#Fic: Children of the Dark

[hedwigoprah]

It’s strawberry wine and fic writing time.

[damagnificentcookie]

Run Rabbit Run RUN R̶̨̘͓͍͉̬̈́̾̀̕͠U̴̬̱̭̭̼̫̩͔̠̇N̸̝̳̦͎̎

Dark!Alma Peregrine X Reader

Summary: You started to stir awake but you can't see anything. You tried to scream but nothing came out of your mouth. You wriggled around..and alas your legs were free from restraint. Taking the chance you started running...Running where? You don't know, all you knew was you had to Run Run Run.

Warning: Drugs, kidnapping, manipulating, a chase, swear, blood(?)

Tag List: @athenodora-sulpicia-writer @saithussss

A/n: Hehe secret part 2 to "Forever Mine". Sorry if this isn't really that well written, I didn't proofread it :') If there are any questions, comments, or suggestions, please do tell me. Thank you and please enjoy :D

(not my gif)*I stole your gif buddy >:)

Part 1

"Tsssk..." The needle settled in place as the gramophone stuttered to life. The disk started to spin but no noise came out at first...then a song started to play as the sun slowly started rising.

On the farm, ev'ry Friday On the farm, it's rabbit pie day

Alma yawned as she slowly sat up, looking at the clock above her vanity she realized she woke up an hour earlier.

She smiled to herself and then laughed. She was in such a good mood she decided to let the childrens sleep an extra thirty minutes while she went downstairs to take care of her little bunny.

Going to her vanity she started to brush her hair and put it into her usual hairdo while humming a little tune.

So ev'ry Friday that ever comes along I get up early and sing this little song

Alma sighed in satisfaction as she finished applying her makeup. She got up and started making her way to the door when she paused and stood there for a while.

Deciding on it, she went back to her vanity and opened a drawer. Inside it was several of her feathers that she keeps for "emergencies".

Taking out a feather she put it into her dress pocket and went to leave her room this time with an unsettling expression.

Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run

You started to stir awake but you couldn't see anything. Panicking you started to thrash around only to realize your hands and legs were bound to something.

You tried to remember how you got here but your mind was foggy, all that came to mind was you wrapping presents for...Alma...that's right, Alma the regular at the library you worked at.

You tried to remember more but only remembered going to...to...AHHH-

Feeling a sharp pain in your head you tried to steady your breathing as tears started to well up in your eyes while you frantically started to loosen out of the restraints.

Getting increasingly frightened, you prepared to scream for help when you realized you were tied to a chair. Taking this opportunity you tried your best to stand up before throwing yourself to the floor and breaking the chair in the process.

You groaned in agony as there was blood gushing from your sides but you pushed through the pain to get up and move towards the door before someone comes to check out the commotion.

Bang, bang, bang, bang goes the farmer's gun Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run, run

Rattling the door you cursed to yourself as you realized it was locked. You looked around to see if there were any other openings you can try to escape through but the blood gushing from your side was affecting your vision.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you noticed a small window that was hidden behind a stack of boxes. Your eyes lightened up as a small bit of hope was reignited. Quickly hurrying, you moved the boxes as quietly as you could until the window was visible.

The window was big enough for you to squeeze out of but it would cause a bit of trouble with the gash on your side. Your planning was cut short when you heard the unmistakable sound of heels growing louder as they came towards the basement.

Hurridly, you climbed onto the boxes and thankfully the window easily pushed open. Hoisting yourself up you crawled through the window and dragged yourself across the grass. You cried in pain when your side got stuck between the frame as it started to dig into your side.

"Dear, what are you trying to do?" You froze as you heard a low voice behind you. A rush of fear came upon you, digging your nails into the grass in an attempt to get yourself unstuck.

You felt a hand on your waist as it gently pulled you back into the basement. You tried to break yourself free, but your captor was surprisingly strong.

Frightened, you kicked Alma as hard as you could, causing her to stumble back onto the floor as you took the chance to push yourself fully through the window. Frozen in pain, you sat on the floor trying to collect your breath as the gash on your side has been torn bigger making your head start spinning from the blood loss and excruciating pain.

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run.

You heard Alma grunt in annoyance as she got up and quickly made her way to the window as she got onto the boxes as well. Noticing how your efforts are about to go in vain, you ignored the pain and made a run for town to try and get to the sheriff for help.

Run rabbit - run rabbit - Run! Run! Run!

Alma felt a pang of dread overcome her as she saw her bunny run away from her. She finally had you, you were supposed to love her... and now you're leaving her. Afraid of losing you, she immediately shifted and flew to follow you before an idea came to mind. You don't remember about the loop...you don't know the whole world is in her hands.

Her heart slowed down realizing you can never leave her, you needed her. But she will let you run for now, she will get you in 15 minutes when you reach the sheriff's office. No one can take you away. She will kill them, and she will keep killing them over and over again so no one can take you away.

Don't give the farmer his fun! Fun! Fun! He'll get by without his rabbit pie

So run rabbit - run rabbit - Run! Run! Run!

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Thank you all for reading! I know everyone was waiting for a part 2 and I am so sorry that this isn't as long and as good as I previously tried to make it. But school has been hitting me hard recently and I realized if I didn't publish this soon I probably might delay it for a year or more again :')

I am so sorry for the wait and I really do appreciate all of the support and I hope everyone enjoys this, even though it is a bit short. Have a good day/night!!!

If people want this to be longer I might edit it to make it better and longer but that has to wait till I get all my school affairs ready :,) I had a lot of plans for this and wanted to make it a long chapter but I wanted to keep my promise to yall

[candyswirls]

Garm's Fit

Garm is a toddler and, as such, is prone to melt downs.

Master Post

Varska belongs to @jaghatai-khock, Hjarlin and Lorenzo belong to @gregariousbonesinger, Leon and Arlene belong to @meervalv0

Garm whimpered and wouldn't let go of Leman.

"No," he said sternly. "You can't come with. You have to stay here."

She pouted and looked up at Varska, who could only return a sorry smile.

Leman lifted Garm and reluctantly handed them over to Hjarlin.

"Be good," he said.

Hjarlin scoffed, "Me or her?"

Leman narrowed his eyes, "Both."

