#Holloway you can stay

[b0tsbby]

Saw someone comment that they “wished Captain Laserhawk was only about Rayman and the bullfrog” and I think I may have disassociated.

[eli-am-confused]

I think them as a childhood group of friends cold be very fun! Like they kinda work as a Scooby Doo/Solve It Squad kinda group except most of the crimes are actually supernatural and connected to the occult (I’m sure that’s a thing i guess Gravity Falls?) thinking of calling them the Hatchet Catchers or something like that?

Anyway Duke mostly handles the “civilian” stuff (talking to witnesses and adults) and patches everyone up with the first aid kit he keeps in his bag. Holloway is also very good with adults but she mostly handles research and take-down. Wiley is more the action type but he has a way with cult members that can get kinda creepy at times. He also sews which is fun! Sheila is best as long-cons and waiting shit out, she’s also very good to have in a fight.

Here’s them as teens too. This is like a month or so before the Accident™️.

Duke(definitely lying): Sorry dad. We’ll never sneak onto an active crime scene again.

[whileurmine]

"wait, just, lucy—" he had never had guilt wash through him so quickly. reality sinking in like a bucket of icy cold water thrown right on top of his head. the time in which james went from having a good time with her to immediately regretting it must have been a world record, he was sure of it. — too quick on his feet to move after her, "don't, wait, don't do that, alright? you don't have to leave, really. i, i'm sorry. it was my fault. i will leave, alright? you, you stay here with hailey, and i'll go. i'll stay in a hotel, you don't have to go anywhere."

open to: all, age gaps encouraged but not required!

plot: lucy has been staying with your muse's family for whatever reason (she's dating their child/sibling, best friend wanted to offer her a place to stay, etc.) and your muse and her have gotten too close for her and she's freaking out and running away.

"i have to go, okay? i just... i have to go." she was so angry with herself for letting her heart make decisions. after all, lucy had no one to turn to for most of her life. she would go back to living out of her car in order to run away from something that felt... real. but she didn't trust it. "i... appreciate your help, but i just—i just need to leave. okay? i need to leave, i can't... i can't do this with you."

[dragonflylady77]

the bit that mattered

a Harringrove Corner Pride fic (all told in Robin's POV) and a present for @whenyouwishuponastar7 and @discodeviant

I was given the prompt 'enemies to soulmates' and then I stumbled upon this post by @imsodishy with tags by @gravegroves and I knew I had a winner. Also, as a matter of interest, I found the doodle by @ihni from the same post...

Oh and this other post by @ihni also inspired a scene in the fic.

Harringrove & Buckleway | 7.2k

Tags: enemies to soulmates, Robin POV, Billy and Robin are secret queer besties, fake dating to throw parents off the scent of queer teenagers, Steve's bisexual awakening

Robin helps Steve realize his soulmate was under his nose this whole time, he just had to give a guy a chance...

“Can you run that one past me again, dingus?” Robin couldn't believe the sob story Steve was telling her. She’d heard about the fight back in November, of course, because the rumors had made the rounds at school for over a month. But listening to Steve recount his version of what had happened was leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

“Really?” He sat on the metal stool they kept behind the counter for when they were the only ones on shift. Standing around in an empty store was murder on the feet.

“Come on, Steve, humor me,” Robin said as she refilled the container of sprinkles.

They’d been working at Scoops Ahoy together for a few weeks now, and Robin was pretty sure she was Steve’s only friend who was his age. Those kids of his kept coming in for free ice cream, and so he could sneak them into the movies via the back corridor, but Robin knew Steve didn’t consider them his friends. Not really.

Heather Holloway had come in after her shift at Hawkins Community Pool, and Robin had managed to serve her that one scoop of strawberries and cream without blushing too much. Heather was so pretty with her long dark hair and her big brown eyes and bright red lips… Whenever Robin dreamed about meeting her soulmate, it was usually a girl who looked like Heather. She’d never told anyone about it, and kept the soulmark on her right wrist hidden under the band of her watch. 

Heather had asked the guy who was with her if he wanted something but he’d said no. Robin had seen him around before, at school mostly. She’d briefly wondered if maybe he was dating Heather but the way he kept sneaking glances at Steve made her think that it was more likely she was not the only queer teen in Hawkins. She was pretty sure Steve had no idea, about her or about the guy, whose name, Steve had said with the utmost rancor, was Billy Hargrove. 

“I’m waiting,” she said, glancing at Steve before she checked on the glace cherries. He’d already told her all about the Upside Down, and while she hadn’t seen any proof, she knew that weird stuff happened in Hawkins, so Steve’s story about monstrous creatures from another dimension, and a girl who could move things with her brain, made as much sense as anything else she’d heard. 

Steve groaned but he complied. “Fine. Mrs. Byers, Nancy and Jonathan took Will to the chief’s cabin. Chief Hopper and El went to the lab to close the gate and I stayed behind at the Byers house with the kids because someone had to. Then Hargrove showed up. Max freaked out, she said he was gonna kill her, so I went outside to talk him down, and like, make him leave.”

“He came to get his sister, must have had a reason, you didn't think of that?”

“She was terrified, Robin. And she was right. I mean, he shoved me to the ground then went into the house and attacked Lucas.”

“From what you said to me, he asked about his sister and you lied to his face.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“Do you not see the problem here?”

“No! He attacked Lucas so I punched him then we had a fight and he broke a plate on my head. A plate, Robin! I still have a scar!”

“Uh huh,” Robin deadpanned, because she knew Steve enough to know he had a flair for the dramatic. That said, he had shown her the scar. It was nowhere near as big or noticeable as his antics made it to be, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“And then he used me like his own personal punching bag until I passed out from the pain. The kids told me Max stabbed him in the neck with that syringe she found on the dresser and told him to leave us alone. Then we went into the tunnels to help El.”

“And you took his car.”

“Max drove his car, yes, but I had nothing to do with that, I was unconscious in the backseat for most of the ride.”

“I will grant you that one.”

“Oh thank you, o wise one.”

“Don't get fresh with me, Steven. You really don't see how wrong that whole situation looks from the outside?”

“What are you talking about? Hargrove is the one who showed up and attacked us. He gave me a concussion, Robin. The guy is a psycho.”

Robin lets out a sigh. She felt like getting the whiteboard out to help Steve understand how wrong he was, but the You suck/You rule tally was ongoing. She looked around but the store was still thankfully devoid of customers. Mondays after lunch were mostly dead, affording her and Steve much needed bonding time. “Okay, so, let's recap, and please do not interrupt me.” 

“Fine.”

“The guy shows up looking for his thirteen-year-old sister at a house he doesn’t know, in the middle of the woods. The only people there with his sister are a bunch of thirteen-year-old boys and Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington. The same Steve Harrington everyone knows is a hit with the ladies and who is rumored to have slept with over half the female population of Hawkins High.”

Steve opened his mouth but Robin glared at him and he closed it again.

“I said do not interrupt me. I know neither of us has siblings, but I have girl cousins and I know that my aunt would not take it well if one of her daughters was alone in a house filled with teenage boys, my uncle even less so. You lied to him about the sister he was looking for, you antagonized him, and then you threw the first punch. Is it any wonder he fought back? And don’t answer that, it was rhetorical. That means it doesn’t need an answer.”

“I know what it means, thanks. I did graduate from high school.”

“Good for you, now shut up. From what I’ve heard your children say when you illegally let them into the back corridor, Max’s stepfather seems like a total hardass, and she’s sneaking around a lot. Which leads me to believe her big brother, the aforementioned Billy Hargrove, may well have been under orders to bring her back, or he was trying to get her home before their parents came back. Either way, it seems likely that the older sibling would have been left in charge of the younger one.”

“You don’t know that for sure. I mean he—”

“Steven MiddleName Harrington, I swear to the goddess…”

“Sorry.”

“So, in all likelihood, Hargrove was left in charge of Max, and she left without telling him, and when he came looking for her, it didn’t go well for anyone, then Max shot her brother up full of some unknown drug from a syringe left unattended—not very safe, but whatever—and you, what, just left him unconscious on the floor while you guys stole his car?”

“Um, yeah, I guess… when you lay it out like that, it sounds really bad.”

“Dingus, that is what happened. Bet his dad was super impressed with him when he got home with no car and no Max.”

Steve groaned, leaning on the counter and resting his head on his folded arms. Robin took pity on him. She put her hand on his shoulder and patted it awkwardly a couple of times.

“I remember that both of you looked rather beat up when you came back to school, though you came back a few days before he did.”

“I did?” Steve sat up and stared at her.

“Oh yeah. I told you before, I’m very observant.”

“Riiiight.”

Robin lightly punched Steve on the shoulder, as punishment for his disbelieving tone. She was way more observant than him, that was for sure. “So, what happened after that?”

Steve shrugged. “Nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing? I thought you said he apologized?”

“Oh, well, yeah. He drove up in his car while I was waiting for Dustin at the arcade, and he said he was sorry about the fight. That’s it. Max said he apologized to Lucas as well.”

“And?”

“And he’s been staying away ever since, like he told Max he would, the night of the fight.”

“After she threatened to pulverize his boy parts with that nail bat you keep in the boot of your car, right?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t really remember that part, cos, yanno, concussion from that plate he smashed on my head, but Dustin told me about it in great detail, many many times.”

“That kid needs to learn to shut up, I swear.”

Steve chuckled. “He grows on you.”

“Yeah, like mold,” Robin deadpanned, making Steve cackle.

*****

Three days later, Robin was deep in the stacks at the library when she bumped into someone, causing them to drop the handful of books they were carrying.

“Shoot, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, crouching to help.

“It’s okay, Buckley. I got it.”

Robin fell on her ass from the surprise. “You know my name?”

“Uh, yeah?” Billy Hargrove said, straightening up and offering her a hand up.

Robin accepted the help, still in shock, then followed the guy to the closest study table where he’d left his messenger bag. She sat across the table from him, her eyes never leaving his face.

“You gonna say something or you just gonna stare at me for the rest of the day? Only I have a shift at the pool in a bit.” He lifted an eyebrow at her, daring her to speak up.

“Oh, um, sorry. It’s just… how do you know my name?” She really, really, needed to know.

“You’ve been in my AP English class since I moved here and you play the French horn with the band every time we play a home game. Course I know your name.”

“Oh.”

“And…” Billy leaned forward, gesturing at Robin to do the same.

She complied, and watched, confused, as Billy looked around to see if anyone was near, before he whispered, “I’ve seen the way you look at Hank, and I can help, if you want.”

“Hank? I don’t…” Robin shook her head. The conversation was taking a surreal turn.

“Sorry, Heather. Holloway.”

“Oh.” Robin felt her cheeks heat up and it was her turn to look around, fidgeting with her rings.

“Don’t worry,” Billy whispered, both hands flat on the table. “I’m not gonna out you to anyone. I may be an asshole, but I wouldn’t compromise someone’s safety like that.”

“Ho-how did you…?” Robin stammered, glad she was sitting down. She felt like a breeze would have knocked her down. She hadn’t even told Steve, and he was her best friend. Maybe.

“Let’s just say you’re not the only one who has to hide who they truly are, for fear of repercussions.”

“When you say repercussions…?” She had to know. She had an inkling about Billy’s dad from some things she’d heard Max say but having confirmation she was right would be vindicating, especially the next time Steve brought up The Evil Billy Hargrove...

“Let’s just say I like being alive, Buckley, and leave it at that, ay?”

Ouch.

“Robin. And you must be joking. Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I had to tell the doctor I fell down some stairs and broke my wrist because Max told my dad she’d seen me sitting with a guy in the library at my old school, Robin, so you tell me. I was tutoring the kid in math but Neil didn’t give a fuck. Right after that, he moved us to this podunk town in the middle of fucking nowhere. Wasn’t fun driving with a cast, let me tell you.”

“Is that really why you moved here?” It seemed a bit far-fetched to her, relocating an entire family because of a misunderstanding like that.

“Well, Susan’s sister lives in Indianapolis, but Neil was more than happy to move me across the country to a less… permissive state.”

“Is California really better for, yanno, people like… like us ?” Robin whispered, elated her hunch had been correct and that she suddenly had someone her age to talk to about these things. 

“Oh yeah. Well, I mean, it can still be dangerous, but, fuck, dude, me and some friends drove up to L.A. last year for the Pride parade and it was fucking amazing.”

“Oh my goddess… You have to tell me all about it, please!”

“Another time, friend. Right now, we need to come up with a plan for you, before I go to work.”

Robin’s cheeks were heating up again. “Oh, um, no, no, it’s okay, there’s no need.”

“Buckley, why do you think that Hank drags me to the stupid mall after every shift? It’s not for the ice cream, because her parents are loaded and she’s got a freezer full of nicer ice cream than your strawberry and cream at home…”

“Maybe she’s just your decoy so you can enjoy the view…”

Billy laughed and Robin startled. She didn’t remember ever hearing him laugh. They received glares from the librarian and a forbidding ‘shhhh’ that made them both silently snicker.

Billy sat back in his chair, the mirth now gone from his eyes. “The difference, dear Robin, is that the view I enjoy hates my everliving guts and I have zero chance in hell to ever close that deal, due to said view’s inclinations, while you, my musically inclined friend, don’t even realize how close you are to getting what you want.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

Billy’s watch started beeping, earning him another glare from the librarian, even though he silenced it quickly. “That’s my alarm. Need to get to the pool for my shift. I’ll catch you later. Think about what I said.”

Robin watched Billy leave, marveling at the absolutely unexpected yet terribly exciting turn her afternoon had taken.

*****

Steve looked like he hadn’t slept since their last shift together two days ago and Robin wasted no time telling him as much. He threw a dark look her way but said nothing.

“Aw, come on, dingus, don’t be like that. What’s keeping you from your beauty sleep?”

“This is all your fault, you know,” Steve bit out as he moved to refill the next container of sprinkles. 

Robin didn’t understand why the store only offered sprinkles in the colors of the flag, but that might be because she didn’t really have a patriotic bone in her body. “How is it my fault?” she said, holding the jar of red sprinkles for Steve.

He glared at her as he put down the white sprinkles and picked up the red ones. “You made me feel guilty for something that happened over six months ago.”

“And? I didn’t realize there was an expiry date on figuring out you did something shitty and taking steps to fix it.”

“Oh, now I have to fix it as well?” Steve argued, spinning so fast the Scoops hat fell off his head.

Robin bent down to pick it up and put it down on the counter with a sigh. “Steve…”

“Robin. I draw the line at one concussion a year, thank you.”

“Oh my goddess, Steve, Billy isn’t going to punch you if you apologize for lying to his face.”

“One, you don’t know that, and two, since when are you on a first name basis with the guy? Pretty sure you didn’t even know his name when you made me tell you about the fight over and over the other day,” Steve said, fixing her with a stare that might work on his kids but didn’t work on her.

All the same, Robin was happy to be saved from answering by a slew of customers that kept them so busy they had to take their breaks at different times. Steve finished his shift earlier than her and she was only too happy to wave him off. The look he gave her before he walked out the door told her that he would demand answers the next time they saw each other.

Walking to the bus stop after her shift ended and cursing herself for asking her mom for a ride to the mall earlier that day instead of taking her bike, Robin startled when a vaguely familiar blue Camaro slowed down alongside her.

“Hey, Buckley. Fancy a ride home?”

Robin stopped and looked through the open passenger window with a grin. “Hargrove. Are you stalking me?”

“You should be so lucky. Get in, we need to talk.”

Dropping her bag in the back before settling into the passenger seat, Robin angled her body towards Billy. “Well?”

Billy threw the butt of his cigarette on the road then pulled away from the curb, waiting until they were back on the road into town to open his mouth. “Dropped off Hank at the mall after our shift, her mom is getting her a new outfit for our date on Saturday.”

What? Robin’s fingers dug into the leather seat under her. “A date? You’re going on a date with Heather? But I thought—”

“Relax, Robin, I told you I would help and I’m gonna. Me and Hank had a chat the other day after I saw you at the library and we came up with a plan.”

“Oh?” Robin wasn’t sure what else to say. She didn’t like feeling confused and so far both her interactions with Billy Hargrove had left her on the back foot.

“Yeah. Thing is, we figured if her parents, and my dad, think we’re dating, it will get them off our backs.” 

“Okay…” That made sense to Robin. Being a queer teenager in small town America was scary if your parents weren’t accepting, and Robin knew she was lucky in that respect. Her parents were soulmates and they’d always told her they loved her and would love whoever her soulmate turned out to be. 

“So the idea is that on Saturday night, I'm gonna pick her up, then pick you up, and we're gonna go over to the drive-in in Marion, and then I'll make myself scarce until the movie is over.”

“Oh god. You’re gonna… you’re… and she… oh god.” Robin couldn’t breathe. This was really happening. She was going on a date. With a girl. With Heather . 

She didn’t realize Billy had stopped on the side of the road until he was crouching on the ground next to her, holding her hands and telling her to breathe.

“Deep breaths, Robin. That’s it. You got this.”

“I…I… oh god…”

“Hey. Calm down. It’s gonna be okay, you know why?”

“Why?”

“She likes you. She really likes you.”

“She does…?”

“Yeah. And you know what else?”

“No.”

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, and I’ve seen how animated she is when it’s just the two of us and she won’t stop talking about you. And I wonder…”

“What?”

“Your soulmark wouldn’t happen to be a flower by any chance?”

Robin eeped and she took her hands back to clutch at her right wrist. What the fuck was happening right now? She must be dreaming, there was no other explanation.

“No, dude, you’re not dreaming” Billy grinned. “I show you mine, you show me yours?”

Robin nodded because she couldn’t trust herself to keep her thoughts out of her mouth. Her eyes bugged out when Billy removed the watch he kept on his right wrist. His skin wasn’t as tanned under the strap and she immediately spotted the five point crown lightly etched on the inside of Billy’s wrist.

She scrambled to take off her own watch and share her own soulmark. “I’ve never shown it to anyone, not even my parents,” she said, her eyes tracing the familiar lines of the small violet. It had felt too private to share with anyone, not that she had many friends anyway.

