#Who names her Cyanide because of course she did | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

prettyboisteveharrington · 5 months ago

Text

Return To Sender

Previous Chapter

Chapter 3: Falling for each other

Drake Walker x Rose Thorne (my MC)

WC: 4,2k

Hana and Max were hanging out in your bedroom while you were packing up so you could go to Applewood manor, you were packing things neatly into your massive suitcase.

'Soo Roseeeee' Maxwell said giddy as he dragged out your name.

You knew he was dying to ask you what exactly you and Drake talked about and while you appreciated the support but to be honest there wasn't much to tell, you and Drake were just getting to know each other.

You supposed at least now the conversation had been had that you could relax a bit more and not get so anxious.

You couldn't believe you had told Drake about your anxiety, it wasn't something you shared with a lot of people, not because you were ashamed of it but you hated how people made you feel about having it, they judged you often unfairly. Once people found out about it they treated you like you were fragile or broken which you deeply despised.

Or people would demand to know everything you were feeling all the time and they made you feel like you owed them something.

You looked over at your best friends.

'Yeees Maxie moo?'

'How was your chat with Drake? You looked awfully close at the firepit when i found you'

You felt heat in your face and your ears felt hot too.

I can't believe he had seen that. If he had walked out any earlier then he would have seen more, of course you didn't mind him knowing or Hana but unfortunetly you had to be careful to not be seen by others which was frustrating because all you wanted to do was to go on dates with Drake, hold his hand and kiss him and do all the normal stuff people did when they were dating which you and Drake technically weren't but it felt like it.

It did feel like it... Right?

You shook your head at yourself

Do better Rose, you can trust Drake, you know that. You can trust his feelings for you and yours for him.

God once your anxiety got triggered it would linger on for a while.

You kept thinking about Liam, you didn't want to hurt him, if he found out you and Drake were falling for each other he would be hurt but if you told him first he would still get hurt.

Poison or cyanide

your brain supplied ever so helpfully.

' We talked and we aren't persuimng a relationship. For now we are just getting to know each other' you shrugged and gathered more of your stuff to pack into your suitcase.

Maxwell and Hana wiggled their eyebrows suggestively at you and you threw a pillow in their directiom that hit Maxwell's face

' Ow Ro!'

' Are you guys not dating because of Liam?' Hana asked softly and gave you a knowing look

' It's definetly one of the reasons, I don't want to hurt him but i don't want to lead him on. If things go further with Drake then I will talk to him. I just want to make sure it's in the least painful way, you know?'

' Of course Rose, we understand' Hana said and got up and pulled you into a hug and got teary and sniffled a bit and Hana stroked your hair and Maxwell went over and hugged boh of you.

Once you had taken some deep breaths just like you had done with Drake last night and you had calmed down you went back over and finished packing.

Arriving at Applewood Manor felt like Deja vu, It was weird being back here after has time, you decided to compliment and treat a staff member nicely to gain information, you managed to gain her trust and she admitted that someone wanted to play a prank on you but she didn't know who, afterwards you confided in Maxwell and Bertrand. You all collectively decide to keep investigating the scandal as there's not enough evidence to do much to be honest. At least your main suspect is a noble lady which is better than nothing you suppose.

In the morning you get dressed in a withe vest top, a red plaid shirt and some short distressed jean shorts, you pull your hair away from your face in a half up half down hairstyle before you go to Maxwell and Bertrand and you head towards the Limo.

Reporters are outside the manor trying to get a statement out of you and the questions get under your skin especially when the reporter asks 'why did you betray king Liam?'

You keep your head down and keep moving but your hand trambles around Maxwell's elbow and he looks at you with an apprehensive look.

You feel bad

you feel so guilty about you and Drake but when you're with him you are pulled towards him and nothing else makes sense to you.

It's not like you're sleeping with Drake or in a secret relationship or that you and Liam ever were a 'thing' but you did once upon a time come here for Liam but the more you get to know Drake the more you fall for him.

The one thing that pulls you towards him is how fiercely he takes care of you, hell no one has ever looked out for you like that before.

After your parents divorce your mum left with you and she started turning to alcohol to self soothe and she started blaming you for the divorce as your parents had you as an attempt to save their marriage.

What they really wanted was a boy. You treated your whole life like one but of course your parents were upset that you didn't act like a man

Because you weren't one your subconscious provides ever so helpfully.

You spent your whole childhood looking after yourself, you had to be the grown up and you let no one get too close to you so you wouldn't get hurt again.

Drake managed to see right through you, get you to open up and still take care of you when the less pretty parts came out.

But you couldn't help but fear that you were breaking Liam's heart and the last thing you wanted to do was hurt him.

The limo ride was preparing you for todays activity which was building farms to show support of Liam and Madeleine's upcoming nuptials, you didn't get why it would be to support them but you understood that Cordonia and it's traditions were important to Liam and important to Cordonia.

Once Bertrand left the Limo Maxwell stayed back with you.

'Is everything okay Ro? You were shaking when we were out there with the press'

You took a deep breath, you considered telling Maxwell the truth but decided against it as you weren't quite ready.

'Yeah just a bit overwhelmed because of the press and with the whole scandal hanging over my head' your eyes were downcast

Maxwell squeezed your hand gently

'Hey, we will get to the bottom of this okay? None of us will stop until you are a free woman'

' thank you Max. It truly means a lot.. shall we go out there?'

'Let's build some barns wooo!'

You plastered on your best smile but it felt disingenuous and fake as you and Maxwell got out of the limo.

As soon as you were outside the limo you were once again met with reporters and you took a deep breath, you had to at the very least make a statement on the scandal or things would spiral and you did not want that.

'I would like to make a statement' you anounced as you looked at the reporter who held a microphone out for you to speak into, there was also cameras everywhere that you avoided looking at.

'I have and always will love Cordonia, the kingdom and it's people are dear to me. When I thought i had to leave it I felt a great sadness as I think of Cordonia as my home. I am grateful that the Beaumont's for bringing me here and making me a part of their family. That is all I would like to share for now'

Reporters were raising their hands to ask you questions but you excused yourself. Drake and Hana were by the barn in the middle of operating a pulling system. They were struggling to lift the beam off the ground.

'Pull' Drake instructed with a look of concentration on his face

'Hrrrfff!!!'

Hana and Drake's muscles strain against the weight of the beam.

'Pull! Pull! PULL!' Maxwell instructs enthusiastically

'Hi guys' you say to let them know you are here to help them.

'Maxwell? Rose?'

Hana is so distracted by Maxwell and your arrival that she loses her focus and drops the rope and the beam crashes to the ground.

'Ooops! Sorry, Drake! I was just excited to see our friends. And it seems like Rose came dressed and ready to work' Hana winks at you.

'you know iiittt'

'I didn't think we were going to get it all the way up there by ourselves anyway' Drake reassures Hana which you find really sweet.

You take in Drakes features for the first time since you arrived, he's shirtless. You find yourself speechless for the first time in a long time, you are drinking in Drake's beautiful features from the way his hair falls- which it has grown out a bit and it goes beyond his ears and almost goes down to his shoulders now and it suits him so much. His stomach is defined and there are veins going up his hands to his wrist, his dark eyes are golden in the sunlight and god he is beyond gorgeous. You catch your breath and realize that you are falling just a bit more in love with him. You feel your cheeks warm up ever so slightly.

'Drake! You're.. you're shirtless!'

'Oh. Right' Drake seems to realize that he is indeed shirtless and he blushes prettily from his cheeks and to his ears.

'He started off with a shirt' Hana comments shyly

'Hey, it's hot! A guy's got to pull off somehow' Drake deadpans and you snort

'Maxwell you are going to be sweating buckets in that black shirt' Drake comments as he looks over at Maxwell.

'There's a spot over there were many nobles are hanging their dress shirts or alternatively I think Drake chose a spot on the ground for his'

'Yeah Max, you could lose the shirt' you shrugged and grinned at him

'Nah, i'll leave my shirt on. This cotton down is made of moisture -wicking fabric. Very breathable'

'Drake, you sure you're not trying to show off for the press?'

Or maybe he is shirtless just for my benefit?

' I'm happiest out of frame'

Ahhh interesting. So it was for you. That thought alone made your cheeks flush. You could look at him like this all day, any day.

This man was your weakness and you didn't mind one bit.

You, Hana, Maxwell and Drake work together to get the beam up to the second floor of the barn as the press takes pictures of you and your group of friends. Your group devides and you decide to stay and help Drake with the beam both Hana and Maxwell give you a suggestive look before they walk off in different directions to different work stations.

'Well it looks like you have chosen to stick with me, Thorne'

'I stand by my decision'

'Heh okay' Drake smiles at you shyly

'Sooo big strong man like you Drake, what could you possibly need my help with?'

You lean towards him and squeeze his bicep and Drake leans into the touch, you hand touches his hair and you put it behind his ear.

'Thorne..' he warns you weakly.

'Your hair looks good at this length..'

Drake's cheeks heat up for the second time since you have arrived.

'Thorne.. you're killing me..' Drake whines weakly. Your eyes goes to his lips and back up to his eyes searching and you bite your lip.

' This is harder than I thought it would be' you admit.

You look around quickly to make sure the cost is clear, the press have moved further away to take pictures of Madeleine and Liam, everyone else is busy so you lean over and kiss Drakes cheek.

'I'm sorry this is hard on you. I don't want to keep letting you down'

Drake rubs his neck and looks away from you.

'Look at me Drake'

Drake looks at you, he looks crushed like he knows he'll always disappoint you and your heart hurts just looking at him.

You intertwine your fingers and caress his hand with your thumb.

' You do not disappoint me. I want you. I want this. I know it can't be right now and I'm okay with that.. what I'm not okay with is you doubting yourself'

'I just think you could do so much better than me, I-'

'I disagree. At the end of this scandal I'm still going to want you. I will tell you a million times until you get it into your thick skull. Drake Walker i want you'

Drake looks around, no one is paying the two of you any mind so he puts his arms around your waist and pulls you close. Your hands go into his hair and your lips crash with his into a deeply passionate and hungry kiss, once you break apart you.

'How so you always know what to say Rose?'

You lean your forehead against his. The moments in between when he lets go and lets his walls down enough to say your name is so precious to you.

'It's a gift i suppose, I am your weakness Afterall'

As you move out of his space and let go of his hand you miss his touch already.

' I was meaning to ask you this actually... how are you after last night?'

His tone is so soft. So gentle and filled with so much warmth and care that it melts your heart and you feel your eyes get teary.

'I'm much better when I'm around you'

'Aww shucks Thorne.. you are melting my tin can heart'

You look at him and hold his gaze.

'I mean it. Whenever I'm around you I feel like that voice inside my head that tells me I'm not good enough quiets down'

Drake pulls you into a short hug and strokes your hair. You always feel so safe with him.

'I'm always here for you okay? If you ever need anything let me know'

'You. I need you. I know though and I can't thank you enough'

As you pull apart the romantic tension is thick. You clear your throat.

'So how can I help you build this barn?'

Drake brings over Mirabelle's dream to help out, you lead the horse forward and use the pulling system to get beam after beam to the second floor. Drake lets you know he got Mirabelle's dream to help ypu with the press. God he's such a marshmallow.

At the end of the afternoon Liam somehow manages to escape Madeleine, he's smiling but you can see the strain in that smile. It's good to see him though. You can't wait to break off the engagement so Liam can find someone who deserves him, while you don't harbour any romantic feelings for him you still care for him deeply and wish him well.

Liam, Maxwell, Hana, you and Drake head towards the spa nearby for some much needed relaxation. Once you reach the spa Maxwell, Liam and Drake goes to one changing room to get ready while you and Hana go to another changing room, once everyone is in their swimwear and covered up with towels you all head out to the different pool areas the boys go to their own room and you and Hana go to another.

You sit down with Hana and Hana hand you a sparkling fruit -infused water before getting herself one, you thank her and take a sip.

'Ahhh just what we needed after a long day'

'Sooo how did building a barn go with Drake?'

You bump your shoulder into Hana's and smile at her and sigh.

'Every time I'm alone with him and I think i couldn't possibly like him more than I do I always end up being wrong... he just makes me so happy Hana'

Hana looks at you sweetly and squeeze your hand.

' I'm so happy for you Rose. I hope i find someone someday that makes me feel that way'

You look at her and can tell she's struggling with something and your chest hurts just looking at her face.

'Are you okay Hana?'

Hana shakes her head and looks down before looking back at you.

'I need to tell you something.. I'm just a little scared... That's all'

'Oh Hana.. you know you can tell me anything right?'

Hana takes a deep breath and squeeze your hand before looking determined.

' I've done a lot of self reflection this past year and I've come to realise why I never care for my ex fiancé. There was never this spark because- because-'

Ohhhh that actually make a lot of sense when you think about it.

She's never shown interest in the prince beyond friendship or seemed interested in anyone here so far but you thought she was just shy.

You squeeze her hand reasuringly to encourage her to keep going.

'Because I'm not into men. Like at all. Rose... I'm.. Gay' Hana admits and you pull her into a bone crushing hug and she gently hugs you back

'I'm so so proud of you Hana. This is so amazing!! I'm so happy for you'

'Really?'

You can tell she's still terrified. As if you are going to tell her you're joking or that you are upset with her. You silently curse her parents for this as you are sure they have probably made her feel like being herself in any way wasn't okay.

You pull her closer to you. You promise yourself to always be there for her and reassure her that you're proud of her.

'Yes. Thank you for telling me. For trusting me with this'

Once she's ready to look for love you are going to be her wing woman and help her out in any way that you can.

'You're my best friend Rose of course I trust you. But can you keep it between the two of us for now?' Hana asks as you pull away from her.

'Of course Hana'

'You know... The rooms are technically co-ed. I assume you might want to stay separate for privacy's sake, but we could crash the boy's side... If you're feeling daring'

You take her hand in hers and head toward the boy's room, once you enter it both you and Hana are giggling.

'Surpriseee' you and Hana exclaim synchronised.

'Oh! Rose, Hana! Should we... Er... Cover up more?' Liam asked clearly surprised to see you and Hana.

'I think the ladies will be fine' Drake deadpans

'Yes I've seen a man in a towel before'

You look around the room and wonder were Maxwell is.

'Wait a second... Where's Maxwell?'

'Hiding. And that was before you all burst in. Come on out, Maxwell'

'Yes. You can't hide forever' Liam agrees and laughs

Maxwell steps out from the doorway and the steam clears and you notice he has a baby hippo tattooed on his chest. Aww that's so cute.

'Go ahead and laugh if you want. Just don't tell Bertrand you saw it'

'Is that a baby hippo' Hana asks in a soft voice

'Oh Maxie, that tattoo is so adorable'

Maxwell grins, clearly relieved.

'I know! Isn't this little guy the cutest?'

'Would I be correct in guessing that there's a sort of story behind this?'

Maxwell blushes and smiles.

'Kind of... When I was a kid, my mom would call me a her little hippo'

That's actually the sweetest thing you have ever heard Maxwell say ever. Also probably the only personal thing you really know about him as he rarely shares anything especially not about his past.

'I didn't think it was possible for this moment to get any better, but here we are'

'I was kind of chubby when I was younger, before I got into dancing. My dad was really hard on me about it, but my mom never made me feel bad. She was really smart and funny. She said i was just like a hippo... Fun-loving but tough, and always able to make her smile and she made hippos sound really cool and amazing. Anyway, when she passed away, I wanted to do something to commemorate her. I told Bertrand I was going to get something done... He thought i meant have some artwork commissioned.. So he was pretty surprised when he saw the tattoo'

Yikes. You could almost imagine Bertrand losing his mind over this.

'I suppose it doesn't fit particularly fit with the image of house Beaumont that Bertrand's striving to maintain...'

'Yeah, this was more or less his second to worst nightmare.. Or so he keeps telling me anyway.. So he said that if we're ever around nobility or servants that I had to keep it covered up. But I can trust you right?'

'Of course! On my honour'

'I will only tease you when Bertrand isn't around Maxie poo'

Maxwell let go of a breath you didn't realise he had been holding and smiled

' That's all I ask Ro Ro'

The nicknames were a new thing but you were enjoying that they seemed to get more and more silly as time went on and you were more than okay with that.

'As fun as discussing Maxwell's hippo tattoo has been, I'm going to take a plunge in the cold plunge.. Anyone want to join?' Drake looked over at you briefly and smirked

'No thanks. After today, I'm relaxing in the tub..'

Drake walks to the furthest pool across the room, while Liam, Hana and Maxwell heads towards the steaming hot water, you go over to the pool where Drake is standing poised to jump into the cold plunge.

'Trying to summon your courage?' you ask cheekily and looks at Drake expectantly

'This is supposed to be good for you, you know?' Drake says and looks at you like he is challenging you to jump in

'Is that so?' You raise your eyebrows at him.

'Yeah, like most things in life, the best thing is sometimes the most painful.. Want to do it with me?'

There's a depth to that answer that you hope Drake will expand on one day once he is ready but for now you focus on just being around him without stirring up past trauma.

'Sure, why not' You shrug but deep down you're not a fan of cold water, however you are a fan of more time alone with Drake, all day any day.

'Really?'

Drake seems pleasantly surprised by your answer almost if he expected you to back down now.

Oh it's on...

'I can't possibly let you do this on your own'

'That's the spirit'

You intertwine your hand with his and stand at the end of the cold plunge. You and Drake look at each other and count down from three to one and jump in together. The water is so freaking cold you try your best not to shiver. The cold water washes over you both and once you resurface you both look at each other and gasp.

'That was..'

'Intense?'

'That's definitely one word for it'

'Having trouble keeping up with me, Throne?' Drake asks there's definitely some mirth underneath his deadpan expression

'Me? Never'

'Heh'

Drake hefts himself out of the cold plunge and he reaches back a hand to help you out, you take his hand and smirk up at him deviously before pulling his hand, Drake stumbles and loses his balance and fall back into the pool, once he resurfaces from the water he gasps.

'Thorne!' Drake exclaims before splashing you with water and you splash him back in the face and the two of you start a water fight and splash each other until you are both out of breath.

Drake seems swept up in the moment as he puts his arms around your waist and pulls you close to him, you are inches apart. You bite your lip and search his expression to make sure there's no doubt or regret , when all you can see on his features is pure want you crash your lips against his in a heated kiss that doesn't last nearly long enough before you pull away.

'You are full of surprises'

You fingers trace Drakes face and you push a strand of his hair behind his ear.

'Good ones, I hope?'

Drake leans his forehead against yours briefly and he smiles at you

'You can surprise me like that any day... But right now we should probably...'

'Be sensible and discreet?' you sigh

'Unfortunately. And believe me when I say that it's very unfortunate'

'I guess we should check out the rest of the spa'

Drake agrees and you both leave the cold plunge and go find your friends and join them in the hot pool.

Tag list: @karahalloway @tinkie1973 @nestledonthaveone @alyshak92 @flutteringdreamydays @kingliam2019

LMK if you want to be added (or removed!!!)

#drake walker x mc #drake walker #drake walker x fem!reader #drake walker x rose thorne #liam rys #hana lee #maxwell beaumont #maxwell is gay #hana is a lesbian #sorry i dont make the rules #TRR #the royal romance #choices stories you play #choices

2 notes · View notes

gduncan969 · 11 months ago

Text

He Already Knows

John 4: 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

There are a lot of things in my life, I’d prefer you didn’t know about me because they are just too embarrassing to tell, but to convince you, I’ll give you two of them, one of which I don’t remember because I was just two years old at the time. I was born right in the heart of Scotland’s biggest city, Glasgow, just off its busiest street, Argyle Street, in one of those old, somewhat squalid, gas-lit tenement buildings the city was famous for back in the early 1900's. Seemingly, I’d managed to escape my mother’s watchful eye and wandered out of our first floor apartment, down the stairs, out the building, toddled 50 ft along West Campbell Street and on to Argyle Street where I stood in the middle of the street between the tram-car rails, dressed only in my undershirt! The traffic was stopped in both directions and the people in the street-cars were killing themselves laughing at my plight. Someone ran to inform my mother but she was too embarrassed to come and rescue me so she sent my 11-year-old big sister to fetch me to the applause of the gawkers watching the scene unfold. I’m so glad I don’t remember that one but the other one I want to tell you occurred about forty years later and is seared in my memory. I was the owner/operator of a chemical analysis laboratory in Northern Ontario and was setting up the apparatus to do cyanide analysis in water samples from a local gold mine (cyanide is used to extract the gold from the ore). The apparatus required a vacuum pump to suck air through the sample to remove the cyanide gas formed by adding some acid to the sample. Everything looked great, so I added the acid, turned on the vacuum pump and—nothing! No air bubbles whatsoever! There must be a leak I thought, so in a moment of brilliant inspiration, I pulled the hose off the vacuum pump, stuck it in my mouth and sucked!! Ah, yes, there were the bubbles I was looking for as the cyanide gas entered my lungs. I’ve just killed myself was my first thought! My second thought was, what a stupid idiot I was and the third thought was to ask one of my employees to drive me to the hospital immediately! On the way over to the hospital, I did some quick calculations and figured I would live because the cyanide level in the sample was pretty low but I may still be the only cyanide poisoning victim ever recorded in Ontario. I’ll never forget the poor emergency doctor who treated me while holding the poisoning manual in one hand and the hypodermic in the other. Yes, we are all capable of doing some pretty dumb things and worse still, some pretty nasty things in the course of our lives.

The story of the woman at the well in John 4 tells of an encounter Jesus had with a Samaritan woman who came at midday to draw water from the well and ran into Jesus who was sitting there on his own while his disciples had gone off to town to buy some food. “Give Me a drink.” asks Jesus (verse 7) to which he got the terse response, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” (verse 9) The conversation then unfolded to where Jesus tells the woman to “go fetch your husband” (verse 16). Of course, he knew full well she didn’t have one, having been married five times before and now simply living with number six—a lifestyle that is even more common than marriage in many places today. At that point, the woman begins to sit up and really take note of this stranger who is telling her things he shouldn’t know.

Many sermons have been preached on this incident in the ministry of Jesus and many different conclusions have been drawn as to the interaction between the two but we can all agree that the encounter was no accident (Jesus has never experienced an accident) and through it we get a clearer picture of Jesus as the “living water” within all of us who call upon his name and which “springs up in us into everlasting life” (verse 14) as we drink of it and feed it to those around us. Further clarification of this is given in Matthew 7: 38 - 39 ““He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” The Holy Spirit flows into our hearts when we ask Jesus to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins and then He flows out from our hearts (KJV - “belly”) when He baptizes us in his Holy Spirit as He did the hundred and twenty believers in the upper room in Acts 2.

The woman at the well was not too impressed with Jesus’ declaration that he was the source of “living water” and called his bluff to give it to her so that she could stop carting a heavy water-pot back and forth every day. The reason she was there at midday, however, rather than early morning or evening, is very likely so that she could avoid the sneers and comments of the other women who knew full well what kind of woman she was. Also, the reason she was being so snarkey with Jesus was that she knew what most men were like and they were wont to “proposition” a woman for one purpose only—her body. That’s what surprised the disciples when they came back to find him talking to a despised Samaritan woman (verse 27). But verses 17-18 changed everything. Jesus begins to fill in details about her he couldn’t possibly know and we err if we take his statement about her five husbands as being all Jesus spoke to her about her private life. Note what she says to her neighbors back in the village, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (Verse 29). I believe she and Jesus had a long talk about a whole host of struggles she’d had throughout her life and it wasn’t she who raised these issues but the Lord Himself who gently took her back through them to expose them and to heal them. Oh, that others could have that same conversation with Jesus bringing their life experiences and tragedies out into the light of his loving Presence and laying them to rest in his forgiveness and acceptance of us just as we are.

Many years ago, I attended a Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) meeting to hear a fellow Glaswegian, John Hutchison, give his testimony of how he came to Christ but after he spoke, he began to call out those in his audience who the Lord had indicated to him were suffering from various physical problems in their bodies to come forward to lay hands on them for healing. I had never seen this before so I and five others drove 90 miles the following evening to hear him speak again and once again he did the same thing, only this time I got a moment to speak to one of those he had prayed for, a man in his sixties. I asked him what had happened to him because he was staggering like a drunk man as he was walking out of the building. His response was, “I don’t know what has happened to me but something has because I’ve never felt this way before. I have cancer but I feel different and I can’t understand it”. John became a good friend and mentor to me over the years until he left for Heaven over twenty five years ago but after that second meeting I asked him to come to Kirkland Lake, Ontario, where we lived, and I would organize a dinner meeting for him to share his testimony once more. That happened a couple of months later and out of that meeting was formed the Kirkland Lake Chapter of the FGBMFI. But there’s an added aspect to all of this that has remained with me ever since. Just before John was due to arrive from England and take part in the dinner meeting, I was driving to work one morning with my thoughts on the upcoming meeting when I started to get quite nervous. “What if God reveals something to John about me that I don’t want anyone else to know and he calls me to come forward for prayer? Oh, dear, what would God possibly tell me?” The thought had no sooner entered my head when I heard these quiet, matter-of-fact words, “I’d tell you I love you!” I’m tempted to add the word “Dummy!” to the end of that sentence but He didn’t say it, nevertheless, there were lots of tears that flowed as I completed my journey to work. I have had but one encounter of finding myself in the visible light of God’ Presence and I could only say to him over and over again, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” but he would not depart and stayed there bathing me in a love that was overwhelming in its intensity. I just cried and cried.

All of us have this marvelous ability to bury our hurts deep within ourselves because dealing with them is too painful but that’s exactly why He came—to deliver us from our past, first by exposing it and then taking all the guilt away to begin anew, walking in the light of his love and his acceptance of us just the way we are. What a mighty God we serve! If you’ve never experienced this transition all you need do is ask him to come into your life and take over. Perhaps you are like many others who feel that you are basically a good person who has made mistakes but on balance the good outweighs the bad and that in the end, God is a forgiving God who will turn a blind eye to all your shortcomings. The difficulty with this is that God has no “blind eyes” to turn on us because He is omniscient—all-knowing and there is nothing hidden from His sight. He is a Holy God whose purity is so all-consuming that any sin, no matter how small, stops us from entering His presence. “For our God is a consuming fire” says Hebrews 12:29. He sacrificed His only Son on a Roman cross to open the narrow doorway through which we might humbly stoop and enter into his Kingdom to find life everlasting through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. So, if he already knows every detail about us, why then should we falter or fear when we humbly ask Him to forgive our sins and take control of our lives. If you haven’t done so, what’s keeping you and don’t forget to tell others what you have done? As a young Christian, I used to think God had a “Secret Service” organization to which I could belong so that I wouldn’t have to tell anyone I was a Christian and thereby avoid being ridiculed. Ultimately, I found out He didn’t have any such organization and that Luke says in Acts 14:22 “..that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” If we let the fear of tribulation stop us then the Lord will let us know that our fear is simply a lack of trust in Him to deliver us and show us marvelous things about ourselves we’ve never even dreamt of.

0 notes

sebstanaddict · 2 years ago

Text

Always You

Chapter 23 - Tragic Symphony

Summary : A love story chronicling the love and life of Sebastian Stan and Female!Reader. Inspired by Sebastian Stan's recent love life.

In this chapter we'll find out what happens after Sebastian saw Nurse Stacy on the ground frothing at the mouth

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters: 23 / 25 (added chapter count as I wrote more)

Chapter List >

Warning : fluff, violence

Word count : 6.3k

Well, I know what you're doing

Girl, I see what you're doing

I'm caught up in a dark emotion

I've given you all that's left of me

You're giving me a crazy notion

I'm falling for your tragic symphony

I'm caught up in a dark emotion

I'm falling for the trap you set for me

You're giving me a crazy notion

I'm falling for your tragic symphony

Uh-uh, your tragic symphony

You played me once, but I did it twice

I guess I'm taking my own bad advice

Woohoo, uh

Well, the lie you composed is intricate

But if it don't bleed then it ain't no cut

Well, I know what you're doing

Girl, I see what you're doing

Tragic Symphony - Hanson

-----

The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York - March 2022

"Mr.Stan.. excuse me.. Mr.Stan? Are you alright?" The security officer waved his hand in front of Sebastian, snapping him back to the current moment.

He was still feeling shocked about what happened a couple of hours before. He and Y/n had somehow avoided a murder attempt. The cupcakes Shannon had sent them contained poison. Cyanide it seemed from the effects it had given nurse Stacy.

Nurse Stacy was thankfully alive. The doctors and nurses in the hospital acted quickly. They pumped out her stomach and gave her antidotes. She was still being cared for in the ICU but the doctors said she would live. He was so glad she would. He didn't know if he could handle the guilt if she didn't make it.

"I'm sorry. I'm just still shocked about what happened." Sebastian said, rubbing his hands on his face as he tried to release the anxiety he was feeling.

"I understand Mr.Stan. I'm really sorry but we had to call the police because this is a criminal matter. They're coming shortly and they would want to speak with you and your girlfriend if it's possible." The security officer said.

"Yes, of course, they can talk to me. But my girlfriend is in the isolation room in the ICU. She has Covid. I don't think the doctors are going to allow them in. She can barely speak anyway because of the oxygen mask she's wearing." Sebastian explained.

"I see. Well, perhaps they don't need to talk to her. I'm sure they don't want to risk catching Covid." the officer said.

"Yeah. They most likely don't want to. Besides, she's the victim and whatever they want to ask her I'll be able to answer." Sebastian said.

"Very well Mr.Stan. Thank you. We will let the police know where you are once they're here." The officer said.

"Thank you. I'm just going to wait here for them." Sebastian said, referring to the waiting area in front of the ICU where they were sitting.

The security officer nodded then left him alone. About half an hour later two police detectives from NYPD came. They asked Sebastian a series of questions. He told them all that he knew. He also insisted that the cupcakes were most likely not sent by Shannon even though the card on the box said so. There was no way Shannon would hurt them deliberately.

"Well Mr.Stan, if you think Shannon doesn't have anything to do with it, do you have any idea who does?" One of the police detectives asked.

His mind went straight to Ana. But he didn't have any proof of her involvement at all. Deep down he also wished it wasn't Ana who had tried to kill him and Y/n. He couldn't comprehend why she would go that far. It was one thing for her to be playing with threats, it was another when she actually acted upon those threats. He also didn't know what the ramifications would be like if he mentioned her name at all. So he decided to ask Emma first about it before saying anything.

"I'm sorry detective.. I have no idea. Y/n and I don't have enemies, at least as far as we are aware. So this is really shocking to us to know someone out there wants us dead." Sebastian said while looking straight at the detective's eyes.

"Very well Mr.Stan. If you have anything else to add, or maybe you can recall something that you haven't told us, you can contact us at this number." The detective said, giving him his name card.

"Of course detective.." Sebastian took the card and glanced at it. "Thomas." He continued and the detective nodded.

"By the way, we're going to take the cupcakes as evidence, we will bring them for investigation. There might be finger prints on it we can use to track down the person who sent it. We'll let you know if we find anything." The detective said.

"Thank you detective. I'll give you my assistant's number in case you need to contact me." Sebastian said. He then gave Edward's number to the detective.