"You sure you're comfortable with ME taking care of the youngest?" Hjarlin questioned. "You know what happened with my twin."

Varksa bristled, holding tightly onto his blade. He shot a warning look to his brother.

Leman frowned, "I'm certain Garm will come out on top. Not only that, but you have your cousins here, you are on Lion's ship, and you know damn well what I'll do if I come back and she's harmed in any way."

Hjarlin averted his eyes. Garm struggled to get out of his grip, still vying to join dad and Big Brother.

Despite the whimpering and big eyes, they bid their goodbyes and boarded the ship.

The hangar closed, blocking off the vessel. Just in time as well. Garm jabbed their elbow into Hjarlin. He grunted and lost his grip. The toddler bolted past Leon to the door. They couldn't open it, though, and started to whine.

Leon pursed his lips at the sad sight. It had nothing to do with being handed off to Hjarlin. It was the fact that she couldn't go with.

Garm wailed and banged on the hangar door.

Hjarlin sighed, "He said you can't go. The ship has already left. There's no catching up to them now. He'll be back."

Garm let out a mournful howl and continued to scratch against the door.

Lorenzo chuckled at Hjarlin's frustration.

Hjarlin went to pick his sibling up when their sadness turned to anger.

Garm shrieked and kicked the door. They batted away Hjarlin's hands and stomped their foot, psykically demanding the door to be opened.

"No," Hjarlin said firmly.

He knelt down to pull her away, and she whined in protest.

In a flash, she whipped around and bit him on the cheek.

Hjarlin yelped and fell backward, gripping his face as blood began to well. Lorenzo's jaw dropped, and he laughed.

Garm growled, then dashed to Lorenzo, pushing him over from his seat. He cried out as he fell to the floor. Leon's jaw dropped.

Garm let out a screech of defiance and began jumping up and down, stomping her feet upon the ground.

Hjarlin snarled, "Enough!"

Garm kicked him in the legs and then made a rude gesture in sign.

"You're not GOING!" Hjarlin Barked.

Garm screamed again as Leon moved in to difuse the situation.

"Let's take a deep breath," he said. "Garm, would you like to -"

Garm bolted to where a rack of ammo was and turned it over. Bullet shells bounced everywhere. The surrounding Astartes were too slow to catch her. She'd been racing with Varska as of late.

"No!" Hjarlin yelled as he chased after his younger sibling.

Of course, when he decides to reunite with the imperium, he gets put on gremlin babysitting duty! He suddenly realized why Father wasn't at all worried that he'd harm Garm.

Garm knocked over a rack of tools, and the servitor seemed to sigh.

Lorenzo tried to catch the slippery little beast, but they bit him on the knee. He let out an indignant squeal of pain.

Garm ran to the bay doors and began kicking it again. She wailed, and tears began to come out as she grew in frustration.

Leon tried to gently approach again, "Let's go get food! We can go into the kitchen."

Garm turned their head to stare at Leon, then started crying harder.

They threw themselves upon the floor and began flailing and screaming in rage, tears flowing freely.

Leon tried to pick her up, but she went limp and kicked away his hand. Hjarlin was muttering angrily and tried to do the same. She resisted and won.

Hjarlin rubbed his temples as he crouched next to his inconsolable younger sibling. Servitors were already moving to clean up the mess, astartes assisting.

Garm managed to sign up at Hjarlin.

Stinky female wolf. Hjarlin grumbled.

Servitors quickly parted as Lady Arlene swept into the room, a calm expression upon her face. Dark Angels bowed to their legion mother.

"Mother," Leon questioned?

Arlene went right past them and picked up Garm. Even with them going limp, she easily lifted them. An army of children at this age kept her well practiced in these matters.

She held Garm to her chest and began rubbing her back. Garm sobbed and clung to her aunt, wrapping arms around her neck.

"There, there," she soothed as she left with Garm. "Let's braid your hair and make it all better."

Garm's crying faded, and Hjarlin sighed, flopping down to the floor. Leon smiled, thankful for his mother.

"I'm never having children, "Lorenzo stated as he rubbed his knee.

[rayssion]

Solangelo fic idea because I love them,

Soulmate au wherein once you're claimed the mark of your soulmate appears as a tattoo on your body, it might be the same place as your soulmate, it might be different. If your soulmate is a mortal then only a letter 'M' appears.

Everyone is so worked up because Will never showed his mark, some of them speculated his soulmate is a mortal, some of them argued that it could be unrequited love like his soulmate might be Annabeth but she found her soulmate so he's destined to be alone. No one knows for sure, except for his sister Kayla.

The helm of darkness? Geez who could it be? The only child of Hades out there is Nico di Angelo. Will is 100% sure that the boy despise his guts, also he heard from Kayla that the boy already has a crush, and he's not sure if the concept applies on roman demigods, but didn't Hazel have a soulmate already?

Will never shows his mark, he felt devastated especially that the son of Hades is quite distanced.

Nico tries to operate between his pitiful crush on Percy, Jason who's urging him to let go and find himself another person, and his own mark.

The little sun tattooed on the side of his torso.

Funny thing, everyone thinks his soulmate is a mortal.

[ohlittlebluebell]

"I think it's a good idea though. You, kids. I can see it."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[willow-p012]

New darkfic idea. Mahiru and Shidou both live and become the horrible, no good, bad bad mock-parents of Amane and possibly Es and it's 100% by force. Please see my vision.

[feralwritings]

three's company

part three

masterpost | part one | part two | interlude I: 1985

words: 5.3k

so, i ran into a bit of a problem. in scenes where there are other girly pops besides reader, the pronouns can get a little confusing. so, when you see an asterisk (*) next to a she/her/hers pronoun, that's you! hope this helps. let me know if it interrupts the flow at all, if it does i might just use 'reader' in place of a name.

warnings: proceed with the highest caution my dears cause this one is fucking gnarly. more specifically though, graphic depictions of violence against women and men, choking not the fun kind, tentacles again, not in the fun way, this author isn't even into that and was actively gagging while writing that, near drowning, upside down brand of torture, vecna is actively enjoying inflicting pain not in a sexual way he's just a fucking dick. also billy gets his shit fucking rocked. emetophobia warning.