“My friend Argyle back in Cali is the only one who knows about mine. Doubt Neil would take too kindly to this confirmation his useless son is a fa—”

“Don’t say that word,” Robin urged him. Then she remembered something Billy had said at the library. “Ooh!” She slapped a hand on her mouth then slowly let it drop. “A crown. I get it now. You think Steve is…”

“I don’t think, I know.” Billy sounded so defeated it broke Robin’s heart.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Basketball practice, Robin. Communal showers don’t hide much, even if you’re doing your best not to look.”

“Crap.”

“Exactly. So let’s focus on getting you and Hank together instead, alright?” Billy said, standing up again and putting his watch back on.

Robin did the same and waited until Billy was back in the driver’s seat. “Billy?”

Billy glanced at her then back at the road. “Yeah?”

“I, um, I was talking with Steve the other day at work, about that fight you guys had last November, at the Byers’ house, and I may have impressed upon him how wrong it looked for your thirteen-year-old sister to be alone in a strange house with a bunch of teenage boys, and, um, there is a slight chance that he might decide to apologize for lying to you and throwing the first punch, and yanno, taking your car while you lay full of unlabeled drugs on a dirty floor. Or something.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me. So if he does, could you… not punch him? Maybe?”

“If, and that’s a big if, Steve comes to me to apologize, I promise to hear him out.”

*****

“Hey, dingus?”

It was Friday night, and Robin was lying on Steve’s couch eating popcorn from a giant bowl on the floor. He was sitting next to it on a cushion. Robin wasn’t really paying attention to the movie Steve had put on, too keyed up about the motherflippin’ date she was going on the next evening. 

Billy was being the perfect wingman so she wanted to return the favor, and that started by testing the waters.

“Yeah?” Steve took a sip of his cola and turned his head to look at her.

“You ever think about what your soulmate might be like?”

“I used to. I had all these grand ideas about all that stuff, and for a bit, I even believed Nancy might be my soulmate.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, but our soulmarks didn’t match, not even a little bit. And after that, I just… stopped.”

“Stopped what?”

“Looking. Hoping. If there’s a person made for me out there, I doubt they’re stuck in Hawkins, yanno? And since I’m never getting out of here…”

“Aw, Stevie, don’t be like that…” Robin patted Steve on the shoulder. “We’ll get out of this place, and you’ll find them, whoever they are.”

Steve let out a disbelieving snort. “Sure… As the person who started the You Rule/You Suck board, you know very well that my chances of that are about as high as my chances of getting into college.”

“What do you think they look like?” Robin asked, shushing him when he groaned his displeasure at her pushing it. “Come on, indulge me.”

“What don’t you tell me about your soulmate instead?” Steve pushed back.

“Um…”

“Ha! Not so keen to share now, are you?” Steve turned around to face her, his back to the TV, movie completely forgotten.

Robin sat up. This would make or break their friendship. She took a deep breath and threw herself into the deep end. “I’ve had the same image of who my soulmate is since I started middle school. I’ve always imagined her with long dark hair, brown eyes and—”

“Shiny red lips that match her work uniform and a first name that starts with H?”

Robin felt the tip of her ears heat up. Steve was watching her with his usual smile, and he wasn’t ordering her out of his house.

“I know I’m not the most observant person, but even I noticed how often Heather comes in for one scoop of the least interesting flavor we sell. And she’s hated my guts since kindergarten so…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, learning I’m into… you know… girls,” Robin whispered the last word, even though Steve admittedly already knew and they were alone in his house. It still felt like something she should hide; less so when she was hanging out with Billy, which seemed to happen more since that day at the library. They’d started spending their free periods together at the same study table of the seniors home room most days.

“You’re my friend, Robin.” Steve said. “Pretty much my only friend. And I’m not gonna risk losing that because we both like boobies.”

The serious way Steve said it launched Robin into a laughing fit and Steve joined her. When it ended, they were both sitting on the floor, her legs on his lap, the TV screen a flurry of static.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I see your soulmark?” 

Steve shrugged. “Sure.”

To Robin’s surprise, Steve whipped off his shirt, dropping it on top of her legs, before lifting his left arm. He angled his head.

“It’s right there, on my ribs, by my armpit.”

Robin peered at the area Steve had indicated and, sure enough, there it was. A crown with five points, matching Billy’s perfectly. She couldn’t quite silence the ‘eep’ that escaped her and Steve frowned at her as he put his shirt back on.

“What?”

“Nothing. A crown for King Steve. Fitting.” She moved her legs off Steve and got back up onto the couch, her mind going a mile a minute. She needed to find a way to plant a seed in Steve’s mind, to help him open his horizon to a different possibility. She knew you couldn’t make a person queer, of course, but the universe had decided these two boys were soulmates, so she had to do something to help. 

She tuned back into what Steve was saying.

“...left that king bullshit behind in high school when I realized I wanted to be a better person.”

“So it wasn’t just because you wanted in Nancy Wheeler’s pants?” Robin couldn’t help the snide remark, grinning as she said it.

“Oh my god, Robin!” Steve shoved her shoulder. “What about you? What’s yours?”

“A flower, on the inside of my wrist,” she told him, thinking how odd it was that two boys linked by fate had asked her the same question within a few days of each other.

“Dainty,” Steve said with a snort and it was Robin’s turn to shove him.

Still laughing, Steve stood to go put another movie on then took his spot in front of the couch again. “Hey, you wanna go for a milkshake tomorrow after work? My treat. You can help me figure out how I’m gonna apologize to Billy Hargrove without getting punched.”

“For fuck’s sake, Steve, stop making him out to be such a monster.”

“Sorry, I forgot you’re president of his fan club now. My bad.” Steve’s posture went all rigid and he kept his eyes on the screen in front of them.

Robin took a deep breath before she replied with something she would for sure regret. She forced a smile and slid onto the floor next to Steve, resting her head on his shoulder. “Dingus, you’re my best friend, you know that. But I think we’d both benefit from having more friends our age, and unless you really want to hang out with your ex and the guy she dumped you for, our options are limited.”

“But Billy, Robin?”

“Yes, Billy. He’s funny, he’s one of the top students at school, he drives a cool car, and he’s objectively, and by any standards, extremely good looking.”

“I thought you only liked girls.”

“I’m a lesbian, Steven, not blind.”

“I don’t know…”

“Well, I do, and I’m sorry, but I can’t go for a milkshake tomorrow.” Robin paused then whispered, “I, um, I have, um, a date.”

Steve spun so fast Robin fell over onto the carpet.

“A date! Oh my god, Robin! Is it with Heather? How? Wow! What the fuck!”

She sat up, rubbing her elbow that had taken the brunt of her fall. “Ow.”

“I’m sorry! You can’t just spring this on me like that! Spill, lady! I want details!”

“Yes, it’s with Heather. And, uh, it was set up by, um, a mutual friend. We’re going to the drive-in over in Marion. I’ve been kinda freaking out about it, to be honest.”

“A mutu—Oh. I see.”

“Do not start this again, I need my best friend right now, not King Steve’s high school vendetta.”

“Okay, okay, sorry.”

“Tell me something, why does he get under your skin this much?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Oh please, the mere mention of his name gets your hackles raised like no one else does. From what you’ve told me, it predates the fight you guys had at the Byers’ house. Did you seriously never wonder what it is about Billy Hargrove that makes you react so strongly?”

Steve’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything. Robin patted Steve’s knee before standing up.

“I’ll get us another drink if you rewind the movie. I missed everything that happened in it so far.”

Steve nodded and moved to the VCR as Robin left the living room for the kitchen. She figured she’d done enough pushing for one evening. 

*****

“Earth to Robin, need you out here, dude.”

Steve’s voice pulled Robin out of her daydreams. She checked her watch to see her break had ended a few minutes ago. She hurried back into the main part of the store and went to work, scooping ice cream like it was her calling while Steve rang the orders on the temperamental till.

Once the after school rush had died down, she picked up the mop and did a quick pass on the blue and white checkered lino while Steve cleared rubbish and wiped melted ice cream off the tables.

“You’ve been spacey all day, Rob. Are you okay? I hope it means you had a good time on Saturday night.”

Robin smiled as she finished cleaning then took the mop back into the back room. She waited for Steve to join her, keeping an eye on the main doors through the small window behind the counter.

“So? How did it go? What movie did you see?”

“I have no idea what the movie was, we were too busy making out in the backseat of the Camaro,” Robin said with a happy sigh. “Best night of my life so far.”

“Camaro? Hargrove’s Camaro?”

“Yes, Stevie. I told you Billy set it up. He picked Heather up first, to make it seem like they’re dating, and get Billy’s dad off his back, then they picked me up. When we got there, he parked the car and went to read his book at the diner on Main Street.”

“That was very thoughtful of him.”

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. He’s a good guy once you get to know him. Sure, yes, he’s got some anger issues, but anyone would, with a dad like his.”

“Like what?”

“Are you seriously telling me you’ve never heard Max talk about how much of a controlling hardass Mr Hargrove is? I only see your kids when you sneak them in and I’ve heard it enough times.”

“Um, no, I tend to just tune all their chatter out. So he’s bad news?”

“He’s the kind of guy who’s only got bad sides.”

“Oh, okay. Yikes.”

“I probably shouldn’t have told you, because it’s not my story to tell, but I needed you to understand.”

“Thanks. I mean it. I’ve, um, I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said, and I’m gonna apologize to him for my part in that stupid fight.”

“I’m glad to hear it, because he and Heather are coming over after their shift at the pool. We talked about going for burgers and I think you should come with us. It will help sell it a bit more if it looks like a double date.”

Robin chuckled at Steve’s impression of a deer in headlights. “Don’t worry, dingus, we don’t have to hold hands or anything.”

Thankfully, Steve had recovered by the time they closed the store for the day and met Billy and Heather in the food court. Steve took Billy aside briefly and got through his apology without getting punched, like Robin had predicted. The look Billy threw at her when they rejoined her and Heather was filled with new-found gratitude and Robin felt a bit like a miracle worker on a mission from the universe.

They headed out in pairs, Robin giddy with excitement, as Heather’s fingers kept brushing against hers as they walked out of the mall and into the carpark. Neither boys were keen to leave their cars there so they traveled separately to the diner.

They piled up in a booth, Steve and Robin on one side, Billy and Heather on the other, and ordered. They made small talk about the highs and lows of their day at work as they waited for their food. Robin was vibrating with excitement. Heather kept smiling at her as they ate, their ankles locked together under the table. 

When Steve excused himself to go to the bathroom after they’d ordered dessert, Billy leaned forward across the table and smiled at Robin.

“I don’t know what you said to him, but thank you.”

“You deserve better, Billy,” Heather said in a clipped tone, red lips around her straw as she finished her strawberry milkshake commanding Robin’s attention.

“Hank, this is more than I thought I’d get, as little as it is. At least he’s not glaring daggers at me anymore.”

“I’d say you’re welcome,” Robin told Billy with an encouraging smile, “but I’m not done trying.”

*****

Things got better slowly over the next few weeks.

Billy told Robin about Steve showing up at the quarry and how they shared a couple of beers as they smoked some weed and talked.

During another double date at the diner, Steve and Billy got into a very animated conversation about Dune, Billy arguing the book is better, while Steve defended the movie, despite the fact that he had absolutely not read the book. Robin and Heather escaped to make out in the bathroom.

As summer turned to fall, they left Scoops Ahoy to go work at Family Video, and Steve lived through another one of his father’s lectures about his future. He moped around for days afterwards and Robin wasn’t sure how to help then one night, Billy showed up. Robin left them to it and heard later about how they’d raided Mr Harrington’s liquor cabinet and got so extremely drunk they’d passed out on the floor in the den, and woken up cuddling. 

Billy told her he’d pretended to be asleep until Steve went to the bathroom, then he’d gone to the kitchen to make coffee and pretended it hadn’t happened.

Steve hadn’t mentioned it at all. Robin said nothing but took mental note of the daydreaming look on Steve’s face that appeared more often the day after he spent time hanging out with Billy.

Then one day, she arrived for her after school shift at Family Video and headed for the break room to dump her backpack and her jacket, and Steve followed her. He seemed flustered, unusually so.

“You okay, dingus? Did something happen? Mrs. Wheeler get too close again?” Robin asked, a shudder of distaste at the memory of seeing Nancy’s mom seductively running a finger along Steve’s hand as she’d picked up her change a few weeks ago. Steve had washed his hands for like an hour afterwards.

“You!” Steve started, pointing his finger at Robin and pacing the small room. “This is all your fault!”

“What did I do now?”

“You told me to give Billy a chance. You told me I needed to have more friends my age. And I listened to you, and we’ve been hanging out, and talking. About all sorts of stuff. And let me tell you, lady, you now have serious competition for your best friend spot, just saying.”

“Okay…” Robin still didn’t see what about that would warrant the state Steve was in. “I fail to see how any of this is a bad thing, dingus.”

Steve collapsed onto the rickety chair that sat by the equally rickety card table Keith had installed in one corner. Robin cringed at the loud creaking noise it made when Steve’s knee started bouncing in time with Steve running his fingers through his hair.

She knelt on the floor next to Steve, and reached up to get his hands free from the now tangled mess on top of his head, really concerned now. “Sweetie, what happened?” she asked softly, cutting through his mutterings.

“Dreams, Robin.”

“What kinds of dreams, Steve?”

The look he gave her was enough of a clue. “Oh, okay… It’s normal to have, um, graphic dreams, you know that, we learned about it in Sex Ed class.”

“Sex Ed classes didn’t exactly cover having graphic and detailed sex dreams about your male best friend, Robin,” Steve told her in a rushed whisper.

“Well… no, they did not. But there’s nothing wrong with having dreams.”

“But what does it mean?” He sounded haunted by it and it broke Robin’s heart.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a rare hug before sitting back down. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. Or it could mean that you like both, girls and boys, I mean. Or…”

“Or what?”

“Remember when you asked me about my soulmate and I pretty much described Heather?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, as it turns out, her soulmark is the exact same flower, only in a different spot.”

“I’m happy for you, I really am, it’s great, but that doesn’t help me much right now. I need the dreams to stop. I am going crazy. I can’t sleep, because every time I close my eyes, I…”

“Steve, sweetie, maybe the universe is trying to tell you to stop fighting it.”

“Fighting what?”

“You know that crown on your ribs?”

Steve closed his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t say it.” His knee was bouncing again, faster than before.

“Steve...”

“Don’t say it, Robin.” Steve opened his eyes again and he looked about to cry.

“I’ve seen its match.”

“You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

“I would never lie to you, dingus,” Robin told him earnestly. The ding of the counter bell interrupted her train of thought. “Fuck. You stay here, take the time you need, and I’ll go deal with the customers.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s gonna be okay, Stevie. You’ll see.” 

She left him there, closing the door behind her as she stepped into the area behind the counter. Her eyes narrowed when she took in the gaggle of Steve’s children gathered on the other side. She let out an exaggerated sigh so they’d know she didn’t have the patience to deal with them.

“What do you lot want?”

The annoying kid who never shut up glared at Robin. “We need to talk to Steve.” 

“Well, you can’t. He’s not here.”

“His car is outside.”

Robin shrugged. “Dunno what to tell you. I’m not his keeper. He’s not here and if you’re not going to rent videos, you can leave. Shoo.”

She stared them down until they left, grumbling as they filed through the door.

“Hey.”

“Jesus!” Robin startled, not expecting Billy to appear in front of her. “Oh my god, wear a bell or something. I nearly had a heart attack.”

Billy chuckled and leaned onto the counter. “Sorry, Rob. Didn’t mean to scare ya. Is he really not here or were you just trying to get rid of the weird kids brigade?”

“Oh he’s here. He’s having a major freak-out in the break room.”

“Fuck. Is he gonna be alright?”

Robin and Billy had become pretty close over the past few months, as they bonded over shared interests and her secret relationship with Heather had progressed. She knew he’d made his peace with being nothing more than best friends with Steve, despite their matching soulmarks or his own feelings for Steve. She loved how much he cared for her favorite dingus, and she wasn’t about to start lying to him about Steve.

“I’m not sure. He was pretty shaken up.”

Billy groaned and rested his head between his arms on the counter. “It’s probably my fault.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

He lifted his head and stared at a spot on the wall. “Last weekend, at the quarry, I stupidly mentioned soulmates. No, not like that , I just… asked him if he ever dreamed about his. Then he asked about mine. I stayed vague, for obvious reasons, but he kept asking and I may have snapped then driven off.”

“What the hell, Billy?”

“I know, I know, but I felt cornered, okay?” He ran a hand over his face then finally looked Robin in the eye. “I don’t know how much longer I can go on pretending he’s not everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Robin heard a click behind her and noticed Billy turning deathly white and frozen on the spot.

“Billy?”

At the sound of Steve’s voice, Robin turned around to find him standing in the doorway.

“Hey, dingus,” Robin called out with extra cheer in her voice. “Feeling better?” 

Steve ignored her, his attention on Billy whose eyes hadn’t left his.

“Do you think we could talk?”

“Of course, pretty boy.” Billy cut himself off, and Robin spotted his cheeks getting pink under his tan. “I mean, sure, here, or…?”

“Here is fine.” Steve half turned, looking at Robin, a question in his eyes.

“I’ll cover for you, no worries.”

She motioned for Billy to follow Steve, and she’d never seen him look so scared. She closed the door behind Billy and turned the music up a couple of notches, just in case…

When they came out of the break room forty minutes later, they both looked disheveled and Steve was sporting a rather damning hickey on his collarbone.

He came to stand next to her at the counter and they both watched Billy walk towards the exit, though Steve’s eyes strayed decidedly lower than Robin’s. Billy pushed the door and turned to give them a little wave before he stepped onto the sidewalk.

“Not a word, Robin. Not a word.”

Robin mimed zipping her lips together but that didn’t stop her smile. She bumped her shoulder into Steve’s and he bumped hers back.

A large group of customers entered the shop and the two of them got to work, dealing with returns that needed rewinding, and issuing new movies. The job wasn’t exactly rewarding, they didn’t get paid much, but all that didn’t matter, because working together had led them both to find their soulmates.