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr.Stan." detective Thomas said as soon as Sebastian was done giving Edward's number.

Sebastian nodded then the detective left with his partner to interview the nurse that was on Nurse Stacy's side when she collapsed onto the floor.

Sebastian was still feeling shaken, so he decided to go to the cafeteria downstairs to eat breakfast and get some coffee. He realized he hadn't had breakfast and he was feeling slightly weak. At the cafeteria he ordered scrambled eggs with bacon and a cup of coffee. After he was done eating, he sipped his coffee while giving Shannon a call. He told her what had happened. Shannon was completely shocked upon hearing it. She had just arrived in New York and was about to visit him and Y/n when he called her.

"I'm just gonna change and freshen up then I'll come over there." Shannon said to him through the phone.

"Okay, I appreciate it Shannon. Thank you." He said.

About an hour later Shannon came and met Sebastian at the cafeteria. She looked visibly shaken while Sebastian recounted the story to her.

"Oh my God. I can't imagine if you or Y/n had eaten the cupcakes." She closed her mouth with her hand in shock.

"I know. I have a feeling Ana sent it." Sebastian said.

"I have the same feeling. I mean, we all know how much she hates Y/n. It's only logical to think she might have done it." Shannon said.

"Yes. I just.. still can't believe it." Sebastian said, sighing.

"You know what, I can probably ask Merida about it. She and I became rather close in LA." Shannon said as she pulled out her cellphone from her bag.

"What?! You're friends with Merida?" Sebastian asked, flabbergasted.

"Before you think negatively about it, she's actually nice. She doesn't know most of what Ana had done to you and Y/n. When I told her about it she was shocked." Shannon said.

"Are you sure she wasn't just acting?" Sebastian sneered.

"No, she really didn't know. I trust her." Shannon said.

"Well okay. I'll take your word for it. But if she's nice how come she let Ana send those poisoned cupcakes? She could have stopped her." Sebastian said.

"You know firsthand how Ana is. One way or another she gets what she wants." Shannon said.

"Yeah, you're right." Sebastian said, leaning back on the chair and taking a deep breath.

Shannon tried to call Merida but her phone was off, she was sent straight to voice mail.

"Hey Merida.. how are you? Sorry to bother you. But I have something important to ask you. Could you please contact me back? Thanks." Shannon said, leaving a message for Merida. She hoped Merida was okay and would contact her back.

"By the way, do you think I can see Y/n? I miss her so much!" Shannon said as she returned her cellphone back to her bag.

"I'll ask the nurses and doctor whether you can come in." Sebastian said.

"Thanks! I'm also curious about her baby bump!" Shannon said, smiling wide at him.

"Oh yeah, she's showing already." Sebastian smiled.

"And you're gonna love our baby. She's so responsive to our voices." He said proudly.

"Wait a minute. You're having a baby girl?!" Shannon squealed in delight.

"Ooops.. I forgot that we haven't told you yet about the gender of our baby." He clapped his forehead.

"Seb! You're gonna have a baby girl!" Shannon exclaimed in delight.

"Sshhh.. don't shout. I don't want the public to know yet. Obviously." He said while looking around the cafeteria, hoping no one had heard Shannon.

"Sorry, Seb. I'm just soo excited!" She said.

"Understandable." He smiled.

"By the way, do you want to go up now?" He asked.

"Oh sure!" She responded excitedly.

Sebastian finished the rest of his coffee then stood up. They then went to the ICU together.

-----

For the next couple of days Y/n's condition gradually became better. Her coughs were almost nonexistent. She didn't have fluid buildup anymore in her lungs, and her oxygen saturation had reached an average of 97%. So dr.Jake took off the CPAP machine from her and gave her regular oxygen supplementation. Since the CPAP mask was off her, the nasogastric tube was also taken off from her. So she was able to start eating solid food again.

As her condition became better, eventually she was moved out of the ICU to a regular ward. However, her PCR test still came back positive for Covid, so she was placed in an isolation room near the regular ward. Sebastian was able to visit her longer. The doctors allowed him to visit her three times a day, in the morning, noon and afternoon. In each visit he was allowed to stay for an hour. He was still required to wear protective gear but he was allowed to wear a long sleeved hospital gown with a separate head covering instead of a hazmat suit.

It was a Sunday morning when Sebastian visited Y/n. The horrible event of almost being poisoned felt so far away to him that he almost forgot about it. When he came in Y/n was eating her breakfast. Sebastian immediately came and sat on a chair next to her and insisted on feeding her even though Y/n was able to eat on her own.

"Seb, I can eat by myself, thank you." She said as she tried to snatch the fork Sebastian had taken from her hand earlier.

"No sweetheart, let me feed you. You just sit back and relax, conserve your energy. Okay?" Sebastian said, taking some of the scrambled eggs on her plate with the fork and putting it in front of her mouth.

Y/n finally gave up and opened her mouth, her face turned beet red as he fed her the scrambled eggs.

"You look cute when you blush." Sebastian said, making her blush even more.

"I love you, sweetie." He said as he gently caressed her cheek.

Y/n swallowed and smiled "I love you too Iubirea mea."

"Ooh.. someone's jealous." Y/n exclaimed suddenly as she felt her baby's kick inside her stomach.

"I love you too little bean.." Sebastian leaned closer to Y/n's stomach and spoke to his baby. He put his hand on her stomach and caressed it. He could feel the flutters and kicks of his baby, making him smile.

"Well someone is very energized today. I think she likes scrambled eggs, honey." He commented.

"She does this whenever she hears your voice, Iubirea mea." Y/n shrugged.

"I think she really is going to be daddy's girl. I'm kind of jealous." She frowned.

"Oh honey, you're her mom. You will have a special place in her heart. No doubt about it." He said, squeezing her hand in encouragement.

"I know Iubirea mea.. I was just joking." She winked making Sebastian laugh.

Sebastian continued feeding her breakfast while they chatted. They were planning on what to do after Y/n was discharged from the hospital. As it happened, Sebastian still had some events to attend in LA. He wanted to take Y/n with him to LA but Y/n wasn't sure she could travel just yet. However Sebastian wasn't going to let Y/n stay in her apartment by herself. So they decided to ask his mother whether Y/n could stay with her in Nyack while he was in LA. Y/n had decided to take a leave from her job as she wanted to focus on her pregnancy and gaining her health back, so she didn't need to stay in the city. His mother agreed of course and was very excited about it.

"Thank you so much, mom. We really appreciate it." Sebastian said on the phone to his mother.

"Yes, of course. I'll tell her." He continued.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later, mom. Bye." He said and he hung up.

"Well, she said yes and she sends her love to you and little bean." He said to Y/n.

"Oh that's great! I look forward to staying with your mom." She said in delight.

"You know, I'm guessing she's already thinking to make one of the guest rooms to become the nursery." He said, laughing.

"But we're not having our baby at your mom's, right? I don't want to burden your mom if we stay at her house too long. I mean, once you get back from LA we can go back and stay at either my apartment or yours." Y/n said in concern.

"Of course not, honey. I don't want to burden her either. We can go stay at my apartment. It has two rooms after all. We can turn one to become the nursery." Sebastian said.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm going to miss my place though. I mean, do you realize I've stayed there for 18 years. Almost as long as I've known you." She chuckled.

"Oh my, you're right. That place holds so many memories." He smiled as he reminisced on all of the times he spent there with her.

"It sure does. Do you think we can just keep renting it? Like turning it into a special place for the weekend, maybe?" She asked.

"Of course we can, honey. Whatever makes you happy, my love." Sebastian said as he gently caressed her cheek with his fingers.

"Thank you so much Iubirea mea." Y/n said, smiling widely.

Just then a nurse wearing protective gear and long sleeved hospital gown came in bringing some medicine.

"Good morning. Time for your medicine." The nurse said.

As it happened Y/n had finished all of her breakfast. So it was perfect timing to consume her medicine. The nurse put a small tray on the table next to Y/n's bed with several tablets on them. In addition to that she held a small glass vial with light blue liquid in it and a syringe.

"I'm sorry, what is that? I've never taken that before." Y/n said, referring to the light blue liquid.

"Oh it's just additional multivitamin the doctor had prescribed for you." The nurse said.

The nurse's voice sounded familiar to Sebastian. But he felt it wasn't the voice of any of the nurses he had met. The nurse took the light blue liquid with a syringe from the vial. Her hand was slightly shaking making him feel suspicious. He racked his brain hard trying to remember where he had heard that voice before.

-----

Brooklyn, New York - March 2022

Shannon was cooking some breakfast when her cellphone rang. She glanced at her cellphone which she had put on the dining table. She didn't recognize the number showing on her cellphone's screen. Wondering who could be calling her, she picked it up and put her cellphone between her shoulder and cheek while she flipped the pancake she was cooking on the pan.

"Hello."

"Hello.. Shannon.. it's Merida." The voice on the other line said.

"Merida? Hey, what's up?" Shannon said.

"Can we meet now? I have something important to tell you." Merida asked. She sounded a little nervous.

"Oh okay. Sure. Why don't you come over to my place?" Shannon responded.

"Okay. Can I have your address?" Merida asked.

"I'll send you the location on Google map." Shannon replied.

"Okay. I'll see you soon." Merida said.

"Yeah. See you, Merida." Shannon said.

Shannon wondered why Merida wanted to meet. After she contacted her from the hospital when she was visiting Y/n and Sebastian, Merida had responded by sending her a text message. Shannon asked her whether she knew anything about the poisoned cupcakes Y/n and Sebastian had received. Merida told her that she didn't know anything about that. She told Shannon that Ana and she had parted ways because she had a job to do back in Spain. Hence, she had no idea what Ana was up to. The fact that Merida suddenly called and asked to meet her was very strange. She also did it from a different number. She had a bad feeling about it. About an hour after that call, Merida came.

"So, what is it that you want to tell me Merida?" Shannon asked after she made Merida some tea and they both sat on the sofa in her living room.

"It's Ana, she.. she's planning on killing Y/n.." Merida said, her voice shook.

"I knew it! She sent those poisoned cupcakes didn't she?" Shannon asked.

"She did.. yeah. I'm sorry." Merida said, her head hung.

"Well what else is she planning? Do you know?" Shannon asked.

"She still has some left over cyanide from the cupcakes. I think she wants to somehow give it to Y/n directly." Merida replied.

"Oh no!" Shannon closed her mouth with her hand in surprise.

"I'm sorry. I was going to let you know about the cupcakes, but she took my cellphone. She didn't want me to contact you or Sebastian. I had to buy a new one." Merida said.

"Wait.. what? Since when did she keep your phone?" Shannon asked, flabbergasted.

"Since before we left from LA." Merida said.

"Oh no no no.. that means I've been talking with her all this time!" Shannon exclaimed.

"You what?" Merida asked in confusion.

"I tried contacting you a couple of days ago when I got back from LA. At first you didn't respond but then you texted me back. Wait, let me grab my phone." Shannon said and she stood up to pick her cellphone from the kitchen table.

"Here, you sent me these messages." Shannon showed her cellphone to Merida.

"I didn't send these. Ana did." Merida said after she studied the messages on Shannon's phone.

"Oh no! I told her where Y/n's room was. She asked just yesterday." Shannon clapped her forehead.

"Well we have to get there as soon as possible, and let Sebastian know. She could already be there by now! She left our apartment a couple of hours ago, saying she wanted to visit a friend. I thought she was going to see Jose." Merida said.

"Okay, let me call Seb." Shannon said.

Shannon opened the contacts on her cellphone and pressed on Sebastian's number. However, after waiting until the 10th ring Sebastian didn't answer.

"Let's just go there. I'm going to grab my jacket and we can go." Shannon said.

"Okay." Merida said as she stood up and walked toward the front door.

"I hope we can still safe her." Merida said as they went outside of Shannon's apartment.

"I hope so too!" Shannon exclaimed as they reached the sidewalk and she tried to hail a cab. Her heart pounded fast in her ribcage. If she was too late and anything happened to Y/n, she wouldn't forgive herself.

-----

The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York - March 2022

"Are you new here? I feel I've never seen you come in here before." Sebastian asked as he studied the peculiar nurse.

"Oh yes.. I.. uh.. I'm usually down at the ER." The nurse said, sounding a little nervous.

The nurse was just about to inject the liquid into the IV bag connected to Y/n's arm when her sleeve slipped and her wrist was in full view. Sebastian saw it then. He recognized the expensive watch adorning the nurse's wrist. There was no one else he knew that would wear that watch. He stood up quickly and grabbed the nurse's hand before she had the chance to inject the liquid, knocking the syringe to the ground. He then grabbed her mask off her mouth and saw the face of the person he hated the most in the world.

"Ana!" Sebastian shouted as he held Ana's hand tight and dragged her away from Y/n.

"Ow! Seb, you're hurting me!" Ana complained as she tried to break away from Sebastian's grip.

"Me?! Hurting you?! What the h**l Ana! You're trying to hurt Y/n! It was also you who sent those cupcakes weren't you? I'm going to bring you to the police right now!" Sebastian said, dragging her toward the door.

"Oh no you don't. If you do I'll release that incriminating footage of you and Lily. And you can kiss your reputation good bye!" Ana threatened.

"Do you really think I care about that? You know I also have something of you that can ruin your reputation." Sebastian sneered.

"Oh, that video of me in Riyadh? It didn't show anything! Just me entering a room with a guy. No big deal. Didn't show me kissing him or anything, unlike your footage!" Ana shouted.

"Fine! Release it then! Release my footage then I'll take you to the police. You're still in a worst place then I ever will, Ana. I dare you.. release it!" Sebastian threatened, his face inches from hers, his voice raised in anger.

"Fine!" Ana said, huffing in anger. She twisted her hand so she was free from Sebastian's grip and pulled out her cellphone.

Sebastian stood back but kept on his guard. He wasn't going to let her leave just like that.

"Seb.. are you sure about this?" Y/n asked as she watched both of them from the bed, heart pounding in fear.

"Yeah, I don't care anymore. It's all gonna be okay, sweetheart, don't worry. Just stay there, okay?" Sebastian said, holding his hand up at her, trying to comfort her.

"Okay." Y/n nodded.

"Sweetheart..? You guys are pathetic.. " Ana snickered as she continued browsing through her cellphone.

"You're just jealous aren't you?" Sebastian sneered.

"You know what?! Yes, I am! I loved you, Seb. And since I can't be with you, I figured no one else can! That's why I needed to get rid of her!" Ana said, pointing toward Y/n.

"What?! That's not love Ana what you feel toward me. You're just not used to rejection. Are you? You need help, Ana." Sebastian said, his eyes widened as he realized how psychotic Ana was. But he couldn't help feeling a little sorry for her.

"No, I don't need help. I'm fine! Aha!" She shouted gleefully as she found the footage she was looking for.

After several moments she showed her cellphone screen to Sebastian. She had just posted on her Instagram story the video of him and Lily in that trailer back during the shooting of Pam and Tommy. He watched it in apprehension as the footage showed him and Lily sitting down on the chairs and rehearsing the lines from Pam and Tommy. He waited and waited, but the video ended when Lily had finished delivering her line. Ana heard that the video had ended and took back her cellphone from the front of Sebastian's face.

"Oh no no.. where is it?! Ugh! I can't believe it's gone!" Ana yelled in frustration.

"You don't have it anymore?" Sebastian asked, lowering his guard a little.

"It's f*****g gone! Ugh! Merida.. she must have changed the video." Ana huffed in frustation.

"Well.. well.. Merida really is nice after all." Sebastian said, shaking his head in disbelief.

He moved forward toward Ana, intending to take her hand and really bring her to the police, but Ana kicked him in the shin making him doubled over in pain. She slipped past him and ran out the door.

"Seb! Are you okay?" Y/n asked in concern while trying to get off the bed to help him.

"I'm fine, honey. Just stay there okay. I have to catch her!" Sebastian said as he walked limping toward the door.

"Okay, be careful Iubirea mea." Y/n said.

Sebastian nodded. As soon as the pain on his shin receded he started running out of the isolation room and out toward the hall. He looked around and saw a glimpse of Ana running toward the emergency stairs. He quickly took off in pursuit of her.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" He ran weaving through people trying to catch up to Ana, turning people's eyes toward him as he passed.

He opened the emergency stairs and looked down. He could hear footsteps down below. He ran down as quickly as he could, almost tripping on the stairs. He heard the door on the ground floor opened so he got out on the ground floor. As soon as he was out from the emergency stairs, he looked around but couldn't find her. There were so many people and they made it hard to find her. He decided to go outside to the parking lot. But no matter how hard he looked he still couldn't find her.

He put both hands on his head in frustration. He could not believe he lost her! He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. After a while and he felt calmer, he finally turned around and went back toward the isolation room, still reeling from what just happened.

About half an hour after he lost Ana, Shannon and Merida came. They were glad Y/n was okay and no one was hurt except Sebastian. But they also regretted not coming sooner. They probably could have helped in catching Ana.

"So, Merida.. did you change the video?" Sebastian asked curiously as they all sat down on the waiting room right outside the ward Y/n was in. Sebastian's visiting hours was over and Shannon and Merida weren't allowed in.

"I did, yeah. Back in LA. I've thought about it for a while. She needs to learn her lesson. She's had things handed to her on a silver platter and she couldn't accept that you are not falling for her. She had ideas about you and her. How she wanted your relationship to be like. But since you weren't cooperating, she felt she needed to do something so that you would. I told her all about karma and how what she has done will come back and bite her in the ass. But she wouldn't listen. So I thought I'd change that video to give her some lesson." Merida explained.

"Wow. Do you still have the original footage?" Sebastian asked.

"No, I deleted them all. She sent it to my phone and transferred it to her laptop. I've deleted them all back in LA." Merida responded.

"Oh good. So she has nothing against you now, Seb." Shannon said.

"Yeah. That's great! But the fact that she is still out there worries me. What if she came back and tried to hurt Y/n when I'm not around. She could clearly disguise herself and got into the isolation room in no problem. Even bringing Y/n's medicine with her." Sebastian said.

"I'm going to make sure she doesn't do that. I'm going to persuade her to come back to Spain and leave you and Y/n in peace. There is nothing else that she can do anyway. And I doubt she would want to risk getting into jail if she tried hurting Y/n again." Merida said.

"Thank you, Merida. I really appreciate it." Sebastian said.

"You're welcome, Seb. Just please don't report her to the police." Merida said.

"Okay, I won't. Just make sure she leaves New York as soon as possible." Sebastian said.

"I will. Don't worry about it. Well, I better get going. I'll see guys around..someday." Merida said.

"Yeah, see you around Merida, take care." Shannon said as she gave her a hug.

"Thanks Shannon. Thank you for trusting me." Merida said, hugging Shannon back.

"Of course." Shannon smiled.

"Thank you so much Merida, for all that you've done for me." Sebastian said as he shook her hand.

"You're welcome, Seb. I'm sorry for everything that you had to go through." Merida said.

"Thank you, Merida. Appreciate it." Sebastian nodded and let go of her hand.

After Merida left, Shannon left as well and Sebastian was left alone again at the hospital. He stayed in the waiting room, waiting for his next scheduled visit to see Y/n. His mind tried to process everything that had happened. He couldn't believe Ana had the guts to try and kill Y/n. He was still worried that Ana would try again. But Merida was right, Ana didn't have anything else against him. And if she tried hurting Y/n again, she risked getting caught and getting arrested. Surely she wasn't that reckless. After a while, he finally breathed a sigh of relief as it dawned on him that the nightmare he was in seemed to be finally over.

-----

The video that Ana posted on her Instagram story had become viral. She deleted it eventually but people reposted it so many times that it became viral. The fact it was showing Sebastian and Lily just rehearsing their lines turned it to be a good promotion for the show Pam and Tommy. It also became somewhat of a good thing for Ana. It showed her as a supportive girlfriend taking a recording of her boyfriend's work. Unfortunately it was not something Sebastian wanted. In the public eye they had not been seen together for months. Naturally some people thought they were over or at least were having some problems. The video Ana posted made people think they were getting back together. That was definitely not what Sebastian intended. He had wanted their relationship to just be forgotten by people. He had hoped people would forget about it and he could come out with his relationship with Y/n slowly. He and his team had to figure out a way to show that he was over with Ana, and simultaneously show that he was now seeing Y/n. But considering Y/n was pregnant and at the hospital, it was of course tricky.

"This whole public relations thing is a headache. I'm so tired of it Emma. Can't I just simply make a statement and be done with it? I don't think people would care much anyway." Sebastian sighed as he, Emma and Mick were having a meeting in his room at the hospital.

"That's where you're wrong, Seb. People..especially your fans, care about it. And we really have to be careful about our next steps. One wrong move and you could lose many fans." Emma said.

"Yeah.. tell me about it." Sebastian sneered, remembering the exact reason why he was stuck in this predicament in the first place was because he made one wrong move of signing up to do PR relationship with Ana.

"I'm just tired of all the lies Emma. I wish I could just tell people what I had with Ana was a lie. People would then get it why things had been weird with me and they would accept me seeing Y/n." Sebastian said.

"Seb, remember you're still tied with the contract until the end of March. You don't want to do anything to upset those at the top." Emma reminded him.

After Sebastian lashed out at his team and fired Josh, he had another meeting with Emma and Mick. Both had persuaded him to stay in the agency until after the contract with Ana was over while they looked at other agencies for him. The work that had been done for him in the agency were too extensive and would cause more problems if he changed his agency before the contract was over. After thinking everything over, he eventually agreed. The end of March was fast approaching anyway. He thought he could get by staying at the agency for a couple more weeks.

"Can't I just make a simple statement that Ana and I are over? That's it. Simple. I will not mention anything about us being PR. Won't mention anything about Y/n. Just a simple clarification so that people would stop speculating." Sebastian said.

"Okay, let's make that as our very last resort. But I think we still need to do other things first." Emma said.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you do a pap walk showing you're alone. No, better yet, showing you're here in NYC but with a female friend. That would make people think you and Ana are over and she was just posting that old video to get your attention. Hoping you would come back to her so to speak. But by showing you're with another girl, it would inform people that you're not interested with her anymore." Mick suggested.

"Hmm.. good idea Mick. Who should I do it with though?" Sebastian asked.

"I want to do with Y/n but I obviously can't." Sebastian sighed.

"No, you can't and it's a bad idea too. People would see she's pregnant and they would see you as a cheater. Better go with someone else that people know is a good friend of yours." Emma said.

"Okay, I know. I can ask Adelina." Sebastian said, referring to his good friend Adelina, a fellow Romanian who he had been friends with for years. Most of his fans knew who she was and that he and Adelina were just friends.

"Oh right, that's a good idea. Is she in New York?" Mick asked.

-----

"I don't know, hopefully she is. I'll give her a call." Sebastian said.

Adelina was in fact in New York, so they asked her to help out. Thankfully she agreed. The next day they did the paparazzi shoot with her, showing him talking with her in front of a hotel with her. The next day the pictures were released along with an article in the Daily Mail. After the article and pictures came out, some of Sebastian's fans thought he and Ana was over, but some was still not convinced. Sebastian and his team decided to just leave it at that and wait until the contract was over before making a statement.

Several days after the paparazzi shoot with Adelina, Y/n was discharged from the hospital. Her PCR test had miraculously turned out negative for Covid. She also didn't have any more symptoms. And she didn't need supplemental oxygen anymore.

It was her last day at the hospital and before they went home, they had an appointment to meet dr.Selena. Dr.Selena had advised them to do a 4D ultrasound scan to see the well-being of their baby. It was standard procedure to check whether there were any abnormalities in the growth of their baby considering how Y/n had been sick and exposed to a lot of drugs and procedures during her stay at the hospital. Sebastian was so excited to do the scan. A 4D ultrasound scan allowed them to see more clearly the shape of their baby, including the shape of her face. It even allowed them to see their baby moving in the womb, much like watching a video. He was really looking forward to see his baby. He hoped he could see her maybe smiling or sucking her thumb. It would be the cutest thing he had ever seen.

"Okay, let's see what your baby looks like." dr.Selena said as she moved the ultrasound transducer around Y/n's stomach.

Moments later Sebastian and Y/n could see what looked like a video of their baby on the screen. Her eyes were closed, she was curling in on herself and she seemed to be sucking her thumb.

"Oh my God. That's her.. " Y/n said, her voice shook as she looked at the face of their baby for the first time.

"Hey little bean, we're soo happy to finally see your face." Sebastian said as he leaned closer to Y/n's stomach, hoping their baby would hear him.

Just then their baby moved her leg and let go of her thumb. She then smiled.

"Iubirea mea.. did you see that?" Y/n squealed.

"I saw it.. yeah.. she's really beautiful." Sebastian said, feeling tears started to pool in his eyes.

"I think she has your nose, and your cleft chin." Y/n giggled.

"Oh my, I think she does." Sebastian said in awe as he looked closer at the monitor.

"She's gonna be the female version of you." Y/n commented.

"Oh no, I was hoping she would look more like you." Sebastian said.

"What are you talking about, Iubirea mea. It's better if she looks like you. She's going to grow up to look like your mom. She's going to be beautiful." Y/n said, squeezing Sebastian's hand.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I'm okay that she looks like me." Sebastian nodded.

"She's going to be a heart-breaker for sure." dr.Selena chimed in making Sebastian and Y/n laugh.

"Anyway, I need to see further into her, to see whether her central nervous system are developing normally and that there are no potential neurological problems considering what she had been through the past couple of weeks." dr.Selena said.

"Of course doctor." Sebastian nodded.

The ultrasound screen changed to show their baby's neurons and nervous system, looking like spider webs all over her body and head. It was mind blowing. Sebastian and Y/n's jaws dropped as they saw it. Dr. Selena studied them and made notes and after a while she concluded that their baby's nervous system was developing normally and there didn't seem to be any abnormalities with her. She rechecked their baby's movements and behavior and also concluded that she was developing normally. Sebastian and Y/n couldn't be more grateful upon knowing that fact.

"Thank you so much doctor for everything." Sebastian said as he shook dr.Selena's hand once the scan was over and they were leaving.

"You're very welcome Mr.Stan. I'm so happy to see that Y/n and your baby are healthy again." dr.Selena said.

"Thank you doctor. I really appreciate everything you have done for me since the very beginning." Y/n said, shaking dr.Selena's hand.

"You're very welcome Y/n. Don't forget to come for your monthly check-up. And don't forget to note the movements of your baby. Any time you feel she is less active or not active at all, contact us immediately." dr.Selena reminded Y/n.

"Of course, doctor. Thank you so much for reminding me." Y/n said.

After they got out of dr.Selena's examination room, they went to the cashier to pay. Most of the expenses were thankfully covered by Y/n's insurance. Sebastian only had to pay for his room and some items for Y/n that were not covered by her insurance. Having finished all their payment at the cashier, they went out of the hospital toward Sebastian's car. They had decided to stay at Y/n's apartment for the time being, until it was time for Sebastian to leave for LA.

Y/n was still feeling somewhat weak so she used a wheelchair. Sebastian was pushing her wheelchair on the deserted parking lot when he felt something hit him on the back of his head. His eyes saw stars and he felt a painful throbbing on the back of his head. It was so painful that he fell to the ground. He blacked out just as someone walked past him and grabbed Y/n's throat.

Chapter 24>

Taglist

@sebsgirl71479 @scarletstarrs

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan fluff

44 notes · View notes

reidyoulikeabook · 3 years ago

Note

the battery was dead

Ship: GN! Reader x Spencer Reid

Warnings: Mention of case-typical violence (more specifically, a bomb), told from Spencer's perspective and he experiences anxiety about reader having been harmed (they're okay though!), Spencer's self-deprecating thoughts, general mood of anxiety throughout, stressful team situation, big feelings of guilt, very much hurt/comfort.

Word count: 1.6k (i did not intend for this to be this long but it's basically a whole thing)

A/N: This is not what I intended to write today but my brain's on a whole hurt/comfort vibe apparently so here we are: something I wrote all in one go in about half an hour. Oops.

Everybody was in different places when the bomb went off. Spencer was with Derek, in an SUV headed uptown. The explosion was downtown. Where you'd been headed. Alone.

The geographical profile had indicated he wouldn't strike downtown. The geographical profile that he had made. The geographical profile that the team had trusted, that the team had based their assignments off, that had led Hotch to conclude it was safe to send you downtown alone.

"Garcia," Derek answers, putting her on loudspeaker and glancing at Spencer who could be pictured and pasted into the DSM-V as the definition of anxiety right now, "Garcia tell me you can patch everybody through."

"I'm trying," She rambles, her voice pitching upwards, "I'm patching ___ through now I'm trying their cell."

Spencer's leg bounces. It bounces so hard it's a miracle the velocity of it doesn't send Derek veering right across the road. He scratches at his neck. There are no words to be said. No words in any language in the world can describe the fear coursing through his body as he hears Garcia scramble, pressing keys and typing and he's only vaguely aware of Derek's hand coming to rest reassuringly on his bouncing knee, managing to still it just a little bit.

"___ will be fine," He reassures him, "Just fine. I promise. It's not your fault kid, you couldn't have known, how would you have known?"

"It's my job to know."

His tone is bitter, angry, and he feels even worse for it because it's not Derek's fault. Derek is trying to help. Derek is trying to be kind and somehow that's worse because he doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve anybody's kindness right now and he can't get your face out of his mind. How you'd smiled at him before walking out of the door of that precinct and how it might be the last time he ever got to see you smile and it was all his fault. All his fault.

His stomach is in knots. Garcia's practically smacking her precious equipment in her hurry and then the line goes mute.

"Garcia?" Derek asks again, "Garcia are you still there?"

There's a beat of silence and then the background noise returns, "I'm just trying ____'s cell."

What's taking so long? She could have tried by now. He's never known Garcia to be slow at her job and even though it feels like time has stopped. Fractured like a mirror, throwing off pieces, and he's trapped inside a piece that has all of the horror and guilt he's ever felt in his life staring him in the face. But she can work faster than that. Why isn't she working faster than that?

It all becomes clear as he hears her clack again. Then your voice floods the line.

"You've reached SSA ____ ____ of the Behavioural Analysis Unit. Please leave a voicemail, or if you're calling regarding an urgent matter then please direct your calls to SSA Aaron Hotcher at the following number-"

"Maybe she's already on the phone," Derek suggests, cutting over your recital of his number, "Maybe her line's already busy. Right Garcia, is her line already busy?"

"I can't tell."

She's lying. Spencer knows she's lying and it knocks him sick. He practically wrenches the handle to the window off in his quest to get it open. The cold air pours in and he feels worse. He can't allow himself to bask in any feeling of comfort when you're God knows where.

He can't let himself think like that. He blinks hard, shaking his head as if he can physically remove the images from his brain. They flash through, his neurons defying him as they keep picturing you in worse and worse scenarios, and he can't breathe.

"Pull over," He directs Derek, wrenching off his seatbelt before Derek even manages to get the car in park.

Somewhere amidst all of it, Hotch has been patched through.

"We're convening downtown. Our presence has been requested at the crime scene."