“Holy shit, we thought you guys were goners.”

She and Eddie bent down to accept Dustin’s hug, both smiling fondly down at him when they pulled away. 

“Yeah,” she glanced at Eddie, who was looking at Steve, “We thought so too.”

Steve was next to hug her, winding his arms around her back and pulling her close to him, squeezing her a bit harder than the situation warranted, but she snorted into his shoulder, pushing his chest gently, “Good to see you, too.”

She fixed him with a slightly dubious glance, tilting her head and pressing her lips together before accepting the hug/tackle that Robin gave her. 

She embraced Robin for much longer, listening to Robin ranting in her ear and ranting back. Steve caught snippets of the story, and what he did hear was enough to make his stomach twist uncomfortably.

When her and Robin finally extricated themselves, still standing rather close, they turned to the group at large, tuning into the conversation that Nancy and Eddie were having.

”Do you know what time this was? The attack?” Nancy asked.

”Yeah, I know exactly what time it was. Walkies not the only thing that got soaked,” Eddie tossed her his watch.

”9:27.” Nancy read, glancing at Robin.

”Same time our flashlights went kablooey.”

”Which means what, exactly?” Steve interjected, glancing at Nancy, to Robin, to Eddie, then back at Nancy.

”That surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick.”

She* and Eddie both sucked in a breath, exchanging a glance before hurriedly looking away. Steve watched this exchange, his eyebrows furrowing together. 

As the group continued their conversation, her eyes landed on Dustin, who was pacing back and forth, looking out into the woods, hands on his hips, contemplative. 

“Dustin’s not cursed, is he?” Eddie asked, following her eye line to the boy.

Steve shook his head, “Cursed? No. He’s fine. Mental? Absolutely.”

“Boom!” Dustin exclaimed, making everyone jump out of their skin. Nancy turned her head so quickly that she must’ve gotten a crick.

As Dustin launched into an explanation of how he wasn’t wrong, arguing back and forth with Steve about compasses and faulty equipment and electromagnetic fields, she* spaced out, half listening to Dustin and half looking around the woods.

Anxiety bubbled in her chest. A large group of people like this was bound to get noticed, and with Jason on their tail, thinking that Eddie had not only murdered Patrick but was also holding *her hostage, it seemed ill-advised for a bunch of innocents tagging along with a pair of fugitives.

It was only when Robin, who was still stuck to her side said the phrase ‘snack size gate’ that she* was brought back down to earth with a rather unpleasant bump.

”Wait, a gate?” She glanced at Dustin, then Nancy.

”Yeah,” Dustin said, “Weren’t you listening?”

”Yeah, a bit, but how would there be a gate? And why?” *she asked, “Last time a gate was opened, it was Eleven, and she’s not here, so…”

”I don’t know. I just know that something is causing this. And last time we saw anything like this, it was a gate. And I hope it is, cause then we’d have a way to Vecna, and a shot at freeing Max from this curse,” Dustin gestured emphatically with the compass.

“We?” She* asked, raising an eyebrow, “Do you really think that if we find the gate, we’re going to let you or any of you other kiddies anywhere near it?”

Dustin looked affronted, “It’s my theory. I should get to go in.”

She* shook her head, “And we’re grateful, buddy, truly, but there is no way in hell you’re going into the Upside Down. Not happening.”

”Why?” Dustin whined. 

“Because you are fifteen years old, and going into the Upside Down is extremely dangerous. You could be killed.”

”So could you!”

”Doesn’t matter,” She had moved away from Robin now, and was approaching Dustin, “You’re our man in the chair, right? You’re the one running things most of the time. We gotta keep you safe. And letting you go into that hellscape is completely counterintuitive to what we’re trying to accomplish here, right?”

Dustin seemed pleased with the compliment, and the praise, but there was a vestige of defiance remaining. Lucas and Max looked at each other, identical expressions of exasperation painting their faces.

He turned to Eddie, “What say you, Eddie the Banished?”

Eddie’s gaze was fixed somewhere on the ground, pensive as he spoke, “I’d say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor. Which, if I’m being completely honest, I think it’s a really bad idea.”

He looked into the trees, his voice taking on a hint of nostalgia. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the canopy of leaves, and *she caught her breath, feeling that now familiar twist in her stomach whenever she looked at him. He was enigmatic. She was curious.

”But the shire,” He sighed, “The shire is burning.”

There was a rhythmic clunking sound as Dustin jumped up and down, the contents of his backpack shifting and banging against each other. Eddie stood with a flourish, setting his shoulders.

”So, Mordor it is.”

With that, Dustin turned on his heel and started marching in the direction that the compass was leading him, and everyone fell in line after him.

”What is Mordor?” Steve asked no one in particular.

”It’s from Lord of the Rings,” she* and Eddie said in unison, then looked at each other in surprise.

”You’ve read them?” Eddie asked, and she nodded, smiling.

”Yeah, I’ve read ‘em a few times.”

”I have the radio show that NPR did back in ‘79 on cassette. I sometimes listen to that if I don’t want to reread the books.”

She* grinned wide, “Fuck, that’s so cool. Are they good?”

Eddie nodded enthusiastically, offering his hand to help to make sure that she didn’t trip over a log, “Yeah, it’s pretty good,” he ducked under a branch that she moved out of the way, “If we survive this, you should come over and listen.”

She* chuckled softly, “Yeah, if we survive, it's a deal.”

They fell back into step behind Dustin, and as the sun began to set in the distance, Steve felt a sort of sinking feeling, watching everyone in the group fall into their own conversations. 

He didn’t know if there was anything to say. And even if there had been, he suspected it might be too late.

Setting out on the boat was no easy task.

They’d burst into a flurry of arguing shortly after uncovering it, and it took some convincing to get Dustin to stay on dry land. 

“Dustin, I know you wanna help,” Steve cajoled, “But we can’t do what we need to if we’re worrying about keeping you, Max and Lucas alive.”

”You don’t need to worry about me! I can handle myself.” Dustin insisted.

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose, “Tell ya what, if your theory is correct-“

”Which it is-“

”Then we’ll… talk about you going with us next time. Okay?”

Dustin seemed satisfied for the moment, confident in his theory and therefore very assured of the fact that he would be able to take on a more direct role.