And that was the bit that really mattered.

[glimmerlofsea]

Billy Hargrove x Reader

MASTERLIST

NIGHTMARE

Warning : nothing... I guess.

WC; 1k

#TALKISSA; Maybe it's like, Billy survived the Starcourt incident, he had a lot of nightmares after that incident and you were always beside him to calm him down.

Ever since the incident at Starcourt Billy couldn't stop having nightmares. After he underwent some kind of therapy the doctor said that he was post-traumatic, Billy didn't talk much and he really wasn't the Billy The Asshole that Max knew. This made you worried, the host transfer happened suddenly to Heather Holloway, you didn't know the rest of the story but you were worried about Billy's changes.

Max was a little surprised but nothing serious since she told you she had it once last year. What you're worried about is Billy.

You had no one in Hawkins because both of your parents had died, so you lived at the Mayfield or Hargrove residences. Apart from accompanying Billy and helping him through his therapy— Billy's father, Neil, didn't seem upset, perhaps because Billy's quiet attitude made him look like he was obeying his father's rules so Neil didn't interfere too much in the matter.

And now you wake up in the night,

02:00 A.M

You turned to your side where Billy was already sweating all over his face, he was pronouncing words that you couldn't digest properly and his whole body was shaking. You really don't know what to do since Doctor Kelly— Billy's therapist didn't mention anything about this.

So, you decided to gently touch his chest to wake him up, you knew he was having a nightmare again,

"Billy," you called softly while stroking his chest.

He didn't wake up, making you move your body closer to him and caress his sweaty face, "Billy, wake up."

"Billy—"

Your words were cut off by Billy's irregular breathing, he suddenly woke up, surprising you because of his aggressive reaction when he got out of bed.

"Hey, hey, it's just me." You said gently stroking his back and tucking his curly hair behind his ear, "It's okay. It was just a bad dream, we know it's not real, Billy. You've been through it, you've almost been through it all. Everything will be fine, you'll be fine and I—"

Billy immediately hugged you, buried his head on your shoulder and he started crying because you felt the wet water on the shoulder of your shirt. You just stay silent, of course he had nightmares many times, but he was never like this, he would just smile faintly and say that he was okay then you both went back to sleep.

But this time? This is something different.

You put your hands around his neck and gently stroked the rest of his hair that was hanging around his neck.

"It's okay. It'll be okay. I'm sorry."

Sorry. That's all you can say because he had to go through something this horrible. Seeing him like this... It will only make your heart split into several parts. He always makes you happy in his own way, maybe from his efforts that will get a doll in the toy park that you want, and he will study diligently so he can go to the same university as you. But you are not sure whether your affection for him can be felt by him.

You keep stroking his hair,

The sound of the door creaking, you looked to see who it was, and only found Max with a worried look on her face, you nodded to tell her that everything was fine.

Not long after, you take Billy into the kitchen for a glass of water to win him over.

As soon as he gulped down the water, you continued to look at him, waiting for him to tell you what made him cry so hard.

"I'm sorry."

You grabbed his hand, "For what?"

"Your clothes are wet because of me."

You smiled slightly and stood in front of him to stroke his hair and kiss his forehead, "There's nothing to apologize for."

Billy locked you between his legs, wrapped his arms around your waist and buried his head in your chest. You continued running your fingers through his hair, he once said that what you did to his hair made him relax for a moment. Accompanied by the lullaby that your mother used to sing when you were little, there is nothing more soothing than your melodious voice to his ears.

"I had a nightmare." Billy said then looked up to look at you. You nodded, "Mhm, are you ready to tell me about them?"

"It's about you."

You nodded and paid close attention to his words,

"Instead of Heather being stabbed by that big giant monster, it's you. I was there and couldn't do anything watching you slowly being swallowed by that monster. That voice kept coming back to me, saying I wasn't completely free from it and it would continue after you until its really gets you." Billy said, followed by him taking a breath, you continued to calm him by stroking his back, "I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you, I don't want to lose you, I can't."

"Sshhh," You shook your head and cupped his cheeks, "You won't lose me, you won't lose anyone. Remember what Doctor Kelly said? They're just traces left behind. You'll be fine, I'll be fine. I'll stay by your side as long as you need me, Billy."

"I will always need you."

You chuckled, "I'm glad you're starting to open up about your dreams. Can we do them more often? It'll make things better for you. How does that sound?"

Billy nodded, "I like it."

"Good. Want to go back to bed?"

Billy nodded again.

After that, Billy and you went back to his room to continue sleeping. Billy didn't let you escape from his grasp, he buried you in his chest so you couldn't go anywhere, or more precisely, no one could take you from him. Since right now you are the safest place he has, he will protect you under any circumstances. Even though he should be the one who needs to be protected.

His life is filled with the fragility he experiences, he feels like he is not alive, and only you are able to make him feel alive and feel like he is being treated properly. He loves you with all the strengths and weaknesses that you have— even though he himself is not sure that you have any weaknesses.

Author Note : HE'S BEEN THROUGH A LOT. MY BABY NEEDS THE LOVE AND HUGS HE DESERVES, AGHHH, AND WHAT HE GETS IS DEATH? /sobbed

[raygirlramblings]

OK so I had enough interest in my new CLH AU concept to actually put it to paper so here we go :3

I call it 'Orphans of Eden' AU

What IF instead of being found and taken in by Alex after getting away from the military, Dolph is instead helped by Jade and Pey'j?

This AU takes more influence from beyond Good and Evil where Pey'j and Jade run a business while also taking in and caring for orphaned mutants in Eden. See Eden basically manufactures mutant kids to become labour for the city and most are raised in compounds. it's not a great life but the kids are fed and get basic schooling (and access to plenty of kids tv featuring our favourite limbless shill!). But mutants born with birth defects or who are considered 'worthless' tend to get quietly shuffled off to be 'disposed of'.

Jade and Pey'j are part of an underground network (maybe loosely connected to Holloway's group?) who 'steal' these vulnerable kids and care for them, then find the means to ship them out of Eden to safety. In the meantime Pey'j runs a small restaurant/take out place as a front to fund the care of these orphans (I'm thinking like a noodle shop or something, like Nikaido's gyoza shop in Dorohedoro). Jade makes a little cash on the side investigating Eden's crimes and doing freelance jobs for the rebellion.

So a younger Jade and Pey'j stumble on a passed out Dolph and take him in despite the fact Pey'j recognises him as a soldier. They nurse him back to health and invite him to stay with them (and help Pey'j out with the restaurant) until he can figure out what he wants to do. Dolph agrees having no real plans of his own, and starts to be shown the dark underbelly of Eden from a different perspective.

Dolph becomes the cool big brother to all the kids being fostered. He and Jade develop a dorky brother/sassy little sister relationship with Jade teaching him some basic life skills to help him on the rough Eden streets. Pey'j, seeing Dolph as a musclehead with no experience outside of the military takes on a more fatherly role, teaching Dolph basic restaurant skills. Dolph discovers a love for cooking and his ability to maintain his cool in tough situations makes him a great line cook. He still has to maintain a low profile to avoid Eden's police force so he stays back in the kitchen most of the time.

Thanks to his time with them Dolph discovers what it means to have a family network, and how to show compassion to the most downtrodden in society. The mutant kids adore him and he strives to be a role model and stay strong for them. It's not easy looking after little kids in a nightmarish corporate hellscape, but this Au would explore the trials and tribulations of finding enough to survive, using every skill and favour you have access to. That may involve taking on a few risks for the best rewards ;)

There also might be a side plot where Dolph is attempting to track down his mother using his new connections, trying to find out if he's truly an orphan.

So how do the other characters from the show fit into this AU? I'm still making links here and there but I have a few guidelines laid out.

Bullfrog - Still a badass assassin. He's generally doing his own thing but his stealth abilities and knowledge of Eden are vital in preparing safe routes for the orphans to get out. When it's time to ship one of the orphans to a new safe home Bullfrog is there as a personal bodyguard. Obviously the kids love him, though his visits are few and far between. He likes to brings the kids stories and gifts from his adventures ^0^

Rayman - Despite being Eden's number 1 poster boy Rayman is vital to the orphan's safety. Before Jade and Pey'j meet Dolph the pair manage to get the attention of Rayman thanks to Holloway and Bullfrog. Rayman is still very much invested in the wellbeing of Eden's youth and is horrified when Jade provides him photographic evidence of the cruelty subjected on mutants by Eden. Instead of going rogue however he instead becomes a double agent for the resistance. While maintaining his good standing with Eden he uses his connections from within to find pathways out of Eden for he kids, disguised as drug deals. Eden just think Ray is getting his weird fixes, but instead he's using similar networks to smuggle the kids out of the city with Bullfrog's help. It's tough as Eden is constantly breathing down his non-existent neck but Ray is determined to do right by the kids who look up to him. He keeps his distance from them and he and Jade communicate through codenames.

Holloway - While not directly involved with the orphanage Marcus finds Jade's espionage and investigation skills invaluable. In return for information he assists her and Pey'j getting mutant kids out of Eden's clutches, and forwards them resources where he can. While Pey'j is super wary of him Jade sees Marcus as a valuable ally, and when Marcus finds out about Dolph he becomes even more invested in the potential of having an ex-Eden cyborg on their side to take down the powers that be.

I haven't figured out much else beyond this yet, but obviously if anyone has input I'd love to hear it!

Keep in mind this would take place earlier than the show timeline, at the point where Dolph would have met Alex and long before Sarah would form the Ghosts.

[scarletqueenx]

chapter nine - afterglow

Dean Winchester x Female Reader

Summary: Dean and you had dated for a few months before his father disappeared and his journey with Sam began. Now, having made a deal to save his brother's life and with only a year to live, Dean considers reconnecting with the only girl he's ever had feelings for. You.

Author’s Note: English is not my first language. This is my first time writing in the readers perspective, as i'm used to write oc´s.

Warnings: light smut

series masterlist

After discovering that Calum had lied about placing explosives around the house to get Maddie and Peter out of their hiding place, the nerves in Maddie and the two Winchester brothers calmed down a bit.

Yet the three were still worried about the condition of the two Holloway siblings, who after an hour since the burst of light still hadn't woken up.

"Any idea where she got that knife?" Dean asked as he entered the kitchen, where his brother had settled after grabbing several of Henry's books to check out the weapon.

"No. Nothing." Sam replied, examining the knife. "The only thing we've seen that can kill a demon so far is the Colt and Ruby's knife. But this one doesn't look like hers."

"Do you know where Laurel Holloway got this knife?" Dean turned to Maddie as she entered the kitchen to throw the shards of broken glass from the living room window.

"It wasn't until five years ago, when my mother died that I learned of the supernatural. That night, before those two demons, Ophelia and Calum showed up at our house to kill her, she told me that she had that book and knife in her safe and quickly explained to me who they belonged to. The rest of the things I know, like what works against a demon, Henry explained to me." Maddie explained.

"Then we have nothing until he comes back." Sam sighed, looking at his brother.

"Yeah. And he's not answering his calls." Dean said.

"We should burn that guy's remains."

Dean nodded.

"Do you have to burn him?" Maddie looked at them with confusion.

"Henry didn't tell you about ghosts?" Dean raised his eyebrows. Maddie stayed silence. "Salt and burn, so the spirits don't get trapped and can rest. Plus, less evidence."

"Okay." She sighed. "Do what you have to do. You guys are the experts. I'll go check on them."

"If they wake up or Henry shows up or calls, you send us a message immediately." Dean ordered. "We'll be back in an hour at the most."

"Okay." Maddie nodded, trying to stay calm. But Sam couldn't help but notice her uneasiness and the hesitant tone in her voice, so he turned to his brother.

"Get the house ready so no more demons come back in." Sam spoke.

"Okay." Dean sighed before leaving the kitchen.

Maddie watched him in relief, turning towards Sam as she noticed his gaze on her.

"We'll get some food." He said then. "Any requests?"

"Alcohol?" Her answer sounded more like a question, but the request was completely serious. Sam smiled amused.

"Beer or something stronger?"

"I don't care." Maddie admitted with a shrug.

"All right."

"Oh, and... You don't need to buy food. The fridge is full, I can cook something."

"Oh, we don't want to bother..."

"It's no bother." She assured, interrupting him. "Cooking would do some good to me right now for distraction."

"Okay." Sam accepted then, giving her a slight reassuring smile that Maddie didn't hesitate to return.

"The house is secure." Dean announced, walking back into the kitchen, gaining their attention.

"Good, let's go." Sam declared, grabbing his jacket. "Oh, if by any chance any demons come, use the knife." He informed Maddie before leaving the kitchen. The girl sighed, resting her gaze on the weapon resting on the counter, nodding slightly at his words.

When the Winchester brothers got back to the Holloway house, the place seemed much more welcoming. The smell of freshly cooked food was the first thing they noticed, as well as the radical change in temperature compared to the cold air of that particular evening.

Still the house was particularly quiet and the lack of life in it was noticeable. The fact that Peter wasn't running through the halls with his toy guns or reading a comic book on the stairs was very strange. Trying to forget that uncomfortable feeling, Dean and Sam headed for the kitchen, where they found Maddie sitting, reading a lore book with the knife next to her.

"Hey, smells good." Dean admitted, depositing a bag on the island counter. Maddie looked up at him, giving him a slight smile.

"Thanks. I made lasagna. I hope you like it."

"We brought ice cream and pie." Sam announced, taking off his jacket.

"The pie is mine." Dean warned them, earning an amused smile from Maddie.

"Oh, that's okay. I'm not really that hungry." Maddie shrugged.

"First time seeing a body and fighting a demon?" Dean raised his eyebrows, pulling a bottle of beer from the pack he and Sam had just bought.

"The latter, yes, the former... It's complicated." She answered, looking back at the book in front of her.

The two brothers shared a look, but decided to drop the subject when they noticed that it didn't seem to be a very pleasant one for Maddie.

"Any news?" Dean decided to change the subject, taking a swig of the beer in his hand.

Maddie shook her head. "No. They're still asleep. And no word from Henry."

Dean sighed in disappointment.

"What's the plan now?" Maddie looked at them with expectation.

"To wait." Sam answered. "Maybe call Bobby tomorrow."

"Yeah." Dean nodded as he served a plate of food for his brother and another for himself.

"You should get some sleep." Sam turned back to Maddie. "Dean and I will take shifts watching in case Henry shows up or that demon comes back."

Maddie's gaze traveled from Sam to Dean and back to Sam. "Are you sure?" She asked. "I mean... I can take a shift even if I'm not a hunter."

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it." He assured her.

"Okay." She sighed, getting to her feet. "I don't think I'll get much sleep, though. Enjoy the dinner."

"Thanks." Sam gave her a slight smile while Dean just nodded with his mouth full of food.

Maddie smiled back at them, hesitantly leaving the kitchen. Part of her wasn't convinced she could trust them, because she didn't really know them. But she had to remember that those two boys were your friends, skilled hunters and certainly far more capable than she was of protecting the house that night. But letting others protect her had never been Maddie's style. As an only child, she was used to protecting herself. Though that was against human people, not monsters and demons.

Sitting in the living room, the Winchester brothers ate a portion of Maddie's homemade lasagna while watching the news on TV. Outside, the rain had finally started to ease after three hours where it hadn't stopped pouring.

"I'm going upstairs to eat the pie." Dean announced after finishing his plate, getting up from the couch and grabbing his and his brother's plate. "I'll check on them. You should sleep. I'll take the first shift."

"You sure?" Sam looked up at him with hesitation.

"Yeah. I'm not really that tired anyway." Dean answered, walking to the kitchen.

"All right." Sam accepted, turning off the TV and standing up of the couch. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Dean answered him from the kitchen, turning on the tap to start cleaning the dishes.

After a few minutes, Dean was so deep in thought as he cleared the kitchen that he barely noticed the presence of another person in the room until one of the floorboards creaked.

He then turned his head quickly toward the sound, meeting your figure, dressed still in your wet clothes, with two dark circles under your eyes and wet hair falling out of your bun. Your eyes had a confused look in them as you saw him there, but before you could speak, Dean stood in front of you, holding you by the arms.

"Sweetheart. Are you all right?" He looked you up and down with concern.

"Dean? What... what are you doing here?" You asked, raising your gaze to meet his. "What happened?"

Dean was about to explain everything, but you interrupted him quickly.

"Oh, my God. Peter." You exclaimed, ready to go back upstairs, but Dean held you tightly, keeping you in place.

"It's okay, it's okay. Take it easy." He spoke, looking into you eyes. "Peter's okay. He's in his room."

"And Maddie?"

"Sleeping in the guest room with Sammy."

You sighed with relief, your breathing slowly calming as you learned that everyone was okay.

"She... Ophelia was here."

"Yeah. She was." He nodded. "And she left when you destroyed that book and killed her friend. Pretty badass, by the way." Dean smiled with amusement, but this smile disappeared as soon as he noticed that you were still disoriented and didn't smile back at him.

"The book?" You asked.

"Turned to ashes." He replied, receiving a sigh of relief in response.

As the silence settled between the two of you, you felt the grip of Dean's hands on your arms getting looser and more delicate with every second. His thumbs stroked you over the fabric of the black t-shirt you were wearing, sending a shiver down your spine. As if he could feel that same shiver himself, Dean seemed to react then, taking a step back.

"Uh... are you hungry?" He asked, clearing his throat nervously. "Maddie prepared lasagna. And Sammy and I got ice cream. There's pie too." His eyes traveled to the kitchen island, avoiding the your gaze.

"Pie?" You tilted your head and raised your eyebrows with amusement. "You're going to share your pie with me?"

"Well, I didn't fight a demon today." He shrugged, connecting your gazes once again. "But don't take too long to decide or I'll take back my offer."

With a smile playing across your lips, you wrapped your arms around your body as you felt a blast of cold wind hit your wet clothes.

"I think I should take a shower." You admitted.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Dean sighed.

"Maybe when I come back you could have a plate of warm lasagna prepared for me." You walked closer to him with a smile painted on you lips.

Looking down at you, Dean nodded slightly, fighting the urge to hold your cheeks and kiss you right then and there.