Derek is saying something to pacify him. Or he's telling him something. He can't tell because his head is swimming and then Derek is squeezing his shoulder, physically pulling him back into reality.

"Kid. Listen to me. You're not helping anybody getting yourself all worked up like this. We need to focus. We've got to work this through."

He nods. He nods because Derek is right. They do have to work this through. Even though they would be better working this through without him because he's the one who made the profile that was wrong and his contributions clearly can't be trusted and-

"Put your seatbelt on. Talk to me. Let's talk through how it could have gone wrong."

Derek's voice strikes just the right balance between commanding and reassuring. It always does. So he does it. He clips in the seatbelt and starts to ramble, discussing avenues they haven't explored before, suggesting why he could have been wrong. He's never doubted himself like this before, and it's an uncomfortable feeling. What's more uncomfortable is the realisation he's never failed you like this before.

They pull up to the crime scene. Derek scrambles out of the car, but he pauses for a beat. It's only when Emily opens the door, that he's pulled back into reality again.

"Spencer," She says, "Spencer, come on."

There are SUV'S everywhere. They've tried to contain the scene as much as they could but they needed the bomb squad, needed paramedics, needed FBI.

She's walking him somewhere and he's frantically searching around him, frantically trying to orient himself. It doesn't help that it's dark, gone midnight by now, and the street lights were taken out in the initial explosion. Most of the lights come from torches, or headlamps that people are wearing. It's not enough, he can barely make out Emily let alone find your face in the crowd.

And then he hears it. His name. Your voice.

You found him.

"Spencer," You call, and he can't possibly turn around fast enough.

He barely has before you come crashing into his arms, cinching them tightly around him. He practically scoops you off of the ground, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you as close as he can possibly get you to his body, inhaling the familiar scent of your shampoo and there's tears coming out of his eyes, tears of relief and fear and-

"Spencer," You tell him, sniffling, "Spencer you're kind of crushing me."

You let out a little laugh, and he lets out one too. But it's puffy, practically just air. He releases his grip a bit and you lean up, your arms looping around his neck and playing with the baby hairs situated at the nape of it.

"Spence I'm okay, I'm right here," You reassure him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I'm right here."

You are right here. He can hear the pound of your heart, he can smell your perfume, he can feel you playing with his hair in a way that tickles but is so comforting, so domestic, so reassuring that you still love him despite his fuck up, that he couldn't bring himself to tell you to stop even if he wanted you to.

He doesn't even know he's still crying until he speaks, his voice wavering as it manoveurs past the lump in his throat, "I-Garcia tried calling you. You didn't answer your phone."

"The battery was dead," You tell him, "I plugged it in in the car and next thing I know I'm getting pulled over. I got brought straight here when I told them I was FBI and I tried to borrow somebody's phone to call but they cut off cell reception here in case there was a second bomb."

He swallows. He can't say anything else, can't do anything else. He manages to open his eyes, and you lean up, apparaising him. You thumb at the tears on his cheeks, a kind of softness and love entirely exclusive to you filling your eyes along with a couple of tears. You don't look at him like you're angry. You don't look at him like you're disappointed. You look at him with a kindness he's entirely undeserving of at this moment in time and the thought spurs two more tears out of his eyes.

"What's wrong?" You ask, your voice barely above a whisper, "Spence what's wrong?"

"It was my fault," He chokes, his head dipping a bit, too ashamed to make eye contact, "I made the profile. I was wrong. I sent you here, I-I sent you directly into danger."

"It was a copycat," You tell him, "It was a copycat, he didn't get away in time and got caught up in the blast. Our guy is smarter than that, so they think this guy tried to imitate it. It's not your fault. You couldn't possibly have known, you can't profile a person you don't know exists."

The revelation is like foam on a petrol fire. It quells the pain in his chest, the one that had maliciously licked at him, igniting all his own wounds and insecurities.

It wasn't his fault.

He holds onto you even tighter, burying his face in the crook of your neck, "Thank you. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being okay."

"I'm always okay," You tell him, your voice nothing but sincere, "I'm always okay because I always have you."

With that, the fire is out. You reluctantly wiggle out of his arms, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. He's not okay yet. Not entirely. It all still feels surreal, and he knows it'll take a long time for his heart to settle down. But you're here. By his side. And that's enough for now.

In fact, with you? That's enough for always.

Permanent Spencer tagslist:

@ssa-m-187 @reidingmelodies @cyanide-mustard @shesalatesh

@sapphic-prentiss @geostarr @kathrynisadogperson @rem-ariiana @spoonielivingfree @starsandshit90 @spencerreidat3am @takeyourleap-of-faith @calm-and-doctor @averyhotchner @muffin-cup @purplewaterbottles082 @reidsnose @wheelsup @ellesgreenaway @sunlitspence @spencerreid9 @drspencerreidd @reiding-recs @bauemily @cmily @retrxbarnes @jhillio @txmhoelland @spenxerslut @amoeebaa @veridianluv @sad-bitch-h0ur @reidtome @converse-spence @randomfavtingswall @bethc54 @sebstan-is-the-man @justanothercrazyfangirl @eli-side-blog @vntgreid @reidmeastory @reidemandweep @ggublerss @s1lverhand @cigarette-day-dread @newtmyheart @i-understood-that-reference @willowrose99 @v-is-obsessive @awesomebooklover17 @youarethereasonimsmiling @xhopingthis-worksx @agentdilf @spencerreidsconverse @nomajdetective @brown-eyedshell @randomficsandshit @bvttercupbby @thatsonezesty13 @spookydrreid @kurtuinna @loverboyspence @jswessie187 @sammicabrera @idontwantyourcookiesthanks @sweetandsunny @reidstulips @midnightstan @stylesstreet @iamhowieson @reichelhache @screennamealreadyused @joyclubie @mrs-dr-reid @measure-in-pain @slaytherinthoughts @inlovewprentiss @citlalireedus @love-you-to-saturn @drayshadow @makailaa @idonotexiste @hercleverboy @disasterwriter @kuolonsyoja @thosecriminalminds @sun-flower-seed @singularityjc @adanae91 @uwu-queen-420 @broken-stardust

Link to join tagslist!

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #reid x reader #spencer reid fanfic #imagine spencer reid #spencer reid angst #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds #imagine criminal minds #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n

358 notes · View notes

five-rivers · 3 years ago

Text

Long Night in the Valley Chapter 13

The car didn’t seem more crowded, but it was. Spinner had the dubious honor and privilege of being in one of Mr. Compress’s marbles, along with the doctor. Midoriya Inko sat in his recently vacated seat.

She was, without a single doubt, the most dangerous person in the vehicle. Mostly because she was completely insane. She had spent the first few minutes of driving detailing how she could blow up the car with her quirk and making sure that they knew she’d do it if she thought she had to.

What would make her think she ‘had to’ was a mystery Tomura didn’t particularly want solved.

He could totally see what Sensei saw in her, and he didn’t like it. He wished he could go back to ignorance. This questline was insane. The whole game was going to wind up broken. Had he killed an essential NPC at some point?

Eyeballs were small objects. So were most organs.

Midoriya Inko was someone Tomura could respect.

Would Midoriya Izuku be like this, if Tomura had an actual conversation with him? Their conversation at the mall hadn’t exactly been… normal. Tomura could admit he’d been using his intimidation skill to move the conversation along. Of course, Midoriya had struck him as a two-dimensional All Might fanboy at that point. Limited dialogue options. Killed in the next encounter. A hidden miniboss, yes, but just a miniboss. Not terribly important to the main campaign. Forgotten by disc two.

Clearly, he’d been wrong.

Which he shouldn’t have had mixed feelings about, but definitely did.

“Dear,” said Midoriya Inko, making everyone in the car stiffen, “do you have eczema?”

“The what?” asked Tomura, his tone too subdued to be considered snapping, because he wasn’t about to snap at someone who had convincingly demonstrated her ability to crush his organs against the inside of his abdominal cavity.

“Oh!” said Toga. “I know this one, Mom! It’s a skin condition.”

Tomura pulled his hand away from where it had been scratching at his neck. “I don’t have a skin condition. It just itches sometimes.”

Midoriya Inko nodded. “Yes, that sounds like eczema, I—” She stopped, blinking. “Did you just call me ‘Mom?’”

“Yeah, is that okay? Izu-kun and I are dating, after all!”

“No, she isn’t!” shouted Twice, the car swerving a little. “She is not! Only in her dreams!”

“Ah,” said Midoriya Inko. “I see. Well, I don’t mind you calling me that, but I think you really need to ask Izuku before you say that you’re dating. Make sure you’re on the same page, dear.”

Toga pouted.

“Now, where was I? Eczema. Izuku used to have eczema, but he grew out of it, mostly. I still carry some cream with me. Do you want some?”

Would refusing be dangerous?

Was the cream secretly poison?

Was this a complex scheme to get under his skin?

“Oh, Izuku mutters like that, too,” said Midoriya Inko, happily. “You remind me quite a bit of when he was going through his antisocial phase, actually. It would be funny if it turned out that you were related, wouldn’t it? Quite a coincidence, hm? One I’ll have to talk to my husband about.” The last sentence was as hard as diamonds and as poisonous as cyanide.

Tomura once again decided that he regretted everything.

“This is terrible,” whispered Tsuyu for the fifth or sixth time.

“Tres mal,” agreed Aoyama.

“Is it bad that I can completely believe All Might wrote this?” asked Satou.

“Why would it be bad?” asked Shouji.

“Because it’s so… bad.”

“And yet,” said Yaoyorozu, “oddly compelling.”

“Why does he use so much English?” grumbled Mineta.

“What a mad banquet of darkness,” said Fumikage, who was, nevertheless, also reading the fanfic on his phone.

“But, like, it makes it pretty obvious that All Might thinks the world of Midoriya,” said Kaminari. “Do you think he knew that other people could read this?”

“I mean,” said Jiro. “He had to, right? It wasn’t like he was born in the nineteen hundreds.”

“I don’t know, sometimes you’ve got to wonder. Like… sometimes it’s as if he was grown in a lab to be the perfect hero, you know?”

“Kaminari, stop trying to be Todoroki, please,” said Fumikage. “You do not need to dip yourself into the darkness.”

“I’m just saying,” said Kaminari. “And it isn’t as if we don’t know that there are a bunch of mad scientist types that would do just that, plus the Hero Commission is psychotic—”

“That’s unkind to psychotic people,” said Fumikage, glowering. “You know, most psychotic people never hurt anyone. The incidence of villainy among people who experience psychosis isn’t significantly higher than among the general population.”

“Sorry, man, just a figure of speech.”

The bus slowly came to a stop outside UA’s gates.

“My switch isn’t working,” said Green Light as he repeatedly pressed a button on his dash. “I guess they’re still on lockdown. We’ll have to wait for Nezu to come let us in.”

“Still?” asked Midnight. “Midoriya isn’t even in the city anymore, as far as we know.”

“Not that he was ever a threat to the school,” mumbled Present Mic, his quirk making him loud enough to be heard regardless.

Fumikage, having finished the fanfic some time ago, looked out the window and spotted two people in suits loitering near the gate. “Yamada-sensei, Kayama-sensei, who are those people?”

Everyone rushed over to Fumikage’s side of the bus to look out the window, rocking the vehicle.

“Ohh,” said Present Mic. “Yeah. That makes sense. Those guys are with the commission. Yep. Good ol’ Nezu, keeping them out.”

“Wait,” said Jiro, “does this mean we’re stuck out here, too?”

“No, no,” said Present Mic. “He’ll have to let us in… But then they’ll come in, too.”

“Midoriya’s room,” said Fumikage. “They’ll want to search it.”

“Can we do something?” asked Kouda, timidly.

“Should we do anything?” asked Tsuyu, bluntly. “We don’t want to incriminate Midoriya even more by making it look like he’s hiding things.”

Fumikage turned to Kaminari. “Anything new from Principal Nezu?”

“Why are you looking at me?”

“You’re the one he emailed last time.”

“Hey, Fumikage,” said Jiro, “do you think you can fly over the wall? Maybe you can get a head start on… well, whatever, I guess.”

“I don’t think we should do anything suspicious while they’re watching,” reiterated Tsuyu.

“Yeah, plus we really revamped campus security. And this is Nezu we’re talking about.”

“The Rat God,” someone whispered, reverently.

(Was that Shouji?)

“Exactly, exactly,” said Present Mic. “So, everyone, just, please, calm down. Just sit back down, and we’ll ride the bus to the dorms. Like normal.”

“Yamada-sensei, nothing about this is normal,” said Tsuyu, flatly.

“Well,” said Present Mic, “yeaaaah, okay, you got me there, listeners.”

“Nezu’s coming up,” said Green Light. “Aw, he has Eri with him. They’re so short together.”

“Green Light,” crackled the radio in Nezu’s voice. “Did you forget that I have cameras and microphones installed on all our buses?”

“That’s how he knew I was the one putting together the compilation!” said Kaminari.

Fumikage peered out the window and furtively opened it, so they could hear what was going on. Eri was definitely there. She was also sporting the deepest, most dismal, aura of darkness Fumikage had ever laid eyes on. Luckily, it seemed to be aimed at the commission lackeys in the form of a smile and dead, dead eyes.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen!” said Nezu, cheerily. “I apologize for the long wait! As Lunch Rush indubitably told you, we had a small emergency.”

“We’ve been out here for hours. What kind of emergency could have kept you for hours under these circumstances?”

Eri’s smile grew both broader and deader. “Me,” she said. “I’m the emergenny.”

“Emergency,” corrected Nezu, gently.

“Emergency,” repeated Eri.

“I’m sorry?” said the shorter of the two investigators.

“I’m the emergency. I hada—” she paused, and her face pinched slightly in concentration. “I had an emergency, because, because, you’re being mean to Deku.”

“We—”

“You’re mean,” insisted Eri. “You’re bad guys. Deku is the good guy, because he saved me. Only bad guys are mean to good guys.”

“Excuse me, is this Chisaki Eri?”

Eri hissed.

“Perhaps I could ask you to refrain from using that family name. We’ve been trying to get past what her form did to her, you understand. Teach her morality.”

“I’ll bite you,” said Eri, malevolently.

“Self-defense, as well,” continued Nezu. “It’s very important for children to be able to feel safe and confident in themselves, don’t you think? And the recent news dealt a serious blow to that. You understand, then why I felt that it was more important to take care of my ward and other students than to greet you here. Especially given that you wished to interview Eri-chan as well.”

“I’ll bite you,” repeated Eri. “A lot.”

“We’ll… need a look at Midoriya’s room, first.”

“Way to go, Eri,” whispered Shinsou.

“Very well! You’ll have to come around to the front office to fill out some paperwork. We’ll need a physical copy of your badges, as well as a copy of your warrant, for our records…”

The gate opened, distracting Fumikage from whatever else Nezu had said. Green Light quickly drove through, making straight to the dorms. Fumikage snapped the window shut.

“So, uh,” said Kaminari. “What’re we going to do about Midoriya’s All Might shrine of a room?”

“Should we even do anything?” asked Jiro. “If stuff is disturbed, that’s going to be suspicious. I don’t want to get him into more trouble.”

“It’s a teenage boy’s bedroom,” said Mineta. “The stuff in there is already disturbed.”

“Mineta, I don’t know how to tell you this,” said Kaminari, “but your experiences are not universal.”

“None of you are disturbing Midoriya’s room at all,” said Midnight, standing. “You didn’t forget that we were here, did you? If you say yes, we’ll have to take some time to work on your situational awareness~”

Nemuri hadn’t quite known what to expect from the words ‘All Might shrine.’ In her experiences, the word ‘shrine’ could, especially when applied to a person’s hobby or area of interest, could cover a vast array of displays of varying intensity.

But Midoriya really went Plus Ultra on everything, didn’t he?

“Okay, kiddos,” said Midnight, “what would you say was the most incriminating thing in this room?”

She and Present Mic were the only ones actually in the room, but the students were gathered right outside the door.

“Notebooks.”

Midnight nodded. They’d get those first, then search for other places Midoriya may have put evidence of less-than-entirely-morally-upright behavior. Not that Midnight really expected to find any.

“Where does he keep them?” she asked.

“He has a shelf above his desk he usually keeps them on, kero.”

Midnight looked at the shelf above Midoriya’s desk.

It looked back at her.

This was because it was a void. As in, void of any notebooks. An abyss of sorts. Empty.

There were no notebooks in evidence.

“This will be a problem.”

“G-Gigantomachia?” asked Izuku, turning up the sweetness in his tone despite his nerves. And pain. Yep, there was a whole lot of pain, everywhere. Now that he was no longer actively running for his life, it felt like he’d pulled every muscle in his body.

“Yes, Little Lord?” asked Gigantomachia, happily.

He was like a giant dog. Izuku almost felt bad tricking him like this, but he reminded himself that Gigantomachia was a giant, evil dog. So.

“Will you do something for me?”

“Of course, Little Lord!”

“Well,” said Izuku, “you remember how I said that Shigaraki Tomura and I don’t get along?”

“Yes, Little Lord! My memory is very good!”

Izuku blinked. “Is that a—” He cut himself off with a shake of his head. Not the time. “Well, I think that it might be a good idea if, ah, we established that he can’t attack me anymore.”

Gigantomachia stood up, shaking the earth and almost sending Izuku tumbling down. “HE ATTACKED YOU?”

Maybe this would be easier than he thought. “Yeah. A couple times. I’m okay, though!” He waved his hands. “I just think that it might be a good idea if we established a, uh, a pecking order. Sort of.”

“I’M GOING TO PECK HIM TO DEATH.”

“Please do not actually kill him.”

“I’M GOING TO PECK HIM MOSTLY TO DEATH.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Izuku.

“I’LL SHOW HIM YOU’RE IN CHARGE. YOU’RE MUCH BETTER THAN HE IS. MUCH MORE LIKE LORD.”

Wow. That was… certainly a statement. That Izuku was going to try his best to forget forever.

“Right. So. If you see him, do that,” said Izuku, nodding.

“OF COURSE, LITTLE LORD.”

“And, this is just a reminder, but don’t go into towns.”

“I WILL REMEMBER!”

“Great,” said Izuku. “I’m going to go back in and, uh…” He couldn’t say ‘plot my escape with Toshinori.’ “Rest,” he settled on.

“Oh!” Gigantomachia crouched down, his voice suddenly whisper-soft. Assuming rocks could be described as whispering. “Sleep well, Little Lord!”

“Thanks,” said Izuku, beating a hasty retreat.

“Stop the car!”

“But you said-!”

“Just stop the car, Twice.”

There was a not-at-all hidden ‘or else’ in those words. Twice, once again, stopped the car.

“Oh, my,” said Midoriya Inko, leaning forward. “That man up there looks remarkably like the sitter Hisashi hired for Izuku.”

“Oh, god,” said Tomura, dragging his hands down the sides of his face in lieu of looking out the window. “We aren’t prepared for this level.”

Midoriya Inko suddenly disappeared. Tomura made a noise in the back of his throat that wasn’t at all a scream.

Mr. Compress raised his hands defensively. “I thought it best to marble her while she was distracted. We wouldn’t want her to get injured in ”

“Wow! Way to go, Mr. Compress!” said Toga, giving the other villain a hug. “Good thinking!”

“Yeah!” agreed Twice. “Now she can’t hurt us—But she sure can when you let her out!”

“Which is why I propose we bring her to Giran at the first feasible opportunity. Between him and the doctor, I’m sure they can make arrangements for her that we need not be involved in. And I will make sure we are all far, far away when I let her out.”

There was a series of sighs of relief.

“Good idea,” croaked Tomura. “But what are we going to do about—” He swore vehemently. “He’s seen us, he’s seen us we’ve got aggro! Reverse!”

“Is that Vlad-sensei’s car?”

“Unfortunately,” said Toshinori, “I think it is. Oh, dear, the man’s one to hold a grudge. I think I’ll have a new nemesis by the end of this.”

Today had been a very annoying day in general for Vlad King, but for some reason, his sense of annoyance suddenly doubled. This made his hands clench and thereby tear the piece of paper he was holding.

Scratch that. His sense of annoyance had tripled.

“Yagi,” he muttered, “I am going to sue you so much.”

“What was that?” asked Hound Dog, looking away from the video feed displaying Eri-chan scarring Hero Commission agents for life in her undeniably cute way.

“Nothing,” muttered Vlad.

All for One paused in his assault of the vault door. He couldn’t help but feel like someone somewhere had said something unusually aggravating.

Ah, well. He had other things to worry about.

“Ah,” said Toshinori as one of Gigantomachia’s fists tore off the bumper of the rapidly reversing car. “Hm,” he continued as Shigaraki climbed out on the hood, grinning. “I think we should go, now.”

Izuku nodded. They could only hope to get far away enough away for Gigantomachia to be unable to hunt them down.

If they ran into any other problems…

Dabi paused as he heard quite a lot of noise from up ahead and rolled his eyes, ignoring how the movement pulled at his staples. The idiots had already started fighting Gigantomachia. Well. He didn’t want any part of that.

He changed directions. Hanging out in the woods it was, then.

Eh. It was good for him. Fresh (cold) air. Sunshine (sort of). Readily available reminders of why he hated his father.

Nature was great. If only he could burn it all down without blowing cover.

“Oh, no,” said a hapless technician.

“What?” asked the commission supervisor who’d brough the sample to the lab. “What is it? Is he related to the Scourge of Kamino?”

“Well,” squeaked the woman, her mousy ears twitching. “Yes. But I ran him through a few other databases as well, and…” she trailed off. “Well… The number of cross references in the hero database is staggering, but, of course, if he’s related to them, and to the other, well…”

The commission supervisor grabbed the edge of her monitor and twisted it around to face him. She watched the blood drain from his face and refrained from calling him out on his rudeness.

“Why,” he asked, “didn’t they run the Scourge of Kamino’s DNA through these databases?”

“I guess they didn’t think it was necessary?”

“Excuse me,” he said, “I have to make a few calls.”

“You want us to attack the League of Villains now?” asked Hawks, frowning. “You’ve had me following them around for weeks, and you want us to go in now, with next to no preparation? We don’t even know if the rest of the League is with Dabi.”

What had they found out from Midoriya’s blood sample? Had it turned out the way Dabi had expected.

Was Midoriya Izuku the son of All for One?

“Alright, alright,” he said in response to his handler. He sighed deeply, leaning back to better look at the sky. “But even I’m going to need a couple hours to get everything together and start coordinating with other heroes. I’m—Sir, I really don’t think I’m going to be able to take them all on just with myself and my sidekicks. Midoriya probably isn’t with them to begin with—I’m not questioning you, sir. I just don’t understand our objective in attacking them now. Why are we rushing? It seems counterpro—Yes, sir.” The line beeped loudly as it disconnected.

Well. All this had been a monumental waste of time.

It also boded ill for Midoriya. It sounded as if he’d become an even greater target than before, and considering that the commission had been labeling him a villain even before testing his DNA… Something bigger than being related to All for One must have come out. Something that had scared the commission. Something they would scrap their stealth- and intelligence-based plan for dealing with the League for. Something they wanted gone. Locked away with Midoriya.

Hawks couldn’t imagine what that could be. Maybe he was related to All Might? Or Endeavor? All Might wouldn’t be bad, he was never publicly in a relationship, but then he’d always been private about his personal life. But Endeavor… that’d be a scandal and a half.

But, if either of those were the case, why were they so sure he’d be with the League of Villains? It didn’t make sense. Unless… Unless Midoriya wasn’t the only one related to All for One.

At least they weren’t asking him to kill the kid. The mission was capture.

Which meant that Hawks had to come up with some way of letting an injured and probably exhausted teenager and a severely disabled old man escape without looking like he was letting them escape. Or looking like an incompetent idiot. Again. Because he wasn’t about to bring Midoriya in under circumstances this shady. Maybe before, when he thought it was just trumped-up kidnapping charges, but with this uncertainty…

Commission lackey or not, Hawks was still a hero. Sometimes that meant he put aside personal feelings for the good of society, and sometimes it meant that he ignored orders so a minor wouldn’t be indefinitely imprisoned at a commission black site.

Fun times.

He sighed and gathered in his feathers, angling down into a dive. Time to get to work.

Ochako kept seeing things out of the corners of her eye. Shadow in the shape of people, in the shape of children. Stains on the walls.

The hallways were scrupulously clean. Spotless. Empty. Brightly lit.

Todoroki had mentioned smelling smoke a few times and had started gagging for no reason once or twice. Iida kept twitching as if he had heard something. Aizawa appeared unaffected, but Ochako could see the way he gripped his capture weapon and the rigidness of his spine.

Izuku looked resigned.

“Did they really—” started Iida.

“Yes,” said Izuku. “Almost certainly.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Todoroki.

“You’re only getting fragments of Three’s memories, since she’s suppressing this,” said Izuku. “But…” He twitched, slightly. “It’s going to get worse the farther we go. The places she was in…” His voice was soft, sing-song, not quite entirely there.

“Izuku?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m focusing on something else outside.”

“Please tell me you aren’t fighting pro heroes again,” said Aizawa.

“No, I’m escaping from the League of Villains right now.”

“How?”

“Mm. Great question. I’ll tell you how it goes later, if it works.”

“That’s not what I—”

An ear-splitting, bone-chilling scream filled the air, making everyone flinch and clench. Something crackled overhead.

“Incident response team to hallway C. Code Blue.”

More screaming. This time, Ochako had a better idea of where it was coming from, and it seemed like everyone else, did, too.

They ran past classrooms that were alternately empty and full of shadow people, past soulless dormitory rooms stuffed with bunk beds, past cells and rooms Ochako didn’t even want to think about.

A pair of dark-skinned girls stood in the hallway, one holding a bloody hand to her throat, the other baring her teeth. The lights flickered. Dimmed.

The girls were gone by the time the lights came back on.

The hallway they were in was full of operating theaters, complete with lights over the door. Ochako felt sick.

But she was used to dealing with nausea. She took a deep breath and swallowed.

“What now?” she asked. The quaver in her voice was barely audible.

“Now…” Aizawa turned slowly in place. “We’re trying to find where they met Ryuji.”

“Two,” said Izuku, nodding.

“So, the most likely place for that…” He trailed off. “The most likely place for that is in the… residential areas.” He sounded disgusted with himself for referring to a prison with such bland terms.

“We passed something like that,” said Todoroki, quietly.

“Right,” said Aizawa. “Let’s go.”

The way back was much more… crowded. The memories were more tangible. Ochako quickly taught herself not to look in any of the rooms. Not that it helped much with what they saw in the halls themselves.

Izuku’s distraction only grew worse as they went further. He kept trying to follow, or sometimes fight, the memory ghosts.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Focusing on something else.”

“Just don’t die on us, problem child.”

“We’re doing okay,” said Izuku.

This was, of course, when the facility’s alarm went off.

“Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Intruder alert.”

Izuku couldn’t hear the sound of the fight between the League and Machia anymore. This meant that either the fighting had stopped, or they had moved out of earshot.

Despite the League having a car (Vlad-sensei’s car) Izuku doubted that the fight had gotten all that far away.

Next to him, Toshinori winced. Izuku looked at him with concern, but Toshinori waved it off.

Izuku took a shaky breath.

They just had to keep going.

Twice had, perhaps predictably, backed the car up into a ditch, where, despite the amount of pressure he put on the accelerator, it stayed. Stuck. Perhaps forever.

All members of the League of Villains that were not crazy enough to crawl onto the outside of a moving car to fight a homicidal giant climbed out. All members, meaning a single member. A single member, ironically, being Twice.

At least he hadn’t been going very fast when he ran into the ditch.

“Everyone okay? –Of course, they’re not! You were in a car crash, idiots!”

“Come help us fight!” ordered Shigaraki. “We were in the middle of something, you know, stupid level boss! Keep having to save scum I hate you aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Well, that wasn’t a good sign.

“Where’s Himiko?” he shouted.

“Over here, silly!” said the second Shigaraki, because, yeah. Twice had forgotten he hadn’t duplicated Shigaraki.

Man, he was dumb sometimes. It was great he had friends to help him with that!

He dove into the fight which, ever so slightly, ever so slowly, began to move away from the car.

Izuku’s head throbbed sharply, and he stumbled, Toshinori just managing to catch him before he faceplanted. Four and the other past users hissed at him from the back of his mind.

Someone’s coming. Hide.

They were in no condition for another fight.

Toshinori nodded sharply, and pulled Izuku aside, into some bushes. Izuku tried to breathe quietly but was painfully aware that both he and Toshinori were out of breath and raspy. Ragged. They’d been aiming for speed, not stealth, counting on the sounds of combat to cover them.

But if someone was out here—

Izuku smelled smoke. A branch snapped. He held his breath, despite the way his lungs longed for more oxygen. Had Dabi been in the car? Izuku hadn’t seen him. He hadn’t seen any blue fire. It wasn’t like Dabi to hold back.

A pair of black booted feet came into view.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

They found Two standing in a hallway, surrounded by the bodies of soldiers. A small horde of shadow children clung to his legs.

When he laid eyes on Izuku, he sighed.

“Does the world ever give you a break?” he asked.

“Not that I’ve noticed,” said Izuku.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #fic #fanfic #long night in the valley

30 notes · View notes

avengerscompound · 4 years ago

Text

Running to a Standstill - 17

Running to a Standstill: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Word Count: 2050

Rating: E

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Synopsis: While on the run from an unknown organization trying to take your son, you meet two super-soldiers. While they try to help you get to the bottom of who is hunting you and your son, feelings come out and admissions are made that make your personal life even more tricky.

Chapter 17

“This is an act of war, Captain!”

Ophelia Sarkissian stood behind a small army. Steve wasn’t too concerned, he had his own, and he’d already taken out more HYDRA than was remaining just getting to the self-proclaimed Queen of Madripoor. She had no true claim to the throne, except that she decided to use her position as Madame HYDRA to take it. She had also broken several international laws outside of the fact that she was leading a criminal organization that was officially disbanded under orders of the UN after world war two. Not to mention the crimes of unauthorized human experimentation, human trafficking, and kidnapping. This was a sanctioned mission. There would be some time spent in international courts after this was through, but Viper as she liked to be called, was going to the Raft and she would stay there until the day she died.

Carol landed beside him and gave a short nod. “Sarkissian,” Steve shouted. “Give yourself up. This has gone far enough. You know you haven’t got a leg to stand on.”

“Madripoor doesn’t recognize your authority Captain,” Sarkissian snarled. “Leave now.”

“I don’t know about you, Cap,” Carol said. “But I think she talks a little too much.”

“I think you’re right, Captain,” Steve said. “Time to finish this.”

Carol took flight and barrelled into the group of HYDRA soldiers. They went flying like pins in an alley. “Stop them, you idiots!” Sarkissian screamed as she shot a photon blast at Carol.

The soldiers that hadn’t been sent sprawling by carol had all quickly tossed back some pills. Almost instantaneously the room erupted in chaos. Carol and Viper were taking turns firing on each other. The soldiers were changing. Some bulking up. Some grew tentacles or horns. One on the far east side seemed to sprout wings from his back. Steve threw his shield into the mass and began to fight. He knew his agents were with him. They began engaging in combat and he was very glad he’d taken the extra time to train his people to fight against enhanced soldiers.

