Sorry about the blood in your mouth. I wish it was mine. I couldn't get the boy to kill me, but I wore his jacket for the longest time.

RICHARD SIKEN, CRUSH

It's hard to forget the sound of gunshots ringing in your ears. It's even harder to forget the awful sight of the bullets meeting their target when there is nothing you can do to stop it and you know they were meant for you instead. Nothing will ever be able prepare you for the moment you watch the light leave the eyes of someone you love. Weeks can pass, and the blood still won't rinse off if your hands even after you scrub them raw. Some things stick with you forever.

This is one of them.

You, standing there. A gun, pointed at you. Your best friend, jumping in the middle of it.

And her smile, right before she dies.

Grief, Satō Mai learned, in all its ugly forms, is another thing that sticks with you forever. It's like a knife lodged in your chest that twists and twists and twists until the softest parts of you have been carved out. Not that Mai has ever been very soft to begin with... The world had already chewed her up and spit her back out more times than she can count. She didn't think it could possibly get any worse until the moment she felt her heart die in hands when Kaneko Sumiye took her last breath. Now all that's left of it is an empty shell, a husk of something that was but will never be again. They say time heals all wounds, yet so far all it has done for Mai is feed the white-hot rage that has been gnawing at her insides like a rabid dog with a taste for blood and carrion.

And just when it seems like Mai's rage is finally about to reach its boiling point, ex-Black Dragon member Hong Jae-min waltzes into her life. Hong Jae-min, who is, perhaps, just as lost in this cruel, fucked-up world as she is. Hong Jae-min, who has seen her for all that she is — cruel and vicious, with a bite that hurts even more than her bark — and didn't run the other way. Hong Jae-min, who might just be the only person besides Sumiye who has ever been able to chip away at the ice around her blackened, decaying heart.

Hong Jae-min, who becomes yet another thing that Mai is terrified to lose.

✷

                       OR: What happens when you pull the pin from a grenade.

(Spoiler: It's not pretty.)

SATŌ MAI

&&&

HONG JAE-MIN

  with appearances from

KANEKO SUMIYE       †

KITAMURA HIROSHI

KATSUKI LUKA

And I won't ever try again,
All I want in return is revenge.

HALSEY, KILLING BOYS

DISCLAIMER
This is a work of fiction made for entertainment purposes only. I do not own Tokyo Revengers, all rights go to the original creator Wakui Ken. However, my characters and plots belong to me. Please do not plagiarize my work or post it to other sights without my permission. Thank you!

CONTENT WARNING
This story contains mature themes such as major character death, strong language, violence, gang violence, weapons, substance abuse, depictions of mental illnesses (anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, self-harm), grief, and unhealthy coping strategies. I'll put warnings beforehand, but please read at your own discretion.

DEDICATIONS
To lovcdrunk (aka my biggest enabler/supporter) for bringing back my Tokyo Revengers brainrot and collabing with me on this fic. And to all of my fellow Tokyo Revengers lovers out there livesinsurance mcrahuyo crimsonist luversam htsukoi keiuyo angeldusts maizenins xovisa + anyone else who reads this! This is for you!

AUTHOR'S NOTE

🖤 Wow, it's really been a hot minute since I've published anything. I'm feeling a little rusty, but I'm still kinda proud with how this intro turned out. Honestly never thought I'd see the day!

🖤 So this might look a little familiar if you remember my failed attempt at an applyfic last year??? Even though that didn't work out, I still really like the plot and the characters I made for it and decided to revamp it a little bit. So... yeah! Welcome to KILLING BOYS! Otherwise known as The Adventures of Loverboy and Hatergirl <3

🖤 While this is a story about revenge (and a cute dumb boy simping over a tiny girl who has anger issues), there are also a lot of layers to it. At it's core, it's about grief and loss and everything that comes with them. Grief looks different for everyone and there's no expiration date to it, which I think are two things that I think need to be stressed a little bit more. Like, any time I hear, in media, someone say, "It's been six months..." to someone whose parents just died... Like, okay, what's your point? So, yes, grief and coping are big parts of Mai's story and just because the way she deals with it isn't how others (i.e. her friends) do doesn't make it any less valid. (Disregarding the fact that her methods may or may not include murder... But I digress.) So just keep that in mind when reading because it will get heavy at points.

🖤 TBH I haven't decided where this fits into the canon-story yet, just that it's sometime after the Christmas Showdown Arc (so after Black Dragon has disbanded). This is a more OC-centric fic anyway so the timeline isn't really that important for right now. And just so you know... I will NOT be touching the Final Arc in this. I refuse. We might still see the Kanto Manji Gang form, I haven't decided yet, but regardless don't expect the same happy ending as in the manga LMAO

🖤 And last but not least, this is a collab with the lovely lovcdrunk! We've had this planned for a few months now, but then I sorta hit the biggest writing slump ever and it just started collecting dust in my drafts... But it's here now! Anyway, I just want want to thank you, Mei, 1) for being a great friend (ily mwah), 2) for bringing back my Tokyo Revengers brainrot, and 3) for doing this with me and trusting me enough to write Jae. I really, really hope I can do him justice <3 (And, if you like Tokyo Revengers, then you should definitely check out their Kokonoi Hajime fic!)

🖤 And now without further ado, buckle in and welcome to KILLING BOYS!