hiii i really liked your liu in jail writing!! I mean almost no one talks about him in juvie and the way you see it is really cool :)
do you have any more hcs about him in juvie or stuff similar? and could u talk more about liu and daniel's dynamic? ITS SO PEAK
That drabble is really taken off, huh? Ngl, Daniel was a "oh shit I need a character" moment and I didn't plan for Daniel to be liked but AYYYY LETS GO DANNY! WHOOP WHOOP
Anyways, I originally wrote the juvie thing as a "let's wing it" but I'm glad you liked it! It's been a while since I've been around juvie things, so forgive me if some of my stuff is off.
Warnings? Another drabble consisting of Daniel/Liu. Fluff. Missing their brothers. Comfort.
Headcannons for Liu in juvie:
Liu didn't cut his hair. The guards and/or nurse would give him a buzz cut and Liu didn't like it. He decided after the first time that he would just grow it out. By the time he was released, it was to his shoulders. It had darkened a lot since he first entered.
Liu started a book club with a few other members, thanks to Daniel's encouragement. Faren and his crew didn't want in, but that was okay with Liu. Most of the club was victims of Faren and his crew. Sometimes the guards would sit down and make it fun and relaxed. They even brought snacks and drinks from outside when Faren was occupied with outside recess or a drug deal with one of the other guards.
Liu writes to Jeff. Occasionally will write his mom/dad, but since they were absent while they grew up, Liu doesn't really... care to. The only one he cares about is Jeff. When Jeff takes longer than normal to respond, Liu starts to spiral.
Like prison/jail, kids will... do things. Some have relationships, and a lot of the other teens in juvie misunderstand Liu's relationship with Daniel and think that they're boyfriends. Daniel doesn't feed into it. Liu gets flustered and denies it. Liu just sees Daniel as a friend until Daniel gives him his rosary (see other drabble post) and then Liu realizes that Daniel saw him as a brother.
Liu does eventually make other friends in juvie, but none of them really leave a strong impact on him as Daniel did.
Juvie is hard. It's the first time Liu was ever away from home. His parents never offered summer camp, because well, who would look after Jeff? Certainly not their parents.
Liu couldn't sleep the first night at juvie. He was up all night, worrying about Jeff. His heart would be racing. Eyes watering and he was trying so damn hard not to cry. He didn't see anything wrong with crying, but there was a time and place for it. Juvie was NOT the place to cry. Liu quickly learned to bottle his emotions because people like Faren would use it against him.
Of course, his parents did remember him. They sent him money to use in the "student store" or "commissary". He did use it, buying necessities and a journal. The boy couldn't live without writing. He couldn't remember things sometimes and it scared him. Their grandmother had dementia and Liu had a nagging worry that he, too, would have that fate. He also got his hands on a puzzle book to do in his free time to help push his brain. Something to keep him from actually interacting with the riffraff here.
They did have classes, but Liu felt rather bored in them. It was like they placed him in Jeff's classes, and it made Liu stick out like a sore thumb because he actually participated. He knew everything that they spoke about. After a while, Liu stopped participating because of Faren. Faren would often corner him, telling him that if he didn't stop making the rest of them look like dumbasses, then Liu would get a private lesson from Faren.
However, the day he met Daniel—everything changed. Liu didn't feel so alone anymore. He had someone to hang out with. Someone that had his back, like how Liu had Jeff back home. However, it had become second nature to bottle up his emotions.
Daniel was currently kneeling before Liu. Liu was sitting on Daniel's bottom bunk. Liu's shirt was off and lay on the pillow. Daniel was dabbing a cloth damp with liquor to a deep laceration Faren had caused. It wasn't the only one, but the others were mere cuts that would be okay on their own. Liu was not flinching. Not even his muscles contracting.
Daniel's expression had softened as he started to use clear tape to pull the skin together. When he was done, Daniel didn't get up. He raised his gaze to Liu. The stormy grey was filled with scatters of light and dark. A gloss stood out like lightning.
"Thanks for sealing it," Liu mumbled. "I would've been fine." Daniel stared at Liu before shaking his head.
"Liu, that was a deep cut. It would've gotten infected and you would get sick." Daniel stared at Liu before sighing and going to sit beside him. "Stay. I'll get Will to stay in your bunk." Liu tensed.
"I... I'd rather not have a stranger in my bed."
"Then I'll come to yours. Are you top or bottom?"
"Top. Kendall is the bottom." At this, Daniel lit up.
"Kendall? Shit, he'd be happy to switch for a night."
"A night?" Liu barely got his shirt over his head. He stared at Daniel, his head tilted. Daniel went to the top of his bunk, grabbing a drawstring bag.
"Yeah. You really think I'm gonna let you sleep alone after that? Faren will jump your ass in your sleep. Don't trust the guards, Liu." Daniel headed out, leaving Liu in the room. Daniel stopped, turning back to face Liu. "What?"
Daniel wanted to sleepover?
Liu's never had one of those—not unless you count Jeff.
"I'm... I'm coming!" Liu hurried out the room, joining Daniel to walk to Liu's room. Liu wasn't expecting Kendall to want to leave. Kendall never left the bottom bunk. Liu didn't mind the bunk mate. Kendall never bothered Liu, and Liu never bothered Kendall. They had a silent mutual understanding.
"Oi, Kandy," Daniel leaned on the door frame, blocking Liu behind him. Kendall sighed and looked up from his book. His locs pulled into a ponytail.
"I'll give you my top bunk if you let me have yours." Kendall closed his book.
"Will is the bottom, right?"