He called his shield back and began fighting through the group to get to Viper. Something sticky wrapped around his leg as he punched a guy who seemed to have had a crustacean-like shell form around him hard enough to crack the shell down the middle. He slammed the shield down without looking and whatever grabbed him. It let go and he vaulted over two more soldiers that seemed to have started growing fur. He knew this battle wasn’t going to be a long one. The drugs started to overload the soldier’s systems too fast and their bodies would start shutting down. They were just trying to finish it first. With Carol there, he did not doubt at all they’d be able to do it. The problem was, Steve wanted to take them all alive.

He tossed his shield again, clearing a path to Viper who was now trying to escape through a secret door behind her throne. Carol blasted the wall and Steve vaulted, first over two HYDRA agents and then the throne, catching his shield and slamming into Viper, knocking her sideways. She caught herself before she fell and attacked him. Carol began to circle the room taking out the mutated agents as Steve fought Viper one-on-one. She wasn’t strong, but she was agile and highly trained.

“Do you think this will protect your beloved?” Viper sneered as she parried with him. “Or the child? This is HYDRA, cut off one head…”

“And two more grow in its place,” Steve said in a bored voice, aiming a series of blows to her side. “Save it. I’ve heard it before.”

She flipped forward, aiming to put him in a thigh lock. Steve reacted quickly, stepping to the side and using his shield to slam her straight down into the ground. Steve used the back of his shield to hold her down. “Ophelia Sarkissian, I take you into custody on behalf of the United Nations for crimes against humanity,” he said. “And while you’re mulling things over on the Raft, you might want to let any of your colleagues that we don’t collect up today that Geo is not worth it. Whatever you think that little boy can unlock, you’d have to go through the Avengers to get it, and this is what will come from it.”

Viper’s tongue pushed inside her cheek. “Hail -”

He knew what was happening before he even realized he knew. He quickly shoved his hand into her mouth, and she bit down into the glove, hard enough that if he was anyone else, she might have broken his fingers. Carol landed beside him and raised her eyebrow.

“That’s a weird fighting technique, Steve,” she said. “They teach you that in the army?”

Steve smirked as he grabbed the cyanide capsule between his pointer and middle finger and pulled it out of Viper’s mouth. “Taught me to notice things. Sorry to hear the Airforce was lacking in that department.”

Carol bit back an obvious laugh and looked around the room. “I think we got them all. We might want to call in the cleanup crew.”

Steve nodded and let out a sigh of relief. You would be safe now. At least for a while. He just hoped you would be there when he got back.

The clean up took a long time. Normally Steve was okay with that. He never wanted to rush things when it came to cleaning up after a mission. He wanted to make sure all the injured were treated, any dead were taken to a morgue, anyone arrested was processed and locked up. All the I’s needed to be dotted and all the T’s crossed. He had to make sure that what he had just fought to do, didn’t get immediately undone like had happened in the past.

This time he was antsy. He needed to make sure everything was above board. They had just taken a dictator out. The power reshuffle could end up being dangerous. He had to make sure every single person who was arrested today stayed locked up. Particularly Viper. He had to make sure all the drugs that were seized were processed and then destroyed and none ended up being taken and sold on the black market or worse, in the hands of yet another government agency hoping to recreate the super-soldier program. He had to make sure that any data about the program that led to the creation of the drugs in the first place was locked up and kept out of the hands of any government agency.

Most importantly of all though, he had to make sure all names, including yours and Geo’s, were expunged from all data seized. He had to protect you and anyone else that this had happened to, from ever being hunted again.

However, while he was supervising medics, and prisoner containment, and signing paperwork, and speaking with various authorities, he couldn’t stop thinking of you and Bucky. He knew Bucky was okay. He’d heard from every one of the other groups and knew they’d all been successful. He knew that he was supervising the clean up in the same way Steve was. He also knew exactly how Bucky got when he was on a mission. He knew the dark place his lover went to. He knew how long it took for Bucky to shake it off again. Every time in the past Steve had wanted to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay. That Steve had him and he always would. But back then they were just friends and he wasn’t sure where the line was that would be okay. Now he could do it and his mind kept flicking back to how he wanted to check on Bucky. To hold him if he needed it. Or to run a bath and wash the battle out of his hair.

More than that, he kept worrying about you. Now he was on his way home he knew Bucky would be there. He wasn’t as sure about you. He was worried that you’d have run and that if you did run, that you’d have run straight into the arms of HYDRA.

Usually when the jet came into land at the Avengers Tower Steve was exhausted and ready to finish paperwork, debrief, and then sleep. As the jet came into land, he was as tightly wound as he was when the mission started.

He was off the jet first, heading for the elevator before Hill managed to cut him off. He rode it directly down to his floor and had to hold himself back from breaking into a run as he made his way to his apartment. He threw the door open and looked around. The only sound was the hum of the refrigerator and air conditioning. Geo’s Lego was on the coffee table, but that meant nothing. If you’d run you’d have taken the go-bag and little else. He called out your name and moved into the room. He knew you weren’t here even as your name left his lips, but he hoped that maybe he was wrong and you and Geo were just napping.

He tried to find some signs of what happened. A note that might let him know where you went. The signs of a scuffle would even be good because then it meant you hadn’t chosen to leave him. There was nothing out of order. The kitchen was clean. He went into Geo’s room and looked around. The bed was made, but there were a lot of Geo’s toys around. The teddy bear he slept with was on the bed. He hoped that was something to say you hadn’t run, but the fact he couldn’t see Geo’s tablet anywhere was making his heart hammer in his chest.

The door opened and he spun around and practically launched himself back through the door to see who it was. Bucky stepped through the door and Steve sagged.

“Wow, thought you’d be happy to see me,” Bucky said, a playful lilt in his tone.

Despite the tone, Steve felt bad. He’d hoped it would be you and while he was of course happy to see Bucky back safe and sound, and even happier that he could be as playfully teasing as he was, it didn’t change the fact you weren’t here. “It’s just…”

“Steeb!”

Geo’s voice reached him before you appeared behind Bucky holding the little boy. Steve rushed to you, pulling up when he reached you and cradling your jaw. “Oh my god,” he said. “I thought you’d left.”

You furrowed your brow and looked up at him, Geo was tugging on Steve’s armor, and he took the boy from you without even realizing he was doing it. “You told me not to go out.”

“Where were you?” He asked.

“FRIDAY said your jet had landed and I went up to meet you,” you explained. “And then Hill said you’d come down here, but then Bucky’s jet landed so we waited for him to come down here. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Steve shook his head. “I should have trusted that you’d be here.”

“It’s okay,” you said softly, leaning in a little, so the breath you exhaled teased his lips. “I’m glad you’re both safe.”

He brought his lips to yours and as you kissed him softly but deeply he felt his muscles relax. There would be work to do still. He had to make sure that Viper went to the Raft and everything he had done to protect you had worked, but this was the start of things. You were safe and here with Bucky. The three of you could have a life together.

You pulled back slowly and caressed his cheek. “You both look like shit. You want to take a shower and sleep?”

“God damn yes,” Bucky said.

“We’re going to need to head down to the armory and then debrief. Steve said. “You’ll be here won’t you?”

“Yes, Steve,” you teased, giving him a gentle push. “Go. Do what you need to do and I’ll make sure there’s dinner here for when you both get back. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

// NEXT

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #stucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #stucky x reader #steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #captain america fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #running to a standstill

218 notes · View notes

365days365movies · 4 years ago

Text

April 5, 2021: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) (Recap: Part One)

Yeah, so...Spectrum exploded last night.

So, I'm unfortunately a little behind. BUT NEVER FEAR! I'll get back on time before you know it! So, uh...where were we last time? OH RIGHT! Let's talk about black comedy. And I don't mean black-and-white comedies, or comedies prominently featuring African-American culture and demographic. No, I mean dark comedies.

The "black comedy" functions off of macabre or taboo humor and jokes, and is often closely associated with biting satire and commentary in film. That definition is loose as hell, I know, but it's all about the subject matter. The most common subject matter for dark humor is death, of course, and related subjects to death. War, murder, strife, madness, and violence are also common topics here.

Some of the best comedies are black comedies, though. For example, Brazil (1985; dir. Terry Gilliam) focuses on themes of depression, dreams, terrorism, totalitarian governments, and madness. And it's GREAT. How about The Death of Stalin (2018; dir. Armando Iannucci)? The title ALONE should tell you everything you need to know about the tone and topic, AND YET...

It's HILARIOUS. And also informative! If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it. And again, that film is about, well...the death of Stalin, and the fallout of his disastrous and murderous regime. Dark, DARK topic, but very funny movie.

Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is about war; Fargo is about murder in North Dakota; Heathers is about a toxic relationship and the death and murder of teenagers; Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is about an actor's existential crisis and complete mental breakdown; and Trainspotting is about the devastating effects of drug addiction and features a DEAD BABY FOR CHRIST'S SAKE...and yet they're all full of laughs! Except for the baby scene. Fuck me, the baby scene in Trainspotting.

So, yeah, these are a diverse group of films, that's for sure. But where does it all start? There's 1942's To Be or Not to Be (dir. Ernst Lubitsch), which is about a Polish theatre company who need to escape in the midst of...well, 1942 Poland. If you don't get why that's dark, you should probably look up some history, bud. Charlie Chaplin would dip into the role in 1947's Monsieur Verdoux, which I mentioned last time. And there's the seldom-talked-about Kind Hearts and Coronets (dir. Robert Hamer), a 1949 film about murder for status, essentially.

But it's hard to argue that the most prominent early black comedy is 1944's Cary Grant vehicle, Arsenic and Old Lace.

Directed by Frank Capra, this film was based on a 1941 stage play, and is about...well, we'll get to it. While its prominence as a black comedy is one reason I'm watching this movie, the other is...well, to be honest, this is a movie I heard about CONSTANTLY from my Mom, as this is one of her favorites. And yet, like Dirty Dancing, I've somehow never seen it! Let's remedy that.

So, without further ado, let's get into it! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

The film starts off with a BANG, as a man calls me a “big simp” to my face! Actually, he’s screaming at a Brooklyn Dodgers game, where a massive fight breaks out. This fight quickly transitions to a city hall, where a line of people are waiting to file marriage licenses. Amongst the line is Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) and Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane).

Brewster is hiding from the press, as he’s a famous reviewer, and author of the Bachelor’s Bible, and it would be quite the scandal for him to get married. And yet, he’s head over heels in love with Elaine. After going through an existential crisis about the whole thing, he gives into Elaine’s sweet demeanor, and the two file their marriage license officially.

It’s Halloween day, and we move from the city to the suburbs of Brooklyn, where two policemen, O’Hara (Jack Carson) and Sanders (John RIdgely) are on patrol. Sanders tells O’Hara of the kindly Brewster Sisters, the sweetest women on Earth, both of whom live in the neighborhood. Currently, they are being visited by Reverend Harper (Grant Mitchell), Elaine’s father. He’s speaking with Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha Brewster (Jean Adair), the kindly aunts of Mortimer.

Also living there is Mortimer’s brother Teddy Brewster (John Alexander), who apparently believes that he’s Teddy Roosevelt, which is...hilarious. Dude is hilarious, seriously. The cops come over to visit the two, and collect some clothes and toys for local charity. Also, Teddy only leaves a room by screaming “CHAAAAARGE!!!”, and running up the stairs, and I love Teddy a lot.

Reverend Harper and the cops leave for the night, and the sisters settle down for the evening. Abby and Martha state that their plans for Elaine and Mortimer should go as scheduled, which is probably talking about their marriage. Abby also mentions that she’s done something while she was away, to Martha’s delight and surprise. They tell Teddy that he’ll soon be digging a new lock for the Panama Canal...whatever that means.

Martha’s about to go to the basement to see what Abby’s done, but she states that because she was all by herself, the surprise is in the window seat. As she’s about to look at the surprise, Elaine shows up in the window, and the two arrive to give the happy news that they’re married. Elaine goes to tell her father of the news, while Mortimer goes to tell his sweet aunts. Afterwards, the two will be on their honeymoon, going to Niagara Falls. And I should say, they’re quite a sweet couple.

After telling the news to his aunts, he asks them where his notes are for his new controversial book, Mind Over Matrimony. They go to look for it around the house, and Teddy comes downstairs, dressed up in attire to “go to Panama.” Aunt Abby comes across a childhood picture of Jonathan, Mortimer’s brother and apparently a violent sociopath or some sort. She goes to burn the picture (geez), and Mortimer continues to look for the notes. He goes to the window seat.

Yup! It’s a body! Looks like Abby and Martha’s sweet old lady act is a guise for some myurder! Which I know, just because it’s the most famous thing about the movie. However, Mortimer thinks the murderer is Teddy, and tells his sweet old aunts about the body, asking that he gets put into an asylum. But Abby notes that Teddy didn’t kill the man, and they already know about the body!

Which, yeah, surprises Mortimer, obviously.

Abby cheerfully admits that the man, Mr. Hoskins, was poisoned by a tainted glass of elderberry wine, and that they did so on purpose, hiding the body before the Reverend came for a visit. The whole thing isn’t a big deal; it’s just Abby and Martha’s little secret!

After they leave, and brush off the whole thing as easy as needlepoint or macramé as a hobby, Mortimer, is completely broken by the whole affair, and is partially convinced that he’s dreaming. All the while, Elaine’s trying to get Mortimer to come over and speak with her father. But Mortimer can’t exactly forget about this whole silly murder thing, and goes to confront his aunts about it. He learns that Teddy’s digging not a lock, but a grave in the cellar. As he’s done with 10 other bodies. Or maybe it’s 11 others?

After picking up a phone call from Elaine, then hanging up abruptly (and understandably), Mortimer finds out how this whole thing started. See, the two have a “Renters Wanted” sign in their front lawn, and the neighborhood thinks that it’s there so the two sweet old ladies can offer help to anyone in need, even though they aren’t actually renting to anyone. In reality...well, they do it for another reason.

See, an older gentleman stopped by a bit ago, and he had a heart attack right there in the living room. After seeing how peaceful he looked, the two decided to bring in other lonely old men and bring in the same kind of peace. And from there...well, yeah, you get the general idea. They’ve been poisoning them with arsenic, strychnine, and cyanide mixed in with elderberry wine. Apparently, Martha’s got the mixture just right so that it tastes delicious. With all this explained, they offer Mortimer a sip of wine. Which he’s understandably nervous about.

But with all of that done, Elaine comes over to check in on him. But he’s not able to tell her anything, which greatly (and understandably) confuses her. He basically kicks her out (which enrages her, once again understandably), and calls a judge with the intent to frame the whole affair on Teddy, who’s always been.unstable. Which, for the record, is not even SLIGHTLY going to solve the problem.

But as he’s on the phone, a man named Gibbs (Edward McWade) comes in to rent an apartment. He’s all alone in the world, with nobody to care for him. And of course, this leads to the women trying to poison him with the wine. It’s a funny yet tense moment as he stops just short of drinking the wine, distracted by Mortimer’s freakout over the phone. But Mortimer gets off the phone JUST in time to scare Gibbs away and stop him from drinking the wine. And it is...VERY funny, goddamn.

As Mortimer tries to tell the aunts exactly what’s wrong with what they’re doing, the phone rings. It’s a call from Witherspoon (Edward Everett Horton), who runs an asylum that Mortimer wants Teddy committed into. However, they don’t quite have room for him, as they have too many Theodore Roosevelts at present. However, they do need more Napoleon Bonapartes. I love this goddamn movie.

Still, Witherspoon agrees to take him in despite that, and Mortimer head out to get the paperwork done. However, he asks his aunts to not do anything until he gets back, and he also proises that he’ll attend the “services” for their latest victim. He leaves, and kinda steals a cabbie’s car in the process (I love this movie, I’m telling you), and Abby and Martha start shutting things down for the night. However, as they do, they get a mysterious knock on the door. They pretend not to be home...only for a man with an ominous scar to enter the room regardless.

Let’s pause here, shall we? See you in Part 2!

19 notes · View notes

alicemarion · 4 years ago

Text

OUTLAST : THE MURKOFF ACCOUNT ( PART 2 ) sentence starters !

this prompt was made using dialogue from issues #4 , #5 and #6 of outlast : the murkoff account by red barrels . feel free to edit any of these to make them more suitable !

“ _____ wasn’t fucking around about disappearing . ”

“ our chances of finding a lead in this are vanishingly slim . ”

“ what you got there ? ”

“ i hate it when they have families . ”

“ since when did _____ hurt women and kids ? ”

“ sorry , that was in bad taste . ”

“ he’s been gone for a while now . ”

“ i saw him back just last night . ”

“ i saw him , standing right over there . ”

“ drove my dogs batshit , which is weird . ”

“ they always used to like him . ”

“ _____ said _____ was here last night . ”

“ it’d take us days to find him under all this shit if he was . ”

“ guess we better get started then . ”

“ it’s garbage . ”

“ is ... is some of this garbage moving ? ”

“ ants . the place is infested . ”

“ what do you mean ? ”

“ emailed him ants . not the strangest thing i’ve seen . ”

“ these look like passwords . ”

“ ouch ! ”

“ little fucker bit me . ”

“ black ants don’t bite . ”

“ motherfucker ! motherfuckfuckfuck - ”

“ they’re all over me ! jesus ! ”

“ not there ! not there ! ”

“ water ! water ! ”

“ goddammit ! make room ! i’m coming in ! ”

“ fuck this ! ”

“ it’s not working ! ”

“ we need fire ! ”

“ take your fucking clothes off ! ”

“ now do me ! ”

“ got anything i could wear ? ”

“ nope . ”

“ what the fuck am i gonna do ? ”

“ hey , that’s the same homeless guy . ”

“ that’s not possible . ”

“ i’m sure it’s him . he’s following us . ”

“ hey ! stop ! ”

“ where’d you go ... ? ”

“ you work for _____ , don’t you ? ”

“ ... who are you ? ”

“ i believe you’ve heard of me . ”

“ you’ve been following us . ”

“ what’s your name ? ”

“ yes . i’ve been watching you . ”

“ you’ve got something most running dog mercenaries don’t . ”

“ i’m not a mercenary . ”

“ you’ve got shame . you know what you’re doing is wrong . ”

“ it’s a job . ”

“ but you’re somebody who’d chase after me , despite the fact that you’re injured and naked . who does that ? ”

“ ... i can’t stand not knowing . ”

“ tell me your name . ”

“ i’ve read your files , _____ . ”

“ six years ago you leaked company files and vanished . ”

“ been off the map ever since , encouraging other whistleblowers . ”

“ you’re trying to destroy _____ . ”

“ of course i am . ”

“ they’re evil . you work for the devil . ”

“ you’re protecting _____ ? ”

“ you’ll never find him . ”

“ i couldn’t tell you if i knew . ”

“ willful ignorance . i remember that . almost let me sleep some nights . ”

“ how do you sleep ? ”

“ how do you justify working for people you know are evil ? ”

“ _____ was a pebble in a pond . ”

“ that is where the real sickness spreads . ”

“ those are coordinates . ”

“ if you cannot look at what’s there and not eat yourself hollow with shame , you’re not human anymore . ”

“ i need your help . ”

“ i need somebody still inside _____ . ”

“ i’m not asking , i’m telling you . you’re going to help me . ”

“ ... i have to do my job . ”

“ what are you ... the fuck ?! ”

“ freeze ! i said freeze , motherfucker ! ”

“ i’m leaving . ”

“ please don’t make me hurt you . ”

“ he’s ... a monster . ”

“ what was he shoving in your face ? ”

“ fucked if i know . ”

“ let’s get you some clothes before i get too turned on . ”

“ dental records . my identification . he wasn’t done with me . ”

“ and we weren’t done with him . ”

“ this make any kind of sense to you ? ”

“ nothing i feel good about . ”

“ but at least it closes the books for now . ”

“ the evidence couldn’t get any more thoroughly destroyed . ”

“ there is one more thing . ”

“ nothing i know of . ”

“ i wouldn’t put too much faith in anything i heard from an animated pile of maggots . ”

“ maybe we should check it out . ”

“ nah , leave it alone . ”

“ you should get home , spend some time with your daughter ... make sure she doesn’t grow up to be somebody like me . ”

“ he ain’t gonna let us get away . ”

“ every step we take , the less power he got . ”

“ we’ll get to the wicked part of the world , and god hisself ain’t even gonna be able to find us . ”

“ do you know if yeshua - ha nostri was a real person ? like , in the bible ? ”

“ never heard of him . ”

“ when’s that book report due ? ”

“ you’re getting an early jump . ”

“ figured i’d be too beat to work on wednesday . ”

“ you didn’t touch your dinner . ”

“ i wasn’t hungry . it’s not like i need the extra calories . ”

“ _____ , honey , that’s crazy . ”

“ you’re a string bean . a beautiful string bean . ”

“ shut up , _____ , god ... ”

“ there’s somebody messing with our mailbox . ”

“ your daughter is connected . ”

“ my partner and i had agreed not to investigate . ”

“ turns out i was lying . ”

“ i hear you now . where are you ? it’s noisy . ”

“ sorry to interrupt you on a sunday ... ”

“ you’re not interrupting anything . ”

“ i was just ... folding laundry , listening to prairie home companion . ”

“ i don’t think i’m gonna make it into the office tomorrow . ”

“ i need to spend some time with _____ . ”

“ no worries . we all need personal time . ”

“ fuck me ... no service ! ”

“ i guess the heat and the sun got to me . ”

“ heavenly god . ”

“ _____ ? what’s wrong ? ”

“ are they out of hot chocolate ? ”

“ multiple perforations of the intestines ... spread throughout her blood ... had to induce a coma in order to arrest progress ... internal bleeding ... ”

“ surgery is no longer an option . ”

“ _____ is dead . i’m so sorry . ”

“ aiiee ! ”

“ i’m so sorry honey , i didn’t mean ... ”

“ we don’t want no trouble ! ”

“ i’m just gon’ take your pistol . ”

“ hey , hey , take it easy . jesus fucking christ ... ”

“ don’t you take that name in vain ! ”

“ safety’s on . ”

“ who’s the girl ? ”

“ jesus , how pregnant is she ? ”

“ god have mercy on your soul . ”

“ i’m not going to hurt you . ”

“ you need helllll ... ”

“ mmm - hmm . ”

“ that’s all you got ? ‘ mmm - hmm ? ’ ”

“ i heard you . it’s the least crazy thing you’ve told me so far . ”

“ fair enough . ”

“ you are in such deep shit . ”

“ i know . ”

“ you lied to me , you went off the reservation . ”

“ what the fuck are you doing , _____ ? ”

“ i fucked up . ”

“ don’t fuck yourself any deeper . i’m on my way . ”

“ spill . ”

“ okay , number one , you work for _____ , not _____ . ”

“ number two , you don’t interfere with ongoing experiments . ”

“ we only enter the equation when the science is done and the side effects need mopping up . ”

“ shit , you don’t even know if this is an experiment . ”

“ and number three , fuck you . ”

“ you don’t work without me . we’re partners , you stupid motherfucker . ”

“ sorr ... ”

“ don’t say you’re sorry . i hate that . ”

“ you want the silver lining to your shit show ? ”

“ you don’t suppose you brought me a suit ? ”

“ i even brought you a tie . hope yellow’s alright . ”

“ you called it a ‘ vision ’ . not a hallucination . ”

“ it felt real . ”

“ first rule in the playbook is don’t get high on your own product . ”

“ what about brain injury ? ”

“ the scan must have been corrupted . ”

“ is there more to your testimony ? ”

“ yes , of course , excuse me . i was just ... ”

“ could we see those brain scans ? ”

“ they’re already off to the lab , but we have copies . ”

“ evidence , all of it . this had become a matter of containment . ”

“ we’d love to meet the patient . ”

“ the little guy in here has been kicking up a storm . ”

“ is that a tattoo ? ”

“ a globe . no , wheels . ‘ wheels within wheels ’ . that’s biblical , from the book of ... ezekiel . ”

“ you can’t have him ! you can’t . i’ll die before i’ll let you kill him . ”

“ i seen the messenger and i know i ain’t burdened with the enemy . ”

“ my blood is true , i’ve sipped at the fountain and borne the pain and marks of salvation . ”

“ you ain’t gonna take my baby , you ain’t ... ain’t ... ”

“ get a doctor ! ”

“ doctor ! ”

“ we lost her . we need to leave , now . ”

“ she’s dead , gone . there was nothing we could do . ”

“ minimal footprint . ”

“ i realized too late i was operating above my security clearance . ”

“ are you sure she was dead ? ”

“ yeah , case closed . ”

“ it’s sad . ”

“ still , i gotta get home . i said i’d be there . ”

“ you’re a good dad ... you always take care of your girl . ”

“ _____ ! you home ?! ”

“ you work for us now . ”

“ we didn’t find dick . ”

“ there we go , my child . every last drop of salvation . your children are waiting for you in heaven . ”

“ god does not pour half measures . ”

“ the storm is abating . all these undeserved blessings . ”

“ he’s still not answering . ”

“ send people to his house . ”

“ they’ve been feeding _____ information . ”

“ that’s no good . ”

“ i’d put my money on _____ . ”

“ if we find him , i’ll put electrodes on _____ . ”

“ how many bodies we looking at ? ”

“ hundreds . it’ll take us days to get them all sorted . ”

“ lot of these local corpses show signs of cyanide poisoning . ”

“ god damn this guy’s heavy ... ”

“ that doesn’t look like cyanide . ”

“ yeah , a lot of them got creative about dying . ”

“ took a lot of what killed her to get the job done . ”

“ last name sounds like a crustacean you’re not supposed to eat . ”

“ how did you know ? ”

“ he was supposed to be making sure they didn’t find this place . ”

“ we got one breathing here ! ”

“ ‘ and i only am escaped alone to tell thee . ’ ”

“ is that from wrath of khan ? ”

“ it’s actually book of job , by way of moby ... ”

“ i know what it is , you don’t have to try and impress me . ”

“ well , holy shit . ”

“ his eyes are all pupil . completely catatonic . ”

“ we need to dig in his head . don’t be gentle . ”

“ they rarely are . ”

“ there’s blood on the walls . looks like something was written and smeared away . ”

“ what do you want to do ? ”

“ actually , no . do me a favor and find his corpse , because if he’s still alive , he’s fucking dangerous . ”

“ where’s _____ ? ”

“ you’re asking the wrong question . ”

“ i’ll still help you find the answer , but you’ll need to trust me . ”

“ dead , twice . ”

“ how about you just tell me whatever it is you want to tell me . ”

“ it’s not surprising religion would be such an effective delivery mechanism . ”

“ gods communicating with men , gods dividing themselves into components that men could understand . a trinity . ”

“ in the name of the father ... and of the son ... and of the holy spirit . amen . ”

#prompt.#sentence starters #sentence prompt #outlast rp

55 notes · View notes

sigmadecay · 4 years ago

Note

You said you can info dump about Jonestown massacre? I'm here to learn about Jonestown massacre.

OHOHOHO YES

okay so if I start from Jim Jones’ early life this is literally gonna take me hours to write and probably take you forever to read so I will try to cliffnote the context of....y’know, his life

He didn’t have super present or even very parental parents, his mother worked a lot & his father was a disabled WWI vet. A neighbor took him to church w her family on Sundays and that began his interest in religion. He went to different churches all the time to see what they were about but had a particular interest in the Pentecostal church, it was loud & interactive & joyful but they did get a bad rep for “speaking in tongues”

Jim married his wife Marceline when he was 17 or 18 and she was like 20-21. She was working as a nurse in a hospital that Jim did custodial work in while he was trying to get himself through school. I have a lot of thoughts about Marceline Jones and most of them are “she deserved better” but we will come back to Marceline later.

Fast forward fast forward and Jim & Marcy have a number of kids, their “rainbow family” which consists of one bio child and a number of adopted children I think?? Listen in my defense he ended up with nine (!!! NINE) kids and they’re hard to keep track of but I know Stephan was their biological son and they adopted Jim Jr. who was black and Lew & Suzanne who were Korean which was a bigass deal at the time. More kids cropped up over the course of things but y’know. When Jim founded the Peoples Temple he got the MLK Jr award for racial equality because his church was the first fully integrated church at least in Indiana which was fucking nuts at the time??? Lots of people liked him. It appeared that he was doing good things.

And then shit like faith healings started where he would stage religious healings from cancer and shit and his congregation began regarding him as a deity. Someone would be blessed and would spit out a “tumor” (a piece of chicken liver) or the woman in the wheelchair who got up and walked turned out to be Jim’s secretary. Completely bogus nonsense, but it was a good, integrated church and they all thought he was a good person.

So, (and I’m leaving out details here sorry) Jim starts teasing like an escape to a “promised land” type deal. And he goes to a bunch of places looking for one—he spends time in Brazil especially—until finally settling on Guyana. The Guyanese govt was excited to have Americans coming bc they were at war with Venezuela and it was...sort of like insurance, but yeah. They gave the Peoples Temple a couple hundred acres in the middle of basically the fucking rainforest. And it was touted as like this socialist utopia and shit. It’s work but there’s housing and you grow your own food, and it seemed nice! Especially for people who were so disillusioned with the government and racial inequality. So they move out to Guyana and start to build houses, and shit is pretty alright at first, but...The soil isn’t fertile and almost no food actually grows. The hours are long and the work is backbreaking, not to mention the HEAT, but it’s like, deal-with-able until Jim Jones gets there. At this point Jones is like completely totally paranoid and he’s losing his grip on reality. He’s been doing drugs for years and his sermons have gone from “the US government is bad because it’s capitalist and racist” to “the US government is literally plotting to kill us.”

Some people managed to get out, and formed a group called the “concerned relatives.” They were, you guessed it, concerned relatives of the members who’d been whisked off to the Guyanese wilderness. Lots of people wrote off their concerns because of how many people, namely politicians, liked Jim Jones for his work in racial equality, but the one guy who listened to them was Congressman Leo Ryan, who was by all accounts a Pretty Solid Dude. He didn’t think anything fishy was happening, necessarily, but his whole stance was “I hear you & your concerns, and we should check it out to put your mind at ease! :)”

By this point, life in the Temple is falling! the fuck! apart! Jim Jones has a PA system set to run 24/7 that either play a) recordings of past sermons or b) his announcements happening Right This Second. People work for like 16 hours a day, there are armed guards at the entrance and around the fields to keep people in, the housing is cramped and overcrowded and they do Not have enough food for the almost 1000 people there. They are also getting record low amounts of sleep because Jim Jones, Nutjob Extraordinaire, has gotten into the habit of blaring the air raid siren at god knows what our and calling all his followers into the pavilion for a White Night. Which is, if you can even fucking believe it, a PRACTICE MASS SUICIDE BY KOOL AID.

Talk about foreshadowing.

