#daredevillish

[mysteriousxgirls]

Hana watched him stand, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips as he ruffled her hair. His words, light and teasing, made her heart swell with affection for him, though she could feel the weight of everything unsaid lingering between them. She didn’t respond to his playful remark, not because she didn’t want to, but because her heart was too full of the quiet, unspoken truth she couldn’t bring herself to say. She remained seated, her fingers resting on the spot where his warmth had lingered moments before. Even in the silence, there was something so incredibly comforting about his presence. It was as if no matter how much their worlds shifted or changed, they would always find their way back to one another. As the door clicked shut behind him, Hana allowed herself a deep breath, still feeling the echo of his vulnerability, still wrapped in the afterglow of the connection they’d shared. Her eyes drifted to the window, her gaze distant, unfocused. She couldn’t help but think about the things she could never say, the thoughts that still haunted her in the quiet of moments like this.

Maybe if the accident never happened… She thought, her mind wandering to that time before everything changed. Maybe if I was still the same person I was then… if I still had my voice… maybe I could have been the person he deserves.

Her chest tightened as the memory of her former life, her former self, tugged at her heart. Before the accident, before her voice was taken from her (even if it was a choice), she was someone else entirely. Someone strong, someone whole. But now, she was broken. And no matter how much Everest cared for her, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t worthy of his love. He deserved so much more than this—more than someone who couldn’t even speak without struggle, more than someone who could no longer offer the world she once thought she could. She had never quite realized how much her music had defined her until it was gone. There were times when she would find herself watching old videos of her performances, of her old band, just to hear her own voice again. The sound of it was so foreign now, as if it belonged to someone else. Someone stronger, someone unbroken. Each note, each word, was a painful reminder of what she had lost.

And yet, here she was, sitting in silence, holding onto a connection with Everest that she couldn’t quite understand. He was so much to her, yet she felt like she was giving him nothing in return. She wanted to tell him—tell him how much she appreciated him, how much she longed for things to be different. But there was a part of her that feared if she did, it would all fall apart. That he would see her for what she really was now—broken, incomplete—and walk away. And that fear, that silent terror, kept her tongue tied, her heart heavy with unspoken words.

She closed her eyes and exhaled, willing herself to push those thoughts aside for now. Maybe one day, everything would fall into place. She hoped, she really did. But for now, it was just a dream. And dreams were dangerous. They were fragile things, often slipping away when you least expected them to. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, the truth remained: She didn’t deserve him. Not in the way he deserved someone whole. Someone who could be his equal in all things.

he wasn’t the best at showing emotions other than his anger when someone innocent would suffer. all of the rest has been bottled deep within and at this moment, it erupted like a volcano. the hot lava was his tears burning as they continued trickling down his face. the sweet and caring gestures from hana were like the green light for him to just let it all out. his body shaking while he cried, even when he felt the lingering kiss on the top of his head, then the slight weight of her head resting against his. while his heart ached, he could have sworn it also felt a certain warmth at the same time. unknowingly to her, she was mending him. her actions spoke louder than any word could, everest knew that. aside from their bickering, which he absolutely loved, she always took such good care of him to the point he had sat alone at home, thinking. thinking if he could ever repay her for everything she had done until now. he hated reading into what they had as more than just a friendship, way too scared that if he revealed his feelings, he would ruin everything between them. one day, he would muster up the courage and talk about it. just one day, he would let her know.

with his raging thoughts calming down, his shaking body did too and the tears slowly ceased. taking deep breaths, everest realized his sleeve was soaked with tears after crying a bucket. somehow, the silence wasn’t so deafening now and his chest didn’t feel so tight. her presence, her touch, her warmth was the silent promise she would be there and he knew that, putting him at ease. the familiar ding of his phone indicating that the food he had forgotten he ordered was nearby, made him finally move his arm away. albeit not wanting to move, ruin this intimate moment, he slowly pushed himself to sit up. his expression conveyed just how much this meant to him– her being there and holding him through this eruption of emotions. he would do the same for her in a heartbeat. “ they’ll be here soon. ” he looked at his phone, seeing how their food seemed to be approximately five minutes away. everest got up, giving her hair a gentle but playful ruffle before shooting her a charming smile on his way. “ i'll be right back, don't miss me too much. ” he said while opening the door, making sure to wipe his face using his sleeves as napkins before heading downstairs.

