If you're familiar with my Ln5 epilogue redux and my annotations, you might remember the explanation I wrote out about how Japanese has a bunch of different words for types of pain that English doesn't quite have equivalents for.
One of interest is the one that's used during the Garden Party of Ln1, where Jinshi gives her the silver kanzashi. When she says, "that hurt," what she's using is a word for pain that also means soreness and embarassment.
You could say, "that's a sore spot," but if the English word "CRINGE" was something you could say without being hilarious, it would be a direct translation.
Imo, this gives it a whole extra layer of meaning when Maomao passes it onto Shisui.
Jinshi gave it to Maomao to protect her, and she called it cringe and embarassing. Immediately thought about how she'd try to sell it off. Then, Maomao gives it to Shisui to protect her... and Shisui says it right to her face! I'm just gonna sell it!!
And she accepts that!!!
AND MAN, the way that when Jinshi finds out she doesn't have it later on and starts getting upset, only to IMMEDIATELY calm down when Maomao explains she gave it to someone she cared for.
It's so rare that they're on the same page in those early books, so this moment really, really stands out to me. A chain of love. A constellation, if you will.
Hi guys :) Just a warning, I'm not the best author! This is pretty mediocre, even for my usual work, I just need to get back into the vibes of writing often and it'll improve (no promises though <3)
Ballet was Amy's comfort place. It made all the issues at home feel small, made her muscles feel smooth - it was her home. So when she got into a fight with her ballet teacher over something as small as someone bumping into her in the midst of a class, and the teacher went as far as asking her to leave, Amy felt all of that comfort crash down on her. No matter how much she argued and threatened, she only made it worse.
Now, Amy was seated outside of the ballet studio, glaring at her car keys. She stood and walked towards her car, unlocking it and glancing around. This was a shady area, she was willing to admit that even someone as aggressive as her felt a bit uncomfortable. The smell of weed filled the air, making her scrunch her nose - it was almost gag inducing how strong it was. Amy turned on her heal, wondering where the smell came from; a car she'd recognized from her school parking lot sat several spots away, windows down and a boy around her age seated in the front seat. He looked half dead, leaning out the window as loud music spilled from the vehicle's radio. The other person in the car was in the driver's seat, and Amy immediately figured he was selling something from the window, with the few people near the car walking away in a hurry. The thought was compelling - smoke a bit, calm her nerves after getting kicked out of the studio. The boy in the passenger's seat glanced up at her and smiled, eyes half-focused and face bright red.
"You here t' buy?" He asked, voice hoarse and lazy. He yawned, sitting up and shaking his messy brown bangs from his pale face - dear god, this kid was absolutely gone. Amy almost laughed - the poor guy looked far worse than she'd expected. The boy in the driver's seat huffed at the scruffy boy beside him.
"Trent, what did I say about making offers? She could be some cop's kid! What the hell is wrong with you-" The boy went on a long tirade, complaining about the boy beside him, though it was clear this 'Trent' guy wasn't paying the least bit of attention. Amy snickered, shaking her head and taking a step back.
"No need to worry, 'm not a snitch! Just thought this guy was dead in your car." Amy explained, hoping it came off as comedic - but the boy in the driver's seat just stared at her, clearly bothered by her presence.
"Just...just fuck off, kid. I've got shit to sell - if you ain't a paying customer get out." He growled, turning away. Trent giggled softly, gazing up at Amy with a small, dope-like grin.
" 'Just fuck off'," Trent quoted the other boy, glancing over at him. "Alex, you're so funny." This comment earned him an elbow to the ribs. He whined, falling back into the seat and huffing at Alex once more. He turned to Amy and rolled his eyes. "This is the shit I deal with. Can you imagine?" Trent asked, seemingly genuine. Amy shrugged, taking another step back.
Trent's eyes traveled over the girl before him, taking in her deep mahogany skin and her curly hair. He hummed at her, giving her a small, lazy wave before laying his seat back and turning to face his friend.
