#jeanko

Jean has always been the type of person who surrounds himself with people. Even if it's only a few of them. At home in Marseille, he had a few friends and a sister. And that was enough. More than really. Then he came to America. To the nest. In the nest, he made do with Kevin. And whatever partner he had been assigned at the time. but Kevin was the only real friend he had.

So you can imagine how much it hurt when he left him.

For a while, Jean didn't know what to do. his partners were cold. Riko was angry and irritable. And so he was alone. But then things suddenly changed. Riko demanded Jean be his partner. It shocked him at first, Riko acknowledging him as anything but a bad pet, but he didn't dare say no, so he went.

But that one small change, that few hours more with each other, it allows Jean to see the cracks in his mask. And those cracks show him the real Riko. How his eyes flash with regret before they switch to anger, how he turns to his left as if hes expecting Kevin to be there, only to whip around to his right to give Jean an order, and how he stares at Kevin's side of the room with a mix of pain, anger, and longing. Kevin had been his whole world outside of Exy. Losing him had been like losing a limb. And suddenly, Riko isnt so bad. Suddenly Jean wanted to..help him. To try and make life a little easier, to get closer to him.

He stops acting out, even in his little ways. He starts to do little things for Riko to make the day easier. He listens. He remembers things and brings them up again. He puts extra Hinomaru rice on his own plate when the meal line has it just so he can give more to Riko. He spends time retaping Riko's stick when his own needs to be done because he knows Riko hates the feeling of the tacky residue it leaves behind on the handle, he makes sure Riko always gets his favourite shower where the water pressure is just right, the list goes on and on. And all these little things start to add up. Riko becomes kinder to him, not as quick to anger, he lets Jean sleep in his bed sometimes so he doesn't have to sleep on the floor, and he patches up his injuries whenever he gets them.

Needle AU | WW 4.9.24

Revised portion from chapter one:

He kept a mental tally, even, of what brought his clients in. As it stood, the majority of his clients had come in with a specific design that had a personal meaning of some sort. There were, however, a fair number of people who came in wanting a surprise, and even fewer who came in out of pure curiosity.  Regardless of the reason that brought his customers under his needle, he enjoyed every second of their company. His clients’ stories and inspirations brought part of him back to life each day, and revitalized his determination to put forth his best work at any given moment. Every day that he spent working at the tattoo parlor was another day he was in control of his own life. 

prev | Needle AU | WW 13.3.2024

Riko didn't respond, instead taking the opportunity to tie up his hair while they walked. "You're a fascinating person, Jean."

Jean scoffed. "I'm a nobody."

"Not to me."