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thewickeddevil · 4 years ago

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A Study In Jean Moreau

(tw: mentions of Jean's past, violence, mental health and suicidal thoughts/intention to die. let me know if there's something else)

ok, so, i say all the time that Jean Moreau is my favorite and comfort character in All For The Game (i know. it literally hurts but also brings me joy sometimes) and i would literally kill for that man. so, that said, i think too much about him and, consequently, i have too many hcs about him. on request, i will now do what i'm gonna call A Study In Jean Moreau

(my beta reader and best friend helped me a lot with this. thanks @jostenrun)

i'll start with this quote from one of my kerejean fics (https://archiveofourown.org/works/26146540)

During Jean's first four months at USC and playing with the Trojans, he would always ignore Jeremy and put a frown on his face whenever he was in the same place as him. It obviously wasn't the best of strategies to put distance between himself and all the Jeremy glow, but it looked exactly bad enough to work.

Still, Jeremy was all pompous and charming looks at him, always smiling and being polite even though he received much less in return. It pissed the shit out of Jean.

He was used by the Ravens for many years, treated exactly like the exchange item he had been, just possession and obliged to follow lines and lines of rules too strict even for how he should breathe.

Riko was violent, the Ravens were cruel, the Moriyama family was wrong and he needed to repeat this to himself on a daily basis to be able to just keep going.

Back at the beginning of those days, many times he would fight back until he was taught that it was only worse. Many times he would beg until he realized that it encouraged Riko more than it prevented him. Many times he would cry until he was taught that it was wrong.

He would often bleed.

He would often wish to bleed until there was nothing left in his veins, no thoughts in his brain, no air in his lungs, no words on the tip of his tongue—

And he would often try to do just that on his own.

That was his daily life for a long time. Evermore was what he knew, the Moriyama family was who he belonged to and all of that was for what he served. That was it.

How was he supposed to know back then that suddenly overly nice twenty-eight other people would replace all of that with magnificence?

How was he supposed to know that they wouldn't look at him with disgust whenever he accidentally let a curse in French slip away?

How was he supposed to know that the Trojans had complete freedom within the team, instead of having to walk in pairs like the Ravens?

How was he supposed to know that Jeremy wasn't going to hit him whenever he made a mistake?

Or how would he know that Jeremy never considered anything that he made a mistake?

It was all a very big break from reality and so, so suddenly. Jean felt confused at first. Lost, wrong, out of place, stupid and scared.

And Jeremy was always determined to be the best he could be. Jeremy was safe.

Until Jean felt comfortable, confident, fine, and satisfied. He was someone instead of something and he really felt like that.

i think Jean would take years to relearn how to live instead of surviving. sometimes he would fail at that, but so many failures can only lead to success eventually.

he really didn't want to keep playing exy after everything, he doesn't think exy is good at all and trauma made him hate it, but he needs it because of the deal with Ichirou. fortunately, the Trojans are a team big enough to put him in the background for a while, to give him a little rest. but he knows he can't relax too much

he starts therapy. he needs it badly and it takes time for him to really be able to do it, but Jean was never anything but strong, and when he sees the chance to finally heal he knows that, despite how tired he is, despite how many times he wonders if it's worth it to keep going, he needs to grab that and at least try. just one more time. he never wanted to work for anything in his life because nothing was important before, but now he thinks that maybe things are changing

the Trojans get a dorm exclusively for him at first, because they don't want Jean to force himself to share space with someone he doesn't know and still doesn't trust. they want Jean to have his own space and feel safe before anything. he needs that solitude and he knows that it doesn't mean loneliness because his team will always be just a call away from him

he relapses sometimes. days without taking basic care of himself and without getting up from bed, and he no longer remembers whether he’s alive or not. sometimes he's able to call his therapist when that happens, but sometimes he isn't

this is how he gets into the habit of learning poetry. and eventually, writing poetry. he needs a coping mechanism and words seem to be safe enough to float around in his mind and make space in his core

(French poetry that Kevin always dissects for him and tells about the history behind the period in which those texts were written, or about the authors of each text)

the process is slow but it’s progress nonetheless

so, we know about therapy, about not being easy, about difficulties and things happening slowly during the healing process, now let's talk about the little details when things finally start to work out positively. when the best part of Jean's life finally begins

he finds out that his eyesight isn't bad only because of the beatings he took in the nest, and finds it ridiculous when Jeremy offers to help him buy glasses because, according to him, all the glasses Jean likes make him look like a middle-aged man that curses people for fun. Jean doesn't hate it though

Jean learns how to swim and likes it more than he thought he would. he likes the fluidity and movements of the liquid around his skin, how he cuts the water with his body when moving around and how it doesn't hurt him, and he just feels light

Jean likes nutella and chocolate with nuts, because Jeremy used to give it to him after nightmares or difficult days, and it became a comfort food for him (something he wasn’t even allowed to eat in the nest)

Jean's musical taste is a big mess of R&B, soul, pop art, folk, dark pop... he likes artists like Lorde, Aurora, Marina, Sigrid, Sleeping at last and the list goes on

Before he left France, Jean's family had a farm and he was responsible for harvesting fruits and vegetables there. this is one of the last memories he has about France, so he likes to harvest fruits and vegetables whenever he has the chance in the US

Jean loves to read fantasy books. he is a hufflepuff and part of cabin 6 in camp half-blood (children of Athena)

he likes geography. pedology, topography and weather are his favorites. he likes to look at the sky and know how to name climatic phenomena regardless of where in the world he is

(he also likes history and sociology, but only because he can hear Kevin and Jeremy — respectively — talking for hours and hours about those two subjects)

he hates biology

he absolutely hates croissants, tea and coffee. in the morning he always drinks juice or chocolate milk (the latter is Jeremy's fault)

the first time he willingly got wasted on alcohol, he, Sarah and Laila woke Jeremy up in the wee hours of the night while singing in Spanish (Jean barely knows Spanish). he passed out after that and woke up the next day in his room. his first thought was that he was fine even though he lost control of himself around other people, and he cried because of that. Jeremy was concerned because he thought he was crying from a headache or something related to a hangover