As she* climbed into the boat after Steve, holding his hand for stability, she bent down and hissed, “Why on earth would you tell him that?”

They were already moving away from the shore, Eddie and Robin rowing the boat towards the middle of the lake, taking directions from Nancy, who had Dustin’s compass, and making adjustments as needed.

”It was the only way I could get him to shut up,” Steve shot back, letting go of her hand once she was settled on the floor of the boat, the benches occupied by the others.

She looked up at him, “You know he’s going to hold you to it, he always does.” She glanced back towards the shore.

”Tell me about Max. What’s going on with her?”

Steve sighed, recounting the events of the past few days. As he told her, her expression became more and more pinched until it looked like she was on the verge of tears.

”Jesus Christ,” She finally said, once he had finished telling her about the graveyard, “That poor kid. This must be so confusing for her. With Billy dying the way he did…”

Steve narrowed his eyes at her, “Yeah, but he… he had it coming.”

Robin was listening now, and every so often Nancy and Eddie would glance back at them.

”Not in that way,” She* clasped her hands around her knees, “He didn’t deserve to die, at least not in that way-“

”Are you serious?” Steve stared at her, “He nearly killed you and you’re telling me that he didn’t deserve to die?”

”He nearly killed all of us,” She reminded him, her gaze growing slowly more dangerous, “Not just me.”

Which, in essence, was true. Steve couldn’t really say that Billy had it out for her* when it seemed that he had it out for everyone. 

”Is there something you’re not telling me?” Steve bent low, trying to keep the conversation between them but he didn’t quite manage it, given the fact that they were in a tiny boat on an echoey lake, “Do you - did he say something to you? At Starcourt?”

”You know I don’t remember, Steve.”

”You told me that you didn’t remember, but I saw what he did to you-“

”And why would I tell you anything?” She hissed, voice rasping with restricted emotion, “It’s not like you stayed after-“

”Stop!” Nancy suddenly exclaimed, holding up a hand, her eyes focused on the compass.

Her* and Steve fell silent, and in the silence, they could hear the metallic needle of the compass whirring in the glass, a high pitched sort of ringing that made her* ears hurt a little.

Chh- “Guys, what’s going on?” Dustin’s voice sounded over the supercomm.

”Come on guys, talk to me.”

Robin recovered first, speaking into the walkie, “Your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ahhhh-“

Steve had begun stripping off his shoes and socks, catching everyone’s eye.

”Steve,” Nancy said, measured yet apprehensive, “What are you doing?”

”Someone’s gotta go down there and check it out.”

”And it just has to be you, doesn’t it?” She* said, rolling her eyes.

”I mean, unless you can beat being a Hawkins High swim team co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years,”

”Oh my god, I was literally on the swim team-“

”And you could never beat my time,” He pointed out, taking off his yellow sweater and tossing it at Eddie, “And, as I said, I was co-captain for three years.”

”Nepotism. And the only reason they kept voting for you is because everyone wanted to see you in your tiny little speedo.”

”And yet,” Steve prepared for his dive, giving a final look over his shoulder, a sarcastic, somewhat evil grin on his lips, “I never heard you complaining.”

And with that, he dove into the lake. She* stared at the spot where he had disappeared, glaring at the ripples, nostrils flared.

She muttered something that sounded suspiciously like I hope he drowns, before settling back into the boat, arms crossed and expression even more so.

They dissolved into an awkward silence after that, the boat gently rocking back and forth on the little waves.

Robin was the first one to break the silence, glancing at *her frenetically, opening and closing her mouth before finally speaking, “Sooo, what was that?”

”No comment,” *She said, digging her nails into the flesh of her own arm.

“How long has it been?” *She asked Nancy, her voice betraying a shred of worry.

”Closing in on a minute.” Nancy said softly, keeping a sharp eye on her watch.

Suddenly, Steve burst from the water with a flourish, scaring everyone into yelling at least one expletive at him. 

“I found it.” Steve breathed, reaching out to hold onto the side of the boat. 

“You found it?”

“I found it, yeah.”

“Dustin, you’re a goddamn Einstein, Steve found the gate in the lake.” Robin said  breathlessly into the supercomm, but they were all so preoccupied with Steve that they hadn’t noticed they’d failed to get a response from the kids. 

“It’s pretty wild,” Steve pinched his nose, rubbing at his nostrils to rid them of water, “More of a snack size gate than the momma gate, but still pretty damn big.”

“Okay, showoff,” she* said, reaching out a hand for Steve to grab so she could haul him back up into the boat, “Just get your ass back in and we’ll figure out our next move.”

He grabbed her forearm, and she leaned back to pull him up when the boat gave a sharp lurch. 

“What the fuck was-“ Eddie began to say, but the rest of his sentence was swallowed by a rush of water in her ears as she was pulled under with Steve, her leg smashing into the rim of the boat as she went. 

She hadn’t had time to take a breath before her head went under, so her lungs burned the entire way down, watching as tendrils wrapped around Steve’s legs and pulled the both of them deeper. Steve had let go of her arm, gesturing wildly in the darkness but she couldn’t tell what he was trying to say, so she dug her fingers into the flesh of his forearm harder. 

Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, and as the edges of her vision grew black and she took on water, they broke through the sticky membrane of the gate and fell hard to the dry ground below. 

He landed on his back and she landed on her chest, both letting out screams of pain. 

The tendrils had wrapped around her too, and they ripped her and Steve in opposite directions, dragging Steve on the bare flesh of his back against the rough ground, and her a much shorter distance, landing roughly in a nearby bed of undulating roots, which began to encircle her wrists and ankles, one snaking sinisterly up her spine, along the side of her neck and finally, securely over her mouth. 

The roots thrummed in recognition. 

They remembered her. 

You should be dead, they mused, I thought he had killed you. 

Through flashes of Steve struggling with unknown creatures, vision blacking out from the pain of the barbs that the vines possessed, the harsh pressure on her windpipe, she could see, almost like a window, Starcourt. 

It didn’t make any sense. The image of the mall grew larger, the edges seeping into the very corners of her vision until it was all she could see. 

The rest of the Upside Down fell away, the sounds of Steve screaming, the distant rolling thunder, everything. 