Watching you fight that demon to protect your little brother, wearing those tight jeans and that black t-shirt with your damp hair and the fierce look in your eyes was perhaps the hottest he'd ever seen you.

"You bet." He whispered, smiling back at you.

What Dean didn't know was that you were also fighting your own urge to kiss him. Maybe if either of you weren't so dumb and used the courage you usually had to kill and face monsters you'd already be kissing. But instead, you went back up to you room to take a hot shower while Dean prepared dinner for Peter and you. The boy was still asleep when Dean went upstairs to check on him, but considering you had already woken up, he hoped Peter would soon follow.

"You didn't answer my question by the way."

You leaned against your doorway as you untangled your hair. Dean turned to you, noticing how you had changed out of your wet clothes into gray sweatpants and a t-shirt of your favorite band. You still looked almost as good as before, if not better.

"Why are you here?"

"Peter called me." Dean answered. "He didn't say much, but I could tell something was wrong. Plus, you weren't answering."

You nodded slightly, taking in his words.

"Thank you. For coming to his aid."

"Always." He assured. "I know how important Peter is to you. Like Sam is to me."

Your eyes traveled to the floor at his response, feeling frustrated and saddened by the situation you were in.

"I shouldn't have destroyed the book." You complained. "Maybe I could have made a deal to save you, I don't know, maybe..."

"Hey, hey." Dean walked over to you, holding your cheeks to make sure you looked him in the eyes and listened to him. "You saved Peter and Maddie's life. You took away something the demon wanted. Don't worry about me."

"That's impossible, Dean." You assured. "I'll always worry about you. I worry about everyone. It's my fatal flaw."

"Wrong, your fatal flaw is your unbearable stubbornness." He smiled with amusement, caressing your cheeks.

"Look who's talking." You smiled back at him as your eyes sparkled with a feeling Dean had never seen in them and didn't know how to name it either.

It seemed like forever since the two of you had been this close to each other. And yet it seemed as if you had never been. Since you had reconnected, your relationship seemed to have started completely anew. As if you were two strangers.

Your courage seemed to grow at that intimate moment, as you both began to lean toward each other, hoping to listen to your urges to press your lips together in a kiss. But, just like in the movies, something had to interrupt you.

Peter's voice calling out your name made you pull away from each other and turn your gazes towards the door of the boy's room. There he stood, looking at you in confusion.

"Hey, buddy, are you okay?" You ran to kneel in front of him, holding both sides of his face to look at him more closely. Peter nodded, lifting his gaze to Dean.

"You actually came." He observed, almost not believing that the hunter had come to his aid.

"Of course." Dean answered. "You're a pain in the ass, kid, but I don't want you dead."

"The feeling's not mutual." Peter replied.

"Peter." You scolded him.

"I was just joking." He defended himself. You looked back at him with disbelief. "I was."

"It's fine." Dean assured as he noticed your apologetic look. "Dinner's on the table, by the way. I've seen you have quite a movie collection, why don't you pick one and have dinner with your sister? There's ice cream." He smiled towards Peter, who looked at him hesitantly for a few seconds before nodding.

"Sounds good."

"Great. I'll wait for you downstairs." Dean said, clapping his hands before walking off down the hallway, leaving them alone.

You let out a sigh as you watched him disappear down the stairs, feeling an aching hole in your chest at the absence of his presence. Peter narrowed his eyes, noticing the change in you.

"You can go with him. I'm gonna go take a shower." His voice voice snapped you out of your thoughts, bringing you back to reality.

"Oh, no. No. I'll wait for you."

"You can do that downstairs. I'm fine." He assured.

"You sure you are?" You looked at him with concern. "Peter, I know what it's like to face a demon for the first time. Or any monster for that matter. You can talk to me."

"I know I can. But seriously, I'm fine. I knew what I had to do."

"It doesn't matter. Knowing the theory doesn't compare to the real thing. I just..."

"I'm fine." He interrupted.

Although his statement seemed firm and sincere, you could see right through him. Peter was trying to convince himself and you that everything was fine when it simply wasn't. And you both knew it, for since you had opened your eyes something in the two of you felt completely different. Yet neither of you could put your finger on what.

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

After having dinner while watching Jurassic Park, one of Peter's comfort movies, you and him ended up falling asleep on the couch. Trying to make as little noise as possible, Dean put a blanket over you and busied himself picking up and washing the dishes. When he finished, he decided to sit on the couch next to you to watch the end of the movie while he ate the pie.

And that's how Sam found the three of you when he went downstairs in the middle of the night to do his watching shift. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, the young Winchester could make out the sleeping figure of his brother, Peter and you. Not wanting to wake you, he turned off the television, took a look around the lower floor and went back upstairs to the guest room, where Maddie was sleeping peacefully.

He stayed awake for a couple more hours, doing research on his computer before going back to his bed to get a little more sleep before sunrise.

The following morning, Peter was the first one up and soon followed by Sam and Maddie. The boy was reading a comic book while drinking a juice when they both entered the kitchen.

"Hey, kiddo, how did you sleep?" Maddie asked, ruffling his hair.

"Pretty good, actually." He admitted, looking up at her. "We're out of coffee and cookies, by the way."

"Well, we'll have to go shopping, then, right?" She said, receiving an enthusiastic nod from him. Peter wouldn't say it out loud, but he was anxious to get out of his house. Being there inevitably reminded him of the previous night's events and he felt somewhat trapped.

"We can take Dean's car." Sam suggested, grabbing the car keys from the counter. "I'll drive."

"Yeah, we should let them sleep." Admitted Maddie, glancing over at the living room, where Dean snd you still lay on the two comfy couches. Sam nodded in agreement with her, it was rare for his brother to sleep that much and he certainly needed it.

Still, it was only a few minutes after they left that Dean awoke to find a note on the coffee table beside him. A grunt left his lips as he read that there was no coffee left and that he would have to wait for his brother, Maddie and Peter to return before he could have what was the most important drink of the day for him.

"They left five minutes ago, it'll take them a while to get back." You spoke from the other couch. Dean turned to you, surprised to find you awake. Your gaze was fixed on the ceiling while one of your hands fiddled with the necklace around your neck.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked.

You sighed, rising to a sitting position.

"Since Peter got up. I was comfortable so I pretended to be asleep." You shrugged.

A small smile tugged at Dean's lips at your response.

"Did you sleep well?" You asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "This couch is very comfortable."

"I know. I've lost count of how many times Peter and I fell asleep here while watching movies." You smiled, standing up.

"Did you sleep well?" Dean asked, following your steps towards the stairs.

"Yes, I've already told you that the couch is very comfortable-"

"I'm not talking about that." Dean interrupted you, shaking his head.

You sighed, stopping in your tracks in the middle of the stairs before turning on your heels to look at him.

"Nightmares aren't new to me, and I actually didn't have that many tonight. Having Peter by my side helped a lot." You explained.

Dean nodded silently.

After that you continued on your way upstairs, splitting up in the hallway as you went into your room and Dean into the guest room so he could take a shower. You intended to change your clothes, but as you went into your room the feelings overwhelmed you, paralyzing you for what seemed like hours but had only been minutes.

"Hey. Sweetheart." Dean watched you from the doorway, confused and concerned to see you still in your pijamas while he had already showered and changed clothes. His voice seemed to bring you back to reality, as you slowly turned toward him, catching the loving gleam in his green eyes. "Are you all right?"

Blinking several times, you nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." You assured him, turning back to your closet.

Dean sighed, watching carefully as you reached for a fresh set of clothes.

"You know what. No. I'm actually not fine." You snapped, turning back to him. "I'm tired. A demon killed my mother and a demon was going to kill my brother last night. It's like they have something against me, you know? And I didn't do anything. I was just a kid when she died. And if that wasn't enough, they're going to take you too." Your eyes filled with tears, your voice broke and your breathing became rapid. "Just when I was starting to feel like you and I... They're going to take you away from me again. And I don't know what to do."

Dean didn't know what to say. He wanted to comfort you, to tell you that everything was going to be all right, that your brother would be safe, that he would be safe. But he couldn't. He could tell you that you would get over him leaving, you would get on with your life. Dean really thought so. But for you these last few months had been if possible even more important to you than the time you two had dated years ago. It was as if a different connection had appeared between the two of you. Dean felt it too. As if something supernatural drew him to you.

Something supernatural that made him walk straight to you, hold your cheeks and place his lips against yours in a breathtaking kiss. Passionate and delicate at the same time. Full of feelings that none could name or describe. Magical even.

His lips felt so familiar that it hurt you. You let yourself sink into his embrace as your heartbeat accelerated like never before. But in that instant Dean seemed to realize what he was doing so he stopped the kiss immediately, taking a step back.

"I'm sorry, are you sure you-" Dean whispered. But before he could finish the sentence you kissed him again, this time in a more heated way.

Your breaths mingled passionately in your mouths. Your hands grabbed his clothes and pulled him closer as you began to step backwards, taking him with you. Dean let himself go until your legs hit the edge of the bed.

Moving his hands down to your waist, Dean began to lay you down on the mattress, hovering over you without breaking the kiss, making you feel a rush of heat surge through your body. His tongue slid over your bottom lip, gently asking you to open your mouth for him. You didn't hesitate to do it, letting your tongues meet as your hands caressed the muscles of his arms all the way up to his well-shaped shoulders and back.

His hands moved lower and lower, eventually slipping under the hem of your shirt and gliding along the smooth skin of your side, making you moan softly as you surrendered further to the intoxicating feeling of being touched by him. You arched your back against him, your body seeking out more of his touch as your lips and tongues moved in perfect unison. He quickly responded by leaving a trail of hot kisses down your neck with a tender possessiveness that made your breath catch in your throat. You tangled your fingers into his hair as you pulled him closer.

As he continued to explore every inch of you, his left hand slowly moved up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing lovingly over your bottom lip. The combination of tenderness and heat was a heady mix, causing you to melt into him even more.

You were the first to feel the eagerness to make the layers of clothing separating you disappear, your hands tugging at Dean's shirt. He couldn't help but smile against your lips at this, pulling away slightly to get rid of the piece of clothing himself. You couldn't resist the temptation of his exposed skin. With trembling hands, you slowly traced your fingers along his muscular chest. You could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, echoing your own.

At the same time, his hands began to roam over your body, tracing intricate patterns on your skin as he worshipped every inch of you. He lifted your shirt, his fingers teasing the hem of your bra, sending a jolt of electricity through your body. You gasped at his touch, your breath coming in shallow pants as you longed for more. As his lips found yours once more, you met him eagerly, your arms encircling his neck and pulling him closer. Dean's hands moved to your back, unhooking your bra with a skillful flick, your lips never breaking contact. He gently caressed you, his touch both soothing and arousing.

You returned his kisses with fervor, clinging to him as if he was the very air you needed to breathe. It was a moment of pure bliss and passion that you never wanted to end.

Overwhelmed by the sensations, the two of you separated slightly, your breaths quickening as your eyes opened to meet each other's. A faint smile tugged at both your lips before meeting once again. You felt a wave of heat wash over your skin as Dean's mouth crashed against your own, making the world around you fade away. His lips were soft, yet urgent and eager, moving against your almost as if he was searching for something deeper within you.

He caressed you face with a tender touch, savoring every moment. You felt as if time stopped. Dean had a way of making you feel safe and loved, and you couldn't help but melt into him, your lips dancing with his in perfect harmony. Your bodies pressed even closer together, making you feel a little overwhelmed by the intensity of you connection, your body responding to his in every way.

Dean's hands found their way down to your sweatpants, his fingertips teasing the waistband. You eagerly helped him remove your remaining clothing, wanting nothing more than to feel him everywhere.

You were a tangle of limbs and kisses, exploring each other's bodies with a sense of urgency and need. The room was filled with the sounds of your breathing and the soft rustling of your clothes as you tossed them aside, your bodies now fully exposed to each other. Dean's lips traced a path along your collarbone, his tongue teasing the sensitive skin. Your fingers threaded through his hair, holding him close, as you surrendered entirely to the overwhelming sensations he was awakening within you. Every touch, every breath, was a step closer to that edge you so desperately craved.

Your hands moved to Dean's abdomen, your fingertips tracing of his muscles. You could feel his anticipation, the way he quivered under your fingers. You arched towards him, your body craving more of his touch, the overwhelming desire pooling between your legs, leaving you aching for him to claim you completely.

Dean's hand brushed against the most intimate part of you, a gasp escaping your lips at the sudden contact. The heat from his fingers seemed to burn through you, igniting a fire that spread throughout your entire body. Your entire being was consumed by desire, your mind cloudy with pleasure as he continued to explore you.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, your bodies met, becoming one. You felt the world spin at the overwhelming sensation of feeling him inside you. Your eyes rolled up into your head with each thrust. Dean watched you with care and appreciation as he felt the same desire consume him.

Your bodies moved against each other effortlessly, as if they fit together like pieces of a puzzle. You gripped his shoulders, trying to ground yourself amidst the flood of sensations overwhelming you. As he took control, you gave in to him completely, your body responding to every touch with a shiver of anticipation. It was a moment of complete and all-encompassing surrender, where nothing else mattered except for the two of you and the way you moved together.

Dean's hands moved down your waist to your hips, where he firmly held you against him as he captured your lower lip between his teeth. A low moan escape your lips at that, his tongue grazing yours as he devoured you with a hunger that matched your own. You couldn't remember a time when you had felt more alive and sad at the same time, because you new this wasn't going to last. Dean would soon be gone. But you wanted to forget that fact for a moment, and for every moment you'll share together after this.

His touch was like a drug, one you had grown utterly addicted to. Dean's mouth moved to your ear, whispering sweet nothings in a low, husky voice that sent shivers down your spine. It was as if he knew exactly how to play your body, and he kinda did.

You couldn't get enough of him, your hands roaming over his body, trying to memorize every dip and curve. Dean's fingers traced lightly over your skin as if seeking to memorize every inch of you. You felt as if you were floating on a cloud, you body reacting to his touch with an almost primal hunger. Each touch sent fire racing through your veins, and you could feel the heat pooling in your core, aching for release. You longed to pull him even closer, to feel every part of him pressed against yours.

Your bodies moved in perfect harmony, your hearts beating as one, as the two of you lost yourselves in the all-consuming fire between you. You arched your back, a soft moan escaping your lips, as he expertly guided you towards that peak, his touch sending you reeling. Your breath came in short gasps, as he led you closer and closer to the release.

In a final thrust, the waves of pleasure crashed over you in a overwhelming force. Your body shuddered, your hands gripping the sheets as you cried out his name, surrendering to the intense sensation that had taken over your entire being. Dean held you through your shared release, his lips finding yours in a tender yet passionate kiss.

Your bodies shuddered together in the aftermath, your breaths mingling as you lay entwined. In that moment, you two existed in a world completely separate from everything else, wrapped up in each other, consumed by the intensity of what you had experienced together.

The room fell silent, the only sounds being the gentle rustling of the sheets and your synchronized breaths. The air was heavy with a mix of passion and contentment, the remnants of your lovemaking lingering like a sweet perfume. You traced your fingers along Dean's back, the sensation grounding you and reminding you both that this wasn't just a fleeting moment of passion, but a connection that ran deep and genuine.

In the quiet stillness that followed your intimate encounter, Dean brushed a few sweaty locks of hair away from your face, his touch soft and soothing as a gentle, lovesick smile played at his lips as he looked deep into your eyes.

"That was incredible." He whispered softly, his voice filled with awe. He caressed your cheek gently, his touch sending sparks of electricity through you.

You couldn't find the words to express the intensity of what you were feeling, so you simply nodded, a wide smile spreading across your face.

"It was." You whispered back, your voice filled with awe and contentment. You felt as if you could stay there forever. Just being in his arms, you knew you were exactly where you belonged.

You lay there for a while, with your bodies entwined together, basking in the afterglow of your shared passion. You rested your head against Dean's chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. He played with your hair gently, his touch both calming and thrilling at the same time. It was a moment of perfect peace and happiness, a connection that seemed timeless and unbreakable. It was a moment of pure, unadulterated love that made you feel as if anything was possible, as long as the two of you were together. Even though you new that wasn't the truth. It was a deep, soulful connection that transcended anything you had experienced before.

As you lingered in the embrace, Dean gently stroked your hair and pressed tender kisses against your temple. He held you tightly yet tenderly, his touch conveying comfort, stability, and security. You felt a sense of tranquillity wash over you, knowing that you were cherished and beloved in a way you had never experienced before. Even if Dean never said it out loud.

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

When Sam, Maddie and Peter came back, Dean and you tried to act as if nothing had happened or changed between you. After your passionate encounter and spending a silent, quiet time entwined between the sheets of your bed, words seemed useless in the wake of what had been such a deep connection. In a slightly stupid way, you were both scared to talk about the feelings it had brought up in you and the consequences that came with them.

Still, it was inevitable for Sam to notice something different after spending months by your side. The longing glances across the room, the comfort in feeling each other's touch, the magnetism your bodies seemed to have to always end up next to one another despite starting the conversations on opposite sides of a room. But even so, Sam decided not to say anything. Especially since everyone's heads were now on more important topics.

Topics that you all decided to avoid until Henry showed up at the house that evening. That was your sign to share the information you all had, about the knife, the book and the demons that had attacked you last night.

After hearing everything that had happened, Henry decided to be honest with Maddie and the Winchester brothers about who Ophelia was. A witch, now demon, who had helped Laurel's ancestor to have children at the time of the Salem trials and who had been burned at those same trials. He also explain that Laurel's bloodline was full of witches, due to the potion with which Ophelia had gotten her ancestor to have a daughter. And that the search for that same magic and book was what had led to Laurel and Christine's summer camp attack when they were teens, Laurel's deal to get her friend back and the death of both of them.

But now that the book was destroyed, you all came to the conclusion that this power in your family's blood no longer existed and that Peter and you had no magic, you were just human.

Also, thanks to Henry's information, you now knew that the knife with which you had killed Calum had been a weapon that your mother had created with her own powers, unique and special for killing demons.

"So you took him back to the mental institution?" You asked once your father and you enter his office.

