years, yet never acts condescending, even when you call him gramps or old man. he tells you he used to be a youth pastor in his twenties though he wasn't that religious, because he knew children would listen more to a lax figure for good advice. you immediately kissed him with salted caramel ice cream still slathered across his lips.
southern!brian who provides; always telling you to just grab his card whenever you need anything. if he's out and you buy something without telling him, he'll ask you about it at the end of the day or over text. just when you think he couldn't get any more perfect, you learned that he loves to bring home random small gifts that you can use on a daily basis.
southern!brian who prioritises emotional connection. months into your relationship you still spend hours talking aimlessly, clutching at your ribs giggling over silly inside jokes. both of you made a habit of telling each other about your days. after a tough day you still catch him listening intently to your ramblings about a creepy coworker.
southern!brian who catches you off guard when he comes back after work more exhausted than usual, brushing off the smallest drops of blood on his jeans as an "accident" with one of the animals. he asks you about the creepy coworker as he changes into pajamas and reassures that he'll always protect you no matter what.
southern!brian who shows you off to his friends. at bars, house parties, state fairs; he would never fail to make you feel included amongst his community and life. his loved ones adore you, but the strong grip around your torso the whole night never leaves your side.
southern!brian who makes future plans and follows through. the best part is that as much as he devouts himself to you, he is still a hard-headed man made of pure assertion. want a pet? you'll have to take care of it together. want to move in together? you'll delegate chores. whatever it is, he'll indulge, without forgetting to prove to you how attractive competence is. he truly sees you as a partner and equal.
southern!brian who whispers sweet nothings when he's half-asleep on a slow afternoon holding you in his arms. "i'm not a very good man, lover," he mutters. "but you make me feel loved regardless."
DD:DNE. depictions of these characters do not reflect their original source material, they're simply part of a larger alternate universe written by me. all works are for entertainment purposes only.
you are everything. a friend, a deity, a miracle to the universe of misfortunes where man prays to lowercase gods. no longer on the run from your imminent fate, you take death's embrace and surrender begging for an ending where he does not mistake his devotion for love.
"and while i'm in this body / i want somebody to want / and i want what i want / and i want you to love me."
toby is a killer. erratic, menacing, and sadistic, like a car crash you can't pry your eyes away from. there is nowhere you can run far enough to escape the butcher, the reckless troubled huntsman who wants nothing but to appease the voice in his head. toby's reader is a prophet, and the one he kills for.
"you can wear my skin as armor / you can eat my flesh and bones / leave nothing that is needed / all i have is yours."
ben is a ghost. everything he deems familiar has claw marks and is gored beyond comprehension. the tragedy of him is that he will never know humanity without inevitably causing its destruction, the tragedy is that he is still kind. ben's reader is seeking to be destroyed, and knows exactly who to ask.
"it's in your hands this time / and still it wasn't enough to make you say / what would you do if you weren't afraid?"
ej is a doctor. or at least, he's trying to be. even as a medical intern his ambition is slathered in deep guilt for the nagging urge for flesh. to maim, to skin, to satiate whatever hunger resides at the pit of his stomach. ej's reader is a patient, that tests between his desire to consume and need to save.
"i'd show them the stars / and the meaning of life / they'd shut me away / but i'd be alright."
evan is a sacrifice. all the world restrained him from being gentle, pushed him into a ring to shed blood for purity, told him to confess to be a stronger man. a prayer to the wrong god can lead to many things, like a posession that feels too good to be wrong. evan's reader loves his rugged softness, and the violence that lies beneath it.
"tangled in the waves with you / we spray the scene in red / we both erupt in colours / then carve out our names."
brian is a farmer. he says it like it's an easy thing, but you see the rough callouses glittering under the sun. with his kind southern drawl spitting reassurance, there is no fear left undead on the road as long as he's around. brian's reader, like the rest of the town, chooses protection regardless of the slaughter behind it.
"i'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies / i'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife."
tim is a mechanic. he's grown out of being a danger to himself and others in the becoming of a man who will not ask for your hand, afraid that some rooted fragment of his younger self will claw its way out. tim's reader is his antithesis, who makes him give in to what he tries so hard to fight.
"obsession with the money / addicted to the drugs / says he's in love with my body that's why he's fucking it up."
jeff is a musician. despite his upbringing, he's fought tooth and nail to hold on to the anger, believing that it's what makes him all the more real. still, with nowhere to place his heart, he can't help but carve out a hole in his chest where it might fit. jeff's reader is better now, and becomes his only salvation.
"take your hands off your neck and / hold on to the ghost of my body / you know that good lives make bad stories."
liu is an artist. with his hands smeared with technicolour passion, he'll welcome anything that calls his name, including old ghost stories that may or may not be true. liu's reader is cursed, and needs answers that can't be found alone.
"destroyed in the wake / the jealous ingrates / who'll tear this world down / to spite god above / with his own love."
Thinking about reader gushing over Southern!Brian Thomas’ tooth gap ☹️☹️
He’s a little self-conscious and reader thinks it’s the sweetest, most charming thing. When he smiles, she kisses his teeth. He laughs, calls her a little sap. Says life must be easy for a pretty little thing like her. (Any insecurities/flaws reader has don’t even compute in his mind.)
I love him n want him bad :/
not to be insane but i want to lick every part of this mans body ESPECIALLYYY HIS FACE AGKEISSJD ANON U GET ME SO BADD
no like despite him being delusional about how morally grey he is sometimes i do think he doesnt consider himself a good person </3 he likes making it up to u for just putting up w him bcs hes like "ur an angel on this wretched earth i cant believe u love me out of all people"
when it comes to physical insecurities i think bri thinks his tooth gap js doesnt match the rest of his appearance,, and hes probably been made fun of bcs of it in the past :((( so when u obsess over it or js anything abt his appearance hes genuinely lovestruck like u.,,!!??!. think im handsome?!.!.!!???
call him "handsome" as a pet name and hes DONNEEEE LAWDDD he will get on his knees right then and there
also if u ever say smth mean abt urself in any way he will genuinely js cancel the rest of his plans for the day. he will sit u down and force u to talk it out w him while yall eat a whole tub of ice cream on the couch and he will cuddle u for hours..,, i love this man bad