So anyway, Leo Ryan rolls up to the compound, relatives and an NBC camera crew in tow, and is like “hey what’s up! :)” Jim Jones has been COACHING PEOPLE to tell him how much they love it. It’s fucked up. But okay

So they put on this dinner and a show type deal for the congressman and all the visitors, and Marceline (remember Marceline?) gives them a whole tour and shows them her pride and joy, the school she’d built and helps teaches at, and the medical center, and the daycare, like Marceline ADORES children this cannot be overstated. There are about 300 children in Jonestown and she loves them with her whole heart. ANYWAY

And everyone is having a funky good time, except Jim Jones, whose sanity is coming unraveled like an old sweater and his 950-ish overworked undercompensated cult members

But as Leo Ryan is leaving, someone slips a note to one of the reporters, BEGGING him to get them out of there. And then someone else comes forward. And then another. There are like....maybe 10 people total that come forward? Jim Jones loses his mind, naturally, but Leo Ryan is still like “hey, 10 out of 950 isn’t bad at all! They just miss their families :)” and they get going.

Unfortunately, because the number of people traveling back to the US from Guyana is greater than before, and they came on a small plane, they’re all posted up at the Port Kaituma airstrip waiting for a second aircraft. And this is when shit gets fucking real.

Jim Jones secretly sends his Red Men (read: “guards” with shotguns) to the airstrip to kill everyone because they’re going to give their secrets to the CIA or whatever. So they fucking roll up in this trailer and...open fire. Leo Ryan is killed, an NBC cameraman is killed, some of the defectors and concerned relatives are killed, many of them are wounded.

The Red Men return to the compound and report back to Jones. And then he gets on the PA and tells everyone that the USA’s destruction of them is imminent. He lies and tells them that the pilot will be shot and the plane will go down, and the US government will come into the compound for retribution and kill their seniors and kidnap the children and rape the women. You can hear a recording of this on YouTube! It’s called the Jonestown death tape and it will absolutely ruin your day if you listen to it. Anyway.

People are panicking. It’s time for the real White Night. Jones gets a vat of Flavor-Aid (off brand Kool-Aid) filled with cyanide and narcotics and says “drink :)” and...everyone is...understandably afraid. They’re tired and exhausted and terrified and have no idea what’s true or not. One woman, Christine, argues and pleads for another solution, like running off to the Soviet Union. The entire rest of the compound shouts her down.

So, finally, people drink. Those who won’t, and young children, are injected with it. The death is not painless. People suffer for a long time, and move to the back of the line, lie down, and die. At a reception house in Georgetown, one of Jones’ aides kills her three children and then herself with a steak knife.

A handful of people get out. Maybe five are able to hide, and three of Jones’ sons are away at a basketball game in Georgetown while this is all going down, so they live.

Jim Jones does not drink the poison. Jim Jones shoots himself in the head, and his private nurse does the same.

Marceline Jones screamed, sobbed and struggled until every single child had died, hoping at least one of them would be spared. And when none were, she dried her eyes, resigned herself to her fate, and drank the Kool-Aid.

The 900-something bodies, about a third of which were children, began rotting in the tropical sun almost immediately. Many of them were decomposed beyond recognition by the time the US troops got there. Those unidentified are buried in a mass gravesite in...California, I think? It was the largest loss of American life not due to a natural disaster up until 9/11. The place is still there, though now it’s overgrown, and it’s just...haunting. There’s a number of documentaries on it (recommend) and if you have a really masochistic streak, the Port Kaituma airstrip shooting and the Jonestown death tape audio are both on YouTube the last I checked.

Thank you for indulging me my special interest, and I’m happy to expand on anything here or give more details :3

#ask #anonymice #jonestown #also sorry for the delay. we had dinner guests #kenny.txt

25 notes · View notes

monsoonblooms12 · 4 years ago

Text

Detectives By Chance: Chapter 4- Seeking and Chasing

A/N: Hi, how is everyone doing💫💛? I finally completed the 4th chapter, phew. I am really sorry for the delay, It has been some time ( a month to be precise). But I hope that you enjoy reading this💛. Thank you for all the love that you have given the earlier chapters and I love you all very much 💛

Thank you so very much @ohramsey for everything. I love you x infinite and I will miss you so much😭🤍❤

Series Summary: It was supposed to be a usual weekend for the four. Coffee, fun, friends and love. But an unexpected case changed their lives in a way they had never imagined. A mystery - a murder - many secrets… Will Ethan, Pooja, Alexandra and Mark, be able to survive? Or will the circumstances twist and break their lives forever?

Pairing: Ethan × f!MC (Dr. Pooja Sharma)

Disclaimer: PB owns most of the characters. I only own the OCs and my MC.

Word count: 2.3K

Triggers: Mentions of blood, murder

For Ethan and Pooja, a mutual day off was once in a blue moon thing. So whenever they had one, they would put the world out of their mind and remain engrossed in each other.

And now, after getting a cherished day off for the first time in at least one and a half months, they were sitting here scrutinizing the clues they had assembled from the crime scene.

They sat down on the couch, opened their laptops and kept auxiliary notebooks with them to note any admissible details they could find. Ethan took the three pieces of paper and stationed them down on the coffee table.

The first one was the third bloody note that Pooja had received.

It said: "Ahh, here you are. I knew, I knew you would come. You bastards are as obstinate as I am. But don't worry, I like it. So, did you like my pretty little portrayal that I had made for you? All this is just a sprinkle of my intuitive plan. The real game hasn't even begun yet. Just wait and be on your guard for my twisties and turnsies."

"Hasn't this person done enough? What the freaking hell does he want?" Pooja said, on the brink of tears. She was literally done with this pathetic game of blood.

Ethan hugged her tightly. "Calm down, Love. It hurts me to see you like this. We will find out everything. We will find this person, and we will make them compensate for their sins. I promise."

"Ethan, I love you so much. Please be with me ad infinitum." Pooja planted a featherlight kiss on Ethan's cheek.

"I will, Baby, I will, I love you too," Ethan assured her, while tenderly wiping off her tears.

"And... you don't have to use fancy terms to tell me to love you forever."

At this, Pooja let out a tee-hee.

After she had calmed down, they looked at the second piece of paper. It was a drug store receipt.

"Propofol?"

"If this is a receipt left-back by the murderer, then why Propofol, did they feel remorseful for Davis? " Pooja scoffed.

"Remorseful? I sure as hell that's not the case."

Pooja's question lingered in Ethan's mind. Why would, he thought, the murder make the patient unconscious? So that he doesn't shout?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Poke Poke. Pooja poked at his side, bringing him back to reality.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

" Just thinking about propofol."

" And what does the mind of the world-class diagnostician say about that?"

" As for now, it says nothing essential."

"But?"

"there is a what if."

"And that is?"

" What if the criminal is right in our plain sight?"

" So, as I understand, you are suggesting that the murder is someone-"

"From the hospital. It would be the easiest for a staff member to do everything, isn't it?"

" Hmmm. Although it is a stab in the dark, it is a pretty commendable reasoning. Good job Mr Mitter."

"Mr what?"

"You don't know Mr. Mitter??!! You need to catch up on your detective knowledge, Ramsey. We need to go on a mystery novel-reading spree, ASAP!"

"Don't you think that's just irrelevant to what we are discussing?"

"Excuse You! How the hell are mysteries irrelevant in a discussion of mysteries?"

Pooja made a phoney, angry face that made Ethan laugh.

" Okay, so number one you are looking ridiculous with that face and number two maybe, I agree with you, just a little."

"WAIT"

"Did you just... give in and agree with me? The Ethan freaking Ramsey accepted his defeat?"

"How is this def-"

"I will write about this day in golden letters in my autobiography."

"Autobiography?" Ethan was chuckling like an idiot.

"Hey, what do you think? I can't write an autobiography or what?"

"No, no, of course, you can! But I really wanna know if you are going to write about your escapades with Jenner or the sleep-talks you do all night. Or maybe about the variety of chocolate you like."

"ETHAN!"

"Okay Okay, I will stop. Let's look at the third bit of paper."

The third paper was a visiting card. Or something that looked like visiting card held together with a lot of tape. The name on it was too faded for them to interpret. However, they could make out the address and the designation which, surprisingly, was Dr.

All the lingers of laughter and joy from the previous exchange dispersed and seriousness took its place.

"So, this person is a doctor. Very Peculiar!" Pooja remarked.

"What about all this is not uncommon, Poo? Even if they are a doctor, why target you and Alex? How does this person even know you both?" Ethan said, a tinge of anger lingering in his tone.

Pooja absently fiddled with the card while suddenly something caught her eye. In tiny handwriting, the letters D.I.B.S.15. She presented it to Ethan.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

"It looks like some cryptic message to me. Maybe the murderer wrote it absently on this card. We need to infer its meaning. It can be crucial."

"Hmm. Seems, like we have a lot of investigation to do. But at first, let's note down the enigmas we need to find the answers of."

They grabbed a notebook and wrote down all the lingering inquiries and matters about which they were going to seek.

Who is Mr Davis? Why was he targeted?

Why did no one from his acquaintances never come to question about him?

Why did the murderer target Pooja and Alex? How does he know them?

How was the murder perpetrated?

The addresses

MedMinder Drug Store

D.I.B.S.15

"Ethan?"

"Hmm?"

"Should we call the medical store? They might have vital information about the person who bought their stuff."

"Sure they will, reckoning that the person who bought the stuff is the same as the one who murdered Mr Davis."

"Or, you know, we can go there. Like check out both the addresses personally? So many facts are not present on the 'net. We may find something worthwhile for the case or maybe, even find the mastermind?"

"I was contemplating the same thing. But I wanted to take Mark and Alex with us. After all, four brains are more dependable than two." Pooja snickered a little.

"Sure. I will shoot them both a text to meet us up after their shifts get over."

But there was no need to do that. When Pooja unplugged her phone from the charger, she saw their texts. Both of them had taken an off early and were en route to Ethan's penthouse.

After fifteen minutes, Mark and Alex arrived. Ethan and Pooja filled them up with everything they had come across.

Then they told them about their plan of visiting the two addresses.

"That would be incredible. But before that, you both should know the autopsy results." Mark said.

"The Autopsy result came?" Pooja asked.

"Yup, this morning. And guess what?"

"The cause of death is not the throat slit. It is Acute Cyanide Poisoning. The throat was slit afterwards." Alex informed them.

"What the hell?" Pooja remarked, wide-eyed.

"All this is so seriously messed up, isn't it?"

"The person has a medical history. They would know the dosage. Also, looking at the kind of criminal he is, it would not have been too difficult for him to arrange the cyanide." Ethan stated.

"But Why Mr. Davis? I don't understand" Alex queried curiously.

"Let's get going. I am sure we will get at least some of our answers from these two addresses."

The four grabbed their coats, took the three clues, packed their tab and set off. The first address on Lyon Avenue was not far from Ethan and Pooja's place.

They arrived there in ten minutes and spent another five minutes in searching the store.

The drug store was not very busy, dimly illuminated and smelt fusty.

The man at the counter didn't even notice them coming until,

"Ahm"

Ethan cleared his throat.

The man almost jumped out of his seat. Regaining his composure, he said, "How, ahem, How may I help you?"

"We need some information. Can you remember who was the person who bought these from you?" Pooja said, handing him the receipt.

"I am sorry, but information of our customers is confidential. We can not reveal it to anyone except security personals or family member."

Uh Oh. Now what? Nothing a sprinkle of drama can't resolve.

"Um, Actually the person who bought these from you was most probably my brother. And he is missing for the last three days. So we are searching for information which can lead up to him." Mark said.

Either The shopkeeper was disinterested in their explanation or whatever he said about confidentiality was a lie because he didn't question Mark. He just eyed him sceptically and revealed,

"It was four days ago. I don't remember quite well, but I can give you some information. It was a man of medium height, wearing a high collared black jacket. He wore sleek black sunglasses and a mask. He did not speak anything but handed me the list of items he needed.

He made his payment in cash. When I asked if he was a medical professional, he showed me his visiting card. The card seemed pretty old and unkempt, but the designation Dr. was visible. So I didn't think much and gave him his things. That's all I can recollect."

"Was the visiting card that he showed similar to this?" Ethan asked, presenting the visiting card they had.

"Let me see."

"Yup, the font does seem similar."

"Seems like this might be our man. Thank you very much for the information." Mark said before they started to exit the shop.

"Wait a sec." The man at the counter beckoned them.

They turned back.

"What is it?"

"I just remembered something. The man, he gave me an extra 20 bucks. When I informed him that he had given me extra cash, he gestured me to keep it. Also, when he was handing over the money, he folded up the left sleeve of his shirt, and there were numerous cut marks on it." The man at the counter told them.

The instant they heard about the cuts, they got the confirmation of their lingering suspicions.

This man was the murderer, and he was the one who was sending them the bloody notes.

The four thanked the man, and as a gesture of gratitude handed him some bucks. Then they left the shop and set off for their next destination.

Once seated back in the car, Pooja said, "So now we know that we are following the right person. Maybe the second address will tell us more."

"Mark, How did you deduce the murderer to be a man?" Alex asked.

"Just took a wild speculation. And because I have,"

Mark stopped.

"had a brother, that came out spontaneously." Mark's voice held traces of pain and brought out the confrontation among his thoughts.

But he quickly regained composure and said, "But thank god the guess was right. If not, we would be in a hell of a mess."

Mark laughed a bit, but his laughter sounded somewhat void.

For the rest of the journey, there was no conversation. A deafening muteness fell in the car, but no one tried to rip through it.

The journey to the second address took 20 minutes.

But they were a bit taken aback from the situation of the place.

It was a cryptic, morose part of the city, and it was awkward for a doctor to set up their practice here. In the entire street, darkness lurked. Flickers of light were visible in some of the houses.

Ethan, Pooja and Alex started to walk down the street slowly to locate the private clinic, but Mark stayed behind.

It was as if distasteful remembrances came to him, inundating him, due to the sight in front of him.

There was a glimmer of identification of the area in his eyes.

After walking a few steps, Alex realized that Mark was not with them.

At first, she began to panic, but when she turned around and saw Mark standing by the car, sighed in relaxation.

"MARK, MARK" Alex beckoned him.

Alex's voice caused Ethan and Pooja to turned around. They, too, detected Mark and the three started to pace towards the car.

"Mark, what happened?" Alex asked after arriving at the car, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Then she spotted the tears rolling down Mark's face.

Before she could say anything, Mark hugged her and broke into stringent sobs. His entire body was shuddering with every cry.

Ethan and Pooja quickly went beside him, trying to calm him down while Alex held him in her embrace.

"Mark, Honey, what happened? Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell or something?" Alex asked, panic apparent in her voice.

Sensing her dread, Mark tried to regain his composure. And he succeeded a bit.

Breaking himself from Alex's embrace but holding her hand for strength, he levelled up. The other three looked at him, concern and curiosity both unambiguous on their faces.

"T-T-This place, I k-know this place." Mark began, voice trembling a bit.

"You do?" Pooja asked.

"Y-yup. This place, it endures as the beholder of the pain my family went through. All our sufferings, all our cries started here and ended h-here." Mark said, on the verge of tears.

"Mark, if you don't want to talk about it, it is okay, you don't have to," Ethan said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"N-No, I have to say this. I have to tell you."

Mark took a pause.

"T-T-This place is where m-my c-childhood home is."

The grief that we hide from the world, that we bury deep in our soul, when it comes out, it twists knives in a way that rips through all our soul leaving us as shredded as we were when we encountered it.

PS: This case had pulled strings which no one had expected. But will these strings tug the answers with them? This chapter feels like the beginning of the end. What do you think, is Mark's dilemma? What about Pooja's childhood? And what new challenge will the murderer place in front of them?

Every question will be answered and every Mystery will be solved. They might be Detectives by chance but their skills know no bound.

If you enjoyed the story, please like, leave a comment or reblog. Your feedback keeps me going 💕. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day ahead.💕💕

37 notes · View notes

katherinemallory · 4 years ago

Text

#9 The spy who kissed me

All the previous chapters of this soap opera can be found here: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8

I've never eaten such an expensive dinner before and I was relieved I didn't have to pay for it. Bond insisted to dine somewhere outside the MI6 Headquarters, so no one could interrupt us, and I willingly agreed. I can't even recall the restaurant's name. All I can remember is his laugh caused by some filthy jokes.

He seemed more enthusiastic than ever, probably because he has just been informed that we would go on a mission together. I could tell the news surprised him, but in a positive way, as if he hoped his predicted scenario would eventually come true. And it seemed to me like it gave him a massive self-confidence boost. At times he has been insufferable, as if he wasn’t too arrogant already... The good thing was that it made him let his guard down, and I used this to my advantage, responding to each of his flirtatious comments.

Not only did I play my part well, but also I enjoyed it. And even though I really intended to improve our friendship (or should I rather call it a relationship?), I considered the fact that I could use Bond to my own ends. It's high time someone has taught this womanizer a lesson... how many women in the SIS alone did he deceive? The list's endless, but he doesn't care at all. He will break any heart without regret as they say, only because he's that *famous* James Bond. Just like that. Why on earth would he be so interested in me? Does he fancy me that much? I don't think so. And even if he does, I thought, it’s likely that he just wants to sleep with me, adding me to his collection. It's your turn, Kath. He deserves this. *You* can use him. On your own terms.

I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. Me as a ruthless adventurer? Such description didn’t suit me at all. But I felt some strange power inside of me, I heard a voice that assured me being heartless for once won't change much in my life.

The truth was, I needed us to look convincing. Not necessarily like a romantically-involved couple, but as passionate lovers. Just in case my plan to get Mallory went wrong, I could always leave the Service after a "whirlwind” affair with James Bond.

Of course I never wanted to leave the Service in the first place, not after I just have been promoted to the double-0 section, not after one of my biggest dreams came true, but... my feelings for Mallory kept getting stronger and stronger every day... until I finally realized I *had* to take chances...

After the dinner both Bond and I went back to the SIS building and visited Q in his "office”. We were given some standard equipment: a brand-new tracking device and cyanide pills. And, of course, we left the meeting armed ("And the guns, just in case. A direct order from M") - me with a Walther P99, and Bond with a Beretta 418.

We examined the guns, while Q kept browsing through some documents on his desk.

“Yeah, I think... That’s all I have for you,” he said, scratching his head.

Bond looked at Q in disapproval.

“That’s all? Not exactly Christmas, is it?”

“Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don’t really go in for that anymore,” remarked Q. “And besides... you won’t need this kind of stuff this time. But the guns are always a good idea. The ones here are the best we’ve got right now... all for our best agents.”

“I love you too, Q,” said Bond with a smirk.

“Oh, don’t mind him, Q,” I dragged in. “He’s unbearable recently,” I added, looking pityingly at Bond.

“I’m afraid he’s always been like that, you just don’t know him long enough, Kath,” replied Q and burst into laughter. “It was great to see you both.”

“Thanks, Q. You’re the best!” I exclaimed when Bond bundled me through the door.

...

We took the elevator and planned our next move. Bond promised to hand me the mission’s files the next day, so he could have enough time to go through them. We would meet in three days’ time at the airport and travel together to Monte Carlo.

I stepped into my office to check the documents I had signed earlier. I also made a call to Eve, as I didn't want to meet her in her office and cause any suspicions about my frequent visits there.

I lied down on the couch next to the window and dialed the Eve’s private number. I preferred to avoid using the SIS phone line.

"Eve... it's Kath. Do you have a minute?"

"Yes, Kath, what is it?" she answered. "You left so quickly... I immediately began to wonder what your gesture did mean..."

"Well... I'm sure you know.”

"Yeah... the thought had occurred to me," Eve chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. But finding out *anything* about *him* is definitely not going to be easy. He’s the most enigmatic man in the Service."

"What’s it to you? I will owe you one if you prove my point," I promised her, trying to sound charming.

"Alright, alright," replied Eve. "You know I’d help you anyway... Listen, you'd better be sure about this... I guess it means you put it all on the line... for him?"

I got lost in my own thoughts for a while, suddenly realizing all the consequences. I stood up, went to the bookcase, and started to read what was written on the books’ covers.

"I guess it does... It's everything or nothing."

It took Eve a moment to respond.

"I will always have your back, Kath... but... You should seriously consider this... it could cost you your career..."

"I know, Eve,” I stammered quietly. “I just can't pretend any longer..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kath", said Eve. "I've got to go. M needs me. We’ll talk about it later, I promise. Now I have to go."

As soon as I have hanged up, I understood that I had placed myself in a truly risky situation. In the end, I could never get Mallory... but I could easily throw away my future instead. If I was a more rational person I could seduce James Bond and live happily ever after with him as the most dangerous pair of the double-0s you'd ever met.

I've been wondering why M sends us on a mission together. Is that a test for both of us, so Mallory could see if we can cooperate despite being attracted to each other? Does he expect us to reconcile professional and private life? Anyway, I was aware of the fact that whatever happens during this mission, it would have a major impact on both my career and my relationships with Bond and Mallory.

...

I left the office after half an hour. I was standing on the corridor with the keys in my hand, when someone hugged me from behind and kissed me on the neck.

"002 is still at work, huh? What James Bond could do to make her let him... drive her home?" Bond whispered gently into my ear. His voice was smooth and very sexy.

"James," I said, trying to lock the door and free myself from his embrace. "You can't just do this in public. What will people say when they..."

The touch of Bond’s lips made me shiver, as they slowly moved from my neck to the collarbone.

"There’s no one here... and I asked... what he... could do... to make her... let him... drive her... home..." he murmured.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Bond continued to caress my waist and holded onto me. He was so close I could smell his perfume and feel his slightest move.

"Just a few more... um... kissess... and I'm sure she'll agree," I moaned with delight.

I haven’t been entirely honest with Bond. His touch was very pleasant, but not as pleasant as I kept telling him.

“Just be careful and don’t make my shirt wrinkled...”

I opened my eyes and then I've seen Mallory who was watching us from around the corner. He spoke to one of the male double-0s I barely knew. Damn, he looks dashing in this red tie, but I’m sure this man could wear *anything* and would still catch my eye, I thought. He has a pretty good figure for a man at his age... even with his arm in a sling.

"Let go of me, James," I said nervously, trying to turn around. "That was wonderful, but we can't really behave like this... here."

Bond didn’t loosen his grip, sensing the changes in my mood.

“What is it?”

“It’s Mallory,” I huffed. “He’s seen us.”

“So what?” asked Bond when I nailed my eyes on Mallory. “Is he still looking...?” Bond whispered and kissed me on the neck two more times.

I couldn’t stand being watched by Mallory when Bond kept kissing me, so I turned my head to Bond and kissed him on the lips. He was so surprised he allowed me to turn around, and then I finally broke the grip.

“You don’t waste time, do you? Our last meeting wasn’t that... steamy. What business is it of yours, James?”

“I’m your fictional husband, remember? I need to stay in character,” he answered with a smirk on his face.

I rolled my eyes.

“Katherine, didn’t we agree to start from scratch? Let’s say I’m trying to show you my best side... And that includes showing you... a few tricks I know.”

“That’s really impressive,” I replied. “But you’re mistaken if you think I will fall into bed with you in Monte Carlo. Casual flirt isn’t enough to get me,” I assured him, smiling provocatively.

“Is that so? You know what kind of things happen when two attactive agents go on a mission together...”

“I have no idea,” I said, putting my hands in my pockets.

“But you’re dying to find out,” he commented at winked at me.

I shook my head and sighed.

“James, you’re so terrible sometimes...”

“I’ll stop being terrible if you let me drive you home,” he said and took my hands in his. “I promise!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“So, now you’re blackmailing me?”

Bond squeezed my hands.

“Can I drive you home or not?”

I came closer to him and straightened his tie.

“Sure you can. It seems that I don’t need my own car anymore...”

"Perfect," he said in his deep voice and grabbed me by the hand. “Let’s go!”

"Oh, James. Uhm... I have to get a few things from Amanda’s office,” I lied, as I didn’t want to be seen by Mallory leaving the building with Bond.

"Alright, do it quick. I'll wait for you downstairs,” he leaned in and lowered his voice. “And Katherine... pay no attention to Mallory. I can see what’s going on here... he doesn’t care. The sooner you understand it, the better.”

Damn, I thought. He can be really bossy when he wants someting, and what is even worse, he really wants *someting* from me... He thinks it’s me who deceives myself, but the truth is, he is way more deceived than I am. Over my dead body I’ll forget about Mallory! And I use the word *damn* way too often recently...

"I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stated and kissed him on the cheek.

“Oh, you do,” said Bond quietly. “You may think he’s a better choice than me... but I will make you mine. You underestimate how much I like a challenge...” he added and gently touched my arm. “Don’t be long,” he whispered.

As soon as Bond has taken the elevator, I saw Mallory walking towards me. The thought of unexpected conversation with my supervisor made me blush, so I quickly turned my back on him, pretending to lock the door to my office. I hoped that he would just pass by.

"002..."

"Sir,” I responded, turning around.

"... why are you still here? You should go home and get some rest before the flight. To get a few days off is a rare occurence in this business."

"I just wanted to make sure I signed all the papers, sir," I replied, staring into his eyes. “I always find it hard to leave this place.”

"It’s totally understandable, but you’ll be back in no time.”

I didn’t say a word, I just smiled mildly and nodded. Mallory tilted his head.

“You wonder *why* I send you and Bond on a mission together, don’t you?”

“Actually I do, sir.“

He bored into me.

“The answer’s simple. You two look like a real, *charming* couple... judging by the way you both *enjoy* to go undercover,” mocked Mallory.

“Oh, but it only looks that way, sir,” I replied nervously. “We make some effort to look the part. It’s easier this way.”

“I’m sure it is,” Mallory commented curtly. “But the thing is that fictional husbands don’t have to always behave like gentlemen,” he added and looked at my wrinkled collar.

I got embarassed after he had said that.

“Go home, Katherine, you deserve to rest,” he said calmly. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said, watching him turn around and walking down the corridor.

I looked at my wristwatch. It’s time to go, Bond waits for me... but first I have to calm down a bit, I thought. I felt my heart racing in my chest. It seems that Bond’s kisses can’t make me feel even half of those things that a short conversation with Mallory can... but it doesn’t mean the current state of affairs will last forever. It’s something I know all too well.

Monte Carlo, here I come.

***

To be continued.

#fanfiction #james bond fanfiction #katherine mallory #gareth mallory #m #james bond #bond james bond #q #miss moneypenny #007 #002 #thunderball title song quote #skyfall quote

7 notes · View notes

captainjimothycarter · 4 years ago

Note

Steggy Au prompt: after accidentally using the reality stone, Steve wakes up in a world where the procedure of becoming a super soldier failed, but he is healthier and has a life with peggy.

Ahh this is so what you not had asked, but my brain just kept writing this.

Of all places, this wasn’t where he wanted to be. It was quiet in here, set outside of the worst of the city. It sat on a few hills, offering a pretty view of some sparkling water a distance away, the sounds of the wind blowing around him. While he didn’t want to be here, he had to be here. Steve left himself no choice.

He’s only been awake in this century for a few weeks now, a few months. He’s done a few missions for SHIELD here and there, a few diplomated things, a few smiles and sign some papers, an autograph here or two, everything reminding him of his SOE days. A dancing monkey.

While he didn’t want to be Captain America right now, SHIELD left him no choice. Fury’s words basically said that. That was fine to Steve, almost, he didn’t want to work, but he also didn’t want to think, and in order not to think he had to pretend to be busy. That was better than sitting here in a reminder that all your friends and your life you knew beforehand were dead.

This is the cemetery where the Howling Commandos was buried, where his ma was buried, Bucky’s ma, father, baby sister, where even Howard and his wife, and yes, Peggy was buried. Weirdly enough he’s crossed over his own grave once, seeing his own name, date of birth, and death date etched into the marble set a bone chill about him. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about Bucky’s grave either. Or Jim’s or Jones or Dugan’s or...anybody.

Hell, he didn’t want to think about Peggy’s, but here he was. He knelt in front of it and tenderly brushed off a few clumps of grass that had been grown on it from the lawn care crew. His fingers traced over her name with a soft sigh.

Loving mother, aunt, grandmother. Doing what no one else would.

“I loved you,” Steve breathed, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead into the stone. “I’m sorry, Peggy. Sorry I couldn’t give you that dance. Sorry I-I failed you. I wish I could take it all back...to be with you. I’d give anything to...to be with you. I don’t regret...anything, only that I lost you.”

His throat tightened at the need to cry, more than familiar with locking the pain away for a rainy day. As he pulled back, a glittering red in the grass beside the headstone caught his attention. It looked almost like a diamond, but who would lose a diamond out here?

Steve frowned as he reached down to pick it up, his world turning black around him.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean what happened? It worked.”

“He’s still small!”

“We don’t know what the serum would do or not do.”

“So it failed.”

“It did…”

The voices faded to the background as the door closed with a sharp snap. Peggy stood in front of the door, hands behind her back. She looked nervously up at Steve, biting her lip. Her eyes flickered over Steve’s form before breathing a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry about those two - Erksine and Colonel Phillips have never-”

Peggy jerked back as Steve instantly hopped off of the table and hugged her tightly around the middle. His head came just to her chest, breathing her comforting, floral scent in.

“Peggy!”

The tears burned his eyes but the shock of her jerking away and holding him at arms’ length, eyes nervously glancing at the windows around them to see if anyone saw them. “Steven, what in the world has gotten into you? Are you okay?”

Hang on - she was able to move him? Since when? And why was she here? Why were Phillips and Erksine arguing over him? Wasn’t Erksine…

Steve jerked away like he’d been burned, stumbling over his own two feet. He retreated to a mirror to look at himself, patting himself down in the uniform. His uniform. His face. His height.

He was smaller. Yet, the procedure, Project Rebirth, he was still small. Did that mean it failed? That he wasn’t a super soldier? Small and yet...he could breathe, he could taste the dust in the air, her floral scent didn’t send him coughing, he could see color. What happened?

And he’d just hugged Peggy in the middle of an SSR medical room, where thankfully people bustling around outside, and the two arguing next door hadn’t paid much attention. He turned back to see Peggy looking at him with a worried expression.

“Steven, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I know this isn’t what you expected, but you heard Erksine, you’re healthy!”

“No, no, Pegs…” Steve sat down heavily onto the medical bench and flinched at how cold it was. He ignored the pinched brow look she gave him. He wasn’t helping his case here. How could he? He couldn’t understand it himself. He didn’t know what was going on. The last thing he remembered was touching the stone…

And now he was here, younger, smaller, and the serum hadn’t worked. He said he’d give anything to have a life with her...this was anything, wasn’t it? The serum. To be healthy, but to be with her.

“Peggy,” Steve tried again, clearing his throat. “I have something I-I need to tell you, something you won’t believe, but it...it has to be…” He looked around the empty room, not trusting their surroundings.

Clearly, Peggy caught on because she nodded. “Elsewhere, yes, I see.” She pursed her red lips, her hand reaching out to ghost over the back of Steve’s before fixing his suit jacket. “I can get us somewhere that isn’t so...busy, but we can’t be seen touching like that again, do you understand?”