[photobombingcryptid]

It doesn't happen during his daredevillish jumps or devastating kicks. It doesn't happen when he is breaking sprinting records or lifting heavy weights.

No.

One wrong step is all it takes to mess up his knee.

[anexthetxc]

With pursed lips, Ari started to guide Everest out of the meeting room and towards the family's kitchen. She passed a few of their guards on the way, politely yet firmly requesting them to get their doctor to the mansion quickly.

"I worry about you," she said as she guided him to sit down. The maids in the kitchen quickly bowed and left to give Ari and Everest privacy, enough that Ari didn't feel so shy and was able to wet a cold cloth and start to wipe gently at the dried blood on his cheek. "One of these days you're going to get really hurt. I know you're good and strong, but what point will someone actually do some damage? There's...other things you can do than fighting," she started, ready to offer him a position among her guards but stopping before she could start her job interview. "I just...hate to see you get hurt like this."

he was silent while she spoke, didn’t want to interrupt her. anger radiated off her, understandably so after he was the bearer of bad news … well, in a way. “ yeah … as i told you, i didn’t hold back either so he’s pretty roughed up. ”

the offer of calling the family doctor was sudden and felt a bit uneasy to straight out accept it but going to the hospital wasn’t really an option at this point. he didn’t know maybe people he could go to for that kind of aid either. “ actually, i’ll be thankful if you can do that. ” quick to agree, take it as her way of thanking him for the work well done. her comment made him snort though. with his bad luck, this was the second time in the past month his pretty face suffered like that. at least he didn’t let that man toss him around like a ragdoll unlike the last time he did an underground fight. “ you should have seen me last month … i wonder how much more can this jaw take before breaking. ” he pondered, hoping he wouldn’t have to face such a problem.

[bookclubs]

used　to　insults　and　passive　aggressive　comments,　always　the　target　of　suffering　and　pity　⎯⎯　never　someone　to　be　proud　of,　friendships　always　short　lived　and　romance　never　on　sight.　raven　was　but　clay　to　be　thrown　and　kicked　until　no　longer　able　to　be　molded,　which　resulted　in　seclusion,　escapism　and　avoidance　of　any　sort　of　social　interactions　⎯⎯　she　was　not　meant　to　be　desired　in　any　sense.　when　acceptance　drips　from　opposite's　mouth　the　woman　sighs　softly,　as　if　relieved　that　he'd　no　longer　attempt　to　pursue　her,　yet　counterpart　kept　going　and　when　stated　that　he　wouldn't　give　up,　that's　when　her　heart　dropped.　dark　brows　raise　and　doll　like　eyes　widen,　heartbeat　increasing　as　rosy　hues　dust　cheeks　and　ears　⎯⎯　she　deemed　him　insane;　why　would　anyone　do　that　?　in　what　world　made　sense　to　even　have　a　little　drop　of　attraction　towards　her　?　it　made　no　sense　whatsoever.　the　pinching　only　makes　the　hue　on　countenance　darken,　humming　as　gaze　dropped　to　the　floor.　❝　i　don't　⎯⎯　❞　the　streamer　starts,　frustrated　sigh　parting　from　rosy　lips.　❝　i　don't　get　it　!　why　would　you　ever　want　someone　like　me　?　don't　you　understand　i'm　not　good　for　you　?　or　for　anyone　?　i'm　not　pretty　or　wealthy　or　smart,　i　have　no　redeeming　qualities　and　i'm　a　sore　loser　for　a　job　⎯⎯　can't　you　understand　i'm　saying　this　because　you　deserve　better　?　i'm　not　the　type　of　girl　you　date,　or　befriend,　or　anything　!　❞