Jean can never find shoes his size in conventional stores because he's very big (fucking tall, muscular but not too much, with large shoulders and hips, and eventually a tummy) and, consequently, his feet are also big. he needs to have it personalized and he completely hates it

he loves dogs but is easily scared by them. he couldn't get out of the dorms for almost an entire day after Jeremy's mom's dog barked too loud and it scared Jean. he felt guilty and didn't want people to be mad at him for being so scared of a simple dog

he loves cats though, and after some time into therapy, he adopted a service cat. Kevin and Jeremy always joke about it looking like a replica of Jean himself

Jean doesn't understand the purpose of MMA competitions, because he doesn't like violence and thinks martial arts should be only for self-defense, so he doesn't really understand why people choose to compete over something so aggressive

he also doesn't like the violence in exy, but he forgives because, at least, violence is not the main goal of the sport, but to score points

he learns to draw and starts to open art commissions on the internet. this is his first job and he's proud of it because it was something he achieved by himself

Jean and Jeremy fell in love on the beach

Kevin and Jean take time to forgive each other, especially Jean. the broken heart Kevin left in Jean hurt more than being abandoned by his parents. he suffered from it for years but he didn't really want to blame Kevin. he also knew Riko, after all. he knew how capable of driving someone insane Riko was. it didn't make things easier or less painful though. Kevin and Jean took time, but they never loved each other less

Kevin and Jean fell in love for the second time (the time they could, the time they were allowed) after one of the matches in which their teams were rivals

Jean is very picky for food consistency, and he hates ketchup and mayonnaise for that. he insists all the time that if people knew how to season the food well, they wouldn't need those condiments

(he secretly loves Dijon Mustard though)

Jean was born on 08/31. he’s a virgo

plushies are the first resource that Jean uses when he feels alone but is unable to be around anyone at the moment, so he unconsciously starts making a collection of them. they're all small, except for two that Kevin and Jeremy gave him and are, respectively, a fox and a red and gold trojan. he eventually distributes his plushies to children in local orphanages but keeps those two to himself out of sheer emotional attachment

he doesn't stop suffering because of his trauma throughout his life, but he learns to deal with it. that's the point of everything. he never thinks he will magically forget or get over it, but now he is in a different place in his life and he can start working his way to be the best version of himself he can. he doesn't fool himself into thinking it will be easy and fast, he never thought it would be less difficult than it really was, but he takes things slowly and carefully and hopes it works

his entire healing process is too complex and extensive to explain everything here, but i did the best i could and now i really need to stop because i could stay here ranting for days. xx

#Jean Moreau #all for the game #aftg #the foxhole court #the raven king #the king's men #Jeremy Knox #Kevin Day #USC Trojans #Healing #i love him too much for my own good #this man deserves the whole world and i'll stand for that #Kerejean #Jerejean #Kevjean

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andreil-minyasten · 6 years ago

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The Raven Killer

JereJean | T | 3755

This is my entry for the @aftgexchange Valentine round 2019. This little JereJean piece is for @fornavngoesexy who's absolutely AMAZING and keeps the fandom beautiful as f. I picked Jeremy/Jean an dark/angst with happy ending from your prompts. Hope you like it! Happy Valentine's Day <3

Read on AO3 When asked, Jeremy Knox wouldn’t describe Jean Moreau with colors, like most people do. He wouldn't say, here, look at this coffee, Jean has hair like this. He wouldn't serve you a stick of butter and compare it to Jean's skin. He definitely wouldn't try finding a shade worthy of explaining the otherworldly luminosity of Jean's eyes.

Instead, he would say this.

There is a moment before rain, before storm, when nature is holding its breath. A veil of hush is spread, suddenly the sky is backlit by the sun and then, the first flash of lightning, the first splash of rain.

Jean Moreau is that moment, caught in a prison of flesh and blood.

This is what Jeremy Knox thought, every morning when he saw Jean Moreau cross the road to the minuscule coffee shop Jeremy owned. Ever since Jeremy started working as a barista/cafe owner, Jean has taken a liking to the chocolate croissants. Reminds him of home, he says and blushes faintly.

Jeremy shouldn’t, really. He shouldn’t like that hint of pink on pearly skin, shouldn’t like the sight of Jean every morning. He shouldn’t even be thinking of Jean Moreau. It was very unprofessional. But it's been months and there had been a hundred mornings and Jeremy can't remember a morning without Jean.

Today isn't an exception. Yes, Jeremy’s mind is restless with frantic worry. Yes, he feels desperate for a solution to his biggest predicament. Yes, he knows he can't do this anymore.

But his smile doesn't falter. He brews Jean's coffee with care, serves it up with two croissants, as always. He takes out the blue tray that Jean likes. Jean returns Jeremy's smile with one of his rare ones.

‘Thank you, Jeremy,’ his voice is just a whisper, again, today. Jeremy can see a purple bruise almost completely covered by a bulky scarf. Almost but not quite.

‘How's your boyfriend doing?’ Jeremy asks when they're running out of small talk.

Jean stiffens almost immediately, reaching up to wrap the scarf tighter around his neck.

‘Good, he's….. he's good, as always, Jeremy.’

And Jeremy hates him. He hates Riko Moriyama, so much.

-------------

Here's what Jeremy knows about Jean Moreau's long-term boyfriend Riko Moriyama. Riko is the second son of the Business Tycoon Kengo Moriyama. Riko’s elder brother Ichirou is the crown prince of their empire, leaving Riko free to live a life of debauchery. Riko takes full advantage of it. He's called for modelling once in a while. But he doesn't actually work, as far as Jeremy can't tell. Yet, he's busy everyday, if partying could be called being busy.

Jean is almost the exact opposite. He's never seen with Riko at his parties. Instead he works as cleric at the kindergarten opposite the shop Jeremy works at. He's been together with Riko for seven years.

Jeremy also knows, every night that Riko spends in his own house, he leaves a bruise on Jean. Jeremy finds the bruises, catalogues them and wraps up the memory in a coat of fury.

----------------------

Jean views his life as a long, endless nightmare, interspaced by little moments when he feels awake, alive, hopeful. Moments like these, having a warm drink and basking in Jeremy's presence.