Instead, she felt the rumble of an engine below her. Hands that weren’t hers gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles shining white against the neon blush on skin from the lights of the mall. 

Her own thoughts played in the back of whatever this was, like she was screaming at her own body from another room. 

She caught her eyes in the rearview mirror, and saw the bloodshot baby blues of Billy Hargrove staring back at her. 

As her mind sluggishly put together the pieces, she knew, distantly, what this was. 

Nancy’s Grand Prix came into view. 

As the car accelerated under him, Billy felt a thrill of fear when the first bullet hit the windshield. There was no stopping the car, try as some part of him might, with the voice in his head and in control of his hands, his feet, his body, he knew that impact was imminent.

As he sped closer, he zeroed in on her, on Nancy, face fixed in a snarl as she emptied the magazine into his windshield unblinkingly.

Ah, The Voice inside him said, and Billy could feel it’s - his - he could feel the cruel laughter, Her again. She will be dealt with. In time.

He was twenty feet away. 

Fifteen. 

Ten.

Suddenly, the world spun, and the only eyes he could see out of were the eyes of his precious creature, his beautiful creation, looking down upon the parking lot. Fire had erupted across the hood of the car, and Billy laid against the door, head lolling uselessly out of the window.

Humans, he considered as his creature jumped to the pavement below, tearing after the car that was speeding away from the mall. So fragile.

It was the heat that woke Billy. The sharp spikes of pain all over his body were enough to rouse him, and as he opened the door and collapsed out of it, he heard distant voices, frantic and labored. 

He peered into the distance, four figures coming in and out of focus.

“How we doin, El?” A female voice spoke, someone familiar to Billy, and The Voice felt it too, some old annoyance, not unlike a persistent fly buzzing around his head, distracting him, “Keep her talking, Mike, she’s gotta stay awake.”

“I’m trying!”

He heard the metallic creaking next, and as he drew closer, he saw a flash of yellow.

Eleven.

His heart leapt in excitement, in triumph, that the one he had been searching for all this time had walked right out into his midst, like an innocent little lamb being led to slaughter. It was almost too perfect.

The tallest figure spotted Billy first.

“Fuck, turn around,” She said, stepping in front of the three smaller figures, in front of Eleven, raising some sort of weapon in her arms.

“What?” The boy said, hitching Eleven higher on his shoulder. His knuckles were white from the ferocity of his grip on her, “Oh, shit, go go go go go go!”

Together, he and the redheaded child -

Max, Billy thought miserably, Max.

Her name does not matter. She’ll be dead soon anyway. Together, he and Max dragged Eleven back towards the door, and The Annoyance stood her ground. Behind her, the gate slid closed.

“You and me, Hargrove,” She cooed, grinning, “Just like old times, whaddya say?”

She seemed as bloodthirsty as he felt, and the complete lack of fear in her gaze, the almost maniacal smile on her lips… had she not tried to derail his plan at every turn, she may have made a good ally. There was a darkness within her that he could sense, that he could feel coursing through her veins as he watched her carotid jumping in her neck.

There was no time for that now. She had made it abundantly clear that she was going to continue to be a thorn in his side, poking and prodding.

He simply had to prune the poison away. That was all.

She cocked her head, swinging her weapon - an axe, he now saw - low to the ground, taunting him, “Come on, aren’t you gonna do anything?”

Billy’s body was his only vessel at the moment, so he had to approach this carefully. One misstep and his vessel could be reduced to a useless pile of limbs.

His creature wouldn’t make it back in time to capture Eleven.

So, he charged towards her left, and at the last moment, changed course, feinting to her right.

The swing of the axe had unbalanced her enough that he was able to seize a hank of her hair and slam her face into the metal gate. She screamed in pain, the impact shocking her into dropping the axe. He kicked it away, sending it skittering across the pavement.

Evidently, she had learned from her last encounter with Billy, using her weight to twist and unbalance him in turn, sinking a well aimed but somewhat weak punch to Billy’s gut, as she hadn’t had time to properly wind up.

She used her momentum to sweep his leg with a powerful kick, shoving him to the ground. She kneeled on his chest, her other knee trapping his arm, and she seized the crown of his head and began slamming it repeatedly into the cement below.

The fortification of his essence running through Billy’s veins had made him stronger, smarter, so with the arm that wasn’t pinned, he landed a blow to her ribs, feeling them crack beneath his knuckles.

She did not relinquish her hold on him, seizing his wrist before he could swing it again, digging her nails brutally into his flesh.

He planted the soles of his feet on the ground, lifting his pelvis in a sharp thrust, knocking her off of his chest, and onto the ground. He scrambled to pin her, winding his hands around her neck, keeping his elbows locked, pressing all of his body weight down.

She wound her hands around his wrists, trying in vain to claw them away from her throat, thrashing wildly beneath him. Then, she raised her knee in a sharp line, hitting him directly in the groin.

Of all of the injuries that she had inflicted upon Billy’s body so far, this one was the worst. The shock of it reverberated through Billy’s body, and control of his limbs waned between the two parts of Billy’s mind, his grip slackening enough for her to be able to throw him off, rolling on her back and onto her feet in a crouch.

She spat blood out of her mouth, looking at him through her lashes, a dark purple bruise already blooming on her cheekbone. She was moving away from him, the toes of her sneakers circling backward as she inched towards the burning Camaro. 

“You’ll never save them,” He taunted, slinking towards her, towering over her.

“We’ll see about that,” She said, “I’ve kept them alive this long. What’s a little longer?”

“You’ll die trying,” He stated, simply, as if they were having a conversation about the weather, “And I’ll make you watch as I end them, and I will make sure the last thought in that pretty little head of yours is how you failed them.”

“Aww,” She gave him a glowing, sarcastic smile, “You really think I’m pretty?”

She used his momentary distraction of his threat not landing to stoop down quickly, seizing a jagged piece of glass from the shattered windshield, and came at him with it, swiping for his jugular.

He ducked out of the way, seizing her forearm and twisting it behind her back, and she cried out in pain as he used her own wrist to thrust the piece of glass into her back.