"The demon left his body after screaming in pain and Carter fell to the ground unconscious." He explained.

"He has already broken out of there once."

"I had nowhere else to take him so I could come home. It was my only option. And if he's smart and doesn't want the demons to use his body again, he'll stay there."

You nodded slightly, watching your father closely as you sensed there were still things he was keeping from you.

"So... everything is over?" You asked after a few moments. "They only wanted that book and us so Ophelia could regain her power and become the queen of hell?"

"Basically." Henry nodded.

"And by destroying it, the power went with the book?"

"That's right. So, now I don't think it's necessary for you to go after them."

"What do you mean?" You frowned.

"Well, Ophelia wanted to overthrow the current leader of Hell, surely the demons working for him are now after her and Dorian and that's why they've run away." Henry pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." You nodded slightly. "Uh... Dean and Sam are going to go on a hunt by themselves. I'll stay here for those days and then rejoin them."

"Okay. It's good to have you home, honey."

"Yeah, you too, I guess." You sighed with a hint of irritation. Henry could sense your anger towards him. After the events of the past month he couldn't blame you, so he let you leave his office without another word.

The fact that everything that had started at that summer camp with your mother and Christine had apparently ended the night before didn't make your desire to avenge your mother's death go away. And your determination to save Dean from the fate that awaited him had only intensified after your intimate encounter of that morning. The depth of your connection and the way you had shared yourselves with each other filled you  with an even deeper resolve. You knew that you could never go back to the way things were before.

Keep Reading: Chapter Ten

AN: 🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃 Looking forward to reading your reactions to this chapter.

Tag List: @deans-spinster-witch @lmhf1 @mochminnie @helo1281917 @barnes70stark

If you'd like to be tagged, drop me a comment

[atlabeth]

far too young to die - anthony lockwood

summary: three things happen on the day you decide to solve your problem:

your tea-making skills get lauded

you get the biggest history lesson of your life

everything goes wrong.

you should have expected this the moment lockwood & co got involved.

a/n: this got away from me but twas very fun to write and protective lockwood is becoming my lifeblood lol<3 enjoy and remember kids: fuck netflix

wc: 5.7k

warning(s): canon typical stuff, mentions of murder and throat slitting, implied/sort of described domestic abuse, hurt/comfort. reader panics a lot. suspend your disbelief please and thank you. reader also has a last name of holloway just for convenience

Reading the newspaper was impossible this morning. 

Your leg wouldn’t stop bouncing up and down, and the envelope on the far side of the table drew your eye every five seconds, and your neighbor did not need to be cutting his lawn at the moment, and all the while that presence was there. It always was, whispering illegible things to you and taunting you through the shadows and making your life a living hell you couldn’t prove. 

An unwilling shiver ran down your spine, and you tamped down on it. 

After today, it would finally be over. 

Hopefully. 

The doorbell rang, and you about jumped out of your skin. You took a deep breath, calming your heartbeat as you set your cup of tea back on the table, and went over to the door. When you opened it, you were met by three teenagers about your age, and the lanky, dark-haired boy in front gave you a small smile.

“We’re here for Edmund Holloway,” he said. “Have we got the right address?”

“You do—I’m his daughter,” you said. “You’re the agents?” 

The boy nodded. “Anthony Lockwood of Lockwood and Co.” He held out his hand and you shook it, and once you released it he gestured to the other boy and girl standing with him. “These are my colleagues, Lucy Carlyle and George Karim.” 

You nodded again, wringing your hands together as you let out a shaky exhale and said your name. “Anthony, Lucy, George— nice to meet you all.” 

“Lockwood is just fine,” he said, and you nodded. 

“Are you the one who put out the ad?” George asked with a frown. “It doesn’t look like your father is here.” 

You shook your head. “My father put out the ad. He’s on a business trip at the moment.” 

Anthony frowned. “Why isn’t he here?” 

“He doesn’t handle ghosts very well,” you said wryly. “Gives him an awful fright.” 

“Most people don’t,” Lucy said. “That’s why we’re around.” 

“Forgive my bluntness, but it doesn’t seem very smart of him to leave his daughter in a haunted house,” Lockwood said. “Even if agents are clearing the house.” 

“He doesn’t exactly… know I’m still here,” you admitted sheepishly. “My father expected me to stay at a friend’s house until today, give you all the payment, and then make myself scarce until the problem was solved.” 

“Why in the world are you here then?” George asked. 

“...Because I need to know that this ghost is gone,” you stated. “I need to see with my own eyes that it’s over.” 

Lockwood eyed you cautiously, and you cleared your throat as you stepped aside. “Come in, agents. I can explain over tea.” 

You closed the door as they filed inside, and you wrought your hands together as you followed them. “I’ve got Earl Grey and chamomile, if anyone’s interested,” you said as you began filling up your kettle. 

“Chamomile would be lovely,” Lucy said, her eyes wandering around the interior as she took a seat next to George at your table. 

Lockwood, however, stayed standing. He pointed at a painting hanging on the wall and glanced at you. “Starry Night?” 

You nodded. “My grandmother painted it when she was younger. She specifically left it in her will for me.”

He smiled. “It’s beautiful.” 

“It is, isn’t it?” You pulled a tin of loose tea out of your cabinet and set it on the table. “I’ve never been much of a painter myself, but I’ve always wanted to learn like her.” 

“As interesting as this is, you said you would explain your poor choices,” George interrupted. “And your history.” 

“Blunt as he is,” Lockwood said dryly, “he’s right.” He took a seat next to Lucy, leaning back in the chair. “Tell us everything you know about this house—anything that could be causing the haunting.” George cleared his throat and his lips twitched. “And why you’re still in the haunted house alone.” 

You nodded, leaning against the counter with a sigh. “To answer the question on all of your minds, I have no idea who the ghost could be. My only guess is some fellow from decades ago, back before the house was in our immediate family.” 

“You inherited it?” George asked. 

“From my grandmother,” you said, “the same one who painted. She died a few decades ago, and she left the house to her son in her will. After my mother died, my father and I moved here to get away from the memories.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Lucy said softly, and you managed a smile. 

“Thank you.” You folded your arms across your chest. “And before you ask, no—it’s not my mother’s ghost. She died far away from here, and she’d have no reason to stay behind.” 

“Do you know when this house was built?” George asked. “A lot of the architecture looks Victorian.” 

“Sharp eye,” you said with a slight smile, and you stood up from your spot against the counter as the kettle started to whistle. You poured the water into three mugs and added your handmade tea bags before you looked back at them. “It was built in the 1850s, I believe. I think it’s been in our family since then, but I’ve only been aware of it since my grandmother.” 

“Could it be your grandmother’s ghost then?” Lucy asked, and you shook your head. 

“She didn’t die here. And she wouldn’t have any reason to stay either,” you said. “Which is why I’ve had no idea who it could be.” 

“Strange indeed,” Lockwood agreed, suddenly speaking up. His gaze pierced into you. “You’ve got such a connection to this ghost and yet you don’t even know who it could be.” 

Your cheeks burned. George huffed a laugh. 

“That’s right,” he said. “You haven’t even told us about why you’re still here.” 

“The ghost hasn’t just been haunting our house,” you murmured, staring down at the floorboards. You’d have to clean the dirt between the cracks later. “It’s… it’s been haunting me too.” 

Lucy frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“It’s always around me,” you said, and even then you could feel the chills all over your body. At this point, though, it might’ve been your own design. “I— I can always feel its presence, I hear it whispering to me constantly, and it feels like every time I touch something old in here I get a damned vision, or voices in my head, and—” 

You stopped, realizing your voice had risen without you noticing, and you took a deep breath. 

“And I feel like I’m going insane,” you finished, your tone much quieter than before. 

“You’ve got Touch,” Lockwood concluded, something different in his eyes. Lucy’s expression had softened, and George just looked even more interested than before when you nodded. 

“Talent that strong and you’re not an agent,” he said. “Why?” 

“I’ve never wanted it,” you said dryly. “And after dealing with this ghost for the past few months, I’ve got even less desire.” 

“You should consider it,” he said. “Maybe then you won’t have a ghost in your backyard.”

“This ghost has been toying with you for months, but it hasn’t even tried to harm you,” Lucy said. “It’s definitely a Type 2 based off your description, so I’ve got no idea why. What’s the point?” 

Lockwood shrugged, and he gave a nod of thanks as you placed the mugs of tea in front of them. “Maybe it’s related to you after all. I’ve heard cases of relatives not harming their own, especially in more sentient Type 2s—it’s rare, but it happens.” He looked at you. “If this house has been in your family since the 1800s, surely there’s been at least one violent Holloway death worthy of the Other Side.” 

“Is your theorizing always this fun?” you asked as you crossed your arms. 

“Usually more,” he said helpfully. Lockwood took a sip of tea and hummed. “We should get chamomile more often.” 

“I’m always telling you to,” Lucy said. “George is just insistent on making his own black tea.” 

“That’s because it’s far superior!” he exclaimed. “You should be thanking me for it, honestly.” 

Lockwood took another sip and looked at them. “She makes a great chamomile. It might just change your mind.” 

“I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation,” you said, arms still folded as their heads all snapped to you, “but we’ve only got two hours until the sun sets, and this house is still very much haunted.” 

“Right. I guess that means we should start preparations.” Lockwood stood up, smiling at you. “Thank you for the tea and your information. We’ll take your keys, vet the place, and hopefully have your ghost vanquished before morning comes.” 

“You don’t need my keys,” you said. “I’m staying.

George laughed. “You can’t be serious.” 

He looked at you, completely serious, and then at Lockwood, who wasn’t immediately objecting, and his eyes widened. “You can’t be serious!” 

“I want to help,” you said plainly. “It’s my house, it’s my ghost. I want it gone, and I want to be there when it happens.” 

“You’ve got no training,” he said. “You’ve got Talent, sure, but zero training. You’ll just—” he looked at Lockwood— “she’ll just slow us down.” 

“…You do know this place better than anyone,” Lockwood said, eyes still on you. “Right?” 

You nodded. “Lived here for the past ten years. I know all its nooks and crannies, and I could guide you through it blindfolded.” 

“You’re not an agent,” George said. 

“You said it yourself that I’ve got Talent,” you said, “and an obvious connection to this place and whatever’s haunting it, seeing as the ghost won’t leave me alone.” 

“Lucy, you can’t seriously be okay with this,” he said, glancing at her. 

“…I have some Touch too. I can help her, see if we’re picking up the same things. Besides,” Lucy said with a shrug, “you all took me in on a whim before I was fully certified. It’s just one job, in her house of all places.” 

“I won’t impede your work—I promise.” You looked at Lockwood, desperation mixing with resolve in your eyes. “For months, this house has haunted me from within. I want to be with you when you destroy it.” 

Lockwood’s lips quirked up in the slightest of smiles as he nodded. “Alright, then.” 

You immediately broke into a wide smile of your own as George sighed. “DEPRAC is going to have a field day with us if anything goes wrong. Allowing a completely uncertified girl to help us.”

“If anything goes wrong, I’ll personally take the blame for it,” you said. “I’ll say I forced you into letting me work with you all, and I will pay any fines.”

“Once we got fined 60,000 pounds for burning a house down,” he deadpanned. “Are you alright with that?”

You frowned. “Should I really be hiring you all?” 

“Come off it, George,” Lockwood said, and he collapsed his hands together. “Nothing like that will happen today, I assure you.” He smiled wryly. “As long as everything you told us was the truth, that is.” 

“It is,” you said. “I wouldn’t lie about something like this.” 

Lucy huffed a laugh. “You’d be surprised what some people do.” 

“Another reason I don’t want to become an agent,” you supplied. 

Lockwood picked up their bags and set them on the table, and he pulled out a bundle of chains then he tossed it to you. You caught it with a slight grunt. 

“Do you know how to use those, not-an-agent?” Lockwood asked wryly. 

You rolled your eyes, though not without mirth, and nodded. “I read, Mr. Lockwood.” 

“Good. Those are for your protection. We’ll protect you, of course,” he gestured at his rapier, “but it’s a last resort.” 

“Let’s try not to get there, then,” you said. 

“One thing you should know about working with us is that things rarely go to plan,” George said. 

“That is not true,” Lockwood rushed, but that only proved that it was most certainly true. 

You sighed as you finished the rest of your tea from before, having gone cold. You were certainly getting yourself into something with these agents. 

“Right, then,” Lockwood said, clearing his throat. He pulled out his rapier, that small smirk showing itself again as he looked at all of you. “Let’s catch ourselves a ghost.” 

-

You didn’t think your house had ever been as intimidating, as tense, as it did now.

You creeped through its hallways alongside the agents, the chains icy cold in your grip, almost scared to even breathe. Lockwood and Lucy had their rapiers drawn, and George held a net in one hand with one of their bags slung over his shoulder. 

They carried themselves differently than any of the teenagers you’d been around, with an air of eerie confidence completely foreign to you. It was admirable in a sense. Scary to think it could have been you. 

“No death glows yet,” Lockwood muttered. “Hear anything, Luce?”

“Very faint yelling,” she murmured. “I can tell it’s an argument—there’s two different voices, but that’s all I can make out.”

Lockwood looked at you, but you shook your head. “Not ringing a bell.”

“Where?” George asked. “Arguments are a good sign.” 

Lucy edged past Lockwood so she was in the lead, and you moved up the stairs. She paused at the top, her eyes closed and her brow slightly furrowed. “It’s even louder up here. I feel it all over, but it’s stronger around here. It’s a couple, a man and a woman—finances, jealousy, general unhappiness…” Lucy opened her eyes and looked at you. “Did your grandparents argue while they lived here?” 

“They argued like any other couple,” you said, “but as far as I know, they were completely happy. They loved each other.” You frowned. “And I don’t know why regular arguments would be so strong around here after so long.” 

“Time isn’t the biggest aspect for sounds,” Lucy explained. “They can linger for decades and be as strong as the day it happened.”

“And maybe they weren’t just regular arguments,” George suggested, your stomach sinking at the thought. 

“Could it be your grandfather’s ghost?” Lucy asked. 

You shook your head. “No. He’s alive, and he doesn’t even live in England anymore.” 

“Move around and touch some things then,” George said. “See if you get anything.” 

And so you did. You handed the chains to Lockwood and laid your hands on various things around the hallway and some of the rooms while George and Lucy went off on their own—the walls, certain objects, the beds. All you got were memories from your first few years here, and a blur of the decades between your grandparents. It was overwhelming, and you had to pull away after you touched your grandfather’s watch in your dad’s room. 

“Do you feel alright?” Lockwood asked. Though George and Lucy had gone off on their own, Lockwood had stayed with you to, one, make sure you were protected as his client, and two, keep track of any information. “You’re stumbling a bit.” 

“Yeah,” you murmured, “I’m… I’m fine. I’m just not used to using my Talent on purpose like this.” 

“On purpose,” he repeated wryly. 

“I try not to do anything with it,” you said. “I told you, I don’t want to be an agent.” 

“There’s a lot of people out there that would kill for a power like yours,” he said. “Kids stuck on night watch, agents with fading Talent, adults who can’t see for shit. Seems strange to just… ignore yours.” 

You shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m not ignoring it now, am I?” 

“No,” Lockwood said, “I suppose you’re not.”

Eventually, you made it to another room, your grandparents’ old bedroom that you’d ended up turning into your father’s office, and when you opened the door Lockwood whistled. 

“That’s a bright death glow.” 

You grimaced. “So this is where they died.” 

He nodded. “By the look of it, it wasn’t pretty.” 

“Great,” you muttered, and you walked inside. 

“Lucy! George!” Lockwood called as he followed you in, craning his neck to look behind him. “Get over here—we’ve got a lead!” 

“What is it?” you heard Lucy asking, her voice getting closer. 

Though you started to answer, you didn’t get the chance to finish as the door slammed shut on its own, separating you and Lockwood from the others. Your eyes widened as you whirled around. 

“Don’t panic,” Lockwood said immediately. You nodded shakily despite the blood pounding in your ears, and at your confirmation, he yelled out. “Luce? George? Are you alright?”

“We’re fine!” Lucy shouted, and there was the rattling of the doorknob. “Is it locked on your side?”

You moved forward and tried to turn the handle to test it, but a scream was ripped from your throat as you stumbled backwards. Your hands flew to your neck, splaying across the skin as you expected to feel blood, but there was nothing. The cold metal pressed against your skin, the sharp edge of the knife tore across it, but there was nothing. Centuries flashed behind your eyelids but there was nothing. 

Lucy and George called out your name, but you couldn’t respond, your eyes wide as dinner plates as your whole body shook.

“God, are you alright?” Lockwood caught your shoulders before you could run into him, and his hands stayed there when he realized how much you were trembling. When you turned to look at him, your hand still pressed against your neck to stop invisible bleeding, his eyes were filled with concern. “What did you see?”

“I… I—” You tried to voice it, but the words stuck in your throat as the tremors continued.

Lucy yelled your name again and there was a bang on the door, and Lockwood looked up. “She’s okay! She felt something when she touched the handle— Lucy, see what you can get on your side!”

“Got it!”

“It’s okay,” Lockwood said softly, his attention turning back to you. His hands on your shoulders grounded you, and he was a surprisingly welcome presence. “Whatever’s here, I won’t let it hurt you. You just have to tell me whatever it is you saw when you touched that doorknob.”

“I didn’t see anything,” you finally managed. “I— I heard them yelling, screaming, threatening to leave each other, and then—” You forced your breathing to still, but it hardly worked. 

“And then what?” His voice was still just as soft, and he didn’t move away from you or take his hands back. He just stood there, waiting for you. 

“And then he killed her, Lockwood,” you whispered, your hand falling to his wrist. “She threatened to leave him, and he slit her throat.” You still felt the blood dripping down your neck. You wanted to crawl out of your skin. 

He was alarmingly good at keeping his emotions in check, the only sign of his shock the slightest pause before he asked again. “Who?” 

“I— I don’t know,” you said. “I just— I felt it, and it’s the same presence I’ve been feeling for months.” 