It was clear by her body language how she wanted him (he could once remember her (drunkenly) saying how she was ready to jump his bones), so he understood. His head jerked. “Of course, ma’am. That was an overlap in my judgment. It-it’s been so long since I’ve last seen you...you-”

He stopped himself, his throat tightening up and squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears. He didn’t need to look at Peggy’s face to see how confused she was.

“You just saw me half an hour ago, Steven, what-”

“I’ll explain later, can you get us out of here?”

Somewhere safe was the hotel room Peggy was renting, it seems. She had snuck Steve out in the chaos, only making mention to Erksine and Phillips that they were stepping out for some fresh air. No one needed to know where they went. Far as Steve was concerned, he was officially sacked. The serum had failed to make him a super soldier, he wouldn’t get to be a dancing puppet, wouldn’t get to rescue Bucky… oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

By the time they’d reached the hotel room, Steve was defiantly panicking. It felt odd to be in this small body and not be thrown immediately into an asthma attack. He started to pace the room by the time Peggy closed the door, hands continuously running through his hair. He only stopped when Peggy was forced to grab him by the shoulders and sit him on the bed.

“Talk to me,” she said in a firm tone, driving him out of his spirling thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not Steve.”

No, no that was the wrong thing to say. She jerked back and frowned at him, her hand at the ready to go for her gun.

“No, I-” Steve groaned and gripped at his hair. “I am Steve! Steve Rogers, just not the Steve Rogers you know! Just...I am…” He stood up this time to start pacing again. If he didn’t, he was feeling antsy. He couldn’t sit still.

“I am a-a Steve Rogers...the Steve Rogers… I just…” He looked back at her, hands flopping to his side. “This is going to sound insane, but you have to believe me.”

“Okay,” Peggy breathed, sounding on the side of cautious. “I don’t...necessarily have any other choice right now besides calling Erksine to check that head of yours.”

“No, Peggy.” Steve took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Panicking will get him nowhere. “I’m Steve Rogers. In another...I-I don’t know...Timeline or something, the serum worked. It worked and I-I was big and strong and everything Erksine desired. He was killed because it worked by Hydra. We caught the-the man but he used a cyanide pill to kill himself, found out he tried to steal the serum too. Phillips sent you to the front lines because of it.”

Now she was on the edge of the bed, hands gripping the sheet. Her face was schooled in a manner that told Steve she was between believing him and shooting him right then and there. “How do you know about Hydra?”

“I just told you!” He flinched as he shouted, giving an apologetic look. “I...the-the agent. He was up in the...he was sitting with ya’ll up there.” He waved his hand, growing more frustrated with himself by the second.

“Right...beside me.” Her lips pursed in thought, eyes on the floor. “Phillips said one of the men was arrested shortly after...you came out. I wasn’t told about what or how before he started on Erksine. Okay, let’s say I believed you...where did he send you? The serum worked, right? You must’ve been sent somewhere important.”

“I wasn’t...I was…” The blonde’s shoulders slumped and the story spilled out how he became a dancing monkey for war bonds. He appreciated how she flinched at that, how it was clear she was enraged at the idea too.

“Bloody Nora, Steven, you...deserved better than that.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust and Steve couldn’t help the smirk forming. She was starting to believe him. “What happened, then?”

“You did.”

Peggy blinked slowly, sitting up fully. “I don’t understand. I did?”

Steve chose to sit down this time, his body still tingling and aching lightly from the serum. His hands collapsed in front of him, shoulders hunched. “You told me I deserved more than this. I deserved more than being some dancing monkey. You gave me a way out, you helped me get my way out, even if it was dangerous and stupid, and put you and Howard Stark’s life at risk.”

“You know Stark?” She shook her head, the question not important. “What did...I do?”

“Personally, yes.” The last question drew a sigh from him. “You helped me rescue the 107th. Bucky and...a group of lads that become our closest friends.”

It grew more complicated from there, from Steve spilling out every last detail he remembered. From rescuing Bucky to Red Skull to Zola, the Howling Commandos forming, Phillips’ downright praises at times, from the various missions, and yes, even them growing closer together. He explained it all as he could remember. To how they grew close as a couple and even shared a few kisses (his ears burned at that idea) and Peggy gasped, unable to help herself.

To Bucky dying.

To...him dying.

To waking up in a new future, 70 years from now to a hell hole where everyone knew he existed, but he knew no one.

“I died?” Peggy asked, swallowing. She leaned closer, they were separated by just mere centimeters at this point. He could feel her breath ghosting over his lips. “I...died.”

“In your sleep, yes, of old age, or so I was told.” Steve was the one to lean back, working the rest of the way out of his shirts until he was in the undershirt. Peggy had long undid her tie and suit jacket. “Do you believe me?”

“I’m afraid I have no choice but to. None of this has happened yet, but all of it...you sound so sure, to where it all can happen. And we have to prevent most of this, from Schmidt to your friends dying. To you ever stepping onto a bloody plane.”

Steve snorted, unable to help himself. He could kiss her from the relief that filled him. He did. He kissed her softly on the lips, the shock washing over both of them. She took him by the shoulders and pulled them closer until he was kneeling beside her.

Peggy’s smile was warmer as she pulled away, using her thumb to wipe away the lipstick.

“How scared of heights are you?” She asked, checking her watch with a frown. At his questioning look, she said, “I have an idea. It’s going to require Stark’s help but he’s been requesting a test pilot for weeks now. I think we just found him one.”

She gestured to their clothes and Steve hurriedly dressed, making sure the last of the lipstick was wiped from his lips. “Where are we going?” he asked, pulling his jacket closed.

He forgot (and missed) how hurriedly she walked, quickly taking two steps to her everyone. “We’re going to meet with Phillips to discuss the possibility of you becoming Stark’s new test pilot and use your knowledge to change the world.”

Tip Jar (it’s 100% optional!)

#Steggy #StevePeggy #Steggy Prompt #Nonny Prompt #TFA AU

14 notes · View notes

gocrazygostupidtheories · 4 years ago

Text

I tried.

For the past couple of days, I've been freaking out over this image found by @night-rise7474

And trying to figure what sort of thing I could tie it to.

And, I think I have found it.

When I saw it, I thought of the goddess Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, who was so powerful and beautiful even Zeus was scared of her, the guy who banged practically everything he saw despite also fearing the rage of his wife. It could also be Hecate with the whole statue thing going on, and in some older myths, Hecate was Nyx's daugter, so if could be either.

I also began trying to find things linking to Luz's name (Luz being light, and Noceda apparently being 'field of nut trees.') The most powerful source of light is the Sun, but stars could also count with the reoccurring star motif, so that could lead me somewhere.

Then, I remembered that it is set on the remains of a giant titan thing, and that Greek mythology sure loved titans. Demons are an integral part in The Owl House, Hecate did rule over the Underworld. Though it may not be a perfect fit, we can get somewhere.

So, I wanted to find someone relating to light/stars/the Sun, Nyx/Hecate, Greek mythology and possibly titans and the Underworld.

And I found multiple options.

First was Hemera, the personification and primordial goddess of the day. She was one of the daughters of Nyx and Erebus, a primordial god and personification of darkness. She had a brother called Aether, the personification of the upper sky and the pure air Gods breathe on Olympus.

It was said that Nyx and Hemera greet eachother as they past a threshold of bronze, and while one goes through, the other goes out, creating the day and night sky.

The door Luz goes through to go to the Boiling Isles is coloured with browns, bronzes and yellows that emits a yellow glow once opened/summoned. The door is obviously Eda's with the themes and colours, but it sounds similar to this threshold with the golden glow being a sunrise or a sunset. Because I'm assuming Luz is Hemera and how she's going into the Underworld, it's a sunset and the shadow is Nyx.

As far as we know, there are only two dimension: ours and the realm the Boiling Isles is. Ours has only humans and live animals, while the Boiling Isles has witches, demons and other mythical creatures usually associated with the dead and the Underworld (also keep in mind of how witches evolved from humans, like how ghosts can.)

The Underworld is invisible to humans (note how there needs to be a physical portal for a modern human to get there,) the six main rivers: the Styx (hatred), the Acheron (pain), the Lethe (forgetfulness), the Phelgethon (fire that leads to Tartarus), the Cocytus (wailing), and the Oceanus (encircles the world and separates the east end of the Underworld from the human one.) And how it is an Isle surrounded by murky waters.

The first thing Luz notes about the place is about how weird it is that it even impresses her. Also, this was the original idea for The Owl House:

And where do dead souls go to when they die in Greek mythology? The Underworld. It may be possible that the other Luz may be in the other world, or is the affect of the Boiling Isles taking a toll on her. Afterall, witches came from humans and didn't have to use physical means to do magic. Who knows what affect could happen to a human using and learning magic this quickly and at such a young age (with alot of power by the moon ritual, but that could also just be Willow.)

Second was Melinoë, a cyhthonic nymph or goddess as bringer of nightmares and madness. Her mother was Persephone who had sex with Zeus disguised as Plouton next to the river Cocytus. However, some context may be needed for Zeus.

In the hymn, this knowledge came from the Orphic that had the belief that Zeus and Hades were the same person (Hades in Greek mythology is described as the Zeus of the Underworld,) and two facets of the same god and divine power. Persephone was already upset at her state of being tied to the Underworld and not being able to see her mother, but her loss of virginity and the pregnancy only made it worse for her, made her child inherit her madness and union.

She gave birth next to the Cocytus (there were only four rivers in the Orphic,) She is described with the traits of a typical moon goddess: with bright, long hair and overall very wise and beautiful. She is one of the only Greek goddesses described as being "clad in saffron," the other being Hecate in the Orphic, who is pretty relevant if we're running with my other theory. If we look at Luz, she had short dark hair (that, to note, used to be long,) with a half purple top and blue-ish or purple-ish leggings, who isn't the brightest person ever. The designs are the complete opposite. In an 1887 translation by Thomas Taylor suggests her being a half black and white being from Zeus/Leuke and Pluto, adding onto the duality between our Luz and "creepy Luz."

When they say "clad in saffron," most would turn to the colour, which is a light gold. However, saffron could also be the flower, which is actually purple in colour.

Her name can be linked to the ancient Greek word "mēlinos" which means, "having the colour of quince", from melon which means "tree fruit." The colour of a quince's fruit (a yellowish green,) symbolises illness or death. Again, her last name Noceda that links to nut trees links to a quince: a fruit tree. It's also grown for it's pink and white flowers. The seeds of the fruit contain nitriles, which can turn into hydrogen cyanide (a toxic gas,) that can kill the person if eaten in a large quantity, which is an opposite of a nut which is a safe, edible, dry seed. I may be digging to deep with this one, but I thought it may be cool.

She terrifies humans by turning into night terrors that can drive them insane. She appears on a bronze tablet used for a private ritual known as magic, specifically divination (bronze was known to drive evil spirits away and protect the people performing it.) It's triangular with a hole in the middle, similar to the planchette used for the Ouija board. In mythology, triplicity and the number three is very important. Melinoë, Phoebe and Dione take up one corner of the triangle, with the word Amibousa written underneath eachothers' feet, referring to the different phases of the moon.

Last is the Phosphorus, or the morning star. In Greek mythology, it is Venus in its morning appearance. The name hasn't got a specifc meaning, but common interpretations says it means "dawn-bringer" that could link it to Hecate (closely linked to torches,) or it could be linked to Lucifer. His parents can vary from Astraeus and Eos, Cephalus and Eos, or Atlas. While some sources suggests that Hesperus (the evening star, Venus in its evening apperance,) and Phosphorus are identical but different beings, other myths say they were the same person.

This, of course, could mean that the shadow Luz is a foil of Luz's personality, or a certain type of magic or affect on her by performing so much magic. It could be a prophecy, or it could be a sort of alter ego.

By know, I think you've noticed a pattern with these options and the moon and stars. The symbol for the Blight family is a star, moon rituals are performed when the moon is full, Luz finds her second spell with the stars, the interesting scene on the roof of the Owl House living room is on the ceiling that also involves stars, and this Luz has the pattern of the night sky on her. This is my main belief as to why the main secrets are linked to Nyx and moon/star themed gods and goddesses, mainly the inhabitants of the Underworld. Since Luz means light, and is from the opposite realm, I associated her with either the sun or stars. My point is is that either she has a storm coming or is the storm.

#the owl house #toh #the owl house theory #luz noceda #toh luz

61 notes · View notes

sootygoggles · 4 years ago

Text

Parent!Paranoia Sanders Sides AU!

No explanation, but I'll probably give the backstory later. For now: memes of Paranoia being an A-class parent and a chaos gremlin. (okay it started as memes but then just ended up as fleshing the AU out)

Paranoia, worried abt his kids: I'm uhhhh gonna go to my room see ya later light sides

Paranoia, sneaking back into the subconscious to check on his now teenaged children: I'm gonna leave duke a r a t that I found and thought looked cool

Duke, waking up the next morning and yelling for 'Nesty bc "HOLY CRAP NESTY LOOK AT THIS RAT ISN'T SHE ADORABLE I WANNA HANG HER ON THE WALL": !!!!!!!!!!

Paranoia gets a habit of sitting on the fridge because his children were wild as kids and sometimes duke comin at you with a knife warrants jumping onto counters

Nesty, who doesnt get paid to deal with duke: I'm raiding dads liquor cabinet it's my due for putting up with this

Paranoia, physically manifesting: put the key to the liquor cabinet D O W N, Honesty

The lights are confused as to why he disappears at random times of the day and night and he just "leave me TF alone before I leave you a goshdarn diddly P R E S E N T while youre sleeping I'm tired"

patton: my child! my dark strange son!!

paranoia, who has children: ,,,,yea ok

Patton ticks him off so he leaves a big halloween decor spider on his bed and nobody sleeps for weeks after that bc pattons too scared to touch it and paranoia maybeperhaps glued it onto his cover

He's like one of those people you know might mean well but ooooooo boy theyre pushin buttons

Paranoia, whos fav animal/insect is spiders and whose children have tarantulas and snakes on the regular: hes not even realistic!! You need to learn to get along with mr sparkles patton!! look at him. he's fluffy!

He has googly eyes and glitter on him at all times of course hes named mr sparkles

paranoia gets to be a little petty. as a treat

Paranoia just carries bags of glitter around and whenever mr sparkles gets duller he takes mr sparkles to the kitchen counter and he dumps glitter on him

Logan and patton are tired of cleaning up bc paranoias just petty enough to make their counters eternally sparkly

"why is there glitter all over the kitchen?"

paranoia, holding mr sparkles: :)

Paranoia, after AA: I hate purple but they dont know that now do they

Paranoia is actually orange the last side is purple lol

Chaos Gremlin dark sides and nobody is surprised bc paranoia raised them

paranoia, going back to see his teen children after acting like a teen all day: what is up, fellow kids

honesty: i am going to lose it

Wrath, coming to yell at them to keep it down: why are you purple I'm purple

Paranoia, cackling bc finally I can get out of this horrible color: *snaps fingers * I'M PARANOIA MOTHERTRUCKERS HAVE FUUUNNNNN I'M GONNA BE MAKING YOUR LIVES LIVING HELL FROM THIS POINT FORWARDS

duke and nesty, pumped for halloween bc u l t i m a t e s p o o k: :D

paranoia, coming out in a traffic cone costume with a shit eating grin on his face: :D

Paranoia, decorating for halloween bc "oh I'm sorry it's just the *sniffles * homesickness and we a l w a y s decorated for halloween" knowing full well all of his decorations are spider and witch themed bc they all like the salem witch trials

He leaves ONE fake snake in romans cereal and the lights just. Lose it. Hes kicked back into the subconscious to be chaotic with his kids, no new side, just the hours upon hours of film hes gotten from the bugs hed placed around the unconscious and a plan for the next several movie nights

He gets back and honesty is w h e e z i n g bc he was watching through the cracks and they make a fail compilation of the light sides

It takes like two months for the lights to just go insane with him around not due to yknow paranoia but bc hes such a gremlin

Patton asks if he was raised by wolves and he shoves mr sparkles at patton saying "take the issue of how I was raised up with my father, a-hole!!"

He doesnt actually curse he just yells "A-HOLE" so loud his kids can hear

They dont find out he's a dad until hes summoned and hes making cookies or smt with the kids and hes in a bright orange stereotypical witch outfit,,, corset and all and an apron that says "worlds most chaotic dad" on the front

And hes talking to one of the kids like "duke you can only put dish soap in your batch nesty cant digest it like you can"

Patton has an apron that says worlds least chaotic 'dad' courtesy of paranoia he made it himself(read: he stole pattons good apron and scribbled over it in sharpie)

Paranoia is always close to cackling when around the lights bc theyre newbs to any chaos

Roman and remus are twins but roman is the kind of kid to promptly forget abt anyone and logan n patton knew remus less than a day before he "disappeared" aka ran to the subconscious to explore and theyve just kinda blocked him out

Logans fine with it and actually likes the decorations tho he has asked if they had to be so brightly coloured and if there had to be so much glitter

I say decorations but hes a secret gremlin at heart and is super close to snickering at all times bc of the pranks

Also yes paranoia mildly dads roman it's great but he dads in an older sibling type way

So pat and logan are all "hes fitting in as an older brother well" and they tell him abt their approval of his older brother chaos and hes just like "no this is how I am deal with it nothing to do with brothers" bc hes not telling them abt his kids he doesnt trust them

Hes up at like midnight complaining with logan abt how patton doesnt let him be full chaos gremlin and logan says "mmmhmm did your parents in the dark side let you go wild with the chaos" and paranoia just,,,,, looks at him, dead in the eyes, and says "I dont have parents"

Cue logan being confusion

Paranoia, who genuinely didn't have parents: my parents are mr sparkles and the cat we've had for my entire life

Logan, who doesnt know they had a cat and is now worried bc "are you taking care of it???": ???

Paranoia: it's great for keeping the Others in line tho I just say "do your chores or no snuggle time with ms peregrin" and they do their chores while I'm making dinner

logan, incredibly confused: i don't know what you mean but ok

Paranoia: yeah theyre dumb but it's the level of dumb youd expect from my idiots

Or he slips up and refers to them as his children/kids and logan, not realizing they have an Actual Father/Sons relationship/age difference(paranoias abt.late 20s early 30s, remus defies all logic and has been about 9-10 for a few years now, and dees like early teens) just says "huh how.interesting would it be to have to deal with people your age that immature" and paranoias just. "Y e a h t h e y r e t o t a l l y t h e s a m e a g e a s I a m"

Duke is very much baby and upon seeing duke eating glue paranoia and honesty the idiots decided to try it too

theyre so dumb dsdhdhdhjsdh

They AREEE and paranoia, after discovering that duke has the h a r d i e s t immune system they decide to test exactly what he can and cannot safely eat bc he may be dumb but hes also def a Dad and he just wants to take care of his kids and if that includes making sure that duke can safely consume toilet bleach then so be it

Duke can eat almost anything short of actual cyanide but cyanide just makes him sick like stomach bug sick

He somehow gets a fever,,,,, he has it for like half an hour and paranoia is amazed

Hes in bed,,,,, paranoia makes him soup,,,,,, hes all better and running around again

Paranoias parenting rules:

Dont murder your brothers pls

Do your chores or no snuggle time with ms peregrin

Glitter is always a yes

Insults are fine just make sure you dont overstep and make your brothers insecure

all of them are printed and then the last one is scrawled at the bottom in

If you get sick, tell him immediately bc he will find out and he will be the most obsessive parent to make sure you feel better ASAP

If your pronouns/name/function change, tell him immediately, he'll make sure you dont feel uncomfortable as well as he can

Duke dont put dish soap in honestys baked goods you know he cant digest it

It's a nice system for making chaos but keeping it manageable

They're all printed then the last one's scrawled in glitter gel pen and duke wrote a reply that said (I'm sorry yall dont have as good an immune system as I do)

There was a whole passive aggressive arguement on the bulletin for the next week before it got taken down to make room for dukes art

They eventually started just putting them up over each other and using magnets instead of thumbtacks

The entire bottom portion of the walls are painted in chalkboard paint so theres no unerasable drawing on the walls and the rest of the paint is magnetic so they can hang pieces everywhere

Dukes improving rapidly tho and doesnt like looking at his old art all the time so paranoia holds onto the drawings in several filing cabinets in case he ever wants to do redraws or needs his original prints to make something in the Imagination

also bc,,, sentimental

jus a little

Yeah bc "yes my child draws nothing but blood gore and new animals but hes a creative genius and I love all of his art"

Roman: anxiety I can see why you left

Paranoia: ??? What?? It's spoopy season??

Roman: there was BLOOD on the WALLS

Paranoia, internally: oh!!!! Duke perfected his blood recipe!!!!

Paranoia, externally: how did it taste?

Roman: WHO TASTES THE BLOOD ON THE WALLS?!?!

Paranoia: if it tasted like lemons or citrus you need to stay off of most foods, stick to crackers and broth- don't eat anything heavy until you're sure you wont throw it up

Patton, who was making cereal: ????

Also!!!! @iliveinprocrasti-nation Thanks for helping me flesh this AU out!!!

23 notes · View notes

proxylynn · 4 years ago

Text

Underfell: File Name not Edgy Enough #27

Chapter 27: Burden

WARNING: I WANT NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER SPOILING THINGS FOR OTHERS. THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS HOW FILE NAME NOT FOUND WOULD FUNCTION IN THE AU OF UNDERFELL. BEFORE YOU READ THIS, UNLIKE THE NICE TIME OF UNDERTALE, THIS WORLD IS KILL OR BE KILLED. THIS STORY WILL BE GRAPHIC, GORY, USE SWEARS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS, AND DEAL WITH SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THE FILE NAME RELOCATED SPOOF WILL KNOW HOW I PICTURE THIS VERSION OF LYNSIE COMING TO THE UNDERGROUND. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING DUMB. IT IS BECAUSE SHE CHOOSES TO END HER LIFE. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I MADE IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO LET SOME OF THIS EDGINESS OUT OF MYSELF. WHICH I GUESS MAKES UNDERFELL LYNSIE EVEN MORE TRUE TO WHO I REALLY AM. ANYWAY, ENJOY. ^_^

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[A quick recap]

My melancholy blinds me to my current surroundings. I only come out of it once a spotlight hits me.

"The hell...?"

Things look funny. No doubt it's a setup by Mettaton. But I'm unsure what this act is. I mean, it looks like a receptionist's waiting room. A desk and some random chairs.

"GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTS...!"

Mettaton zips in wearing a red suit and shoves me in a chair as he takes center stage.

"FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HERE AT MTTTV WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE LACK OF ME OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM. DUE TO THE LACK PREP WORK WITH MY COSTAR HERE, WE SADLY HAD TO FORGO A THRILLING ACT BACK IN LEVEL TWO INVOLVING HUNDREDS OF EXPLOSIVES!!"

I so freaking called it. I should let him have his moment...Nah!

"I thought you said that act was shit anyway?"

He extends an arm to cover my mouth.

"FORGIVE HER. SHE'S LOST A LOT OF BLOOD AND NOT ALL THERE MENTALLY."

I leer at him flatly.

"BUT...DARLING HERE IS GOING TO MAKE AMENDS WITH US ALL RIGHT NOW. IT'S TIME TO ANSWER SOME BURNING QUESTIONS."

I'm so confused as he lets go and leaps onto the desk, posing dramatically.

"IT'S TIME FOR..."

A large neon sign shaped like him drops from the ceiling.

"BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL WITH A KILLER ROBOT! THE LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOSTED BY YOURS TRULY."

Huh. Not a bad title.

"I thought you were working on a courtroom trial program?"

He scoots to now sit behind the desk.

"UNFORTUNATELY, WHILE I DO HAVE THE FUNDS, I DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE WORKERS TO MAKE SUCH A SET. SO...WE'RE DOING THIS INSTEAD."

"Heh...Must be hard to meet your expectations."

"DARLING, YOU HAVE NO IDEA."

A tense dramatic score plays.

"SO, DARLING...ARE YOU READY TO TELL ME EVERYTHING?"

Ah. I see now. Fine, Metta, have it your way. Just be careful what you wish for. You may not like it. Now don't get me wrong. I know my limits. I'm not about to tell him EVERYTHING. I'm not that stupid. But if he wants truth, he's going to get a version that's missing some characters and other junk.

"As you wish. You wanna know the truth? You want to scar the entire Underground? Sure. Why not. What else do I have to lose at this point since you exposed me? So congratulations! I hope you like the prize you've been longing to get. Because I sure as hell don't."

Let the show commence.

[Now our featured presentation]

"RIIIIGHT...ANYWAY...WHY NOT INTRODUCE YOURSELF. LET THE UNDERGROUND KNOW JUST A BIT ABOUT YOU."

I wave with a stupid grin to where I think a camera is.

"Howdy, monsters of the Underground. My name is Lynsie. Last I checked, I'm 5'8'', twenty eights years old, born November 7th, am a Scorpio, blood type A+, and enjoy long naps by the beach."

Am I introducing myself or recording a dumb dating profile video?

Mettaton whips out some cards from his desk.

"REALLY? YOU'RE THAT OLD? HUH."

"Yeah. Why?"

"YOU LOOK OLDER THAN THAT."

I sneer.

"It's the raccoon eyes. Insomnia is a hell of a slap to the face."

"THAT ASIDE...HOW ARE YOU FEELING? YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT SINCE THIS PROGRAM STARTED."

"I'm grateful to have this reprieve. It's nice to not be flung into fight after fight for a moment. I don't like fighting. I'd much rather avoid any conflict if able."

"SUCH A KIND GIRL. ARE ALL HUMANS THESE DAYS LIKE YOU?"

I eye him funny.

"WHAT?"

"Do mean 'kind' or 'stupid'? Because every monster has called me a fool for being nice."

"STUPID IS A STRONG WORD. NAIVE IS MORE LIKE IT."

I rumble lowly in my seat.

"But...To answer you properly, no. Not all humans are like me. Or...I'm not like most humans."

"OOOOH~, SUCH AN AMBIGUOUS ANSWER. FINE THEN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE THAT, I'LL HAVE TO BE MORE BLUNT IN MY QUESTIONS. LET'S SEE..."

He flips through some of his cards.

"OH! HERE'S ONE...HOW DID YOU COME TO FIND YOURSELF IN THE UNDERGROUND?"

Blunt? I'll give you blunt.

"Easy. I tried to kill myself."

[SNOWDIN: Skeleton House in present time]

The mood in the room sours as the human continues.

"Yep. You see, Mt. Ebott has a reputation, a legend dating back lord knows how long, that those who climb the mountain never return. This has made it a popular place to die. Not as bad as the literal 'Suicide Forest' of Japan, but it does the job okay."

Mettaton's screen blacks out.

"Don't give me that look. You wanted this. You wanted the truth. So take it. Take the blunt no holds bar truth of the matter. And you know what else? It wasn't the first time either. I can think of at least five other attempts. Each more pathetic than the last. But, if memory serves me right, I do believe my very first try was when I was still so very small. Somewhere around age six to eight. I had learned that apple seeds contain cyanide, a very toxic poison. Of course, there's not a heck of a lot in a single seed, but if you ingest a lot...well...Kid me didn't know how many were needed. Just that it was deadly. As you can see, I didn't have enough and I didn't try that form of suicide again. I don't try the same kind twice. I'm too fearful of messing things up the second time. What if it only partly works and I end up surviving? Heh...Trying to end it all only to live but in even worse condition? The irony would be such a hilarious joke. Then again, that's my life in a nutshell. One big cruel unrelenting joke."

Toriel's eyes water. She knew her child had her demons, but she knew not just how far back they spawned. Mettaton's screen relights.

"I...I WASN'T EXPECTING..."

"Yeah, no one does. No one expects me to be so dark. But what can I say? I do a damn good job hiding it."

"BUT...WHY THOUGH? WHAT WOULD MAKE A CHILD THAT BENT ON KILLING THEMSELVES?"

She takes a deep breath and lounges back in her chair.

"You ever feel guilty for something? Something you have no idea why you should feel that way for but you just do?"

She runs her hands over her face.

"I don't remember why I asked her that question. Maybe I was just morbidly curious. I knew my siblings were unexpected pregnancies. The eldest never came to be, so whether it was a boy or girl is forever unknown. My brother came about in the randomness of my mom hooking up with my dad. She married my dad because, well, she did like him but also so that he wouldn't be deported once his school visa ran out. He and his family escaped their homeland to start a new life...but did so illegally. Even on the surface, there's no true freedom. Four years into the marriage, I was born. Things only seemed to spiral from there. Dad would stay out drinking. Mom would be pissed. Bro and I would hide in my room and try to keep the fighting out. Mom gave up on him, someone else charmed her heart and would later be the father of my sister. Eight years into this world and they divorce and months later sis is born. She was unknown and with how old mom was at the time, she now suffers from spontaneous seizures."

The girl looks up in thought.

"So a few years ago, I asked mom...Was I unplanned like they were? Was I another surprise baby?"

She looks back down, her face holding a more cold expression.

"No, she told me. You were the only planned one. ...I should've stopped there. *sigh* I then asked...Why? She answered..."

Emotion leaves her.

"We had you in the hopes that you'd fix our marriage."

Silence. Dead silence.

"So much pressure. And to put that on a babe? How was I supposed to solve your problems? How is it my fault you couldn't stand each other when things got rough?! How is a kid supposed to make sure you don't start taking drugs and acquire sixteen felonies?! How is it my job to make sure you don't regret loving someone else?! How is that fair?! Why not take some fucking responsibility for once in your god damn life?!"

She becomes irate, grabbing one of the chairs and beating it into another one till both are useless before ending with a guttural roar that pains the throat in its harshness.

Toriel recalls similar words from her not long after they became close and she found her.

"Child? You're trembling. Is everything all right? Child, please. Just speak to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"I hate you! I hate all of you! You fucking pieces of shit! Why?! Why is it so hard for any of you to care?! I've been missing for days or weeks and none of you care! *sobs* Did you ever love me?! Why did you even bother having me if you don't even care that I'm gone?! *bawling* Why? Why? Someone tell me why...please..."

"I know this isn't the most pleasant of times to ask...But since we've come to know more about each other, I have been curious about something. The humans that fall down here...They tend to not fall down for the happiest of reasons. If it is not too painful...Can you share with me your reason? What made you come to a cursed mountain where none ever return from?"

"*hard sniffling* They used to care. I used to know what it was like to know others cared. I can't remember when they started to pull away. When I became invisible. I just want to know why. Was it something I did? Did I do something wrong? Did I not make them proud? I thought I did everything right. I was a good girl. *voice cracking* I'm a good girl. Aren't I?"

Even Grillby had memories of such talk pop into his head.

"You are an amazing person. You live in his cold place and open this bar to every sad face willing to cast aside their mean spirits for spirits of another kind. You put up with a lot of nonsense, a good bit came from me today, and I'm sorry about that."

"Where is all this coming from?"

"I'm not done. You have been nothing but nice to me. And doing that isn't easy in this world we live in. Since meeting you, you've shown me more kindness than I got from my own family, and this is only our second meeting. Heh, how pathetic is that? I fell into the Underground trying to die, only to end up wanting to live because of the few that showed me any decency. And for that, I give you my thanks."