Chest to chest, he could feel her heartbeat racing against her ribcage. There was still that fire in her eyes, that willful and idiotic defiance. He could be severing her spinal cord right now, he could feel her blood seeping around his fingers, but she still stood on her own two feet, ready to challenge him, to fight him until her last breath.

It was a delicious challenge, sure, and he relished the fear he could feel, but this was getting tiresome, and with every minute that passed, Eleven had a better chance of escaping. Not that she would, he’d make sure of that, but this journey had been so hard fought, filled with so much pain, so much agony, so much needless and inconvenient bloodshed that he was growing wary. His goal was in sight, and he couldn’t allow himself to get continually distracted.

She reared back and spat in his face, and as the blood and saliva mixed with Billy’s, dripping into his mouth, a flood of memories washed over him.

Two toddlers on a hot afternoon’s day, splashing each other in a small pool, the edges of which were lined with colorful fish. Two children, older, riding bikes down an autumn streaked road, shouts of laughter echoing off of the picket fenced houses. The ruined face of a teenage boy, blood streaked and bruised, her delicate hand pressing a cool cloth into a gash along the bridge of his nose, his big brown eyes boring into hers. An almost kiss between a shared cigarette on a row of bleachers, chilly night air pressing into them. The exchange of an ice cream cone over a counter, a warm smile and a nametag reading ‘Steve’ flashing under fluorescent lights.

And, suddenly, he understood why she fought so hard. Why she had fought Billy so hard all that time ago, and why, even now, as she grew weaker in his grasp, she fought.

Love.

How fucking pathetic.

“Oh, you poor thing,” He drawled, “He’ll never feel the same. If Steve cared about you at all, he’d be here.” 

He glanced around theatrically, and when his eyes landed on her face again, that fire was extinguished, finally, by the tears that were welling in her eyes.

“But he’s not,” He brushed away a tear as it fell, “And he never will be.”

He caressed her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering. He wound his fingers into her hair, whipping her around and he slammed her face against the hood of the Camaro.

She went limp, finally, collapsing onto the ground, cheek resting against the rough gravel.

She didn’t move again.

“Steve! Where is she?”

“I don’t- she wasn’t - we got separated-”

“Fuck!”

“She’s gotta be here somewhere, fucking look!” 

All of their voices mingled, high and low tones of mingled desperation, fear and rage.

“She can’t have gotten far,” Eddie reasoned tearfully, “She’s got to be here somewhere.”

“Steve,” Robin gasped, “You’re bleeding.”

“I don’t care.”

“Like a lot.”

“Robin, just-”

“No! Shut up and let me-”

Nancy had torn off wordlessly in what seemed to be a random direction, but as Eddie’s eyes adjusted to the darkness of the Upside Down, he saw a heap of vines, thick, tangled cables, undulating and encircling, almost lovingly, a body.

Her body.

Eddie followed suit, leaping over tangles of vines and debris, landing in a slide next to Nancy, who was tugging at the vines with her bare hands, grunting with the effort.

The sight was nothing short of horrible. Her irises had turned milky white, and every few seconds she jerked and gurgled around the tendril that was intubating her. The whites of her eyes had burst capillaries. She couldn’t breathe. She was dying, right before their eyes.

Steve and Robin had joined them by now, fruitlessly tugging at the tendrils. Eddie gripped the tendril that was slinking its way down her throat, and tugged.

At first, he was met with resistance, but as Steve shouted something, Eddie couldn’t really tell what it was, and Robin pleaded and Nancy managed to free one of her hands, the tendril’s hold grew weaker, and soon enough, he was ripping it from her mouth.

Color flooded back into her irises as she launched herself out of the bed of vines, scrambling away on her hands and knees. She braced herself on one arm as the other came to encircle her stomach, and she retched, coughing up some gelatinous substance mixed with blood and lake water. Her hair hung lankly around her face as she stayed hunched over.

Four pairs of hands were on her in an instant. Steve at the front, cupping her face and pulling it level with his, one of Eddie’s on top of Steve’s as they both crowded in front of her, looking into her face. Nancy had one hand rubbing soothing circles into her back, and Robin was brushing her hair away from her forehead.

“You’re okay,” Robin whispered, almost like a prayer, “You’re okay, you’re okay, it’s okay.”

“Look at me,” Steve pleaded, “Can you breathe?”

“Let her catch her breath, man, she just had a fucking - whatever that was down her throat, it’s gonna take her a second-”

She clasped a shaking hand on each of their shoulders, and shoved both Eddie and Steve bodily away from her, doubling over once more to vomit a final time, before rolling onto her back, limbs going boneless, staring up at the crimson streaked sky.

“That,” she heaved, sniffling, “sucked.”

Nancy let out a strangled laugh and bent over her, smoothing a hand across her forehead, “Welcome back.”

“Hi, Nance,” She reached up to pat Nancy’s cheek clumsily, “Is everyone okay?”

They all murmured that they were, and she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

When Steve came into her field of vision, she swallowed thickly, expression tightening, and once her eyes fell on his neck and chest, she frowned, “What happened?”

“Don’t worry about it,” He helped her sit up, resting her back against his chest, “God, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Jury’s still out,” she rasped, reaching for Robin, squeezing her hand, before turning in Steve’s grasp to look at Eddie, and she reached out to touch him as well, brushing a shaking hand over his face. He gave her a watery smile, turning to brush his lips against the pads of her fingers as her hand fell away. He wasn’t sure that anyone noticed.

Once she had made sure that everyone was okay, and tangible, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“I should get hurt more often,” She mused, easing herself out of Steve’s grasp and slowly getting to her feet, Robin and Nancy helping her, “You all are so cute when you’re worried.”

“Don’t even start,” Robin huffed, slinging an arm around her shoulders, supporting her as she got her bearings.

“Least she’s still got a sense of humor,” Steve said, helping Eddie to his feet.

Nancy watched this entire exchange warmly, running a hand through her wet hair, “Well, we should-”

A distant screech swallowed the rest of her sentence. They all turned, eyes landing on the pulsating, scarlet gate as winged creatures surrounded it, bearing their teeth menacingly, chittering and screeching.

“What the hell are those?” She* asked, eyes growing wide in fear.

“Bats.” Steve said, “They attacked me, nasty little-”

“You told me not to worry!” She* wailed, taking better stock of his injuries, “Jesus Christ, Steve.”