Amy walked back to her car soon after, gazing behind her just once at the smoky vehicle, before sitting down and starting her car. The fact that she'd been kicked out of the studio had escaped her mind when she was speaking with Trent and Alex - but reality came crashing back down, and she now felt a dull ache in her chest.
Heyy guys !! Not my best work, but I really wanted to focus on Alex as he wasn't very well developed in previous works. Hope you enjoy!! -Ace
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Alex let out a deep breath, rolling over in his bed. He stared blank-faced at the clock on his dresser - it was 6am. He sat up, pulling on a shirt and glancing over at the other weight on his mattress. Trent lay there, still asleep, hair a mess and smelling rancid.
Alex rolled his eyes and walked into the bathroom, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and shutting the door. He glanced at his reflection and shook his head - he was better than this, what was wrong with him?
Trent was taking over most of Alex's life by now, from always needing a ride to cheating in class, even going as far as landing in Alex's bed every few days.
Alex sat on the ledge of the bathtub, unable to face his reflection any longer. He could hear quiet footsteps outside, and he immediately knew Trent had woken up. He tried to rush over and lock the door - but Trent was faster, walking in and giving Alex a small, sleepy smile.
That smile.
That stupid smile. It drove Alex insane. He felt Trent's lips against his cheak. He didn't react. These things didn't affect him as much as they used to.
"You still keep it in your closet, right?" Trent whispered, nodding towards the doorway. Alex slowly shook his head, finally making eye contact.
"Did you really just come over last night to smoke?" Alex's voice was quiet and shaky.
Trent shrugged, eyes catching onto his reflection and scratching at his chin. "Did you think there was some other reason? I already told you, I don't like guys." Trent said off-handedly, rolling his eyes as if the very idea was beneath him.
"You can't say shit like that after last night." Alex snapped back, standing up and shoving past Trent and out of the bathroom. "Sex is among the many things you only ever receive in, Trent. You can't even act like you're doing it with a girl if you tried."
Trent scoffed, turning on his heel and leaving the room. Alex groaned and stood up straight, glancing at his phone before finally getting ready.
After around two hours of gruelingly awkward conversation, Alex pulled his truck into his usual parking spot and set up shop. A regular, a young man named Mason, looked like he'd been waiting there since daybreak.
"Isn't that the slutty homeless man you give free coke to?" Trent asked with a raised brow.
Alex didn't respond, instead sticking his head out of the window and waving Mason over. The pair stood and spoke for a moment like they were old friends, until Alex finally held out Mason's usual sale.
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I'll have a part two to this update within the next week, I ran out of writing magic halfway through.
Mason is not my OC !! Check out @threeofakind-nowandforever !! Dolly is a wonderful author and artist !!
A Note From Ace - hello :D just a quick update around Trent and Alex after Amy left the parking lot. Alex is becoming a bigger character the more i work on him, so if theres anything inconsistent in his writing i am still working on protraying him, as well as Trent and Amy :>
I hope you enjoy my shitty update !!
As he watched Amy's shabby old car pull out of the parking lot, Trent leaned back in his seat and smiled at nothing in particular, staring up at the stains covering Alex's truck ceiling. Alex rolled up his window, glancing at Trent and scoffing.
"What are you so happy about? Some random ass chick thinks you're half dead in my car and you get all smiles?" Alex mumbled. He gripped the wheel, shifting the car into reverse.
"She was nice, you've gotta chill out, Al. You're so angry all the time." Trent complained, pulling his feet up into the seat. Alex only rolled his eyes, pulling out of the parking lot. "And now you're angry with me. Alex, I thought you liked me." Trent acted as if he was hurt. Alex tensed up, running his fingers over one of his braids as he drove.
"I thought you were going to ignore that." Alex countered, glaring at the road up ahead.
"You say ignore, I say friends with benefits." Trent shrugged, rubbing his eyes.