"Pussycat?"

"I don't know if it was the punch or I'm just in a weird mood. I'm probably making things awkward. No one wants to hear someone ramble about lame junk when at a bar. This is a place people go to forget things. I know I've got a lot I want to forget. Like the three or four times I ran away from home but never had a plan and always had the cops take me back. Or the time I cussed out my grandma because I thought she lost my dog when it turned out my mom had dumped the pup at a shelter and told me it escaped. Or the suicide attempts..."

"Attempts?"

"Oh yeah, there was more than one. Hard to believe, but I'm a very sad person. No, that's being too nice. Depressed is more accurate. 90% of the smiles you see me do are fake. Just part of the mask I wear to hide how truly miserable I really am."

"God, I hate myself. I'm a sad pathetic mess."

Sans now gets a clearer picture of the baggage weighing on her.

"oh! and don't forget, you're making dinner. pap only let that slide because you were practically dead. so don't get any ideas thinking you can get out of it."

"Did you just really say that?!"

"the hell is your problem?"

"Did you really just insinuate she'd harm herself?"

"i dunno...maybe?"

"You can't say that kind of stuff to her!"

"why not?"

"You...You don't know how she came to the Underground, do you?"

"she told me that she fell."

"I'm not comfortable telling you this, seeing as she hasn't and I don't think it's my place, but I can't let you say idiotic things like that."

"okay, weed, you have intrigued me. if she didn't fall, then how did she get here?"

"Well...Falling is how she came to the Underground. But...She didn't fall from an accident."

"you're telling me she..."

"She fell on purpose. She...was trying to die. I don't know about her life on the surface. She doesn't tell anyone about that stuff, not even Mom. But I have been with her since the start and I can tell...Under all that toughness and pass the goofy dork innards...She's very sad deep down."

And that moment that recently happened at Grilbby's.

"enough with the act! you act all calm, with your little quips and remarks. making you look so well put together. but i know better. i know you're just as messed up as the rest of us. so why don't you get off your high horse and get out of my life!"

"You're right. This is an act. Every day, I wake up and I pretend to be this way. To play this role of the girl that never gives in and can smile through it all. I put on my mask and face this world as best that I can. But inside I'm dying. I'm being crushed by insecurities, doubt, depression, and so much negativity that I let myself fall into a pit hoping for the sweet embrace of death. I have attempted to end my life a good handful of times. Each more pathetic than the last. Even now, I'm just a few triggers shy of crumbling into a blubbering mass of tears. Yet there are few things that keep me from doing those bad things now that I'm here. And if putting on this act keeps me in, relative, ease...Then yeah. I'm gonna pretend my ass off that all is fine with me. Because I'm a fucking moron that is too afraid to open up to those closest to me and ask for help!"

Papyrus, of course, takes all this in as vital information he could use against the human. Her emotional and mental instability can be used to manipulate her. Grooming her to be more obedient to his will.

"I'm sorry."

"DAMN RIGHT YOU'RE SORRY."

"No...I mean, I'm sorry for earlier. It was wrong for me to hit you. You just...*sigh* How do I say this without sound like a dweeb?"

"JUST...SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY. DON'T ALTER YOUR WORDS. THEY LOSE IMPACT THAT WAY."

"If that's true, then don't make a big deal out of this."

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"I am an emotional wreck and going through so much internal bullshit that it ain't funny. So know that the stupid things I'm about to say are true because this is making me feel very vulnerable and uncomfortable which I think you feel too."

By now the human was breathing heavily over the shattered remains of once recognizable objects, slowly regaining her composure. She stares at the mess for some time. Mettaton doesn't even try to do anything that could get her attention while in such a state. Eventually, she drops the bits in her hands and takes a seat in the chair she spared. Slumping in remorse and holding her face.

"I'm sorry. That...That was shameful. I'll pay you back for the damage."

"DO YOU NEED A MOMENT?"

She rubs her eyes of faint moisture.

"N-No...No. I'm fine. That...That was just a moment of venting weakness. I normally cry this crap out of my system. But...I'm so sick of crying. Yet...That felt good though. So much pent-up bullshit I don't or can't let out was just dropped like weights off my back. ...Does this count as therapy? Because this feels better than that child physiologist mom sent me to after I ran away...the first time."

"SOUND LIKE YOU DON'T CARE FOR YOUR PARENTS."

"You'd think that, but no. Don't get me wrong. I love my parents. They could've been far worse even with the flaws I've mentioned. Dad never missed work and made sure bills could be paid. Mom always made sure we could eat even if it meant she didn't and often broke the law to do so."

Her head lolls back as she lounges.

"It's easier to dwell in the negatives than the positives growing up. It can make for a bitter soul. This is just the tip of a massive iceberg, there is so much more crap hidden below. But now is neither the time nor place to dive deeper into those murky waters. I'll drown if I stay under too long. *sigh* I don't hate them for the life they brought me into. I'm just...disappointed. Disappointed by the choices they made and things they expected to get from them. Disappointed in myself for allowing all that to have so much of a hold on me. Disappointed...So very disappointed...*long drawn out groan* Could we please leave the personal questions for now?"

"VERY WELL."

He flips through the cards.

"YOU'VE BEEN IN THE UNDERGROUND FOR SOME TIME NOW. HOW HAS THAT BEEN? WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A HUMAN AMONG MONSTERS?"

This gets their attention. The human knows better than to tell all. But she's so far been extremely open. They hoped she was of sound mind enough to remember to keep some secrets.

"Even after all the attempted murder...I prefer monsters to humans. Because at least once the fighting is over, things can be somewhat normal. It's like 'hey, I know I just tried to kill you, but do you wanna maybe hang out for a bit?' and then that happens. It blows my mind how there's no animosity or spite afterward. After Humans fight with each other there's no calm, no peace of it being over, hell, a war might break out if it was bad enough. You never know how bad someone feels after and if the grudge they carry will make them go to extreme measures to make them feel better. Well...Except for the Irish. Those lads can tussle and then be all chummy after like it was a bonding experience. Nice folk. Always fancied them. Heh...Kinda like Monsters. A tough outside but nice inside. Maybe that's one of the reasons they were persecuted too. ...God, my kind is trash. All it knows is hate. We even hate ourselves. And one day...That hate will be the end of us."

She moves some hair from her face. A small smile coming to her.

"Moments like this...It's nice. Brief pauses of reflection and repose. Typically I end up doing this kind of thing in my head or I talk to myself. Funny how that works, the mind I mean. It is a self-aware entity in itself that can be both you and not you at the same time yet won't confuse itself by doing so. Probably why the imagination is such vital part of it. *pause* Heh...My bad. Lost myself for a moment. Back on point...Sure, this all began with you nearly killing me and it's probably just leading up to something else. Something good or bad. Yet till that happens...This is nice."

"SPEAKING OF NICE...YOUR LV HASN'T GONE UP FROM ITS BASE LEVEL. WE'VE SEEN YOU GO INTO FIGHTS, SO IT'S NOT THAT YOU'VE AVOIDED THEM COMPLETELY."

"As I've said...I don't like fighting."

"YOU MUST BE AWARE THAT PACIFISUM IS NOT A RECOMMENDED OR AN EASY THING TO DO IN THE UNDERGROUND. IS IT HARD BEING NICE FOR YOU DOWN HERE?"

"Is it hard for a fish to swim or bird to fly? Nice is my default. I don't have it in me to be genuinely mean. I can be rude or even a bitch, but that's only if that was how I was treated first. The real hard part about it is getting others to understand this niceness is real. Some pick it up with no trouble. But others are difficult. Going so far as to think I'm trying to lull them into a false sense of safety as part of an evil human trap. Can you believe that?"

Sans eyes Papyrus who rolls his sockets at his brother, both knowing damn well she meant him.

"EVEN SO, HAS THERE BEEN A TIME WHERE YOU WANTED TO FIGHT BACK? SURELY EVEN I PROBABLY INCURRED SOME IRE FROM YOU?"

She looks at the mechanical machination with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"Ire is a strong word. True, I'm not happy about this situation. Exposing me for ratings. One of your goons bashing me over the head. The creepy stalking behavior by watching me through cameras. The needless puzzles and fighting. All of it wasn't necessary."

"I DISAGREE. EVERY BIT WAS COMPLETELY NECESSARY."

"Bull crap."

"NOW NOW, LET ME EXPLAIN. REGARDLESS OF YOUR INTENTIONS, YOU HAVE TO AGREE THAT YOU BEING HUMAN DOES CALL FOR CERTAIN MEASURES TO BE TAKEN. HUMANS DEAL PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND MONSTERS ARE WEAK TO SUCH ATTACKS."

"I know that. Get to your point, Metta."

"MY POINT? VERY WELL. MY DATABASE CONTAINS THE COLLECTED INFORMATION WE'VE GATHERED FROM THE PREVIOUS HUMANS THAT CAME BEFORE YOU. EACH WEAKER AND WEAKER AS TIME PASSED. YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE BEEN DISPLAYING STRANGE ABILITIES..."

A monitor comes down, displaying the human in her earlier distress and giving off that strange energy.

"NOT TO MENTION YOUR SOUL HAS BEEN CHANGING IT'S COLOR WITHOUT MAGIC INFLUENCE."

The monitor shows the many different colors her soul was throughout the show.

"SO, DARLING, AS YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN COMPLETELY NECESSARY. EVERY LITTLE OBSTACLE ALLOWED FOR MORE OF YOUR UNKNOWNS TO BE REVEALED. HOWEVER..."

The monitor goes back up.

"I GET THE FEELING YOU'RE STILL HIDING SOMETHING."

She glares at the robot.

"I repeat, this wasn't necessary. All you needed to do was ask."

She sits up straight and focuses. Her soul emerges...it is a deep dull blue.

"I don't know everything. Seeing as this whole 'soul' thing isn't known on the surface anymore. To use now, the soul is an intangible thing. It leaves when we die and does whatever since no one truly knows what happens after death. But...I do know my soul isn't normal. Not normal from what I've learned here anyway. I possess ten traits for which my soul can become."

Shock smacks them. Even Mettaton spits oil from some port.

"T-TEN?!"

She nods.

"Ten traits. Ten colors. Nine of which are completely fine."

Her breathing falters as she concentrates harder, forcing the soul to change color to her will.

"Blue, integrity. Cyan, patience. Green, kindness. Pink, passion. Purple, perseverance. Orange, bravery. Red, determination. Yellow, justice. White, hope. ...These are my main traits. The nine that make up my core personality. Yet...There is one, the last one, that I will not show you. No matter what."

A question mark appears on Mettaton's screen. Toriel and Sans know full well which one she means.

"WON'T SHOW? HOW COME?"

"That soul is too dangerous. One that I can't control. The black soul of relentlessness."

Papyrus sockets widen. Sans wasn't making it up after all.

"IF YOU TRULY EXPECT ME TO BUY INTO THIS BLACK SOUL NONSENSE THAN YOU BETTER FIND A WAY TO PROVE TO ME THAT IT'S REAL!"

"and how do you expect me to do that? have it triggered and let her kill half the town?"

"OF COURSE NOT! SHE'D NEVER GET THAT FAR INTO SUCH A SPREE ONCE I SLAY HER."

"YOU DON'T THINK I CAN KILL HER?"

"her? sure, you'd kill her no problem. she'd probably let you do it if things got really bad. but the black soul? that's a different story all together."

"YOU TALK AS THOUGH YOU'VE SEEN THIS 'BLACK SOUL' IN ACTION."

"..."

"YOU HAVE, HAVEN'T YOU?"

"that thing isn't something you want to mess with. don't go after something you can't handle."

"YOU DARE THINK THAT PITIFUL CREATURE CAN HARM ME?!"

"no! i don't think it would harm you! i know it would kill you!"

"I have no will over that trait. It consumes me utterly. Coldly targeting anything and everything as a threat, then calculatingly eliminating victims brutally with no remorse by any means. Pain doesn't phase it. It has no fear. But I do. I fear this soul. I fear becoming that...that thing. That beast."

The robot's screen blips.

"YOU MAKE IT SOUND TERRIBLE. IF IT'S AS BAD AS YOU SAY, HOW HASN'T YOUR LV INCREASED? SURELY A MURDEROUS SOUL LIKE THAT WOULD HAVE A BODY COUNT ATTACHED TO IT?"

"I have thankfully been taken out of that state when it happens. My brother down here, the flower you may have seen me with, he's the one that saves me. I don't know how he does it as I only barely register what happens when the Black Soul is in control. But it's one of the reasons why we stay together. He doesn't want to die and I don't want to hurt anyone, so it's a good deal for us both."

"AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT TRIGGERS SUCH A STATE TO HAPPEN?"

"I'm not 100% sure but I have a theory. The worst of times. Moments when I lose all hope or can't take the pain. Mentally and/or physically. It takes over when I can't deal with things. And I guess it tries to 'solve' the problem...by getting rid of it."

Her demeanor is becoming more unsettled as she continues.

"I...I normally am unwilling to share this information. I don't like being personal with strangers. But since this is a live broadcast, and I've basically torn open a can of worms full of my emo baggage, I want this to be known. I need others to understand the danger. Because you all seem to view me as an easy kill. The dumb nice human that doesn't fight back. It'll be easy to get her soul. Hell, if it weren't for the black trait, I'd have given this thing to you guys ages ago. But it's not worth it. There's no point going to the surface, otherwise I'd be more inclined to leave and be subjected to the crap I deal with. And trust me...You don't want to know what I deal with."

Her eyes get dark and her expression serious to the point it's unnerving.

"The death that can possibly happen if the black soul activates and isn't stopped could be limitless. As the bearer of this curse, I remain here. Not because I see less harm if it triggers around monster, hell no. I trust my death to you because I have faith in monster kind being able to handle it. It's because I don't want to risk it being weaponized by humanity. Magic...REAL magic like this is gone from the surface. If it were to be discovered now...Magic will be coveted like any other valuable resource. Blood and dust will be spilled over ownership. The experiments to find a better means of harvesting it, the torture, the suffering, the endless cycle of hate feeding upon the lack of morality. I have no doubt monsters wouldn't even be seen as people. We've done it to different creeds of humanity throughout history, hell we still do it. I...I don't want that for Monsters. Part of me is saying I'm overthinking it, but I can't that optimistic side of me knowing all the fucked up shit Humans do. I don't want you guys to suffer. I don't want to cause harm. I don't want to see any more death! Please!!"

Her eyes are watering and her body trembling.

"I...I-I hate this feeling. This h-helplessness. I'm caged. I'm useless. I'm nothing on the surface. I'm a danger underground. I'm my own worst enemy and I don't know how to fight. *struggling* Why? Why didn't the fall kill me? Why can't I just die? Why am I so weak? I can't even bleed to death!"

She's a mess, weeping into her gloved hands. But Mettaton dismisses this display and keeps going.

"WEAK? YOU SELL YOURSELF SHORT. CLAWING INTO YOUR OWN BODY ISN'T A VERY WEAK THING AT ALL. COME TO THINK OF IT...IN YOUR ENCOUNTER WITH MUFFET, YOU TOLD HER WHY YOU DID IT. CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEANT?"

A recording is played.

["I have just spent an ungodly amount of time trapped in that elevator over there having my soul violated by people that don't even exist anymore on this plane of reality. I have clawed my skin off to stop feeling their hands on me."]

Her face has the look of someone biting their tongue fairly hard to stay in control.

"What's to explain? I meant what I said and said what I meant."

"YOU'RE AVOIDING THE QUESTION, DARLING."

"No. You're refusing the answer."

"YOU SAID YOU'D TELL THE TRUTH!"

"I am!"

Agitation mounts.

"BULLSHIT! HOW THE HELL CAN ANYONE BELIEVE THAT?"

"I don't give a crap if you believe me or not! You weren't the one there!"

"JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"

"It doesn't matter! You can't do anything about it! No one can! You can't stop people that break the laws of reality!"

Sans didn't like what he was hearing. And none of them liked that her still exposed soul was sparking with that strange energy.

"THERE ARE NO PEOPLE LIKE THAT!"

"How would you know?!"

"IF EVEN A FLY FARTS ANYWHERE IN THE UNDERGROUND, I KNOW ABOUT IT. IF ANYONE WITH ABILITIES LIKE THAT WERE HERE, THEY WOULDN'T BE UNKNOWN FOR VERY LONG."

"Did you not hear my words? They don't even exist anymore on this plane of reality! You can't find people that are outside time and space, you fucking idiot!"

"I'M THE IDIOT?! DO YOU NOT HEAR YOURSELF?! OUTSIDE TIME AND SPACE?! YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE A CONVINCING LIE!"

"I'm not lying, you insufferable ego-maniacal narcissistic jackass!"

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!!"

"I did! Accept the fact there is shit in life you can't fathom or comprehend yet is true! Like Bigfoot, life on other planets, or stigmata! Unexplained phenomenons are the backbones of reality! Deal with it!"

"THAT'S NOT AN UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENON! THAT'S A PURE IMPROBABLE IMMPOSSIBLITY!"

"By who's rule?! Are you God?! Do you know every infallible law the universe runs on?! No! You know nothing! No one does! So stop digging for shit that isn't there before something bad happens!"

"THEN GIVE ME A REAL ANSWER!"

"Stop...Please stop!"

"DARLING..."

"I s̷ái͟d͝ s̷t̢̛o̧͘p̀͟!̵̕͜!̧"

A surge of energy bursts from her soul, the flash whites out the screen and hurts the eyes. While blinded they all can hear the garbled sounds of pain and the sudden thud of weight hitting the floor. Their sight comes back to see the human writhing on the ground and gripping her soul, teeth bared in restrained growling.

"DARLING?"

She struggles to make her body move. Just slightly getting her head off the floor.

"Th͜i͞s͠...͜T́h̴i̵s̸ ̛įs ̕y̕our ̛f́aul͝t͏..̢.̴I͜ ͟a͡ske͝d ͠y̕o͏u t̷o͜ ͜s̛top..̢.̵"

The energy courses from her soul over her form, a brighter than normal light emanates from her clutched soul. She weakly pulls herself up to be supported by her free arm and the reason for the light is made clear, a crack has marred her soul. But that is far from the worst part. Sans spots it before Toriel but she's the one that points it out.

"Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

"The darkness!"

Indeed. Black began to appear in the human's heart. The darkness corrupting the white light and faintly leaking out of the crack. The girl feels this. Panic flashes in her eyes but she's in no condition to handle so much on top of what has already happened.

"Wh̸en̢ wil̡l҉ ̛yo͡u̶ le͘ar͜n.͞..̡Y͘ou ̴fuc̀kín͜g id̴iot.̸..W͢hén wil̡l yoų ́a̶l̢l͜ léar͘n that͏ ̵y͘our act̵i҉o͞ns ͏ha͡v̛e ͘co͡n̴seq͘uenc͘e̶s͘?͘!"

The distortion. The off tone. The malice that seeped out. Perhaps it was enough proof for the automaton to believe her earlier words. For Mettaton seems to be distracted one second and then takes it all seriously the next. One of his hands snakes under his desk and the next thing to happen is the floor beneath the human opens up, dropping her into the unknown. Glitched roaring echoes as she plummets. A sickening crash leads into dead silence.

"WELL...THAT WAS INTERESTING."

His nonchalance about the whole thing is upsetting.

"SADLY, MY CO-STAR SEEMS TO BE HAVING A BIT OF TROUBLE. NOT EVERYONE CAN HANDLE THE STRESS OF BEING IN THE SPOTLIGHT, LIKE MOI."

His flamboyance is rubbing them the wrong way.

"HOWEVER, DESPITE HER TEMPER TANTRUM AND LACK OF COOPERATION, I WILL ASSURE YOU ALL SHE IS NOT DEAD. I MERELY GAVE HER THE SMALL BREAK THAT SHE CLEARLY NEEDED."

It's likely that the break involved her bones or some body part.

"BUT...I CAN GIVE YOU ALL SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO...THIS WAS THE LAST PRELEWD ACT. THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE US TOGETHER, IT WILL BE FOR THE MAIN EVENT. THE FINAL BATTLE APPROACHES, MY ENCOURAGABLE VIEWERS. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS HISTORICAL MAKE OR BREAK MOMENT."

The show shifts into a commercial break.

Toriel begins shaking. She can't deal with this much longer. Grillby does what he can to give her support, but he too has much on his mind. His pussycat unloaded a TON of things and a lot of it was incredibly concerning. Papyrus ushers his brother away from the other two as not to be overheard.

"SO...HOW LONG?"

Sans looks at him funny.

"uh...what?"

"HOW LONG WERE THE BOTH OF YOU GOING TO HIDE THIS PART OF THE SECRET FROM ME?"

"um...which part?"

"THAT POWER. SHE HAS TEN TRAITS, SANS. JUST HOW STRONG IS THAT GIRL?"

Sans scratches his skull.

"i honestly don't know, pap. i didn't even know she had that many. my main worry was always the black trait, so i never asked about others."

Papyrus folds his arms and shuts his eyes in thought.

"i swear, i ain't lying to ya."

"I KNOW YOU'RE NOT."

"then...what's wrong?"

"*HUFF* I DON'T LIKE THIS. I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF THAT WEAKLING BEING POWERFUL."

His eyes open but look at nothing.

"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN SOMETHING WAS OFF THAT NIGHT...THAT PUNCH...SHE WAS HOLDING BACK SO MUCH..."

Papyrus clenches his fists into tight balls of rage.

"THAT BITCH."

"ya know she didn't want to hurt ya."

"THAT'S THE THING. SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD HURT ME. HOW WEAK DOES SHE THINK I AM? THAT'S WHAT'S PISSING ME OFF MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW."

Sans sighs. One day his brother will taste humble pie and not like it.

[HOTLAND: LAB]

Undyne finishes off her sixth bowel of ramen and looks at Alphys.

"Well...That wasn't how I thought it was going to end. Was it really necessary to tell him to drop her?"

Alphys takes a few more notes and ponders.

"Would you rather there be no main event? Besides..."

She adjusts her glasses.

"If what the human said is true, then the Black Soul being triggered in an open area would result in mass casualties. The zone in which the ending will be shot in is, for the most part, closed and under my remote control. So even in the event of something going wrong, which the odds of such are highly unlikely, then any and all threats can be dealt with in an optimum manner."

Undyne nods.

"I guess that makes sense. Still...I don't what I saw. There was real fear in the human's eyes."

"Good. She should be afraid. She should be very afraid of what's to come."

"And what's that?"

"That would be spoilers."

"Damn it. *sigh* A human soul with ten traits...Sounds tough. I wanna fight it!"

"It does raise a lot of questions. One, in particular, is on my mind."

"What's that?"

"If a human soul, deprived of magic, possesses ten traits and begins gaining magic...What will happen when it attains 100% magic?"

A cold chill runs through the captain.

[HOTLAND: SOMEWHERE ON LEVEL 3]

I am getting so sick of this crap. Why can't I just die at this point?

"*muffled* Lynsie?"

The voice and light jostling is bringing me back to consciousness. Damn it. Here I go again.

My eyes weakly open to the sight of dirt and rock. Just an inch away from losing the ability to see. Like I need a handicap in all this.

"Lynsie? Are you okay?"

Ah, Flowey. It's about time we met back up.

"*groan* H-Hey, bro. I missed you."

He smiles sadly.

"Are you okay? Can you move?"

I roll over on my back and check myself.

[HP ██████████ 10/40]

[HEARTBREAK level ONE in effect]

I figured that's what happened. No wonder the Black Soul was triggering. Thank goodness for the fall knocking my ass out or things would've gone bad fast.

"I think I'll be okay. Sore, but okay. I'm sadly getting used to falling and possible brain damage."

My answer has him pout.

"What's with the face, bro? You know I'm a tough cookie. I'll be fine."

His face gets full of concern.

"I...I heard what you told Mettaton."

Yeah, you and the rest of the Underground.

"I...I understand now why you didn't talk about your past. Why you kept to yourself. I'm sorry."

God, he's too sweet for this place. I reach over and gently stroke his petals.

"I love you, bro. You have no idea how much it means to me that you care. But don't pity me. I do that enough on my own."

I wearily sit up, shaking my head of all that baggage I brought up for the show.

"I wasn't pitying you. It's just..."

He fiddles with his leaves in a shy way but I cut his words off.

"Bro, I get it. I do. It's the same feeling like when you told me your history. Yet, let's be honest here, you're more mentally mature than me and I'm still not completely okay after getting all that off my chest. We can talk more about it later after this ordeal is over. Maybe over mom's cheesecake? Deal?"

"...You mean it?"

"Yeah. I promise."

He smiles brightly.

"Okay. I'd like that."

I pick myself up and stretch, taking a look around at where we are.

"Don't tell me he dropped me back at the start."

"Nope. This is still Level Three. In fact...I do believe MTT Resort is just past this place."

"...For real? Is it a safe space?"

"Yep. There are shops and rooms to rest."

I hear a heavenly choir sing in my head.

"Finally! The universe throws me a decent bone!"

I regret saying that the moment it leaves my mouth. Flowey looks at me funny.

"Don't take that out of context, you know what I meant."

"I don't know. You and Smiley Trashbag are eerily close."

My eye twitches. Things I wish Gaster didn't show me try to pop into my head.

"Are you okay? You look like you're about to puke."

"Never insinuate something like that ever again."

He shakes his head at me. I try to change the subject before I have a heart attack on camera.

"So...Are you able to follow me to the resort? I'm sick of being separated."

"There's ground outside of it and parts I can reach beyond it, but the resort itself I can't get in without some sort of aid like a pot. Cement and tile flooring is a pain to break into."

"Damn, bro, you hella strong."

There's a deactivated reversed conveyor belt that's attached to the artificial platforms.

"Is it safe to cross? It's kinda giving me 'trap' vibes."

"You should be fine. This is normally the part where the colored tiles would be used again, but you know, stuff changed. It's probably off."

"Ah. Gotcha. I guess...See ya soon?"

"You bet."

He ducks into the ground so I take it as my time to leave this pit. The entire time I feel on edge. With my luck, the trap will turn on and I get screwed. Thankfully nothing happens apart from some jets of flame randomly going off in the distance and making me jump like a wuss. At least it got me to the stairs quicker.

After a quite the climb, I reach the top perturbed yet undaunted as a four-way crossroads greets me, though the two paths on the sides are blocked. More Royal Guards, a cat to the left and some kind of insect on the right, both in that imposing armor.

"Well if it isn't my best customer..."

The Ice Scream rabbit pops up from behind the cart I wasn't paying attention to.

"Fancy seeing you again."

As odd as seeing him here is, he's a familiar face that is a sight for my sore eyes. I approach.

"Hey, guy, what's up? Haven't been seeing you much in Snowdin Forest for a bit."

He leans on the cart like a cool guy.

"Yeah...Been moving around seeing if I can make mad gold somewhere where the weather isn't the same temp as my product."

"Any luck?"

"Waterfall wasn't so bad. Even started a new program with rewards cards. Turn in a card with ten punches and get a free doubling of your next order. Speaking of which..."

He reaches into his pants pocket and hands me a punch card. Some holes have already been made.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had the funds to get this far. So...Instead of starting your card full, I may have added your previous buys. Can't say I haven't gotten better at my wonderful salesmanship."

I can't help but smile. He's come a long way. I'm proud of him.

"Well then, wonderful salesman, I'd like to add some more holes please."

"Heh...sure. But I'm warning you, prices have gone up. 25G. Got to charge more here 'cause of the heat."

"Understood, my dude. Um...Just curious...Got fudge pops? Kinda have this hankering for something chocolate."

He shakes his head.

"Sold out. The Royal Guards bought those like crazy."

"Damn. Oh well. One blue, orange, grape, and blood. All bisicles."

He fills my order and I pay the 100G.

"Here you go. All five ready to enjoy."

I look at him funny.

"Five?"

"Yep. Five. I definitely didn't toss in a strawberry one because of customer loyalty. Nope. Didn't do it."

Must...resist...the urge...to HUG!!

"...Thank you. That...That means a lot."

He gives me a wink and I practically skip away up another set of stairs. I place the treats in my inventory for now. I know not what crap will happen from here, so healing items are a big help.

I am met by a large complex. Redbrick that's been tagged with graffiti, yellow-tinted windows with some broken, a gold MTT sign with two Mettaton images with devil horns, a black & white checkered awning over the door, two large plant potters that have dry withered flower remnants, and a blood-red or just stained that way rug embroidered with gold MTTs.

"Classy."

I'm about to head inside when something hits my leg. A paper airplane? I inspect it to find it's a note.

[Hey! Go up the creepy alleyway on the right for some great deals!]

"...I'm gonna get mugged, aren't I?"

It's against my better judgment, but this is a neutral zone, so I should be okay. I wearily creep around, following spray-painted arrows, to end up finding two girls gossiping among garbage. They notice me and straighten up.

"Hey! Check it out!"

"Yeah! Check it out!"

"So, like, what's up? I'm Bratty, and this is my best friend, Catty."

"I'm Catty, and this is my best friend, Bratty."

Oh no...More valley speak!?! Why is that a thing down here?!

Bratty is a tall, green alligator or crocodile monster that wears a primarily black shawl with yellow and red details on the sides. She has yellow hair that flows into curls and red lipstick.

Catty is a plump purple cat creature who wears a set of black overalls with yellow buttons and tufts of red fur with yellow highlighted tips coming out from under it on either side. She has black hair with a red streak in it and a yellow earring on her left ear.

"Uh...Hi? So...This is a shop?"

"Like, the best shop!"

"You should buy ALL our stuff!"

Catty gets this blanket out and opens it out to show me their items. They don't have much, just four things, but I can't turn away from these items.

[25G - Junk Food - Has a big bite out of it]

[350G - Rusty Revolver - Bullets NOT included]

[350G - Tattered Western Hat - ATTACK up when worn]

[600G - Mystery Key - Probably to someone's house LOL]

A gun...How the fuck is that here?

"Oooh! I know that look!"

"That's the look of some wanting something!"

"Bratty! We're gonna be rich!"

"Where did you find this stuff?"

"I mean, like, where does anyone get guns, or food, or..."

"We found it in the garbage!"

I so called it.

"It's GOOD garbage."

"It's like, really good garbage."

"Where do you get the garbage?"

"Like, the garbage store, duh!!! ...Waterfall mostly."

"I found a gun in a dumpster!"

I check my gold...I don't have anywhere close to 1,300G for their garbage.

"Um...Maybe we could work out some sort of arrangement?"

They glare.

"That's poor talk."

"You need WAY more money."

What I need is to get that stuff away from them. That stuff is bad enough with humans, I don't want monsters messing with crap like guns.

"Ladies, I'm sure there's something we can do. Shops run on trade. This is just a trade of a different kind. I can't give you the gold, but I can get you other things. There's gotta something you'd both want that I can fetch for you in exchange?"

They mull it over.

"Thanks, but we, like, don't really need anything."

"Oh my god, can you go get us some Dazzleburgers?"

"We don't. Really need. Anything."

"Wait! I'll pay you 1000G if you get Mettaton to autograph my butt!"

Catty seems to be the easier one here. Maybe I can work with this.