ever the pessimist. never accepted a single compliment. always had something to say, to degrade herself as if she was worthless. to say he was getting used to it would be a big fat lie. at first, everest would laugh it off but now it was starting to get on his nerves and he was only left guessing when he was going to snap and do something they both could regret later. after all, he didn’t want to lose her but he also highly disliked it when she would sell herself short like that. “ i catch your drift …” he mimicked before scoffing afterwards. “ right, right. you can be a solo player. i won’t give up though. ” he reached out to ever so gently pinch her cheek before retracting his hand, letting out a chuckle. maybe he had read too much into a couple of looks before … yeah, maybe she really wasn’t ready for a relationship and he was going to respect that. he could wait a few years.

[mysteriousxgirls]

Her heart ached as she watched the tears trail down Everest’s face, the soft whisper of his apology reaching her ears, even as it broke her heart. She knew he wasn’t truly apologizing for his emotions, but for feeling like he was a burden. And that was something she couldn’t let him believe. Her fingers paused for a brief moment, as if trying to gather the courage to do something that words couldn’t fully capture. She slowly leaned down, her movement gentle as she placed a soft, lingering kiss on the top of his head. The warmth of her lips was a silent promise, a message of reassurance: I’m here, always. She pulled back just enough to let her forehead rest against his for a brief second, closing her eyes to let the silence between them speak louder than any words could. Hana knew there was no need for him to apologize. She had already forgiven him in ways he could never imagine. Instead, she simply held him in that quiet, intimate moment—showing him that his pain was shared, and that her love was constant. Though, Hana did not know what this was- a friendship? maybe more than that- all she knew was that there was a quiet understanding between them that spoke volumes. Everest cared for her deeply, of that she was certain, and she cared for him just as much—if not more. Yet, despite that, there was an ache in her chest that she couldn’t ignore.

She was silent or chose to be, unable to speak, unable to say the things that lingered in her mind. But the truth was clear to her. He deserved better. He deserved someone who could offer him everything he needed, someone who could speak and share the weight of their emotions in ways she never could. But Hana knew one thing for sure: she would never leave him alone. No matter what their relationship was—or wasn’t—she would always be there, in whatever way she could, offering her love in the form of touch, a gentle gesture, and the unspoken promise that he was never alone.

he knew she would pick up on the fact he was getting emotional. it wasn’t like he could hide it, not in this situation. he accepted his fate of looking pathetic and miserable in front of her. but then again, it was hana– someone he trusted with his life so maybe it was alright. didn’t mean to ruin the playful mood from earlier though. everest was lost in his thoughts and only focusing on the sounds of her moving around made him realize his cheeks were already wet and tears trickled down the sides of his neck. feeling her presence near, he tensed up but all of that disappeared when she began stroking his hair. it soothed his raging mind, his aching soul. the fact she was there was more than enough and everest knew she cared and loved him and he did too, just as much. hana was more important than she realized perhaps. if it wasn’t for her, he would have become an empty shell by now. the warmth that she brought was more than he could ask for. “ i’m sorry … ” he whispered, unable to speak up still. what a party pooper he was.

[mysteriousxgirls]

Hana’s gaze softened even more, her heart sinking a little as she watched him turn away, trying to hide his emotions. She could sense the heaviness in the air, even without words. She had known Everest long enough to recognize when something was off, and the way he avoided her eyes spoke volumes. Hana stood for a moment, her gaze lingering on him as he lay on the couch. Her chest tightened with an overwhelming sense of protectiveness, a gentle but fierce desire to be there for him in a way that words couldn’t always express. Without a second thought, she took a step closer, the quiet sound of her footsteps the only thing breaking the stillness of the room. She kneeled beside the couch, lowering herself carefully so she could be closer to him. The ache in her heart softened as she reached out, her hand moving to rest gently on his head, fingers running through his hair in slow, soothing strokes. Her touch was light, tender, as if she was trying to reassure him without needing to say anything at all. She didn’t need words—he already knew how much she cared, how deeply she wanted to take away the weight he carried. The rhythmic motion of her fingers through his hair spoke volumes, conveying all the love and care she couldn’t vocalize.