When he was young, he used to hope for a life that would always be good. He hated his abusive parents. As soon as he could think for himself he had made plans to leave them someday. And he thought he'd done it, too. One fine morning in April, he met Riko Moriyama, a bright eyed teen just like him. Jean, young and naive Jean was fascinated. He thought it was love for sure. Riko let him believe it was love, too. In reality, Jean left one nightmare and entered another.

It wasn't clear to him, at first. Riko was nicer than his parents. Riko was the place to call home, the face he wake up to, the person he centered his life around. It wasn't easy for him to see the bigger picture.

Yes, Riko got angry, a lot. Yes, Riko hurt him, a lot. But Riko apologized and cried and said he loved Jean too much. Jean believed him. Jean thought this was okay. He thought he could live this life.

Then came the bloodshed.

A few months after Jean moved in, Riko apparently deemed Jean loyal enough, or gullible enough, who knows. One night he simply came home with a stranger, proceeded to take him into Jean and Riko's bedroom and slaughter him like a pig.

Jean couldn’t remember the first time quite well. The only clear thing was the boy's face. He was a fresh faced teen, wide eyed and innocent the way Jean himself was, once. His slit throat was leaking blood all over Riko's bedspread. Jean was too numb to cry. But he did what Riko told him to do. He cleaned up the blood. erased the cctv footage, burned the linens. But he didn't touch the body.

Riko was gone in the morning. There was almost no evidence left of that horrifying night. Jean spent hours and hours curled up in the attic wondering if Riko was sick? If it was a wrong decision he'd made?

Jean didn’t have to wait long. Riko killed again in six months. This time it was a girl of perhaps sixteen. Jean tried to beg Riko and got a slashed wrist. After breaking the girl's neck, Riko took his boyfriend to the nearest hospital and got him treated for a mishap in the kitchen, I keep telling you be careful, love.

Years passed, and this happened again, and again, and again.

-----------

Jean often asks himself why he doesn't just leave and tell the police, tell anyone, that his lover is the serial killer known as Raven, because he always leaves a shiny black feather with the dead body dropped in a ditch somewhere. Jean didn't, couldn’t- tell anyone the first time mostly out of horror. But later? What stopped him from speaking up in the four years that Riko had been killing?

No, it wasn't the fear of prison or a death sentence. Jean had proof that it was Riko, he'd kept all the footage from the second time. He'd kept them safe. He'd saved a bit of blood from every victim while Riko went out. Their house was too big, Riko never moved a single finger to clean it. He would never find these evidences. These would be enough to prove what Riko did, what he was.

A monster.

But Jean kept adding to the pile of his evidence, never gathering up enough courage to show someone or leave.

Why?

‘You have nowhere to go, Jean. What, you'd go back to your parents? You think they want you? No one wants you, Jean.’

It was Riko's voice that said these things in his head, and they were all true, weren’t they? Where could Jean go? Riko was his whole world.

Jean had thought about death, about offering himself up to Riko one of those nights when he raged about not finding a suitable lamb to slaughter. But then, who would remember the faces of all the boys and girls Riko killed? Who would keep gathering evidence?

So Jean didn't kill himself and he didn't kill Riko, didn't stop him from killing others, didn't go to the police. Maybe his life would've gone on just like that, till Riko bored of him. But that sunny, airy Thursday, something changed.

Riko brought home Kevin.

------------------------

Jean tried to plead, reason, coerce and even bribe.

‘Riko, Riko you can't!’ he hissed while Riko hummed a tune and added a crushed up sedative in Kevin's vodka. ‘Kevin is a policeman! He's our childhood friend! It's too risky, you could get caught! Please, just send him away. I'll go look for… for another one. For you. Riko, please! Not Kevin!’

Riko went on as if he hadn't heard Jean. The tea was served. Kevin was all smiles as he downed one drink after another.

‘Y’know Riko, e’ryone says you're a spoiled brat but I see, I see you,’ Kevin declared, well on his way to getting drunk . ‘Your life's ssso good! You have a home and lovely, lovely Jean to come home to, mmm hmm? You're so lucky!’

This was like all the nightmares that came before. But Jean could feel more and more terror trickle through his veins as he watched Kevin slowly fall asleep. Riko was in the kitchen, picking which knife to use. He was going to kill Kevin, their darling friend Kevin who was snotty and obnoxious and uptight but he didn't deserve to die. Riko was going to kill him like all the others and drop off his corpse like all the others….

No.

Not Kevin.

Jean wouldn't let it happen, not this time.

He entered the kitchen. Riko had his back to the door. He trusted Jean so much.

‘Babe, you didn't wash the serrated one properly last time, there's rust on the handle.’ Riko chided mildly, putting down a knife and picking up a larger one.

‘I'm sorry, Riko.’

‘That's ok, love. I'll just-’

Jean felt a little foolish about hitting Riko with the cast iron pan. But it was heavy and knocked Riko out readily. Jean spent a moment worrying if he was dead. Then he shook himself and ran to get the car. He had so much work to do.

----------

Jeremy's little coffee shop closed late on rainy nights as more people craved a warm drink in their palms. Jeremy closed it around 10 that Thursday, going up to the attic that was his living space. It was small and rather messy, but warm. Jeremy was about to get under the blankets when he heard someone knocking loudly on the door downstairs. Ugh, he has to go out in the cold again.

He's cursing and shivering when he opens the door, only to find Jean Moreau. Jean Moreau, soaking in rain and shaking like a leaf, on Jeremy's doorstep.

Is this reality?

How many nights had Jeremy dreamt of Jean coming to him, to Jeremy, at the dead of night? But this isn't a dream, is it? Jean looks like death warmed over.

‘What are you doing here?’

He doesn’t get an answer right away. Jean's eyes look wide with terror and pain. He lifts a shaking hand to touch Jeremy's face.

‘Nothing, I just, just wanted to see you. I'll…. I have to go.’

Jeremy grips his wrist before Jean can move away. ‘No, don't. Stay here.’

‘What?’

‘Stay, stay here. It's not safe to drive in this downpour. And you'll catch your death in those clothes,’ Jeremy swallows down a wave of nerves. ‘Come inside, Jean.’