“So it’s our ghost,” he said. “Obviously, but we just need to see if Lucy can…” 

His words phased through your ears as the air in front of you shimmered, blue light coalescing into the source of your endless tormentor. One image, one woman, one ghost, the face of someone you never thought was an option, and you could do nothing but stare. 

“Lockwood,” you croaked, and he turned around. Immediately, his expression hardened, and he said your name as he moved forward and in turn pushed you behind him. 

“Don’t make a sound,” he uttered as he slowly drew his rapier, and he handed the chains back to you. You took them as quietly as possible, and with his arm braced in front of you, he moved the two of you back a safe distance. “Do you recognize her?” 

You nodded, but you couldn’t speak. All you could do was stare up, wide-eyed at the ghost above you. You’d been expecting a monstrous apparition, a cruel face to put to the presence that had been haunting you all this time, but it wasn’t. It was familiar, and perhaps it was cruel all the same, because the ghost was—

“Now would be a good time to say it,” Lockwood said dryly. 

You nodded again, your voice barely a whisper. “I guess I was wrong.” Your throat bobbed. “Because that’s my grandmother.”  

“Ah,” Lockwood said placidly. “The ghost really is your grandmother. Lovely.” 

“I never knew,” you whispered. “I didn’t know she died here, that she was murdered—” 

“You’ve got to stay calm,” Lockwood interrupted. “You’re not going to be any help to me or yourself if you’re not calm.” 

You didn’t know how you were supposed to stay calm in the face of your murdered ghost of a grandmother, who looked far younger than she was supposed to because she was murdered— 

“Do you hear me?” he asked, his voice more assertive than before. “I need you to stay calm for me.” 

Your vocal chords decided to work this time, though just barely. “I— I’ll try my hardest.” 

“I’m sure you know this already,” he said wryly, “but don’t let her touch you.” 

And then, George’s voice rang out. 

“What the hell is going on in there?” he called, and the ghost lunged. 

Lockwood pushed you back all the while slashing his rapier at your grandmother, her screams filling your ears and penetrating your body to the bone. It stole the breath out of you, even as her body dissolved from the metal, and Lockwood latched onto your arm as he backed to the edge of the room with you. 

“We’ve got a Type 2 in here!” Lockwood yelled, his sword brandished and his arm still protectively in front of you as his eyes darted all over the room, breath held as he waited to see where she would appear next. “George, work on getting that lock open! Lucy, find the source!” 

“Do you have any idea what it is, or am I just on a wild goose chase?” Lucy asked frantically. 

“The latter,” you responded, and you heard her groan as she ran off. 

“I don’t know if a lockpick will even work,” George said, voice muffled through the wood. “Ghost powers don’t respond well to science.” 

“At least try,” Lockwood said. “I’d appreciate it knowing you’re on the case.” 

“As long as you try not to die,” he grumbled. 

“No promises.” 

You shook your head as shaky breaths rocked through you. “Your sense of humor is a bit morbid.” 

Lockwood winked, somehow smiling even now. “We’ve got to cope somehow.” 

You huffed a laugh, only slightly unhinged. “Sorry about this, by the way. I really didn’t know that it was my grandmother. Honest to God, I had no idea she died here.” 

“One of the less egregious problems we’ve had,” Lockwood said. His eyes sharpened as he looked across the room, and your grandmother’s ghost suddenly appeared again. 

His grip loosened on your arm as he pulled away, handling his rapier with the skill of someone twenty years his elder. You lashed out with your chains whenever she got too close, staying behind Lockwood every time he shifted or twisted or moved around the office, but in such a small space—all the while dealing with her screams and the constant dread just being near her filled you with—you were beginning to grow tired. 

“Do you have any idea what her source would be?” he asked. “Or— or where it would be?” 

“No!” you exclaimed. “I thought we’d just be dealing with some bloke that was killed a few decades ago, not my grandmother and her vicious murder that I knew nothing about!” 

“Try and think, then!” Lockwood thrust forward with his rapier, preventing the ghost from advancing on the two of you for a moment as he continued to move back. “I know that this is shocking, but we’ll have time to deal with that later. Right now, you have to focus! Use your talent!”

Your heart beat like a hammer, the blood pounding in your ears, and you nodded. “Keep her away from me.”

Before Lockwood could question anything, before you could second guess yourself, you lashed out with the chains and darted past your grandmother’s ghost. You latched onto the doorknob again as you screwed your eyes shut, and it hit you all at once.

You weren’t immediately dead, so you assumed Lockwood was doing his job. But centuries of memories flashed before your eyes, and you were living through years simultaneously. 

The first time your grandparents toured the house together, your grandfather closing the door behind him as he took a moment for himself. He knew then that was where he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. 

When they decided to buy the house and crossed the threshold for the first time, him carrying your grandmother all the way up the stairs and to their bedroom, her falling onto the bed with a delighted squeal. 

Your father was born, and your grandfather’s hand slipped off the doorknob as he carried his newborn baby into the room, cooing and rocking him while he walked over and sat on the side of his bed. 

He lost his job, closing the door with a hand running down his face as he slammed his fist into the wall. The wallpaper dented beneath his knuckles, but he didn’t even notice. 

Your grandmother carefully closing the door behind her, padding over to the desk, opening the drawer and finding letters. Undistilled shock and barely bridled anger, the stench of betrayal. 

An awful argument, the worst yet. Screaming so loud it rocked the walls of the room, insults and threats and accusations flying through the air without a second thought. She went to leave, put her hand on the doorknob, but he went mad with rage. He slashed her throat from behind before he can even think, and your grandmother died with her hand still on the handle before she collapsed.

The doorknob, and—

“Her brooch,” you muttered, and your eyes widened as you slammed your hand against the door. “George, the brooch! Tell Lucy to get the brooch!”

“What brooch?” he yelled back. 

“My grandmother’s brooch!” you shouted. “My grandfather gave it to her as an anniversary gift. It’s emerald, Georgian cut! You’ll know when you see it— the vanity in the master bedroom on the first floor! You don’t have time to get her, just go!”

His footsteps ran off, but you didn’t even get a moment to relax as you felt that awful presence again. 

You whirled around and your breath caught in your chest, frozen stiff as you stared back at the face of your grandmother. 

It wasn’t that cruel, demented thing you’d seen when she attacked at first. This was just… her. Beautiful and fair-faced, late thirties having no effect on her. The eyes of your father, elegantly braided hair. You recognized the style of her dress, one that had been passed down to you. 

She looked like… like you’d imagined yourself in a decade or two. 

God, she was so young. Young and in love and betrayed. 

The world grew dimmer, your surroundings taking on a crystalline sheen. Everything was cold and your muscles were made of lead. You heard distant shouts, but it didn’t matter. 

Nothing mattered. 

You were so tired.

And then it all shattered. You crumpled to your knees, an overwhelming stabbing in your head as your breath came back to you in haggard waves.

Lockwood was over you, his rapier forgotten on the ground, and he shook your shoulders as he said your name over and over.

“…Lockwood?” you managed, your eyes barely open as you looked up at him. 

His smile was one of pure relief as he nodded, and though he stopped shaking, his hands still remained on your shoulders. “Yeah. You’re alright.”

“What happened?” you murmured. 

“You were ghost-locked,” he said breathlessly. “I tried to fend her off, but she was only focused on you. George must’ve gotten to the source right before she could get you.” He smiled sheepishly, but there was clear-cut fear behind those eyes. “Sorry about that.”

“I nearly died,” you said. The words tasted like plastic on your tongue, unusual and stiff. 

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

Lockwood went to say more, but the door busted open suddenly, drawing the attention of both of you.

George and Lucy were both completely out of breath when they barged in. Lucy’s rapier was drawn and George held your grandmother’s brooch in his hand, wrapped ten times over in a metal net.

“Are you all okay?” Lucy asked, her eyes wide as yours. “I could hear her all the way downstairs, and—” 

“We’re alright,” you interrupted, and you looked at Lockwood. He got the hint, and he helped you up from the ground. The energy had been completely drained from you after being ghost-locked, so he kept his arm around you. 

“Looks like you were right,” George said, holding the brooch up. “Half-right, the ghost being your grandmother and all, but you’re right where it matters.” 

“Pretty good time to be right,” you said shakily. 

“Last minute save.” Lockwood laughed breathlessly. “You fit right in here.”

-

Lockwood helped you downstairs, and he insisted on making tea for you while you sat at the table with George and Lucy explaining what had happened. 

Your grandparents were happy, you hadn’t been wrong, but one too many things went wrong beneath the surface. They got married young, but he never felt like he was good enough for her despite her reassurances. He lost his job a week before your father was born, and with the stress, the finances, the jealousy— it all built up. Your grandfather snapped, so your grandmother did as well. 

“...and he killed her,” you finished quietly. “She found out he was cheating on her, they had this huge argument and she actually meant to follow through on her threats of leaving him.” You swallowed around the lump in your throat. “It turns out she never got the chance, and my grandfather’s been lying to us and the world ever since.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Lucy murmured, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now.” 

You nodded thankfully, and you smiled up at Lockwood as he placed a fresh cup of tea in front of you. It warmed your bones when you took a sip, and you already felt your strength coming back from the ordeal. 

“You all might get some calls from the police,” you said. “I’m going to call my father tonight and tell him everything, and then we’re going straight to the authorities.” 

“We’ll back you up if we get any,” Lockwood assured. “We’ll tell them everything you told us.”  

Lucy and George nodded. “I got some visions of my own that corroborate your story,” she said, “so don’t worry about proof.” 

George held up your grandmother’s brooch, still wrapped in the net. “I’ll hold onto this if they need it for evidence. Soon as it’s done, we’ll take it straight to the furnaces.” 

You nodded gratefully, and after another sip of tea, you stood up. Your legs didn’t shake, so you took another step and looked back at them. “Come on. I’ll walk you all out.” 

After the three of them gathered their things, you followed them to the door, and your smile was the most genuine it had been since this all started. 

“I can’t thank you all enough,” you said. “Lucy, George, Lockwood—you’ve put an end to my misery, you’ve finally put my grandmother to rest, and you’ve helped bring a murderer to justice.” Your shoulders felt a whole lot lighter as you handed the envelope to Lockwood. “I’m forever in your debt.”

“I wouldn’t say forever in our debt,” George said. “You’ve just paid that off.” 

You cracked a smile as Lockwood swatted him with the envelope, then he looked back at you with the same charm as always.

“We were happy to help. And we appreciated yours as well.” Lockwood dug into his pocket and pulled something out, pressing it into your hand. He lingered for just a moment too long before he pulled away and cleared his throat. 

“Your business card,” you realized as you brought it up closer. “What for?”

“You’re Talented,” Lockwood said, “obviously. Even though you haven’t honed it at all, you’ve still got some pretty impressive raw ability. If you ever find you want to put it to use, learn the ropes of being an agent… give us a call.” He smiled. “Lockwood & Co would be happy to have you.”

You looked over at Lucy, almost as if you wanted her approval. She gave you that faint smile. “You’re good when you’re confident, Holloway. And it would be nice to have another girl.”

George, next. He shrugged. 

“You held your own,” he said, “mostly. I wouldn’t be opposed to it if you got some training. We can’t expand our agency for just anyone.”

“And you already know what I think,” Lockwood said with that same smile. 

You couldn’t help a slight one of your own, and you looked at the business card again before shoving it into your pocket. “I’ll think about it.”

Lockwood nodded. “35 Portland Row. Remember it.”

“I don’t think I could forget,” you said with a soft laugh.

His lips twitched into a smile. “Good.”

Lockwood nodded at you one last time, something passing between you for just a moment before he turned around and his crew followed him. You watched the three of them get into the taxi and drive off before you closed the door, allowing yourself a deep, deep sigh. 

And despite all the chaos that had just occurred, despite the life-changing revelation that was brought forth, despite your near-death experience and the shift to your axis and the tainting of your family tree, as you walked back inside and picked up the phone to dial your father…

You felt more at peace than you had in a long, long time. 

You took the business card out of your pocket, staring at it as you waited for the number to connect. 

…Maybe, you thought wryly.

Just maybe. 

-

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77 @simonsbluee @kwyloz @masteroperator @louderfortheback 

[ofmdrecaps]

10/18/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Vico Ortiz; Boris McGiver; Guz Khan; Gypsy Taylor; Selenis Leyva; Tim Heidecker; Cohen Holloway; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

Hey crew. I spoke too soon on my dad, he's been sent back to the hospital so I'll be back to "who knows" when these will be posted-- which is basically as I have time. Sorry all. I would just expect them to be delayed a few days. Take care and stay safe out there, ya hear?

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys is back to his Murray duties and spreading the word for his son Finn's band-- Great Big Cow! Check them out Live at Heaven Can Wait NYC on December 16th!

Source: Rhys Instagram

= Taika Waititi =

Taika back at the TIFF!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TIFF (@tiff_net)

Source: Tiff Instagram

= Con O'Neill =

Con O’Neill’s film The Men will be one of the films screened at Alnwick Playhouse 25th October. 7.30. £6. Get your tickets here!

Source: KrisDeeds

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico was out with Jack at -- well Nights of The Jack! Two years in a row!

Source: Vico Ortiz and Rabbit Glitter Instagram

= Boris McGiver =

Father Bonnet's new show -- Teacup is getting rave reviews from Stephen King! New Episodes every Thursday on Peacock if you're into horror shows!

Source: Boris McGiver's Instagram Stories

= Guz Khan =

More shots from Man From Mobeen!

Source: Guz' Instagram

= Gypsy Taylor =

I couldn't find anything specific on "The Minkie Awards" but it looks like director Minkie Spiro gives out these fun awards to the talent that works with her! (If you happen to know more please let me know!) As you can see, Gypsy got one for being the Queen of brilliance she is!

Source: Gypsy Taylor's Instagram

= Selenis Leyva =

Hey! Do you remembe Selenis Leyva, aka Nana? She just got married!

= Tim Heidecker =

Hey! Fabulous news -- On Oct 18th, Tim Heidecker, aka Mary's beloved Doug, has a new album out called Slipping Away! He had some interesting things to say about it in Variety! It's up on Spotify if you wanna check it out!

= Cohen Holloway =

Cohen Holloway aka Pop Pop has more news! He's been nominated for the New Zealand TV Awards for Best Actor in Dark City - The Cleaner! Gratz sir!

Source: NZTV Awards

== Love Notes ==

I hope you all are being kind to yourselves lovelies. I know this life can be hard. I really do. You got this though ok? Good luck this week.

Source: Stay Close To Yourself Instagram

Source: Tania'sCreativeWander

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Don't ask me the theme on this one, they just made me smile. Gifs courtesy of the wonderful @kiwistede and @noneviljen!

[pipperoo]

big questions i hope are one day answered in hatchetfield:

what deal did solomon make, what does it entail? what did he have to give up? how much does he know about the lords in black stuff?

what’s charles coven’s deal? how much does he work with the libs? did he make a deal? it doesn’t feel like he’s really lost anything, he seems very well off. (i just want to know more bc i love how james plays him and would love to see him more)

what exactly caused the timeline to split? did it have to do with the black and white portal being opened? did hannah herself subconsciously do it? did lex have something to do with it, since she saved hannah when she was born with her teleporting powers?

what’s webby’s deal? was she always a queen in white? what caused the split between her and her brothers? was it that she finally saw the value in humanity or something else? why doesn’t holloway trust her?

obviously, why did holloway make her deal and what does it entail? we know it has something to do with her band, but what happened to them? how did her beef with wilbur start? do the libs pit them against each other? why must they fight?

why did becky climb that tree? why’d she stay up there? (i can’t wait for this nmt ep)

what were the waylons and also the cult getting up to back in their day? (i would love more insight on what evil shit they were doing)

how many children have a touch of the gift? are we ever going to see them again?

what is up with bryce’s character in working boys? what has cassandra king seen? why are there lights in the sky giving you prophecies? is that webby or one of the libs? (this comes from her blurb in the working boys playbill) her whole deal could be a solid nmt episode

how does this all end? can it even end?

i feel like some of these have to be answered with the nmt 3 eps, the possible miss holloway musical, and the possible movie surrounding the theater characters, but who really knows. there are so many interesting things to poke at and i just want to learn all i can

[weird-an]

It's the first pride Steve ever goes to. It's 1986, he's in San Francisco, far away from Hawkins and its horrors, walking along the street with Robin.

She grins and Steve can see it in her eyes, a new sense of belonging, a relief, a we're not alone, shining brighter than the sun. Behind them someone yells the theme: "Forward Together, No Turning Back".

He feels like there is a wound in his soul and now it's like the words pull the splinter out. He never wants to go back to Indiana again.

He turns around the corner, following the masses and he gets so distracted by all the shirtless guys, he nearly bumps into the one in front of him.

"Sorry," Steve says, his mouth hanging open when he comes face to face with Billy Hargrove. Who died at Starcourt a year ago.

Billy who blinks at him, blue eyes full of life and now- confusion. He's still rocks his mullet, only now he's wearing a pink scrunchie. He isn't wearing a shirt. There is a big scar just below his sternum, thin lines stretching from it towards his shoulders and abs like an exploding star. There is glitter on them, sparkling in colors of the rainbow.

Robin's elbow hits his side. Steve is staring, but he can't look away.

"Eyes up here, Harrington." Billy snaps his fingers in front of Steve's face. "What are you doing here?" he says accusatory like he isn't the one thought dead.

"Because I belong here," Steve snaps. It has taken so much time and nearly dying at the claws of Demodogs and the teeth of bats to break down the barriers of what he thought he had to do and what he wanted to. No fucking way he's going to let Billy say anything against that.

Billy stares at him, scars glittering in the sun.

"Same," he mumbles. Steve's pulse stutters for a few seconds.

Billy then grins boyishly at Steve, reminding him of the Billy who rubbed against him at practice and always stole his soap in the showers, the one he rarely got to see and never did against after the sad excuse for a fight at the Byers' house.

"Steve Harrington! As I live and breathe." Billy laughs and slings his arm around Steve's shoulder. "A fucking queer like me."

"Yeah," Robin interrupts. "How are you still breathing, Hargrove?"