@daredevillish

he could tell she was still worried and what she had typed out next was just proving it. hana has always been thoughtful and caring- one of the nicest people everest knew. pure in her own way and he hoped she would stay like that for a long, long time. it awakened this desire within him to protect her from all harm .. oh, if he could do that. sadly, he wasn’t a hero with a cape and unlimited superpowers. he looked away from her, gaze focused on the ceiling though his vision soon became blurry with tears. suddenly, the lump in his throat was making it hard for him to speak. it wasn’t every day that he got emotional like that. besides, it had been a long time since someone made him feel like he mattered. when he was around her, he wasn’t just a tool, he was a human being whose life, opinions and likes mattered. draping an arm over his eyes, he tried his best to sound normal, not even sure if she would be able to read his lips when he wasn’t facing her properly. “ i’m fine, i promise. there’s no broken bones or anything. ”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Hana's eyes softened as she watched Everest move around, making sure to take care of himself. When he flopped onto the couch, she smiled to herself, feeling a little relieved that he was following her suggestion. But her mind couldn’t entirely settle; she was still concerned about him, about how much pain he might still be in. His body ached, and even though he tried to brush it off, she couldn’t shake the worry. She leaned forward, pulling her phone out again and typing quickly before showing it to him: “You sure you’re okay? You’re not hiding anything, are you? You didnt break anything? If you need to go to the hospital, I’ll drag you there, no hesitation.” Her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before she added: “I’m serious. I don’t want to take any chances.” She tilted her head slightly, watching him intently for any sign of discomfort, but her gaze softened, hoping her words would reach him in the way she intended—concerned but not demanding. Her finger tapped the side of her phone thoughtfully, the small glint of worry still there in her eyes. She was fine waiting for the food, but his well-being was her priority, even if it meant dragging him to a hospital against his will.

he laughed softly after reading what she typed. perhaps she would surprise him with her alcohol tolerance. rolling his eyes in a playful manner, everest waved a hand dismissively. “ patience, alright? ” he hoped they won’t take longer than an hour, maybe an hour and a half at best due to how far they were located. it would be worth it though, he’s sure of it. his gaze followed her movements and it landed on her hand when she was handing him the painkillers. a brief smile showed up on his face when their fingers touched. “ thank you kindly. i’ll take painkillers and lie down, yes. they’ll give me a call when the food is here so no need to stay alert or anything. ” he explained, slowly pushing himself up and groaning at the way his body ached. this really would take time to heal. dragging himself to the kitchen, everest reached for a glass, filling it with tap water and placing it on the countertop for a moment. popping the bottle open, he took a few pills- three to be more exact and quickly swallowed them just so she wouldn’t see that and nag him. right, the dosage was a bit off but that sounded better than one or two. downing the glass at once, he made sure to rinse it before putting it on the dish drainer. only then everest returned to the living room where he sprawled on the couch. “ now we wait. ”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Hana smiled softly as she listened to him, her eyes glinting with amusement. She leaned forward, tapping on her phone with quick fingers before showing him her response: “I guess we’ll find out tonight, won’t we? I might surprise you with my strength after all,” she wrote, her tone playful but challenging. Her eyes locked onto his face, catching the slight falter in his smile, and she raised an eyebrow. The playful smirk never left her face as she typed again: “Best fried chicken, huh? You better deliver. I’m counting on you to live up to that claim.” She gave him a teasing look, though there was a small glint of sincerity in her gaze. Her expression shifted when he mentioned painkillers, and she nodded, immediately reaching into her bag. She pulled out a small bottle of painkillers and offered them to him, her fingers brushing his briefly as she handed them over, her expression softening. She then typed quickly: “Here. You should take those now. Maybe lie down until the food gets here.” She leaned back, keeping an eye on him to make sure he’d take care of himself before anything else.