---------

In the dimly lit attic with it's sugar and cinnamon smell, Jeremy could almost believe this was a fantasy his stressed brain had conjured. Jean was in his shower while Jeremy struggled to find clothes big enough for the man. By the time he found a stretched out pair of sweatpants and a bulky hoodie, almost half an hour had passed and the shower was quiet.

‘Jean,’ Jeremy called. ‘Jean, are you okay?’

No answer. Jeremy's felt worry clawing in his stomach. The door opened easily. He found Jean’s tall frame folded down in the bathtub. He looked over at Jeremy as he entered, face blank.

Jeremy put the clothes next to the toilet sink. ‘Jean, why didn't you close the door?’ he asked.

‘Riko doesn't like it.’

Riko doesn’t like it, he says. What else doesn't Riko like, Jeremy wonders. What had Jean done that made Riko mad enough to hurt him like this? Jean's torso was painted black and blue. Some week-old knife scars, some scars old and silvery, some mottled and wide bruises that could only come from a leather belt.

‘Did Riko do that to you?’ Jeremy asks, knowing the answer. Jean looks at him for a long second.

‘Yes,’ Jean whispered, ‘Yes, Jeremy. It was Riko. Yes,’ he chuckled a little. ‘You know, I never told anyone, in the last seven years, that it was Riko. You're the first. Thank you.’

‘Is that why you came here tonight? To get away from him?’ Jeremy had to know. He was sitting on the floor besides the tub, getting his clothes wet but he could see Jean so well, could see the almost invisible silvery scars across his jawline. How had he not noticed before?

‘Tonight,’ Jean closed his eyes and looking green. ‘Riko was, he was…’

‘It's ok,’ Jeremy touched his shoulder. ‘You don't have to tell me.’

‘I'll tell you, I promise I'll tell you but not now.’ Jean leaned closer to Jeremy. ‘I came to you because you're the opposite of him. You're sunlight and warmth while he's pain and darkness and I'm so tired, Jeremy. You make me forget the pain. Just let me stay near you, tonight.’

Jean's breath brushed over Jeremy’ lips. Did he imagine Jean looking down at his lips? Did he imagine the smoky want in those eyes?

Jean's rosy lips parted, and Jeremy didn't stop to think, to ask. It was only a matter of closing the last few inches.

Jean was waiting for the kiss, it seemed. He kissed back after a startled second, wet fingers clutching Jeremy's hair. Closer, closer. Jeremy wanted to soak Jean into his skin. Jean nipped at his lower lip and Jeremy groaned, the little stab of pleasure-pain going straight south. Jean pulled on his hair.

‘Climb up,’ he said, breathless and impatient.

Climb… did Jean mean…. the bathtub? The bathtub where Jean is sitting, naked. Jeremy's brain went completely still.

‘Come on, Jeremy. I need you… closer, please.’

And who was Jeremy to deny him? If it was a bad idea to kiss him, it was an worse idea to go further, he was someone else's, he was Riko's but Jeremy would rather die than allow an inch of space between them right now.

Jean helped to pull of his vest and shorts, then Jeremy is stepping into the lukewarm water, settling on Jean's lap, skin to skin. Jean pulled him into a kiss again, but it was explosive, this time. Jeremy poured his desperation into it. Can't you see I need you, too? Can't you tell I love you? Can't you just be mine?

Jean came up for air with a gasp, his face glowing with a blush brighter than Jeremy had ever seen. Jeremy kissed down the pale column of Jean's throat, nipping over the throbbing pulse. Jean moaned, his hips bucking into Jeremy's and oh, oh, Jeremy's had enough.

‘Stand up,’ he urges. ‘Stand up, Jean. To the wall… yes…. that's it.’

Jean stands, backed onto the tiles and he's so beautiful it takes Jeremy's breath away. He kisses a trail over Jean's less bruised thigh, stopping to suck his own mark just below his hip bone. Jean is a moaning, shivering mess already. Jeremy takes a few seconds to assess and admire his cock, then puts his mouth and a hand to work.

It doesn't take too long. Jeremy is enthusiastic, almost impatient. Jean is incoherent and loud, his voice reverberating in the tiny bathroom, ringing like music in Jeremy's ears. He stiffens right before climaxing, giving Jeremy a chance to pull away. He slides down into the water again, pleasure and bliss written in his face.

Jeremy drains the water out of the bath and cleans up both of them. He's still so hard, but finding his own pleasure can wait a little longer.

Neither bother with clothes, choosing to slip under Jeremy's pile of blankets instead. Jean spoons him from behind, rubbing a hand over his arm to warm him up. ‘Mon soleil,’ he whispers to Jeremy. ‘you don’t know, I have wanted you for so long.’

I have loved you for so long, Jeremy wants to say. I have wanted you for even longer. Jean's hands travel down Jeremy's shoulders, over his chest, stomach and down, down.

Jeremy would just tell him in the morning.

------------

The morning is fresh and crisp like newly washed laundry. It's still a little cold. Jeremy wraps the blankets a little tighter around himself. They smell like Jean.

Jean!

He's missing from the bed, from the whole attic as far as Jeremy can tell. He's up and dressed in a minute, rushing downstairs to check. Jean isn't in the shop either. But he's left a note, atop a nondescript plastic box .

Jeremy,

You have been the best thing in my entire life. I still can't quite believe last night was real. It was a beautiful dream, the most beautiful I've ever had.

This box holds evidence that Riko Moriyama is the Raven killer. They can prove that he's murdered 13 innocent teenagers in the past 4 years. Take these to the local police station and tell them last night Riko tried to kill Officer Kevin Day, who is at the Allen Medical Center near the station. -Jean Moreau

-----------

Every step Jean took away from Jeremy's little cafe felt like one more knife added to the wound in his chest.

Last night was the only dream in his life full of nightmares and that is all Jean could afford, could allow himself to indulge in because he was just as guilty as Riko, wasn't he? He'd allowed Riko to kill so many people. What if one of them was someone's Jeremy, someone's Kevin? No, he couldn’t let this go on any longer.

Jeremy was warm and pliant after sex, sleeping deeply. He was asleep when Jean had slipped out of the bed in the morning. Jean hoped he would wake up soon and take the evidence to police. Riko probably won't stay in the town after getting rid of Jean.

The front door is open. Jean slips in quietly.

Riko is sipping coffee in the kitchen.

‘Hello, darling,’ he smiles at Jean. ‘Slept well? That's a lovely hickey, by the way. Where'd you get it?’

Jean doesn't answer. Perhaps Riko can read his confusion, because he lets out a short bark of laughter.

‘Why are you acting like the world is ending? So Kevin got away. Big deal. No one will doubt me when I say he'd just had too much to drink.’

He stands and shoves the mug away.

‘But you, darling… Not only did you hit me, you also ran off to Jeremy. And on Valentine’s Day! How could you, Jean? I'm wounded,’ he widened his eyes in a parody of hurt and Jean wanted to throw up. Jeremy. Riko knows it was Jeremy.

‘How did you know?’ Jean grits out.

Riko laughs. ‘How could I not? Do you have any idea how you two look at each other? Holy fuck, it's nauseating!’ he casually picks up a knife from the sink. ‘Look.A dirty knife for a faithless lover, isn't that perfect, Jean?’ he lunged.

Jean almost didn't move in time. The knife grazed the side of his hip while he tumbled over the kitchen island, crouching down and picking up a light wooden stool. He swung it at Riko's hand. Riko cursed and backed away, clutching his hand. The knife slid under the fridge. But there was way too many knives in the kitchen, there was one or more in each drawer, cupboard and shelf. They were Riko's favourite weapon, after all. But Riko didn't go for a knife. He looked at Jean with wonder in his eyes.

‘You… you hit me!’

The wonder disappears, black rage taking its place.

‘I have loved you all these years and you dare…!’

‘I don't love you anymore!’ Jean tells him. ‘I stopped loving you when you first killed Austin.’

‘Austin? You mean, that idiot back in- You remember their name?’ Riko cackles. ‘You sentimental idiot!’

‘Someone has to remember.’

‘No, no one has to remember. They just need to remember me, the raven killer!’

‘Thanks for the confession, Mr. Moriyama. Now put your hand up, slowly.’

What the fuck.

Riko recovered faster than Jean did. ‘Hello, Knox. What are you doing in my house?’

Jeremy kept his gun pointed at Riko. ‘Oh, just arresting you for first degree murder, Moriyama. By the way Jean, get out of here. Kevin's waiting to have a word with you.’

Riko's face contorted with fury. ‘You have no proof!’

‘I have four years of proof, actually.’

Riko's eyes widened. ‘Four years? Four years! Jean!’

He lunged at Jean with murder in his eyes, his hands closing around Jean's throat like a steel trap and Jean couldn't breathe, couldn’t shake him off. He could feel sight and sound slipping away.

The last thing he could hear was a gunshot.

----------

‘You both are such idiots!’

Jean and Kevin winced. They were waiting on the porch of Riko's house, recovering from the hellish ordeal. Kevin looked a little green still, and Jean had a bandage wrapped around his head. purple bruises blooming on his neck. Just looking at them made Jeremy shudder. They could've died!

‘You could've died!’ he yelled at them.

‘But-’

‘No buts Kevin! We knew it was almost time for another Raven killing, yet you went drinking with a mafia brat! You'd be dead if Jean- and you! Don't look relieved! Why the fuck did you go back to Riko? You have a death wish?’

Jeremy sat down on the porch floor, feeling ten years older than he was last night.

‘We've been investigating the Raven Killer for a long time, only recently we tracked him back to this area. I've been undercover for, oh, about a year and a half, I think.

‘The thing is, everyone thought it was you, Jean. All the evidence pointed towards you. You're still not out of doubt.’

Jeremy felt tears welling in his eyes. He scrubbed a hand over his face, incredibly tired. ‘He's dead now, though. He's dead,’ he sobbed. ‘He won't hurt anyone, ever again. He won't hurt you, Jean.’

‘Yeah,’ Kevin sighed and smiled, knocking his shoulder against Jeremy. ‘We're all safe now. You saved us. So calm down you crybaby.’

Jeremy sniffed and reached out, hugging both of them. They clutched each other in relief, in newfound hope.

Yes, inside the house there was a corpse with a bullet in his head. And, yes, the Moriyama family would not be happy about this. There are more trials coming their way, Jeremy knows. But he's ready for whatever comes. They'll get through it together.

#aftg exchange #aftg valentine #tfc #the foxhole court #all for the game #jerejean #jeremy knox #Jean Moreau #riko moriyama #kevin day #fanfic #aftg fic #tfc fic #lemon #serial killer #angst #happy ending!

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bluesrrgents · 7 years ago

Note

Hi!! I was just wondering - do you have any good andreil fic recommendations?? I ADORE lessons in cartography and wanted something like that. I'm sorry to bother you if you don't read FICS!!

i haven’t yet read lessons in cartography i’m sorry :( i’ve been told there aren’t any other fics quite like it but i’m still willing to make a list of andreil fics to recommend!! thanks to all my friends who gave me more recs

* a star just means i haven’t read it but it’s been recommended to me

sky blue sky by jaylocked

Neil collects the cup a moment later, almost absently, as he thinks back to the nightmare that had started his day. He takes a sip, planning to turn away, and is almost assaulted by the sheer quantity of sugar in his drink. Who knew coffee could taste that sweet? It’s disgusting.

Neil looks back to Andrew, who is once more leveling a blank gaze at him, hazel eyes deeply unimpressed. Neil quirks an eyebrow, confused. It’s definitely not worth it to say anything. After all, it’s been engrained in him not to draw attention to himself, to order whatever is blandest and least interesting, to get in and out best he can.

He can feel the weight of Andrew’s gaze on his back as he leaves the cafe, but he tries to ignore it.

this one is 2 parts, about 3k each but it’s cute

*light fires at night (to push back the void by inthesea

The first time Andrew realizes he wants to hear the words, Neil isn’t even doing anything. He’s just sitting there, staring at the horizon with that stupidly dramatic faraway expression of his, and letting the cigarette burn down between his fingers all the way to the filter — an outrageous waste of good nicotine, if you asked Andrew.

(Or: 20+ times Andrew and Neil say I love you, and one time they say it out loud.) (61k)

this one seems to be the most similar to lessons that can be found so i put it at the top :) the rest are ordered based on word count

*your crown of thorns holds roses by quensty

Three days after he signs his death sentence to Palmetto State, five after Andrew Minyard sends him flying breathless to the ground, Neil’s gaze snaps to the locker room mirror and stares, frozen, at the word threat scrawled along his spinal cord in terrifying, heavy bold.

All in all, he isn’t thrilled about the situation this puts him in, but, based off the negative connotation, it isn’t one-sided either. On the bright side, at least this means his soulmate doesn’t harbor any grandeur delusions about him. (4.4k)

*missed call by badacts

There was one thing Nathan had always stood by, his personal code – if you were going to go after someone, you went after them. Not their dog, not their parents, and definitely not their partner. He might not have managed to teach that to his henchmen, but he clearly succeeded with his son.

That, and ‘a head for an eye’. (5.7k)

*now i’m covered in the colors by alaynes

Nathaniel Wesninski is six years old when his first soulmate mark comes in. (9.7k)

*be neither fish nor fowl by Saul

They found it in the locked room of a Royal Navy’s vessel, The Fox waiting to take her crew and their new spoils across the deep blue.

It was beautiful. It was rarer than any diamond.

“A mermaid,” Dan laughed, taking a step back and sweeping her hat off her head to hold to her chest. “They were transporting a mermaid.”

It was going to make them rich.

( wherein the Foxes are pirates, Neil has gills, and no one quite trusts the magic.) (26k)

this fic has three parts!!

*latchkey child by Saul

The segment’s title declared EXY’S DARLINGS - WHERE WILL THEY GO FROM HERE? in a yellow banner along the television screen’s bottom. It was a spotlight feature on where Kevin Day and Riko Moriyama were planning to go after their high school graduation. Of course they were expected to join the best, but a few reporters speculated on favoritism from the Raven’s coach if they signed on at Edgar Allan, and if that’d impact the Exy prodigies’ relationships with their potential teammates.

Usually his mother would box his ears for looking at anything Exy-related, but he changed the channel long before her shower finished, the black ink on a younger Day’s cheekbone haunting him worse than the date in the corner.

( Neil wakes up seven years younger, and, slowly, takes matters into his own hands. ) (31k)

*and in a flash, it’s gone. by Idnis

‘I wouldn’t associate with Andrew anymore, nor with any of the others. You can’t trust foxes after all.’The man’s fist connected precisely where his head wound was, and then Neil Josten was gone.

Neil loses his memory and has to somehow make sense of the pieces of his past and present. And Andrew. (36k)

*die young by moonix

Ever since the violent death of his mother Neil has withdrawn completely from the outside world. He lives with his Uncle Stuart and barely ever leaves the house. In order to help him overcome his anxiety, Stuart hires his favourite waiter, Nicky, to befriend him. With Nicky come the rest of the Foxes, and Neil finds himself being reluctantly adopted into a much bigger family, reconnecting with an old friend, and developing a crush… (41k)

*dangerous magics by SashaSea

“What if evil doesn’t really exist? What if evil is something dreamed up by man, and there is nothing to struggle against except out own limitations? The constant battle between our will, our desires, and our choices?” -Libba Bray, Rebel Angels

(urban fantasy/Celtic legend AU) (52k)

on the impossibility of reality by defractum (nyargles)

“Inception,” says Ichirou Moriyama.

‘You’re crazy,’ Neil does not say, but it’s a close thing. “It can’t be done,” he says instead, after a too long pause.

An Inception AU. Kevin is the best extractor in the game, Neil spends too much time pretending to be other people, and Andrew? Well, Andrew knows all about inception. (56k)

*grey zone by maydaykevin

Neil’s frown deepened as he stared at the card he was holding.

'Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141Long Island, New York 11954’

“You’re telling me this is my only chance at survival?”

“The only one you’ve got left kid.”

A Percy Jackson/Foxhole Court AU (57k)

*to know a man by moonix

In which the Foxes all work at a coffee shop run by Wymack, Neil is their newest recruit with a dark past, Andrew is obvious, Neil is oblivious, and everyone ships it apart from Aaron, who just wants to study in peace. With guest appearance by a stuffed jellyfish called Josephine. (58k)

*claw marks by flybbfly

The Foxes are an underground resistance group in a dystopian near-future. Neil is the shady new recruit.

Part 1984, part “The Lottery,” part “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” part V for Vendetta. (70k)

fear in a handful of dust by flybbfly

“I need to talk to Minyard,” Neil says, sipping at a soda. “How do I make that happen?”

Kevin chokes on his whiskey. “You don’t.”

In which Neil doesn’t have Kevin Day to convince him to play, so he becomes a sports journalist; Andrew is a keeper in more ways than one; and Quidditch is the sport du jour. Featuring a frankensteined team, eternal roommate Matt, and hawkish sports section editor Dan. Oh, and Andrew has a shady past (present? future?) that Neil can’t quite figure out. But that’s nothing new for Neil, who is constantly hiding everything about himself anyway—this time with magical abilities greasing the way. (104k)

*armies by nekojita

Upon Mary Hatford’s death, Nathaniel Wesninski makes the call to his uncle Stuart rather than continuing on the run and ending up in Milport, Nevada.Upon graduating university, Andrew Minyard turns down all offers of a professional Exy career and muddles through a 'normal’ life, until the boredom and inanity of it all wears him down and he accepts an offer of a break to spend some time with his cousin Nicky in Stuttgart, Germany.There he meets Abram Hatford, a handsome and broken young man who has more in common with Andrew than he suspects, and nothing’s normal anymore. (341k)

WIPS

sickeningly sweet (like honey) by broship_addict

Andrew Doe is twelve years old when he walks into Fox’s Sweets Shop. Somehow, he leaves with three friends and all of them are Exy-obsessed losers.

Also known as the kid AU in which the Foxes are happy children and Andrew has a crush. (22k)

*the bodyguard by bourbon

“Hello, you’ve reached the homosexual agenda, how may I help you?”

“Nicky.”, Andrew growled.

“Oh, my favorite cousin! I would ask you to join our cause but it seems you already did.”

Or where Neil hires Andrew as a bodyguard but ends up (fake) dating him instead. (43k)

*dog in the manger by Saul

It’s 1922, and rumor had it Wesninski’s son wasn’t so dead after all. A sudden upheaval crumbled the Butcher’s empire almost over-night; in his place, a scarred and terrifying man threatened to set Baltimore alight.

Four years later, Aaron Minyard receives a call from a brother he hasn’t spoken to in a decade, sweeping him into a whirlwind of corruption, homicide, and exhausted, tremulous trust. (52k)

*a hole in the world by lscar123

An accomplished FBI agent. A young runaway who is more than he appears to be. A serial killer that’s haunted both of them for years.

The City of Angels just got a lot more interesting. (132k)

doe & josten: deductionists by SpangleBangle

Andrew Doe, rude but brilliant consulting detective, thought he had no need of a partner as he worked slowly away at dismantling the largest crime family in the country, helping out with other cases on the side to relieve the tedium. That was, until a scruffy runaway with a stupid amount of secrets stumbled into his life. Or, more accurately, broke into his kitchen. (152k)

ok i’ll stop myself, i hope you find some you love!!

#andreil #fic #fic rec #aftg fic #aftg fic rec #andrew minyard #neil josten #all for the game #the foxhole court #masterpost #zoe.txt #ask #tfc #tfc fic #tfc fic rec

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moondal514 · 2 years ago

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Neil:

“I nearly spit my wine out imagining Neil taking on Renee. She would beat the ever-living shit out of him in a tenth the time it took her to one-up Andrew” Nora said rip Neil I guess. Renee is so cool

“The first time Jack is stupid enough to actually take a swing at Neil, Neil knocks him on his ass before Dan can cross the court to them. (Matt was so proud, though he had to be diplomatic on the court. He was all over Neil in the dorm later like YEAH THAT’S MY BRO)” 1) I love that Neil canonically beats up Jack. 2) Matt Boyd sir, I love you

Neil canonically asks Matt for help to give gifts to people…stop that’s so cute, I love their friendship so much

Love how Nora basically says that Ichirou let Neil live mostly cuz he just doesn’t give a fuck about him and was way too busy deciding how to deal with Riko and hold the Moriyama empire together

Like he literally took one look at Neil and was like “I don’t have time for this” and decided to just not worry about him past extorting him for his future money

“Give him enough time and he’ll stop subconsciously looking for his father in his reflection. Enough years down the road with the Foxes and Andrew, enough years of living for himself, and he’ll start seeing himself” 🥺🥺🥺 I love this growth for Neil

Betsy gave Neil the closure he didn’t know he needed with his mom! Please I’m emotional

The most money Neil’s ever spent on himself is buying himself a car he knows Andrew will like when he needs a car cuz Andrew’s graduating, and that’s just v cute

“He cries when they get the call: he’s gone, he’s gone, Coach is gone” mmmm nope! Rejected. Wymack is immortal, he can’t die

“After Matt’s graduation, Neil starts another binder – he puts his Riko & Kevin shrine away for good, and he starts another one. This one will track his Foxes as they go out into the world, and it expands beyond Exy – it has short articles from fashion magazines when Allison’s shows are mentioned, or a copy of the text when Dan gets her first job, or handwritten notes about/from the others” 🥺🥺🥺 that’s so CUTE. Why have I not seen a single post-canon Andreil fic taking place during Neil’s 4th and 5th years incorporating this concept? I’m gonna have to do it myself huh

Robin Cross was apparently created to literally be a bestie for Neil when all the Foxes graduate and I just think that’s really cute

Matt is canonically Neil’s best friend confirmed

“I imagine one day Neil will start noticing which outfits are more likely to get a lingering look vs a passing glance from Andrew, though. If he’s smart he’ll take notes” 👀 boi liking to look hot for Andrew is canon I guess

“He’s on the ace spectrum. Demisexual? Someone around here used this term for him a long while back, but I have had too much rum to remember which one of you lovelies brought it up. It’s the perfect term for what I needed for him” @ all of y’all that think it’s ok to portray Neil as anything but ace-spec just cuz Nora didn’t know the specific terminology and didn’t have Neil explicitly say he’s ace in the books (except he did, wtf do y’all think “I don’t swing” means)

Finally reading the Extra Content (taken from this link wonderfully provided by @peggyrose19) cuz a blessed soul has converted it into a form I’ll actually read. I’m posting my reactions here for posterity as I get through each part.

Warning for spoilers for the Extra Content, all the typical AFTG trigger warnings, many unsolicited opinions, and USC bashing lol

#anyways my verdict on Neil’s part is I like all of it except the bit about Wymack dying #Wymack can’t die #he’s immortal #aftg #reading the Extra Content

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foxesrefuge · 8 years ago

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your were tagged ;D What do you think of Riko as a character inside the books? (no HCs) / Any fave HCs you want to share? / Any pairings/ships you like with him? / fic recs? / art recs? / Kevin&Riko - do they have/had feelings for each other? / Thoughts on his finale scene? / Did you read Nora's extra content? // tag other bloggers you think have something interesting to say about him! (maybe someone we don't know yet??) #Thoughts on Riko Moriyama

HOO boi XD here comes the trainwreck.First of..all thank you @c-valentino for tagging me and…. making me uh ..work and think on my own (sobs) haha *nervous laughter (noreally tho, thank you, целую!!)I probably won’tcome up with super new or hyper interesting stuff and… actually, Icould just link CVal’s whole post here……………………but okay here wego, then!!Ugh, I guess I have to out myself now real quickbefore we dive in: I was always kinda very interested in the ��BadGuys’. No matter what, I’d try to find out more about them, try tofigure out how their twisted brains work and why their Morales werealways a bit questionable, which doesn’t necessarily mean I’m okaywith whatever they’re doing or understand and support their actions(hell fucking nooo).I’m just finding it super interesting tothink and sometimes even talk about.

Now, since that’s settled:I think Riko is justas interesting as our MC’s, if not one of the most interestingcharacters, and maybe also one of the most tragic ones (imo). I don’treally think you get this impression after reading the series for thefirst time, though. He seems super flat and not interesting enough inthe books. I wouldn’t have given him a second thought if I didn’t getthe chance to read the extra content.

Which leads me now to my actually toughts on Riko, based onextra Content and HC’s:The way Riko sees the world isobviously reeeally different from how our MC’s view the world,which is quite,.. understandable, regarding where he comes from, howhe was raised and trained and what he went through (bc hooo boi,that’s not a life I wanna live). This guy knows he’s the son ofExy, obviously The Number One and the actual King of the court. Thereshould be no way anyone could have the power or strength to outpacehim (oh and Riko is going to make sure of that). He is a Moriyama andthinks of his players as his property, he basically gets what hewants and who he wants. Sounds like a pleasant life, right? But Idon’t think he had one. He is living with this pressure form“above’, knowing that he always ‘has to be’ The Best of them all. Hehas to deliver otherwise he would be no use and therefore not worthkeeping in the nest, on the court and alive. I always picturedhim feeling the pressure and weirdly enough people tend to forgetthat Riko is not a robot… because being pressured like that,knowing you have to be THE BEST all the time, no matter what .. thatreally really really fucks with you and your brain. He isprobably under constant stress, giving more than just his best ,whichhe also expects from his players. There is no space for compassion,no place for weakness, nor failure. His live is Exy and there isnothing else than Exy keeping him alive. It’s his past, hispresent and his future for the rest of his life. His mentalbreakdowns always turn into violent outbursts because that boy can’treally cope with the mess in his head (probably not even aware ofthat) He never learned how to control his anger or himself. Why wouldhe? He is King, a Moriyama, he is the one controlling. So yeah, youbasically don’t want to be near him when he’s having his moments. Hisruthlessness makes him go overboard at times. A lot of times.He’salso never at fault. No matter what he does because.. what the hell??Such a concept doesn’t even exist. So how in the world is Rikoa tragic character, when we just settled that he’s nothing but anabsolute ruthless monster with no restrains???!!

Lemme explain ok. Riko was born into this world of Exy, Thesecond son, not the first(!!), growing up and having those insaneexpectations to life up to – he would be a worthless piecenothing, not needed on the court. He had Kevin, the brother who wasalways by his side, on and off court; his number 2, his property,*his*. Riko doesn’t know how to treat people right though,doesn’t know the concept of actual friendship, It’s always just Exyand Exy and Exy, there is no time for friendship. I also believethat he deep down feared for his life, he just wasn’t aware of thatbecause his brain was too occupied with getting better.One of myHC’s is that: he was super restless the whole damn time, not able tocalm down, constantly under pressure.He basically barely slept.How is there time for sleep, when you can use that precious time ondrills?It wrecks him. The nest destroyed a perfectly fineboy, gave him the chance to basically develop this crazy god complexand also turning him into this Exy monster. And most of the time hewasn’t even aware of his problems because there is just no time andspace for that shit.

Now what happens if one suddenly takes away his Exy? Welp,there’d be nothing left of this fucked up guy. He is a mess, abroken soul, not good enough to be alive.He has nothing, not evenhimself because he was sold to the court and owned by the court.There are many many many demons living in his ribcage, twistinghis brain in the worst ways. I’m not even sure if he’d be able tolive a normal human life outside the nest, without being able to feelanything besides the need to do better and better and better. It madehim mad to the point of no return … so yeah uh .. don’t you thinkthat’s kinda tragic??

Fave HC’s: Mhh, I uh … you know what?

basicallyeverything CVal came up with and mentioned in her post

…..…..(did u think I was joking, Val?)

Riko with freckles, I dig that!!

Riko playing an instrument.. preferably the piano (ok listen, just the picture of Riko, in a black suit … sitting in front of a piano…no?just me?ok)

Riko being an amazing swimmer

Also some Au’s

Riko and Ichirou → actually interacting with each other (Onii-san,y'all I’m chokiNG ( maybe some kind of Uchiha-Verse or something like that, why not? I dig it))

Fox!Riko ( @bvccvrdi thank you for this and @shihoran for destroying me and my emotions daily w this)

Pairings/Ships and Feelings:

Riko/Kevin clearly. There is no doubt.

Especially after reading the extra content and old drafts.Thesetwo were boyfriends. Their relationship was hella unhealthy and probsreally violent but … they just can’t live without each other(I mean can u imagine how obsessed Riko had been with Kev?? He wasHIS, okay? His and ooonly his.He didn’t even touch Kevin’s side of the room after all this time,can u imagine??). They were rivals for sure .. but .. they were alsoabsolutely obsessed w each other.I currently ship them likenothing else. Too invested. Even though I’m more than just conflictedabout this but I just cannot help it.

Thoughts on his final scene:….I have to admit thatI’m super unhappy with how the AFTG series ended. I’m glad to have ahappy end, couldn’t be more great full but everything feels so rushedand off. And I think it’s all due to Riko’s super quick death.Everything happened way too fast, I actually hate that he died, orspecifically how fast and easy that happened. It just didn’t fit atall, in my opinion.

Art Recs:

Give @shihoran a follow and you’ll be well supplied!!

And here are some other amazing pieces:

I ♔

II ♕

III ♖

IV ♗

V ♘

VI ♙

VII ♚

VIII ♛

IX ♜

X ♝

XI ♞

Fic Recs:

I haven’t really read that many, mainly because I know there aren’t that many. But here are a few I really liked

♥ what if i did MadHatterNO7

♠ Meant to be mine shihoran

♣ bvccardi’s Fox!Riko

I also know @c-valentino is working on something reeeeally really nice, y’all. So You better stay tuned, pumped and hyped!!! because I suRE AF AM!!!!

Everyone I’d love to hear from was already tagged, I believe. But whatevs, I’m going to mention y’all again. Feel free to ignore tho:

@shihoran @viviena @still-waiting-for-godot @bvccvrdi @ziegenkind @mochis-mullet

#thoughts on riko moriyama #I got tagged

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