Billy rubs his chest, one arm still around Steve. A bit of glitter stays on his fingers.

"No fucking idea," he says. "I just know I wanna get wasted tonight."

Robin opens her mouth to possibly ask a million questions, but Steve's mouth is faster. Even though he didn't plan on saying anything.

"Can I buy you a drink then?" he blurts out.

Billy nearly trips. Steve laughs into his ear. He made Billy Hargrove stumble. By asking him out. This is the best day of his life.

"Fucking unbelievable." Robin rolls her eyes.

There is a shade of pink on Billy's nose and it's not from the sun. "I promised Heather I'd at least make it to-"

"Heather?" Robin's face lightens. "Holloway? Is she alive, too?"

"You bet your ass, Buckley," a voice behind them says. "Let's ditch these idiots after the parade."

Heather winks at Billy, a similar pink scrunchie in her hair and popping a bubble gum with the same color.

"Bitch," Billy says without malice.

"But your best one." Heather blows him a kiss and grabs Robin's arm.

Billy grins at Steve. Steve grins back. He wants to kiss him on his thin blond mustache. Maybe he will, tonight.

Forward together, no turning back.

[space-blue]

Prometheus as a TV series

Firstly, I want to specify that I only saw Alien, Alien Romulus, and the prequels. I'm due to watch Aliens this weekend. I've not read ANY comic or novel.

From my POV, Prometheus and Covenant are extremely weird because they are clearly excellent premises for TV series.

This was originally written in reply to someone who thought the Prequels undermined the cosmic horror by leaning too much into sci-fi and genomics around the Engineers. I argued that none of the prequels' content goes against horror and that the films are simply in the wrong format!

They're both currently terrible because people are forced into dumb exposition to cram information on the screen and dumb actions in order to make a monster movie happen inside what is otherwise an ambitious and philosophical sci-fi premise.

There's large casts of very skilled people. Fuck, in Prometheus there's one of the richest and most influential people in the human galaxy secretly aboard the ship. You'd think this would be absolutely great stuff to explore. Perfect opportunity to see how warped someone like Peter Weyland is, and also the sort of bonkers power he wields.

His relationship to his children (his daughter and his android "son") was very intriguing to me in the film, and considering how vital David 8 is to the prequels as a whole, this would have been great drama to explore further.

Focusing on Prometheus here:

A TV series would have given us a smart, not hectic Holloway. His turn to despondency could be more gradual. His difference in reaction to Shaw could, given time, explore different ways people of faith react to having that faith shaken. I think he's the main source of idiotic scenes throughout, and making him less of a wanker and more of a driven and soft spoken nerd would go a very long way.

Our extra time could also give us time to flesh out Shaw. She could reveal her infertility in a more reasonable environment, like while testing prior to the original cryo-sleep.

Starting on Earth and staying there longer would also help build the Engineers and the act of going after them as something spookier.

In general, the prequels massively sanitize space. It's also the case in Romulus. Space is treated as this negative area that is a source of hard vacuum and zero G. It's not treated as something inherently scary, but we all know that's perfectly doable.

Going to look after the "Engineers" sounds silly in the film because the team is honest to goodness just following cave paintings. They would benefit from following a lead, like perhaps finding the star system and studying it, only to detect strange emissions from it.

(Just in case you forgot, looking at a star is looking at how it was in the past. You look at a star 30,000 light years away and see how it was 30,000 years ago, when those photons left it. Which means we could reasonably pick up sus stuff that motivates a visit, but also means Holloway would understand the concept of being late to the fucking party lmao).

This entire idea, going on a very distant trip to an unknown system, could use time to have anxiety built around it. People could push with serious argument, highlight in universe disasters that happened during similar blind trips, etc. The emptiness and harshness of space are very easy to capitalise on, and going to an unknown system without sending probes first could help frame this as a risky venture, having us on edge and also showing the depth of faith of Shaw and Holloway. BUT ALSO the depth of wicked corporate slavery Weyland can go to, with the rest of the crew hired without any information that would let them make an informed choice on this job.

The arrival around the planet could be spent scanning and being professional. If we spend actual time scanning the surface and following reasonable protocols, the audience won't be poking fun at your show/film for showcasing scientists doing unsafe/idiotic stuff, and also have time to get attached to the red shirts! So it'll hurt when they begin dying!

I think the fans of alien would also appreciate a show that takes its time with the alien world discovery aspect? I feel like these films have neither the time nor the inclination to lean into the science and discovery aspect. Like it happens, but it's not indulged in or treated seriously. Yet aren't we also fans of Arrival? Of Annihilation? Or JC's Avatar?

There are scifi films out there that expect us to be invested in the discovery process, and we are! But Alien isn't one of those franchises. Every film I've seen so far has the science kept secret (Ash), already ruined (Romulus), aborted or discarded in the face of action, but also entirely handwaved or ignored (Prometheus and Covenant)

Like honest to god, you have an Android who is the only one paying attention to ALIEN WRITING and immediately knows HOW TO USE IT and nobody gives a shit, asks about it, is curious about annotating it or even learning it. It's never even mentioned? Like What the Actual Fuck? And in a film where the main goal is to find the aliens in question to have a chat to them, nobody is interested in decrypting the language??

Going back to our timeline, since we have time for the exploration process, we can begin ramping up the anxiety. We can make up some fun new stuff, like this:

What if we were blocked from communications? We could have the characters make incredible discoveries (that the buildings are made by real aliens would be exciting enough, but writing on the walls??) and promptly our crew realises that all communications are being jammed. Not between them, but between the main ship and anywhere else in the galaxy. Maybe the entire system is shrouded somehow and they have literally no idea how. Can't figure the tech behind it or its source. You can start having the one security/military guy announce they should retreat. After all, the planet is there, the buildings have been there for a very long time, they should go and come back later. It'd be more secure to figure out the range of this jamming and maybe call in reinforcement.

We can start dividing the crew! With all the scientists basically too over the moon to mind, and Weyland a silent driving force who doesn't give a shit!!

I think that Holloway sticking to protocol and not removing his helmet at all would help making the confusion and angst greater if he started showing symptoms like his wormy eyes. When did it happen? Was bringing the head aboard a mistake? Was that all it took? ((David grinning in the background))

We could then enjoy an entire episode of mounting paranoia and terror as the show splits between the geologist and biologist stranded in the building and the Prometheus crew growing paranoid and further divided: what if the team was split between the science crew and the ship crew? The scientists are containing Holloway and getting absolutely horrified by what they see happening to him, while the workers are being kept in the dark and told nothing.

A downtrodden and disrespected Wey-yu worker POV wouldn't hurt!

I personally think that Holloway basically morphing/dissolving/losing himself in front of the scientists while they all fail to understand what's happening to him and are completely incapable of stabilising him would be far more horrifying than his suicide by immolation at the hands of a neurotic billionaire. It would also make David's jab about Shaw's dad dying of Ebola more impactful. Rewatched the movie recently and was like "what, her dad died burnt alive before her too??? Oh..."

By the time David finds an Engineer alive, tensions could be high enough that the ship would be on the cusp of mutiny. A good writer could make us really feel 50-50 on "value of answers from a live engineer" vs. "getting the fuck away from this planet".

Also "the engineers are us, we have the same DNA" bit is flat out stupid and leaves a million more questions than it answers, and zero mystery besides. This concept could be much better explored for angst. There are so many directions we could go!

Their DNA could contain every human genome and then more. It could change while it's observed. It could be related to us without being a perfect match. Better yet: it could refuse observation, making every machine bug out and return invalid results. Just stuff to keep us on our toes while David does his parallel observations on the black goo.

Even if we go in depth in the genomics, explaining the thing doesn't have to destroy the appeal of the thing.

I think in particular that we could explain the engineers themselves as our creators and users of the goo, only to thicken the plot as we realise they have no fucking clue what they're doing with it and we're a stray experiment left to run wild in a forgotten petri dish. The idea that the engineers used but did not understand the goo, that it was a tool they inherited themselves from fucking around darker, deeper corners of the galaxy, would be cool.

WORSE yet, it would be interesting to discover they themselves were made by some other culture/force/entity/creation process, and we are like... a by-product. What if we are the David 8 of the engineers, who are the David 8's of something else yet? Or that the Engineers aren't even "made in the image of" their creators? Maybe the whole likeness (between them, us, and our androids) is just a recent tendency we're showing, but not something the Engineers have to share with their own creators.

We could come seeking answers, and realise the Engineers didn't even have any themselves. We could be left to realise we are just the mold on the rind of a cheese, far from understanding the intricacies of 5-star dining. That's how far removed we are from understanding the forces at play.

This would be plenty cosmic horror.

God is a well polished concept, but we have a very narrow and human centric understanding of it, and it may be meaningless. Imagine if you saw Shaw lose faith only to regain it with a streak of madness? Imagine if we had the time to explore what a cosmic horror on the scale of "At the mountains of madness" would do to a religious modern person who has come searching answers and found more than she could take?

If Shaw were a Lovecraft protag, she'd say stuff like the black goo being the blood of the gods that made the Engineers, all bled dry now. Weird poetic shit should come back xD

Also. Close your eyes for a second and imagine the scene of David speaking to the Engineer. And for the lolz, let's say that the Engineer speaks back, and David adjusts, and they end up having what looks like a meaningful exchange of a few words.

Then the Engineer pats his head and wrenches him apart, and the ending comes around, only for David to staunchly refuse to ever elaborate on what the Engineer told him. Certainly another great reason to keep him around...

I hope I've made my point. If more than 50 people lose their shit on this post, I'll make a Covenant TV show post too, though it's more of a fixer-upper.

Bonus for reaching the end, a happy David:

The ultimate argument, of course, is that given 16-18 episodes of great Prometheus TV, we would have had so much more David...

[muscari-midala]

Your Heart Pulling Against Mine

David 8 x Reader

Words: 739

Cross posted on Ao3

Neither of you really knew how you ended up like this, but there you were, lying on your bed with your head resting on David’s lap, gazing up at him. His posture was too straight and stiff to seem comfortable, but considering he had only a small room with a chair, this must have been much cozier, even for an Android.

The silence between you was only interrupted by the faint sound of an old movie playing in the background, one of your childhood favorites.

It was the movie’s soundtrack that had drawn him here in the first place.

While on his security tour of the ship, he’d heard that you were still awake, and curiosity had gotten the better of him. Too curious to ignore you, too curious about you.

He knocked. You let him in. He asked if there was anything he could do to help you sleep, and a few minutes later, you had ended up like this - wrapped in your blanket, your head resting on his thighs.

What a strange situation.

His silver eyes met yours as you both studied each other, trying to understand one another. He was the first to speak.

"Miss, are you sure you're comfortable like this?"

But what he really meant was, ‘Why are you comfortable with me?’

He wasn’t used to humans wanting him close, wanting to touch him.

You nodded, offering a small smile.

"I’m sure, David. But are you comfortable? You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to."

He reacted quickly, not wanting to lose this moment of contact. He nodded a bit too eagerly.

"Yes, this is perfectly fine, Miss."

The minutes passed. You turned your attention back to the screen, watching a plot you knew word for word unfold. David, on the other hand, barely noticed the movie. He was fixated on you, many thoughts running through his system.

Why were you so relaxed with him? Why had you not sent him away? The rest of the crew was distant, some even rude, but here you were, lying with your head on his legs, treating him as if he were another human.

He didn’t dare to move, afraid that any sudden action might break the moment, that you’d change your mind.

His father sometimes touched his shoulder, patting him as if he really was seeing him as his son.

Meredith only grabbed his clothes to threaten him, avoiding his body as if it was filth.

"David, I can feel you staring a hole into my skull," you muttered, turning your head to face him. His gaze was indeed fixed on you.

"Why?" was his simple question, making you furrow your brows.

"Why what?" You did not know about his inner conflict.

"You treat me as though you like to be around me."

That made you sit up, the one thing he didn’t want to happen. But he kept his hands still by his side, unwilling to overstep. What he didn’t expect was your hand gently cupping his cheek.

Your hand lingered there, your thumb brushing lightly over his artificial skin. It was colder than yours but felt just as real.

"That's because I do like being around you, David. Hey, I know how Holloway is, but don’t listen to his bullshit. It’s just not worth it. I don’t know what Elizabeth sees in him."

Carefully, slowly, he leaned into your warm hand, closing his eyes for a moment to just feel you. Feel your warmth, your smoothness, your kindness.

And with that realization, something inside you broke. A soft 'Oh' escaped your lips as you gently cradled his face with both hands.

You could have sworn there was a flicker of pain in his eyes when they met yours. To you, he was as much of a person as anyone on this ship, even if no one else seemed to see him that way.

"If you want to, you can stay with me. My bed’s big enough for two, and I don’t mind."

He agreed.

This time he lay down with you, sinking into the soft mattress.

Even though he didn’t need the blanket you draped over the both of you, he appreciated the thoughtfulness. Appreciated the gentle intimacy as you snuggled up to him, letting him hold you in his arms. It was the first time in months that he allowed his body to slip into standby mode.

He felt

Human?

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Angel Heart: Final Part

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: canon angst and violence, extra angst

Summary: The one person who knows where your children are is Castiel. The one person who matters to him is Claire. You get to find out the answer to the question: who does Castiel love more? Your kids or Claire?

Season Ten Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. I love seeing any and all comments <3

x

You and Cas split up from Sam to take the barn. You're not afraid of what could be in there, not when you're very powerful so you walk on in without so much as a care. You walk to the back and see Amelia lying on a dirty old mattress. There are at least a dozen other people lying on different cots in the back room. All of them asleep in their own beds.

"Is that your wife?" you ask.

"Amelia!" Cas runs over to her while you stay where you are. She moans in pain but she doesn't open her eyes. "Oh, Amelia."

She finally opens her eyes and she becomes rageful and emotional because she thinks Cas is her husband. She tries hitting him but Cas holds her down easily.

"I looked everywhere for you!"

"It's okay."

"I tried to find you! You took my husband!"

Cas pulls her in and she loses the fight against him. She slumps against his chest and starts crying.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay. It's okay." Once Amelia has calmed down, Cas puts two fingers on her head to heal her but it doesn't work. He hovers his hand over her arms that's littered with cuts but they don't heal either. He doesn't bother asking you to heal her because he knows you won't. "Sorry. I'm usually able to heal any wound."

"I was dreaming. This whole time, I was dreaming of finding Jimmy, of putting my family back together. You're not him anymore. I can tell," she sighs.

"No."

"Where's Jimmy?"

"Your husband is in Heaven. Amelia, I promised to protect your family, and I failed."

"Not if Claire's alive. She's all that matters."

"Claire is alive. She's grown up to be a very strong-willed young woman."

"Oh, that's my girl," she smiles. "I just ... I shouldn't have ever left her. I thought if I could find Jimmy, I would make everything right. I should've never left her."

You walk to the window and peer out of it, spotting Dean and Claire with guns drawn. This is perfect, actually. Cas checks on the other women inside the room while Amelia stares at her bed with tears.

"How long have I been like this?"

"Two years."

You hear footsteps and walk out into the main room, and Dean aims his gun at you. He relaxes once he sees it's you and you look at Claire. You don't say a word when she goes inside the room, and she stops when she sees her mom.

"Claire? I'm so sorry." Claire runs to her mother and they embrace emotionally. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!"

"You and Sam didn't answer your phones. Where is he?"

"The house."

"Let's go find him. Claire." She turns to him. "Stay here, okay? Do not move."

"Okay," she sniffles. "Thank you. Thank you, both."

You leave with the two men and enter the house. Dean has his gun drawn, Cas has his angel blade and you don't have a care in the world. You're not afraid of some angels. While they want to be quiet, you walk right into the kitchen and see a chair overturned with handcuffs. Looks like Sam was trapped and now he's not. A board creaks from behind you and you turn to see Sam swinging something at you. You grab it before it can hit you and toss it on the ground.

"Careful where you swing that thing."

"What the hell happened?" Dean asks.

"Listen, Holloway is a Grigori."

"Yeah, we know."

"Grigori? No, they were some of the first angels on Earth. It was an elite unit that went bad, but they're extinct. They were destroyed," Cas says.

"Some survived, and they've been hunting humans, making them create Heavens in their minds and feeding off them."

"Where is this abomination?"

"I don't know. I looked everywhere. He must've left."

"You sure leaving Claire all by her lonesome was a good idea?" you grin.

All three men immediately run out of the room and you follow behind them leisurely. By the time you enter the barn, Claire and Amelia are on the ground with Amelia bleeding from a stab wound in her gut. Holloway goes to stab her again but Cas interferes and tackles him to the ground. They fight but Cas doesn't exactly win this one. Sam pulls Holloway off Cas and turns him so that Dean can deliver a punch to his face. Holloway kicks Dean in the chest and headbutts Sam from behind. It's clear none of these men are going to win this fight so you casually walk over to him, and he turns with a glare on his face. He brings the sword down on you but you grab the blade before it can penetrate you. Red magic pours from your body and your eyes shine red.

"I don't think so."

"No, you can't be real. The Scarlet Witch is just a rumor."

"I'm flattered you've been talking about me," you grin. "Too bad you won't live to tell anyone else." You yank the blade away from him and toss it to the ground before grabbing his throat. You force him to his knees and he stares at you with such fear that it gives you joy. "You are no match for me but it sure was cute to watch you try."

You put your fingers on his forehead before touching yours and immediately, his power begins seeping out of him. You breathe it in until there is nothing left, and you crush his throat in your hands. He falls to the ground, dead, and you look at the brothers with hooded eyes and a smirk.

"You're welcome."

"Mom?" Claire gasps. Amelia is lying on the ground with blood coming out of her mouth but she isn't moving. "Mommy, please stay with me. Mom? Mom! Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Mom, please."

Now my patience has run out.

"Okay, I'm going to ask one more time." Everyone but Claire looks at you. "Cas, where are my kids? I know you know where they are." Sam and Dean look at each other with fear but Cas won't back down so easily. Still, no one answers you. "No one wants to answer me? Fine." You grab Claire by her hair and yank her up to her feet. You pin her to your front and wrap your hand around her throat. The other arm is wrapped over her chest and gripping the opposite shoulder. All three men immediately move toward you but you flash your eyes red. "Take one more step and I'll snap her neck."

"Castiel," she whimpers but you tighten your grip on her throat.

"Where. Are. My. Kids."

"I don't know."

"I don't believe you. I have been looking for them for the past two weeks, and they have not shown up on any camera across the country. They are children. They go outside and play. Tell me how they are able to do that and not get picked up by a single camera. I know you had something to do with that."

"Please, just let her go and we'll talk," Cas begs.

"I gave you the chance to tell me and you lied. Now I'm forcing your hand. Tell me who is more important to you. Your wannabe fake daughter or my kids?"

"Don't tell her," Dean says. "I don't care what she does but don't tell her where they are."

"It's kind of hard to talk without a mouth, Dean, isn't it?" Immediately, Dean's mouth is gone and he panics as he touches his face. Sam watches with wide eyes, too scared to say anything. "Tick-tock, Castiel. I'm waiting."

"Please, don't do this."

"Please don't do this? That doesn't sound like a location to me."

"Castiel, please," Claire whimpers.

You pull her in tighter and put your mouth next to her ear.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy are waiting for you in Heaven. Or is it Hell? I'm not sure where they ended up." You look at Cas. "You have three seconds to tell me or she's dead. Three."

"Please, Y/N, don't do this. Let her go and we'll talk."

"That's not a location. Two."

Castiel looks at Sam and Dean with sad and guilty eyes. He opens his mouth but nothing comes out of it. He doesn't know what to do. Guess I'll have to make the decision for him.

"One." You immediately snap Claire's neck and she falls to the ground, dead. Castiel yells out in anger and lunges for you but you blast him and the brothers backward. "I told you what would happen. Consider this a lesson learned."

You walk out of the barn and Cas crawls over to Claire with tears in his eyes. Dean sucks in a breath and realizes his mouth is back. Cas holds Claire's body in his and rocks her, sobbing loudly. Suddenly, she gasps awake and jerks in his arms, and all three men look at her with wide eyes. You killed her. She was dead.

"How is she alive?" Sam asks.

"I don't know."

Cas doesn't question it. Claire is back and that's all that matters. He sobs and pulls her into a hug while she looks around with frantic eyes.

"She killed me. She fucking killed me."

Claire has to get far away from all of this and there is only one person who will take her in without question. Jody Mills might have her hands full with Joanna, Maryann, Noah, Zeus, Colonel, and Alex but she is eager for another kid to come to her in time of need. Plus, it'll be nice to have another girl Alex's age for her to hang with. She'll know your kids are with Jody but as already talked to Jody about keeping it a secret from everyone else.

"Someone has to do something about Y/N. She killed me," Claire says to Sam.

"We're working on it," Sam sighs.

"So, what? Are you sending me to some sort of halfway house for wayward girls?"

"No. Not at all. Jody Mills is good people, and she'll give you a place to crash until you get back on your feet. It's not forever, right?"

Sam looks over his shoulder at Dean and Cas who is talking off to the side. 

"What are you gonna do about Claire?" Dean asks.

"It's not up to me."

Sam walks away from her and Dean walks away from Cas, switching places with his brother. Dean takes a present out of his car and hands it to her.

"I felt bad about taking the gun back."

She opens it to see a DVD of Caddy Shack and a book titled 'The Enochian Myth'.

"Thanks but I don't think I'm interested in any more homework."

Dean takes the book but kneels in front of her bag. He opens it and lifts the sword the Grigori was using out of her bag.

"Do you honestly think I didn't see you take this?" He puts the sword back and lifts the plush cat Cas got her. "Really?" He puts the cat down and shoves the book inside along with the DVD. "I'll just put these in here." He stands up. "You know, Claire, you already got your revenge. If you go down this path... our path... It's not a long life."

"I don't know. You seem pretty old." Dean scoffs playfully and shakes his head. "Listen, what I did, setting you up, I'm sorry. I just... I shouldn't..."

"Forget it. It's in the past."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Me? I don't know, but I will keep fighting. I'll keep swinging until I have nothing left."

"Will you keep an eye on him?" Both of them look at Cas. "He's been through enough."

"So have you. Claire, do your homework before you do anything stupid, okay? We're here if you need us, any time." A cab pulls up to the parking lot of the motel that will take her to Jody's place. "I'll get you loaded up."

"Um, Claire." She turns to him. "If you, um, if you... need anything, ever, I'm ... I'm ... I just wanted you to know that..."

Claire cuts him off by hugging him. That's as much as an apology that he's ever going to get from her. They part and Dean opens the back door of the cab for her.

"Dean?" she says through the open window.

"Yeah?"

"Y/N's going to get better, right?"

"I hope so."

"Don't give up on her."

"I won't."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[dc418writes]

•Daddy Dare Care•

✨Pairing✨: mechanic!Ari Levinsonxblack!reader

Summary🪄 : Ari’s bright idea to stay with the girls to give you a break may not go as smoothly as he thought (Operation: Rekindle addition)

⚠️: dad!Ari (truly a menace Lol), all fluff💕

A/N🎙️: Just something short and sweet. It started out a bit self indulgent since it was my birthday on April 18th☺️, but since that has definitely passed and it switched to Mother’s Day (which also has since passed🫠 lol). Either way, we now have a change in celebrations! Hope you guys like it! *If I can push myself, I have 2 other belated bday/self indulgent fics I want to put out but we’ll see!*

*DISCLAIMER!*: Although collage was made by me, I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP of any pictures used as they were all found on Pinterest

“Ari, you sure you’re gonna be okay?,” you ask in a hushed whisper daring not to wake your sleeping twins. As angelic as they looked at this moment in their matching bassinets, long lashes resting peacefully against their cheeks, you wouldn’t believe they were screaming like mad men an hour before.

Aliana was hungry, but wouldn’t take your breast milk from the bottle her father so nicely warmed for her. She wanted it from the source, which wouldn’t have been an issue if her sister Brynn wasn’t so keen on staying attached to you today.

So unsurprisingly, she wasn’t happy when you and Ari had to trade.

And sensing her sister wasn’t happy, Aliana therefore would not feed and instead cried in solidarity with her sister.

Like she’s done pretty much every other day since you’ve moved in, Mrs. Holloway shuffled her way across the hall knocking on your door to check on your little family and make sure everything was fine after over 15 minutes of wailing. Although a very sweet gesture, you really weren’t in the mood for her “what I used to do is…” at that current moment.

“I probably shouldn’t even be-,”

“Y/N it’s Mother’s Day. You deserve to get out the house and have a break,” Ari responds. “Go and have fun, we’ll be good.”

You honestly felt guilty how much you longed for more than the monotonous cycle that was your life these past months. Not a complete change, just a little twist in the routine if you will

Seeing your friends going out for dinner and on trips made you miss your college days of exploring the city or those around. Not caring about what time you came back because you only had yourself to worry about.

Yes you knew you needed a break - your doctor and the girls’ pediatrician always emphasized that during your respective appointments - but you honestly felt like you didn’t deserve it. As your mother said when you announced your pregnancy, “Say goodbye to whatever you consider fun and the life you had before. It’s now solely about those two until they’re good and grown. Heck even past that really.”

By the time you realize you’re crying, Ari’s already wiping away the lone tear with his thumb sweetly smiling at you as he caresses your cheeks.

“Baby I know it’s hard, but this is good for you. It’s okay to have a life outside of our girls.”

“Is it though?,” you whisper. “What if 20 or so years from now they need therapy because I wasn’t there?”

“…Well seeing that they’re infants, I doubt they’ll even remember this,” Ari lightly chuckles successfully making you smile - even if for only a few seconds. “Plus it’s only a few hours sweetheart. It’s not like you’re leaving for good. At least I hope not.”

His feigned suspicion and playful, narrowed eyes make you giggle as you lightly shake your head. “I’ll admit that was a bit dramatic.”

“But it’s just you being a concerned mama, which I understand.”

There he was being that grounding force you always needed. Helping quiet the noise from your brain to bring you a step closer to peace.

His warm palms still on your cheeks as you gazed into his eyes, you were happy to have him back - unfortunately only just for a short amount of time.

Ultimately, he was your center and from his absence you learned without him everything was off.

Unknown to you, he felt the same way of your presence. During your time apart, he honestly thought he wouldn’t make it how his body seemed to crave more than your touch. To hear your footsteps coming down the hall. Feel you under the same roof even if you weren’t in the same room.

Your buzzing phone signals your best friend’s arrival outside making you both separate - and further miss having such an intimate moment with each other again.

“If you need anything please call. Don’t try to struggle through so I don’t worry.”

“I will.” Ari’s hands on your hip and lower back gently move you towards the door not giving you a chance to possibly change your mind. “And you try to have fun. I don’t even want you thinking about us until you get back. Okay?”

“Kay,” you sigh stealing one last look at your beautiful girls. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Just be sure to call when you’re on the way so we can kick everyone out and have everything cleaned up from the party.”

“Very funny.” His lips on your forehead smooth away your worry lines; instead replacing them with a flush of heat and a soft smile.

Instinctively, he wanted to lean down and meet your lips as well but he somehow restrains himself. Flashing his adorable tilted smile as a last assurance everything would be fine before you’re out the door walking down the steps to your friend’s Lexus. After a final wave, you’re both gone and he’s left with the quiet apartment and two sleeping babies.

Definitely not secretly worried himself as he sits on the couch with both bassinets in front of him. His girls and the tv in perfect view.

“Alright ladies, looks like it’s just us,” he quietly speaks to no one in particular. “So far so good right? Yea I think so too.”

As if sensing her father’s anxiety and mother’s absence, Brynn begins to wiggle and whimper as she typically did before having a full fussy meltdown. Luckily he’s able to get her before she could wake up Ali. Gently holding her close to his chest as he slowly rocks back and forth quietly shushing her.

“Hey it’s okay, I’m here babygirl. Nothing to worry about we’re alright.” In a matter of seconds she’s back to sleep and Ari’s smiling to himself comfortably sitting back against the soft, decorative pillows.

What was he nervous for? He had everything completely under control and these next few hours would easily fly by.

Or so he thought.

~

A couple hours later and his little angels were wide awake loudly broadcasting their requests for new diapers through their tears.

“I know sweetheart, I know. Daddy only has two hands though, so he’s working as fast as he can,” he responds in a sing-song tone to Aliana using one hand to try and tickle her cries away while the other steadies her squirmy sister.

He never really realized how long this takes not having any help.

Now they sat, relatively calm, in their high chairs watching as Ari opened their containers of food to place on the small plates in front of them.

“Okay my loves, dinner is served.”

With a fist full of smushed peas and carrots, the nine-month olds each inspect their hands before deciding they’d rather not.

“What’s wrong? You guys love this.”

Brynn just smashes more veggies between her fingers while Ali fiddles with the side of her chair as if trying to let herself down.

“Cmon girls you gotta eat,” Ari states grabbing two plastic spoons in each hand. Expertly, he’s able to get something on each one before holding it up to the twin’s mouths. Ali whines moving her head away, and Brynn smacks the utensil from his hand finding it quite hilarious when it drops to the floor.

“Alright, if you don’t want that let’s try this then.”

With the clean spoon, he digs into the clear baby food container before holding the yellowish goop to Brynn’s lips letting her taste. Smacking her lips once, her face contorts in disgust as she holds her tongue out not wanting anymore of whatever that was.

Ali does the same with the addition of smearing the remaining food from her lips to her cheeks and nose.

“It’s chicken and rice guys, I know it can’t be that bad. Here, watch dada.”

Getting a healthy spoonful for himself, he quickly realizes that probably wasn’t the best idea once it settles into his tastebuds.

Whatever this was definitely did not taste like the chicken and rice he was used to. And why did it almost taste like medicine?

He’s quick to spit it back into the jar gagging and frantically searching for a napkin to wipe the remaining residue from his tongue. His two angels giggling the entire time enjoying the impromptu show from their father.

“Glad my pain could make you laugh,” he shakes his head sliding the terrible chicken and rice to the side so he’d remember to throw it away later - and any other food from that brand.

Sighing, he journeys back to the fridge wondering what could work for his extremely picky girls as his oceanic blues scan along the shelves.

“Well since those two were a no, maybe we’ll have better luck with this.”

He takes one small container of strawberry yogurt and scoops the pink substance on one mini placemat before taking another to do the same on the next.

Just as they did with the peas, the yogurt oozes between their fingers then is brought to their mouths where they seem to enjoy the cold treat.

They reach for more practically sticking their entire hands in their mouths trying to eat as much as they could. He even hears a “mm” come from Brynn while Ali gnaws on both hands with that adorable dimpled smile.

“You like it girls?,” Ari asks chuckling at his messy little ones who’d definitely need a bath when they were done. “Don’t worry we got plenty more.”

~

Returning to your apartment, you’re a bit nervous as to what you’d find on the other side of the door not hearing anything from Ari since you left.

Everything seems okay though, seeing the pristine kitchen and dishes drying on the pad next to the sink.

As you step further into the living room, the only noise is some colorful cartoon character running across the tv screen while Ari snoozes with his head on the couch’s armrest. He must really be exhausted how his mouth is parted letting his snores freely escape to the open air. There’s even a bit of drool glistening in the corner of his mouth.

And you’d still gladly give him another child if he asked.

Perching on the edge of the cushion, you turn to run your thumb over his thick brow while gently calling out his name until he’s shifting and mumbling. “Ari, I’m back.”

One eye squinted, he tiredly smiles as he stretches his limbs - and you try to hold yourself together watching his muscles flex under the black Nirvana graphic tee. You shyly turn away, busying yourself with one of the girl’s rattles once his tummy pokes out along with a bit of his happy trail.

“Back already?,” he asks with a yawn.

“Ari it’s almost eight,” you softly chuckle as he looks towards the window to find it completely dark outside. A short “hm” rumbling in his chest as he sits up.

“I was out longer than I thought then.”

“How was everything? Were they fussy when I left?”

“It was good,” he smiles instantly making your own form. “And no, they actually stayed asleep for a couple hours before they woke up. Then had diaper changes, ate, and played until they got tired. Before you ask, yes I took plenty of pictures.”

He chuckles at the way you giddily bounce as he hands his phone over. The screen already showing a photo of your babies with messy faces and hands as they ate their yogurt. How did they always manage to get it in their hair?

“How was your girl’s day?”

“Pretty good. We went to that new little area, Midtown. They have some cute shops and things so we stayed there, talked and ate.”

“And see? Everyone’s fine, no one in any emotional distress,” he adds nudging your side and making you roll your eyes.

“I know I know, the world didn’t end,” you giggle standing as you hand his phone back - trying to ignore those fuzzy feelings in your stomach for the second time today when his hand touches yours. “I’m uh gonna go peek in on them before getting ready for bed.”

“Okay, just uh let me know when your done so I can change and everything.”

It’s been months, and it’s still taking time for both of you to get used to the new arrangements of your “separation”. At least once a day Ari had to remind himself how it was your bedroom now. How he was basically the guest in your home.

You, on the other hand, would never get used to the cold bed though having had your own personal heater for years.

Secretly, you didn’t wash the pillowcase from his side for the longest not wanting to get rid of his smell. The last remnant of his former presence in your little apartment.

Nodding your head, your sandals dully flap against the carpet as you make your way to your girls. More than ready to attack those chubby cheeks with kisses and nibble on fingers/toes if you could. However stepping foot in the door, that excitement soon turns into dread.

“Um Ari,” you sweetly call over your shoulder, “come here please.”

In seconds, he’s by your side still yawning the residual sleep from his body.

“What’s-,” his words catch in his throat as the horrendous scent finally touches his nostrils. “What died?!”

In their crib, Brynn and Aliana sat quietly covered in green, pasty poop that seemed to have run from their diapers out onto their starry mattress cover.

More specifically, Brynn sat squeezing poop in her fists while Ali lied on her back staring at the ceiling as if saying, “why me?”

“Exactly how much yogurt did you give them?”

“…Two.”

“Two?!”

“A-and a half,” he adds nervously scratching the back of his neck.

“Ari!,” you whine with hands on your hips. “The girls don’t do well with lots of dairy or sugar. It’s why we have the ‘only one’ limit.”

“But they really liked it! You should’ve seen how cute they were doing that excited shake thing. Plus they wouldn’t eat anything else I tried to give them,” he explains hoping to make it to the twins first birthday.

Sighing, you kick off your shoes before leaning down to pick up Ali being careful to not get any feces on you. “Let’s get you cleaned up my love. Can you get B please?”

Hesitantly, Ari reaches over the wooden railing to get his daughter trying to control his gags as she joyfully reaches out wanting to be held closer. “Please tell me you didn’t try to eat it.”

~

“Sorry I messed up,” Ari whispers as the four of you lie in bed. The girls, now freshly cleaned and in new onesies, each on their stomachs gently breathing. “Now you’re never gonna want to leave again.”

“It’s okay Ari, it was an accident. Need I remind you of the trip to your mom’s?,” you both chuckle.

“I just don’t want you worrying every time you step out the door.”

“That’s gonna happen no matter what. I love you guys and don’t want anything to happen.”

That innocent admission had a bright gleam forming in Ari’s eyes and a warmth blooming over his body. He tried ducking his face deeper into the pillow, but that smile was hard to hide.

“Thank you for everything today. I feel like I don’t say it much, but I appreciate all you do for us.”

Luckily his blush was easier to conceal from how dim the room was. “Anything for my girls.”

[youshouldhavepaidattentiondad]

The hourglass on the table seems to be frozen in time. Grains of sand hang midair, suspended.

Duke has never seen anything like it before.

"How is it doing that?" He asks, tapping the glass to see if he can make the sand budge.

It doesn't.

Miss Holloway gives a flat laugh. "Because it's a reminder."

Frowning, Duke looks up at her. "A reminder of what?"

"It's… just that sometimes things don't get to move forward," Miss Holloway says with a shrug. "Sometimes things just stay stagnant."

"Like you, Miss Retro?" Duke teases.

Miss Holloway smiles. "Yes. Exactly like me."