“ maybe i can handle that much or maybe i can’t. we’ll see about that. i wonder if you can handle it, though! ” he spoke in a teasing manner, a smile plastered over his face even though the pain was starting to intensify. his smile faltered for a moment- he needed painkillers now. didn’t seem ideal as soju was on the menu for the night but he would manage. squinting his eyes while reading what she had typed, everest snorted in response. was she actually doubting his ability of finding the best takeout? “ i don’t really cook at home, i resort to takeout so jokes on you- i know who makes the best fried chicken in town. it’s gonna rock your socks, you just wait and see. ” he said more serious now as if as a warning. “ by the way … do you have any painkillers? ”

[anexthetxc]

The description sounded vaguely familiar, though it didn't bring up anyone specifically. "I'll just look for the one beaten up -- he's a dead man," she said again, already on her phone alerting her most trusted guards (and father) or the description. Ari's eyes lifted when she saw Everest guarding his face again, wincing at the pain he must have felt from attacking the moron dumb enough to betray her.

"Do you want me to call our family doctor for you?" she asked. "There's only so many beatings you can take before you scar. You're gonna look like shit for the next week if you don't ice your nose." It might've sounded rather dull to anyone else, but for Ari, someone who rarely showed any concern for anyone that wasn't her family, it meant something. It would probably be the closest thing to a "thank you" he'd get from her for defending the gang by beating up the rat.

he had said it before and he would say it again– ari is a scary woman. that was why everest always chose to stay on her good side and in this case specifically, he couldn’t just dismiss everything and pretend he didn’t know. what if something happened to her? he would hate himself for that.

“ he … ” everest paused for a moment, trying to recall if there were any distinguishing details about that guy, like scars or tattoos that were visible but nothing resurfaced. “ round face, bowl cut, small eyes … definitely tall, maybe even a little taller than me. man, he was like a fucking tank. ” he reached to cup the side of his face, wincing at the stinging sensation that wouldn’t let him think straight.

[anexthetxc]

Ari's grin fell at the mention of jeju; their monthly run across the ocean of weapon shipments was being leaked? If she'd still had her hand on Everest's jaw, it might've broken with how hard she clenched her fingers that started to shake.

"Oh. I'm actually going to kill him." Only able to scoff at the betrayal of one of her men, Ari crossed her arms in attempt to conceal her anger and attempt to show a relaxed composure. "Which one was it?" she asked, nodding as a miniscule show of her appreciation he was actually telling her rather than hiding it as anyone else would have. "Tell me. I'll have him caught and strapped by the night. You can get first hit -- but he's dead."

“ he was talking about an activity that was supposed to be a secret– location, date, time, he spilled everything. do you have something planned for jeju in two weeks? ” he asked, eyes lifting to meet her own while observing her reactions.

the offer of her letting everest go at the guy one more time was both blood curdling and exciting. he had never killed a person in his life and he hoped he wouldn’t have to but given his recklessness, one day he might do just that. death has been an acquaintance for a while now, not his favorite because it was his father he lost. the person he was closest to. the sight still haunted him to this day. however the thought of beating that rat up to death was giving him the chills … in a good way. “ yeah, that sounds good. i would love that. ”

[anexthetxc]

"No. I believe you." Blame it on her soft heart for the younger man, but Ari actually trusted him over her own men that now had a death sentence over his head. It sounded like she had a rat problem she'd have to deal with.

She cracked a smile at the image of her men looking worse that Everest, no doubt he'd gotten them good given by his own roughed up look. "What did he say?" she asked, ready to call her guards and hunt down her rat. "If he's actually spilling out gang information, he's dead. If you want, I'll even chain him down in the warehouse and you can kick him down some more before we kill him," she offered, her tone light but her words also completely serious.

“ do you think i would have jumped into this headfirst if i wasn't sure? ” questionable since he was totally unpredictable sometimes. she had all the rights to choose to trust her underling instead. everest knew enough to be sure everyone was aware that moles would not be spared though. she was right to dismiss his words but he had to tell her all of this. in this dog eat dog world, you have to stick by the ones who got you back and that was what he saw in her eyes. “ you have all the rights to think this isn’t true but i’ll say it once– i overheard something that angered me.. ”

when she grabbed his jaw, everest winced at the pain that seemed to have settled all over his face. he was sure he would wake up with a back eye too. great, isn’t it? “ yeah. you’ll know who he is … i didn’t hold back either. ”

[bookclubs]

constantly　hiding　from　everything　and　everyone,　reflection　on　the　mirror　but　a　shell　of　self　hatred　and　guilt,　carrying　the　casket　of　an　undeserving　soul　...　could　never　understand　the　positivity　that　dripped　from　countless　of　mouths,　and　it　haunted　her　⎯⎯　how　could　they　be　so　blind　to　believe　she　deserved　any　of　the　love　and　adoration　thrown　her　way　?　it　just　didn't　seem　right.　pools　of　darkness　do　not　face　taller,　instead　they　focus　on　ground　below　and　pink　sneakers　shuffle.　it　leaves　her　uncomfortable,　hearing　the　desire　to　be　with　her,　it　never　made　sense　why　anyone　would　want　her　in　any　form　other　than　platonically　⎯⎯　tokki　simply　isn't　all　of　that,　not　in　her　own　eyes.　❝　i　think　there's　better　losers　out　there,　i'm　more　of　a　...　solo　player,　if　you　catch　my　drift.　besides,　you　can　really　do　better　⎯⎯　i'm　not　the　type　of　person　you　wanna　have　anything　with,　trust　me.　❞

right, she always spoke like that but this sounded like the cherry on top … and it wasn’t in a good way. his mouth was hanging open and his  eyes widened for a brief moment. he lowkey hated the way she spoke of herself because she was more than capable of pulling any guy. anyone better than him. if they had to compare, everest was the loser. complete trash. he had heard that before. “ oh yeah? because together we are going to be the super duper mega loser duo. ain’t that cool? ” he tried to laugh it off but with what he had accidentally started, this conversation could go places.

[anexthetxc]

"Mole?" It wasn't entirely possible. Her family had worked hard to secure loyal and well paid gangsters to prevent problems just like this, and usually the few they caught were tortured and ultimately killed. If he was right, then one of her guys was selling out information and put their hands on Everest -- which meant any torture would be twice as long.

Ari reached out and grasped his jaw, turning it a few times to examine the extent of the damage. "You're telling me one of my guys did this to you?"

he never expected to end up tangled into the mess that some brainless gangster started, dragging him along. it was finally after he recovered from his last underground fight that he ended up all beaten up again but this time he wasn’t the one knocked out. “ bold of you to assume i was actually thinking. ” he let out a laugh. there was more to it but was he supposed to tell her? how would she take it that her own underlings sell information for some cash. greedy fuckers. “ did you know there was a mole in your circle? because that’s pretty much the core problem. ”

[bookclubs]

❝　and　why　would　you　even　want　to　be　my　loser　boyfriend　?　❞　inquiry　is　paired　with　airy　chuckle,　dark　tresses　tossed　behind　bare　shoulder　as　dark　hues　stare　into　his　own.　❝　i'm　already　a　big　loser　as　it　is,　you　can　definitely　find　better　out　there　-　don't　settle　for　so　little,　y'know.　❞

open to: female muses! idea is: maybe your muse and everest have known each other for a while and there have been sparks flying but neither of them did or said anything until this slipped out.

“ loser?? alright.. actually i could be your loser boyfriend. do you ever think about that? ”