"Yup. They haven't switched me out in four months." Randall sighed and grabbed a couple belongings before approaching the door. Randall saw Liu behind Daniel and grunted, giving Daniel a look.
"Not on my bunk." And with that, Daniel let him pass and went into the room himself. Daniel looked around and nodded.
"You're a good fit for Kendall. Both of you are clean." Liu was suddenly glad his mother always fussed at him for not keeping their rooms clean. Liu understood why his parents always got stressed when company was over.
"So... what... did you want to do? All I have is puzzle books." Daniel snorted.
"Don't worry. I brought goodies." Liu stiffened, and upon seeing how Liu tensed up, Daniel laughed. "Not drugs, Liu. Jeez." Daniel climbed up to Liu's bunk and opened his drawstring back. He pulled out a phone and waved it at Liu. "Movies?"
"We aren't supposed to have those," Liu hissed, glancing out the door. Daniel scoffed and waved Liu off.
"We'll be fine. Long as we're quiet and 'behaving' the guards don't give two shits here." Liu stared at Daniel before joining him up on his bunk.
"What... movies do you like?" Liu did not care to break rules. He always followed them. Jeff was the one that was a little rebellious. Not Liu. Daniel turned on the phone and went to the phone files. .mp4 files were downloaded.
"Someone... I used to know loved this movie.. and.. it just.. I like it too." Liu's gaze flickered to Daniel's face then back to the screen as Daniel tapped on a .mp4 labeled 'Danny'.
Liu shook his head and settled in beside Daniel. "The moment you doubt whether or not you can fly, you cease to forever be able to do it." Daniel looked up, his brows raised and cowlick bouncing.
Liu dared to think that Daniel seemed happy that Liu quoted from the movie. Liu gave a small fraction of a smile. "It's the one movie my brother could tolerate from Disney. Said the others are stupid."
Daniel's grey eyes flickered with lights and darks until he pulled Liu to his side, both laying down as Daniel held the phone. Liu tensed. His mind blanked. "Daniel?"
"Figured it'd be more comfortable than sitting like a shrimp." Liu stared up at Daniel. While Liu wasn't opposed... it was foreign. Liu was in the spot Jeff would be at if Liu was back home. It was giving deja vu and making the voice in his head loud again. His vision blurred and before Daniel could see, Liu shifted so he was looking at the movie playing on the phone.
Liu couldn't focus on the movie. Laying against Daniel was bringing forth memories of Jeff. Was Jeff doing alright? Why was it taking Jeff so long to respond to his letters? Had something happened? Had Randy tried to do something to Jeff? Had Jeff done something to Randy—no, Jeff would be in juvie with Liu. Jeff was already a fragile thing. Liu knew the boy wouldn't last long on his own. Jeff had always had Liu. Liu wasn't there and his heart ached. Liu was failing his little brother—he had failed him. Why had Jeff felt the need to be so violent? That wasn't like him—
Liu hadn't noticed that Daniel had paused Peter Pan. He hadn't realized that his cheeks were wet until Daniel shifted from behind him to lay on his side, propped up on his arm. The phone was shoved into Daniel's pocket before that same hand wiped away Liu's tears. That gentle action caused Liu to let out a choked sob. Liu tried to turn away, biting at his hand to muffle the sounds.
"Liu, stop." Daniel grabbed his jaw. "Let go." Soon as Liu stopped biting his hand, Daniel turned Liu over to bury Liu's face to his chest. Liu gripped at Daniel's shirt. His breaths became uneven, hiccups coming over him. Daniel's arms wrapped around Liu tightly. "He's gonna be okay. If he's anything like you, he's a tough kid."
Somehow, Daniel knew what he was upset about.
"I just want to see him again!" Liu's sob was broken. His chest was tight. He couldn't breath. "He's never been without me—mom—dad—they don't care!"
Daniel's grip became tighter for a split second before pulling away, grabbing Liu's face. "Hey... hey... Liu, look at me." Once Liu did with his bleary olive eyes that reminded Daniel of cloudy green garnet. "Breathe. You're gonna pass out if you don't."
Liu couldn't stop thinking back to Jeff.
"Shh... Liu... c'mon... One, two, just like me.." Daniel kept wiping Liu's tears, doing his own deep breaths. When Liu's face remained crunched up and the boy started to hold his breath, Daniel tucked Liu's face back to his chest.
Dammit. Daniel didn't want to do this. It made his own heart ache, but Liu reminded him so much of Camden.
"Storms get loud, shadows tower... but i won't let you fall." Daniel held Liu tighter, clenching his eyes shut. "Hold on tight, and I'll never leave... I'm right here... it'll be... okay." Daniel's voice broke on the last word. Daniel buried his nose to Liu's hair. Liu had stopped shaking. Daniel didn't let go. He blinked away his own glass and took a deep breath before pulling back to look at Liu.
Liu's eyes were red as his cheeks. Snot dripping from his nose. His cheeks stained from his tears. Daniel wiped the tears away again. "Your brother is gonna be okay. You only got... what? Another few months? It'll fly by, I promise, Liu."
Liu sniffed and nodded. "So... sorry Da.. Daniel," he hiccuped. Daniel shook his head and let go of Liu's face.
"Don't be sorry, bubba. It ain't your fault." The words left Daniel's mouth before he could stop it, and he stared at Liu before pulling out the phone. "Maybe... maybe we need to watch somethin' else... mind if I smoke?"
"No... no... its okay..."
And so Daniel picked something that would keep them both up all night with terror and drown the emotions that came over both of them.
discoholicmusic
yousharknotpass
origamiaround
andulkaphoto
janainaart