“Do you think these bats have rabies?” Robin asked, shining her flashlight in the direction of a bat corpse.

Steve glanced at her, before turning his attention back to the ones that were surrounding the gate, “What?”

“Well,” Robin sighed, “It’s just, like, rabies are my number one greatest fear, and I think we should get you to a doctor soon, cause once the symptoms set in, it’s too late, and you’re dead-”

“Wonderful,” She* groaned.

Steve was lowering into a half crouch, eyes trained animalistically on the gate, “We can take them, right? It’s not that many.”

As if in response to his question (and, knowing the hive mind, it probably was) a moving, jagged cloud appeared in the distance. As it came into view, hundreds of distinct little flapping shadows loomed over them.

“You were saying?” Robin squeaked.

Nancy turned to look at the woods, and then at her*, “Can you run?”

She* cocked an eyebrow, “Do I have a choice?”

Nancy shook her head, “Not really, no.”

As the swarm drew closer, they sprinted in the direction of the woods, and soon enough, they were swallowed by a lifeless, decaying forest, thunder rumbling in the distance.

As the perpetual night pressed in on them, poisonous dust entered their lungs as they sucked in air, they all had some inkling of what they were facing, and what they were running towards.

But none better than her*. She finally knew the depths of what had happened last year, the story behind each scar on her skin. The reason for the phantom pain that woke her in the night, the confusing and aimless night terrors that never made any sense, and that were gone by the morning, stored away in the shadowy recesses of her mind.

She knew that this ecosystem knew her. She knew that it understood her.

And she knew, looking at her friends, these people that she loved, that she cherished, that Vecna was never going to stop until he had taken everything from her.

Everything.

[utilitycaster]

you know, I am wondering with Candela and the Age of Umbra thing if Matt was looking for like, something lighter because Candela has been strong and hopefully Age of Umbra doesn't pull its punches with that premise, but it is like. shame you chose to do it in like, the epic conclusion of ten years of storytelling instead of doing a couple silly one-pager one shots, or running the a miniseries with the dungeon meshi campaign frame instead

[zhuoyichenpretty]

mortifying to be perceived in this way but here have some fic

[saintavangeline]

This entire book series made me who I am today and I stand by that.

[hedwigoprah]

Children of the Dark | Chapter 10

You can read Children of the Dark from the beginning here If you had told me like, 9 years ago I would write a 40k word fic with 10 chapters and still have plans for more, I would have said, why would I do that? Because it's fun, past me, gracious you're boring, get a hobby and stop dating that guy, he sucks. Anyway, here's chapter 10. I'll be posting Chapter 9 as a stand alone soon because I think it's that good. We're starting a new storyline that I still need to outline. So let's see what happens together, yeah?

[angelofthenight]

Wikipedia says that Malachai it was he who banned games and music, since no one did it with him, maybe the reader will offer him to dance?

Yandere!Malachi Scenario

(gn!reader) (feminine!feader)

Warnings: Yandere, Swearing, Mention of Violence/Murder, Unhealthy relationship

Requested by: @lilmeowtyyy

( Sorry you've waited so long! Hopefully this turned out okay! This was the first thing I did after my hiatus so apologies if it's a lil wonky and short, plus I don't think I have his character down very well yet. Also I wrote this as a follow-up to Malachi's portion of my Children of the Corn Yandere alphabet. Enjoy! )

(Yan!H/cs)

♡ Ever since grade school, it was as if all the kids telepathically decided to avoid him like the plague

♡ He didn’t know why no one would play with him

♡ Maybe it was because he was always a little more naturally aggressive than the other kids, maybe it was because of that mean look he mindlessly always had on his face

♡ Maybe that was why no one asked him to play with them and why everytime he would gather the courage to ask to join they would always answer with the excuse that there was no room

♡ School dances were even worse

♡ He swore the number of students was an odd number, leaving him all alone

♡ He would watch everyone couple up or group together to dance their feet off

♡ No one ever asked him to dance, leaving him sitting next to the punch bowl

♡ It wasn’t until highschool that he actually made real friends that shared his rowdy nature

♡ He was able to get over how no one played with him in his early childhood (at least that’s what he told himself) but school dances still felt like an endless suffocation

♡ Especially since his crush on you evolved from pulling your hair for your attention to not even being able to form a single word to you

♡ And especially since you’ve started to fill out your dresses for school dances better and better each year

♡ He would twist the skin on his arm as a way to get himself to stop staring at you from across the gym

♡ It happened one or two times when he would get a sudden burst of adrenaline and approach you with held breath

♡ He lured over you from behind, tapping your shoulder which prompted you to turn around with a soft look of surprise on your face

♡ The weight of the situation and the intensity of your attention flustered him beyond his sense of control

♡ He glared and grunted and turned on his heels to march away, leaving you blinking in puzzlement

♡ No one dared question him on why he was quick with banning games and music when the cult succeeded

♡ But they all had their suspicions as to why

♡ Months had passed after the adult slaughter and months after Malachi had claimed you as his and kept you imprisoned by his side

♡ You knew all too well of his paranoia with you, the paranoia that makes the belief that hangs over his head 24/7 that everyone in town is either trying to harm you or take you from him

♡ He would much rather painfully claw and tear the skin off his own face than let anyone take you away from him

♡ You used this weakness of his to your advantage

♡ You expressed to him your completely made up notice that some of the others have been giving you these weird looks of a hunter, and successfully got his mind right where you wanted it

♡ You put the idea into his head, manipulating the conversation very meticulously to make it sound like it was his idea when you basically put the words into his mouth, to let you stay in that one abandoned house, away from everybody else

♡ You made him choose that one due to the fact it was closest to the road but of course you made sure he didn’t think too much on that crucial detail

♡ This was all for your safety of course, and not for the best chance of escape from this fucked up town and the obsessive and territorial murderer of your parents

♡ While you waited for the best, most fool-proof opening to make a break for it, you did find some enjoyment in the big house while Malachi was away

♡ And that included the record player collecting dust that was stashed away in the cellar

♡ You hadn’t heard music in forever

♡ There were very few records that were still in one piece, and none of them were from your era of music. The youngest one was a record from 1966 by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs

♡ You didn’t even care if you knew their music or not, you just needed a melody in your ears to cleanse your brain of the horrid sound of dead silence and cult chants and screams of sacrificed nineteen year olds and corn leaves brushing together in the field

♡ As you placed down the record needle and the instruments began their tune, you closed your eyes to pretend you were anywhere but this hell hole while you slowly stepped side to side to find the beat

♡ As you found the rhythm of the first song “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” you lost yourself more in the sweet release of playful dance

♡ It was as if your ears went deaf to the music and could only hear the pulsating of your heart and your repressed heavy breaths after the terrifying sound of the dining room door slamming open, the doorknob making a brutish bang when it made contact with the wall

♡ Malachi stood in the doorway, stiff as a board, not a word spoken, and just staring at you with an unreadable, smoggy kind of look in his eyes. It was a horrible, ghastly look

♡ And even though he had never seriously gotten physical with you (pardoning accidental slaps and harsh grips) nor ever once expressing potential violence towards you… you feared for your life

♡ You legitimately believed he was about to pounce across the room to clutch both hands around your neck and rabidly compress until your vertebrae cracked

♡ Even if he wasn’t going to attack you, you still knew he was nothing but rageful on the inside right now

♡ There was absolutely no escape except for the one idea that trailed behind the memory of knowing you could have him wrapped around your finger if you choose the right actions

♡ And so you glided closer to him to the beat of “what big eyes you have”

♡ You courageously kept eye contact with him as you danced up to him, softly yet stiffly grabbing his hands to pull him across the room

♡ He effortlessly jerked his hands out of your grip to return them to dangle by his sides

♡ You repeated your previous action and used more forwardness to tug him him with you closer to the record player, you walking backwards as to not break eye contact (as if if you broke it he would lunge down and savagely bite out your shoulder like a wild wolf)

♡ Even though your heart was beating freakishly in your throat, you intertwined both of your hands into his and guided his hands along the rhythm

♡ Malachi wanted to fight it, to remove himself from your grasp and use the machete attached to his belt to destroy the record player. This dance felt nothing but tormenting to him, just a painful reminder, even though your willing touch sent his head reeling

♡ But he couldn’t just reward your disobedience. No matter how big of a soft spot he had for you, you weren’t an exception to the rules

♡ He slipped his hand out from your fingers to slowly reach for his weapon

♡ You didn’t know he was going to use it on the record player, your mind jumping to the conclusion that you were the blade’s destination. You touched the hand on his belt, gently grabbing it again to pull it to your lower back, giving his arm a quick tug to make his chest collide into yours

♡ This rendered him a blushing and stuttering mess

“I-I can’t… I don’t… I’ve never…”

“That doesn’t matter.”

♡ You swayed the two of you side to side as the song continued with the line “I'm gonna' keep my sheep suit on”

♡ Eventually you spun yourself so that your back was pressed against his torso, your arms crossed across your hips with your fingers still laced with his. He nuzzled his chin into the crook of your neck like a puppy as he inhaled and exhaled you, making you ponder if he could smell your fear

♡ You were so caught up on trying to calm your consternation you almost didn’t hear him mumble into your hair

“You love me too, right?”

♡ Your eyes widened and a nausea squeezed your gut when it registered what he had asked you

♡ You were terrified of telling him the truth of “no” yet equally as terrified of telling him a lie of “yes”. You settled on your vague answer

“…Not yet.”

♡ You felt him rub his cheek against your neck, seemingly okay with that answer

♡ Your nervous eyes remained locked on the window that displayed the glimpse of the long road outside, you didn’t know how much longer you could live like this

“You're everything that a big, bad wolf could want”

[cissyenthusiast010155]

Miss Alma Peregrine Masterlist

Mommy… Master List

Approach at your own risk… smut =* extra smutty =**

One shots

Morning Surprises*

Finally, Always, & Forever ~Dark!Miss P**

Miss Peregrine Appearance Appreciation

Bondage Kink with Miss Alma Peregrine*

Pecattiphilia with Alma Peregrine

The Fire was Started a Long Time Ago ~Mommy!Alma Peregrine xFem Younger!Peculiar!Reader**

Oh and I take Requests, so hit me up with your ideas 😉 Requests & Prompt-List

[candyswirls]

Corvus Corax’s Warband

From Bat Fledgling - Found here

Their jobs at base as well

Ravenguard:

Hoffay - Equerry

Abbott - water supply

Tevro - agriculture

Edant - main janitorial

Nentis - security

Andrur - water supply

Bora - apothecary

Kiri - baby

Griggs - World Eater, cook

Honsin - Word bearers, chaplain

Adile - emperors children, everything

Xach - Emperors children, armory

Balsarius - Death Guard, gardener

Tavrei - Thousand Sons, outreach

Onen - Luna wolves, maintenance

Bronson - Iron Warrior, resident old man, weaponry

Ajax - Iron Warrior, dreadnought, security

Avikona - Night Lord, clothing

Vosos - Night Lord, weaponry

Rio - Night Lord, moral support

Irvun - space wolves, maintenance

Jehudiel - Ultramarines - logistics

Henrick - Dark angels, apothecary, mute

[thefemvoid]

Why do I always fall for the tragic pretty ones??? T^T

List of my tragic male wives that are also pretty af:

Yves Kloss (Gil too)

Dark Sun Gwyndolin (Husband #1) (Idia is #2)

Dia Akedia( his story can be interpreted as tragic, fight me!!)

There are others... I SWEAR IM NOT LYING!!!!

Izo (one piece)

ELBERT GREETIA!! he counts!

Cornell Milton (proposed by demon lord) (love that game, but it takes your money)

Haku(Naruto) (chat, I was 12) (NOBODY can blame me) (I no longer like him like that)

Idia Shroud (he witnessed his little brothers death, Im counting him in on this list.)

__

I cant think of any more, but what I do know is that when I first saw my lovely husband Gwyndolin at the ripe ol' age of 7, I knew I wanted a pretty boy. Just like when I first saw Mereoleona Vermillion- okay I'm going to stop.

Dark Sun Gwyndolin changed my brain chemistry, that's all this post is. That's what my message is.

[seonghwadyke]

you’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling