#no gif bc i don't have a fitting one LKJSDF

[wilds1de]

"i'm running my mouth? rich." jihoon scoffs, shaking his head. this is first real confrontation with an ex prowler turned nariza boi. he had avoided every other confrontation, claiming that they wouldn't be worth his time and energy. but if jihoon were honest with himself, darius comes right after mari on the list of people whose betrayal cut deep. it cut in different ways, of course, but still, the impact is there, loud and brutal, something he fears he might never be able to fully put behind him. so far, darius's words have been light, not enough to bother him, till he talks about how he did a shit job looking for him, claiming he wasn't worried at all. if darius was trying to push his buttons, it works. he sees red. what does darius know about what happened after he left? nothing. yet he runs his mouth, spewing bullshit. if he did, he'd be swallowing his pride and words. there's the tiniest voice in the back of his head telling jihoon to walk away and not give him the satisfaction. let it go, he's not worth it. if there was a one percent change de-escalating the situation between them, it's gone. then again, with the way this conversation started, it ultimately defined how it would go. it's the second time jihoon acts on his impulses. he's not thinking his actions when he grabs the other by the collar of his shirt and slams him to the wall. it all happens so fast. "you're a piece of shit, y'know that?" he says, hands still on his collar. "you don't care about the prowlers? actually, no, i haven't noticed that. probably because you can't seem to stop bothering xile." there's a quick and fleeting wave of guilt that washes over jihoon for going for the jugular. he shouldn't be bringing up xile. but she was so interconnected in all of this. he's his best friend who got hurt. she had already punched him for what he did to her, but his words deserve a another one. "that's low, even for you, darius. she doesn't care. she's long moved on." but that isn't entirely true, is it? if anyone understood xile, it's him. he doesn't pause to see how the words impact darius, no, he's quick to swing at his face, fist colliding with his jaw with a force.

grief and guilt and guilt and grief. those were the only two things he was made of. it's almost satisfying, that jihoon can't see it : as if the prowlers making him all villain might mean he's wrong about his own true feelings, that regret isn't something he'll be stuck on for the rest of his life. " pull what ? telling you to fuck off ? just tryin' to be honest. " how terrible it is to be seen by an old friend. to still have the ability to be seen by him. jihoon pulls back the veil over darius and sees the coward underneath, and that has his veins lighting electric. " you don't know what you're talkin' about, and you should stop running your mouth before it gets you in trouble. " he'd wanted a peaceful night after the last big party on new years', and yet here he is, standing down against jihoon. still, there's something almost poetic about this, knife in back twisting and twisting. one confrontation against a past he can kill. ( delusional until the end. xile isn't the only ghost that will follow him for life. ) " did a pretty good job of it until tonight, though. whole year back and you didn't find me once. maybe you're not as good at lookin' as you think, for someone who wants to act like he was so worried. " not quite as sharp as he wishes the words could be — jihoon didn't know. he couldn't know. darius would never allow it. so he lies. lie after lie after lie, spilling expertly from his mouth. " could care less about the prowlers, if you haven't noticed. i don't think about them at all. sad, huh ? you aren't even worth talking shit about anymore. so, we're back to where we started : get the fuck out of my face. "