"While I do know the guy, I'm not sure I can get Metta to sign your butt."

"Damn."

"Wait...You know Mettaton?!"

Their eyes sparkle.

"...Yes?"

They squeal with fanatical glee.

"Oh my God. Mettaton."

"Oh my GOD, METTATON."

"He's like...My robot husband."

"Actually he's like...MY robot husband."

"I think we're like...both going to marry him."

"We're both like, ALREADY married to him. He just, like, doesn't know it yet."

They're insane.

"Okay...Can I ask what's a Razzburger? I could try to get that."

Their eyes widen in shock.

"You don't know what a Dazzleburger is?"

"Do you, like, live under a rock?"

Don't we all do since this is a mountain?

"Dazzleburgers are epic!"

"They're only sold in the resort."

Interesting.

"Inside huh? Let me guess...Very pricey."

Bratty nods.

"The stuff inside, is like..."

"TOTALLY wicked expensive."

"But, like, this stuff we found is like..."

"TOTALLY wicked cheap."

"You should..."

"Like..."

"TOTALLY wicked buy all of it?"

"Cheap? You're selling a random key for 600G!"

They giggle at me and I sigh. Bitches, man...bitches.

"So where inside am I gettin' them?"

"The MTT-Brand Burger Emporium."

"You have to get them from Bugerpants."

That name...That name brings back memories...as well as sore spots. Douche-cat...

"Burgerpants."

"Yeah, that guy from the store. Yuck, what a creep."

"Yeah! He's a creep! But he's kind of cute, too..."

"C'mon Catty, don't you have ANY standards?"

"Nope!!!"

...You need standers, Catty.

"Yeah, I met him. Not so much a creep but he is a massive prick."

"OK, like, the annoying thing is..."

"He'd be OK if he just treated us with some respect."

"But he just acts..."

"Really weird."

"And then acts like it's OUR fault he acts that way!"

"Like, when we asked him to get those Dazzleburgers..."

"He dropped them and ran away before we could even say anything!"

"We were, like, going to share them."

"Really? I wasn't."

"Catty!"

This zone is full of awful people.

"One last thing...How many you want?"

Catty waves her paws.

"So many! Enough to fill a dumpster!"

"The mega value pack should cover us."

I give Bratty a thumbs up and leave their shady establishment. Now I enter the main building and this time I'm greeted by someone for once. It's either very diamond-like or very origami-like, but above all, it's a tiny monster.

"Welcome to MTT Resort - Hotland's biggest apartment-building-turned-hotel! Whether you're here for a night or still live here, MTT Resort prides itself on a great stay! Just passing through...? Nice! MTT Resort prides itself on being passed through!"

"Interesting business model. Does it work?"

"Oh, indeed it does, human."

"You know what I am?"

"Oh yes! The staff has been informed of your coming and instructed on how to handle you upon arrival."

Oh god, what now?

"Over on your left, we have a dine-in restaurant complete with a stage which hosts a wide cast of live acts. Either comedy done by locals or Mettaton entertains when he isn't too busy."

"Neat."

"If you're feeling like you hate yourself, behind me is the MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Dazzleburger!"

Well, they know how fast food works.

"All further questions can be taken to my coworker behind the desk."

I scratch my head and shrug.

"Thanks."

I walk away and head for the other receptionist. It's not a bad-looking lobby at least. Red & yellow checkered tiles and the rug from outside continues forward into parts unknown. The obnoxious fountain of Mettaton is gaudy though. I reach the desk and the monster behind it is a weird one. It's blue and its head is a hand with very well manicured red nails.

"Yes, we know. The elevator music volume is super loud and the song is stuck on a three-second loop. We are working on it. Because of this incident, rooms are running at a special rate! 200G a room. Interested?"

Someone sounds grumpy.

"No thank you. I was told to come to you. I'm the human if that helps."

Their head fingers extend in alert.

"Oh! Sorry. I was instructed to inform you on where to go next."

"That would be helpful, yes."

It motions to where the rug is heading.

"If you follow the rug there, you'll be lead out back to the entrance of the CORE. Mettaton will be waiting for you at the top."

"Could I use the elevator instead? All this travel is exhausting."

"No can do. The elevator leads to the Capital and main residence of our people. You're not allowed to go there."

"Oh...That's fine. I didn't want to go there. Just trying to take shortcuts if able."

"*ahem* If you require a small rest, might I suggest renting a room?"

"I don't the gold, sorry."

"That's fine. Mettaton has pre-paid a room for you. One time only."

I'm stunned. Damn him! Why does he confuse me so much?! I want to like and hate him at the same time!

"Um...In that case, sure. Where are rooms?"

They motion again.

"Down the hall to the right."

I wait for them to give me a key or card but nothing is there except awkwardness.

"Is there a problem?"

"No...not really. But...uh...Isn't this the part you give me a room key?"

"What? Room...Key? No, we don't do that. If you leave your room, you'll have to pay again."

So if I enter I can't leave or else I'll have to pay? That's insane!

"On second thought, maybe later."

"Shame. Do let us know if you change your mind. Have a sparkular day!"

I'm getting the feeling they're being nice because they were told to be. Otherwise, I doubt I'd be given such a warm welcome. Oh well. Time to pay a certain someone a visit.

I stroll up to the emporium and find myself paused. I can go about this in many ways. The different choices and outcomes play out in my head super fast. After a few, I settle on something...something that'll leave an impression. I push the doors open. A digital bell sounds. I look at what appears to be a sadder version of McDonald's. And like a mindless corporate drone, he speaks while moping the floor before seeing "who" just walked in.

"Welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Dazzleburger. Sparkle up your day (TM)."

He begins to turn around.

"What can I do to..."

His eyes widen seeing me, grinning sadistically at him like a lunatic.

"Uh...help?"

This hurts my throat to do, but it really sells this whole thing. I deepen my voice to imitate Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget and just laugh. He is unnerved to say the least.

"*menacing* No one will help you."

"H-Hey now...Don't think of doing anything funny."

I walk up to him and he backs away slowly before leaping behind the counter.

"Stay back! You can't hurt anyone in shops!"

I keep the deep voice.

"*menacing* Hurt you? Foolish boy...Why would I do that? It's not like you put a cigarette out on my wrist and bashed my head with a bat!"

That last part was done a bit too harsh and I end coughing. All seriousness leaves.

"*coughs* Nah, man...*normal* I ain't gonna do anything. For reals. I was just messing with ya."

He eyes me funny.

"Riiiiiight...What do you want then?"

"Preferably, my phone."

He flinches, his eyes looking quickly down then darting back up.

"I..."

"Metta doesn't have to know."

"What do you mean he won't know?! He knows everything that goes on here!"

"Look, you either give me my phone, or I'm gonna go back there and take it."

"You're not seri..."

My dead stare shuts him up. He seems to freeze up now. I sneer and put my hand out. He looks at my hand and then starts sweating. I'm beginning to lose my patience.

"You have five seconds."

His fur stands on end and he suddenly slams his face on the countertop, giving himself a bloody nose.

"Sorry, (Ha ha) it's against the rules to talk to customers who haven't bought anything. And talking with you this long has put me in serious shit. If you want this 'exchange' to continue, you're going to make a purchase."

I'm not happy.

"...What do you have?"

[60G - Sorebet - Very popular food.]

[120G - Dazzleburger - Very popular food.]

[300G - Mythical Villain - Anti-Hero Sandwich. ATTACK UP in battle.]

[500G - Biltong Slab designed to look like Mettaton - Don't ask. Please.]

I huff through my nose and shell out the 60G.

"That Sorebet better come with my phone."

"Yeah yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Fuck you. I wear boxers."

He eyes me with a blush before heading into the back. Might as well chat him up while I can.

"So...Do you know the chicks behind the building?"

"Huh? Oh...Them. Yeah, I know them. What of it?"

"They were talking about you."

"The girls were...Talking about me...?"

Hooked him.

"They mentioned you threw burgers at them and ran."

"Bullshit! That is not what happened."

He comes back to the counter with a glass of frozen dessert and my phone.

"Care to enlighten me?"

He sighs and lights a cigarette. I wonder if he can do that while on shift?

"Never interact with attractive people. Unless you're 'one of them', they're just gonna take advantage of you. Those two chicks asked me to sneak them some Dazzleburgers. And I, the naive teenager that I was, said yes to them. Bad idea."

"What happened?"

He takes a dag and lifts the collar of his uniform shirt open, blowing the smoke in there.

"Does that really keep the smoke from spreading?"

"It's worked so far. *puff* So I went out to the alley to see those two ladies, and uh...you know, see what'd happen next."

"Like...Naughty stuff?"

"...Maybe."

"Nice."

He blushes.

"Anyway...Then my boss comes out of nowhere, sees me, and demands to know what I was doing. I was so startled, the hamburgers in my pockets tumbled out onto the ground. Not wanting to lose face to the girls, I scrambled to pick them up! But, as I was bending down, the weight of the remaining hamburgers...*puff*...caused my pants to fall down."

He expected me to mock him. But I can't feel anything more than pity for the guy. This surprises him and he continues his story.

"Then the girls laughed at me. Everyone calls me Burgerpants now. It's gotten to the point I can't remember my name half of the time. It's even on my name tag for fuck's sake!"

Poor douche cat.

"I think you're the first to not laugh at me or that story."

"Why would I laugh? That's...That's messed up, man."

He takes another drag.

"You know something...I misjudged you, human. I know it ain't much, but, I'm sorry for being an ass."

I rub the back of my head.

"I'll be honest, guy...Since the bar thing, I've seen you only as a prick. The idea of you having hard times and lashing out didn't cross my mind at all. That's my bad right there. Sorry on my part for being a bitch."

He smirks.

"So...You're really not going to tell Mettaton about this?"

He hands me my phone.

"Dude, this stays between us. Besides, he's kinda been pissing me off lately."

"Yeah, he does that."

He takes a deep drag before putting the cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe.

"Can I give you some advice? I'm getting on in years, so take it from me...You've still got time. Don't live like me. I'm 19 years old and I've already wasted my entire life. I'll probably be trapped at this stupid job forever. But wait! There's one thing that keeps me going! If ASGORE gets just one more SOUL, we'll finally get to go to the surface! It'll be a brand new world! There's gotta be a second chance out there for me! For everyone!"

"Maybe. So, what did you want to do before this?"

"Oh...I wanted to be an ACTOR."

"Neat."

"When I first came to Hotland, it was my dream to work with Mettaton. Well, be careful what you wish for! God, look what that idiot has done here. This place is a labyrinth of bad choices. And every time we try to change something for the better, he vetoes it and says that's not how they do it on the surface. Oh! Right! Humans are always eating hamburgers made of RHINESTONES AND GLITTER."

"...I can assure you we don't eat that. Eating that would be very bad for our health. Maybe even fatal. Monsters don't really eat that...Do they?"

His eyes shift and I facepalm.

"And you guys think I'm gonna hurt ya?"

"You should probably get going. The boss will get his gears in a bunch if you take too long getting to the CORE."

"Fine."

I put the Sorebet in my inventory and remember my awkward side-quest.

"Oh! Before I bounce, can you help me with something?"

He tilts his head.

"What?"

"The chicks, Bratty and Catty, they have items I want but don't have the crazy amount of gold. They say they'll trade for a mega value pack. Any way you might be able to help make this trade happen?"

He sighs.

"Really? Do you know how much that is?"

"1300G close? Because that's how much I need."

"...What kind of shit are they selling that's worth that much?!"

I goofily shrug. He groans and rubs his face.

"I can't just give you that much for free."

"Catty thinks your cute."

"...For real?"

I nod. He fidgets, fingers tip-tapping and pitter-pattering.

"Okay, I'll tell you what...You score me a hook up with her and I'll give you the burgers."

Damn you rule of three in side-quests!

"Argh...I guess I can try. It won't be the weirdest thing I do today but it is on the list though."

His eyes light up with excitement. I can't mess this up now. How often does he actually smile like this?

"Thank you! *ahem* I mean...Cool."

I slink out of the emporium and head for the exit.

"Um, excuse me, human...The CORE is the other way."

I groan.

"I know. I'll be back."

Exit building, go into the creepy alley, and meet the girls again.

"Look who's back."

"Do you have the Dazzleburgers?"

I show my empty hands.

"Ha! I knew she'd blow it."

"Sucks to be you!"

"Hold up. He'll give me the goods. But..."

"But...?"

"Catty...Do you really think he's cute? 'Cause he thinks you're hot."

Catty's face flushes. Bratty rolls her eyes.

"For reals? He wants a date?"

"A date? A hangout? A simple meeting while he's working? I don't know. For all I know she can walk in, say hi, and that's it. All I need is confirmation and you get all those shiny burgers."

"Yes!"

"Catty...?"

"What a deal! A cute guy and free food! It's the score of a lifetime!"

"Catty, he's a loser. You hang out with him once, then he wants to hang out... All. The. Time."

"But don't you feel bad for him, Bratty? Poor Burgerpants...Think about how cool we are compared to him!!! We'd be saving his LIFE with our awesomeness!! His LIFE, Bratty!!"

"Uh, so?"

"Think of all the Dazzleburgers he could get for us!!"

And just like that, I feel like shit for doing this.

"...So is he free after work?"

"*huff* I'll be back...again."

Leave the alley, enter the building, meet up with Burgerpants.

"I don't like the look you have there. Did she say no?"

I can't lie to this guy.

"Dude, I'm really uncomfortable with this."

"What's wrong?"

"She said yes. But..."

"She said YES?!"

"I mean, she agreed, but please listen..."

"Ha! Ahahaha!! Yes!!! You've brought a tear to the eye of this old man."

I feel so bad.

"Dude, please...I'm, like, 100% sure she's gonna use you for free food and maybe gold."

"...So?"

I'm taken back.

"Look, you don't think I didn't think of that? I know she's probably going to use me. Everyone does. If it's for the food, I don't care. That's just another way I can stick it to my boss. Speaking of..."

He plops this cardboard case down on the counter.

"A deal's a deal. The mega value pack for the girl."

...Okay, they're made for each other. Everyone here is trash!

"So, uh, what time did she say she wanted to hang out?"

I hate everything about this!!

"I'll be back again."

Take food, leave, exit, alley. At this point, I nearly shove the shit at them.

"Oh my God!"

"Is that the mega value pack Dazzleburgers?"

"OH MY GOD!!! GIMME!!!"

"God, Catty. Try to have some self-control."

"Sorry..."

"'Cause they OBVIOUSLY brought the Dazzleburgers for ME."

"NO WAYYY!!!!!"

I point to the items.

"Trade. Now."

Bratty puts the key and gun into the hat before handing it over to me.

"Thank you."

I put the key in my inventory and equip the other two.

[You equipped the Tattered Western Hat]

[You gain 12 Defense and 5 Attack]

[This battle-worn hat makes you want to crew on straw for some reason. It also raises attack by 5.]

[You equipped the Rusty Revolver]

[You gain 12 Attack]

[An super old gun. It has no ammo. Must be used precisely, or damage will be low. Duh.]

[HP: 40 ATK: 62 DEF: 50]

I am becoming OP!!

"Oh! Give burger-boy this!"

Catty hands me a scrap of paper with her number.

"Fine. I'm just glad this is done."

Back to Burgerpants. I slap the paper down.

"Here's her number. I hope you don't regret this."

His face contorts in a weird way...Is he...Happy?

Sweet! I need to pick a spicy outfit for my little shindig later. Though, now that I think about it, I had to throw away all of my clothes to make room for the outfits Mettaton gave me."

"...What?"

"Don't take it the wrong way. They're just all these...Weird getups. 'Promotional' costumes. For 'holidays'. Or 'specials'. Or 'because he felt like it'. The thing IS though! Most of the time I'm the only employee who has to wear this stuff! Sometimes he even calls me into his office just to...Make me put something on...Then he laughs and lets me go back to work as normal."

My pity meter is breaking.

"Anyways, I won't sweat it. I'll take it casual. NEVER let hot people think you care. That's how they GET you."

And the pity meter dropped dead.

"Good luck with that."

I leave on that note. Fuck this resort. Fuck this quest plot. Fuck this whole damn thing!

Wanting this shit show to be over and done with, I do as instructed by following the rug's path out some doors that have a giant sign above that says "CORE". Lazy-ass designers, I swear.

Weirdly this leads to a balcony. A balcony that has been opened and a walkway built that connects to the massive facility. The light from the resort barely shows half of the path as the CORE itself surprisingly gives off the faintest glow. The CORE is an entirely mechanical complex that is largely black and yellow with red accents. The blah colors aside, what gets my attention are the two monsters that were minding the entrance that slip inside when I show up. I don't like this.

"Flowey, you better be able to get here. I have a bad feeling about this."

Approaching shows more of this crazy thing. The CORE appears to be the most industrial and modern region of the Underground. Ozone, a byproduct of electrical power, is omnipresent below the floor level of the CORE. This could mean the CORE might be made of stainless steel, titanium, or platinum; as ozone is highly corrosive to most organic materials. If this is the case, they could use this stuff. The CORE could be a source of ozonated water, which cleans clothes, sanitizes food, and purifies drinking water. This also implies this might be the greatest source of oxygen in the Underground as ozone simply decomposes into oxygen at high concentrations and temperatures. The only hazard I can think of is that oxygen is a shitty thing to breathe. Breathing pure oxygen at high pressures can cause nausea, dizziness, muscle twitching, vision loss, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. Breathing pure oxygen for a long time can irritate the lungs causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposure may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs and subsequent death. Guess how much more O2 is needed to do this to a person? 20% more. God, Humans are so freaking weak. I'll need to be careful here.

The lobby of the CORE has an elevator to the north and two paths to the left and right. Not a bad looking place, very lavishly decorated, the floors are engraved with intricate patterns and multicolored neon tubes serve as wall ornaments and embellishments. I check the elevator, which is disabled, I'm not shocked at this point. Not much else to do, I go to the path on the right, which turns out to be a small room with a square platform overlooking a pit of fire. Not bad. I do enjoy looking at fire. It's pretty. Moving on! Going through the left path leads to a rectangular stretch of wall-less hallway with a doorway at the end.

"Hmmm...My bullshit senses are tingling. I'm willing to bet a random encounter/ambush is about to happen."

As if cued by my words, something cracks the back of my head and then hits my gut as I turn.

"*wheeze* Called it..."

My attacker appears and my dull cracked purple soul is forced out to play.

[Madjick pops out of its hat!]

Madjick has a typical appearance of a wizard. It wears a curved wizard hat, a pair of boots, and two rotating orbs emitting cross-shaped particles. Madjick has a sly smile on its face, but a pair of bright eyes are hidden just under its hat.

[FIGHT]

[ACT]

[̴͝SP͜͞E͡L̵͜L͟͠͏]͘͢

[ITEM]

[MERCY]

I wonder if SPELL will work on this thing? ...N-No. No. Can't chance it. Stick to normal tactics.

[ACT selected.]

[New options available.]

[CHECK]

[TALK]

[STARE]

[CLEAR MIND]

...The fuck kind of options are these?!

[CHECK selected.]

[MADJICK – HP: 190 ATK: 29 DEF: 24 – This enemy can only speak in magic words.]

Finally! My states aren't shit compared to my attacker. Also, only speaks in magic words is the most fucking adorable thing I've ever heard.

"Abra cadabra."

An orb spawns off to my left and rapid-fires crosses at me. I dodge and the orb tries to cut me off by going where I'm headed. It fires about eight times and moving around is not so great.

[HP ████████████████ 16/40]

Thank goodness my defense got increased during all this crap. I could've been really messed up.

[Madjick flaunts its orbs in a menacing manner.]

It snickers.

"A smug one. I like that."

[TALK selected.]

"You know...I can do magic too."

It looks at me intrigued.

"Yep. I can make your smile disappear."

It pauses before sneering at me.

"See? I made it vanish before your very eyes!"

It didn't seem to like my humor.

"Hocus pocus."

[Madjick begins chattering to itself. Its gibberish dizzies you...Your DEFENSE drops by 1.]

My head feels fuzzy. Did it just jinx me? Are there more types of magic than what I've been told?

One of the orbs begins to chase me while deploying harmful but immobile crosses. Yet due to the jinx, my sense of direction is ass-backward. Left is right and right is left. Up is down and down is up. However...much to Madjick's dismay...I'm used to being incredibly dizzy. My childhood was filled with countless hours of boredom appeased by spinning around till I couldn't see straight.

[HP ████████████████████ 20/40]

Ha ha...Suck on those magic balls, wizard-boy!

"*slur* Is that what you call magic? Boo! Disappointed!"

[Madjick whispers arcane swear words.]

"*slur* Oh...Someone needs to put some gold in the swear jar. I'm gonna tattle!"

It growls.

"Eh eh eh. It's not your turn."

I slap my face a few times.

[CLEAR MIND selected.]

"I wonder where Flowey is?"

[You think of pollen and sunshine. Your confusion abates. Your DEFENSE increased by 2.]

"...What?"

"Alakazam!!"

It tries to surprise me with that following orb trick. But now that I know that move it's not so bad.

[HP ██████████████████████████ 26/40]

Huh? Am I auto-healing faster? Sweet! Surely that only means good things for me.

[Madjick peers at you with strange eyes.]

"What? You scared? My sick moves and auto-healing too much for you? No worries, wizard-dude, we cool. I got you."

The hell did I just say? Am I magic high? Fuck it.

[MERCY selected.]

[New options available.]

[FLEE]

[SPARE]

[SPARE selected.]

It looks at me funny. Then it looks at my HP.

[HP ████████████████████████████████ 32/40]

It flinches.

"Please and thank you."

Madjick accepts my act of mercy.

[YOU WON!]

[You earned 0 XP and 120 gold.]

The fight ends, my soul returns to my body and I give my opponent claps of approval.

"Good show, buddy. Keep up the good work."

It seems confused but nods, hovering away behind me towards the exit.

"Well...That was weird."

My head still feels odd. Nothing a few brain sloshing shakes of the old noggin won't fix. Anyway, no time to question strange feelings or whatever. I gotta get through this so I can get back to Toriel. Onwards I go.

Continuing forward, I enter a room with a bridge that is cut off by a tesla coil. Wow. Hadn't seen that in a long ass time. How much do I wanna bet there's a convenient off switch nearby. Oh, look! A super obvious switch right there on the wall. Who could've ever had guessed! I flip the switch and lasers fire at me! First blue, then blue again, and orange. Thankfully they're slow, so once I triggered the first blue laser I easily hit the deck to avoid the others that pass by.

"Setting booby traps on top of other traps now. Geez, Metta, I'm starting to think you don't like me very much. Well, that's fine. I don't like me either! So come at me already and quit this pussy bullshit!"

Calm down. No need to get riled up. Get through this and go home. Then I can just stuff my face with Nanny's awesome cheesecake and pass out happy. I march on, doing my best not to look down or notice how some of the walls and floors are chipped away. Now I'm paranoid about if any other laser that turns up is functional or decorative.

The path leads into a crossroads with a path to my left and a path straight ahead. My bullshit sense is tingling when I look at the left path. Straight ahead it is.

This room contains a bridge with many blue and orange lasers followed by a massive wall of blue lasers.

"Nope. Just nope. Screw the rules! I have plot armor importance and common sense!"

Fuck this outfit. Fuck this shit! I have lost all my fucks! I get down on the floor and combat crawl the long as fuck cold metal catwalk.

"*muttering* Stupid bullshit. Why do I have to be nice? If I wasn't nice, I wouldn't have to put up with shit like this. Bitches don't end up in laser catwalk traps. But no...I have to be a decent person. *getting louder* I have to be a good girl. I have to not give in to the overwhelming urge to punch assholes for being assholes because that's wrong for dumb reasons! *shouting* Why am I pissing myself off?! This is extremely counterproductive given my current situation! Fuck!!"

I blame all this on Mettaton. That's a healthy way to look at it. Probably not. But I'm not a mental health doctor! The fuck do I know?! After crossing the bridge, I storm grumpily along another walkway only to reach something called "Core Branch".

Turns out the "Core Branch" is a four-way intersection. Fan-fucking-tastic. Man, my mood is fucking sour. Maybe the digital sign can be useful and give me directions.

[North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End.]

"*growling* This is so...FUCKING STUPID!!"

Nope. Not falling for anymore of this. I choose neither side and go straight. This middle path of the "Core Branch" has me entering a vertical room with a right path leading to the eastern portion of the "Core Branch". There's nothing to my left. It just drops into the ozone, so it's certain death. I'm so sure this place followed all safety measures. There is a sign on the wall that is telling me to "Get lost...And stay that way".

"Wha...Why have signs telling me to leave when you told me to come here?! Stupid metal moron giving me dumb mixed messages."

I hate everything. No monster better encounter me while I'm in this mood. I take out a gold piece and flip it. Heads for straight and tails for the right. It lands on tails so right I go. This has to be the stupidest designed building ever! What the hell was Gaster thinking?! Was he on the drugs? Because this seems like he was on the drugs! 'Cause now I'm at another four-way crossroads. Only now I have two digital signs.

[To the East! This is The End.]

[I cannot fight. I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through.]

A third, and hopefully final, tesla coil blocks what has been established as the exit. This means there's a switch somewhere. F that shit. Know what? You know what'll piss everyone off? I'm gonna do what that sign said. I'm going to be patient. Because if I know Mettaton, and I know massive egos very well, he won't want boring content to be televised and eventually spice things up. I plop my edgy tush under the sign and...wait. Using this time to chill. Let this negativity go and...

*Clank-clank-clank*

Oh hell no!

A large monster ominously approaches. Knight Knight is a monster that wields a great staff with a sun symbol in her right hand. She wears a suit of black armor and what resembles a horned helmet with a crescent moon emblazoned on her forehead. The helmet's eyepiece occasionally widens and un-widens as if it is her mouth. Her torso is dominated by a dragon face whose beak occasionally opens and closes, revealing a small eye. It is unclear whether which face is the true face.

"Let me guess...You're here to make me move?"

"Yes."

"No."

She's confused.

"...No?"

"Did I stutter? I'm not moving."

She readies her spear.

"Then prepare for..."

"Let me stop you right there. I get that you're doing your job and following the law, and blah blah blee bloo, whatever. I have been through one of THE worst days in my life. My mind, soul, and charitable goodwill have been pushed to limits that are very VERY thin now. I am in no mood to deal with any more crap. So I'm going to say this once because I ain't fighting you or moving from this spot till this electrical blockaded is gone...Turn around and go home."

She doesn't take me seriously and laughs.

"Heh heh...You have no power to give me orders, human."

She takes a step closer and I snap.

"I͏͟ ̧̀̕W͝IL͘͡L̴ ̶Ŗ͟͜I͝҉P͘ ̵O͜F̧F̛͞ ̸̀Y̧͡O̡͢U̡͠R ͠H̸EA̶͏D͏͢ ̸̕A͜N͢D S̢̛͜Ḩ̶Į͢T̵̕ ͝D̶̀OW͞N̷̴͠ ҉͞Ý̸̢O̡͡U̡͢R ̸ŅE̴͝CḰ̡̧!͞͞!̧͢"

She stumbles back in shock. The strange energy sparks off me. I regret everything.

"I̵'͘͟͏ḿ͢͞ ̧̕͞so̧̨͡r̴̢ŗ̷͜y̧.̵̛.̢͞.̛p̢l͝ea̷se͢.͟.́͢.leave me. I'm so sorry."

I seem to have disturbed her. She slowly steps back and turns around when she's convinced I'm not going to move.

"Adieu...Human."

She leaves me and I let out a shaky exhale. It's getting worse. I'm losing control. I can't do this for much longer. I haven't been given any proper time to deal with this shit. My internal bottle has been shaken too much! It's going to explode! I...I...

"What the heck was that?!"

Flowey pops up beside me and I'm too freaked out to be startled.

"Sis? What's wrong?"

I hold myself in an attempt to squeeze into a tiny ball of self-loathing. This only worries him more.

"Lynsie?"

I...I can't...I need a break. If only I had my music. I could drown out all this. Lose myself in the lyrics.

"B-Bro..."

"Yes? Talk to me. I can help. Tell me what you need."

"...H-How fast can you get to Snowdin?"

He frowns.

"You want me to get 'him', don't you?"

All I can do is nod.

"I...I can help too. You don't have to turn to him."

My eyes dart to the blocked path. He puts things together. He is a smart boy after all.

"True. Mettaton is that way and the room his encounter takes place in is an elevating platform. I can stretch from my roots pretty far but not THAT far."

He pouts.

"*huff* I guess there's no other option. He does have experience helping you out when things get bad. And he can teleport."

I feel bad that I'm making him do this...again. Like in the dead timeline.

"I...I'm sorry."

"Wha...N-No! Don't apologize. I understand. You're worried. It's okay. We'll get through this. Family helps family. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't do everything to help? Even if that means getting others to help when I can't."

"...I need a hug...please?"

It pains me to see him hesitate. But vines come out to wrap around me for a bit.

"Thank you."

The vines retract and he extends to nuzzle my cheek.

"It won't be like last time. I promise. You won't kill anyone. No one's going to die."

"H-How do you know?"

"Because you're strong. You just have to believe in yourself. I know I do."

...I needed that. I give him a smile.

"There we go. There's my sis. Now keep that smile. I'll get Smiley Trashbag and we'll be back home with mom in no time."

He really is too sweet for this world. He sinks into the floor and I forgot to ask how he was able to get through this floor. I mean, I guess he said he can get through cement so metal can't be too far of a long shot. Asriel sure is a super strong boy even as a flower.

*BUZZ*

The power to the coil suddenly is shut off remotely like I so knew it could be. Damn it. I was hoping to have more time. How impatient is Mettaton for this? Reluctantly, I get up and walk down this new road. Halfway along this bridge, I am blocked by three vaguely familiar monsters that look like tougher versions of monsters I see in the Ruins.

Final Froggit has spike-like protrusions on its head and eyelids, accompanied by a crown-like muff on top of its head. Its lips are marked with lines, as though wrinkled from age. Its "shoulders" are decorated with sharp excrescents, while the silhouette between its legs forms a face with a triangular smile and cross eyes.

Whimsalot has a more human-like appearance than Whimsun. Also, its antennae are thicker, and there is a muff on their head that branches in two. Whimsalot's appearance is also accompanied by a double-bladed spear and a knight mask. Its ghost-like torso is skinnier and shorter.

Astigmatism's body consists of a large ball and four spiked limbs. The ball is accompanied by two "horns" on each side. When idle, a large eye can be seen on the ball also with three eyelashes. However, it changes from this face to another where the eye hollow is changed with a smile. When having its eye closed, the two side eyelashes become Astigmatism's eyes, while the middle one simply becomes a marking.

I don't know what I must look like to them. Probably dreadful. Because they move aside with not a word being side. I nod in thanks, proceeding to the end which for all I know might be the most tragic moment of my life second to Grillby dying. No! Stop it! Do as Flowey said. Smile. Stay chipper. Think of something silly. Like how dumb this place is. Honestly, was Gaster high making this place? I'll have to ask him later. Nah...I'll ask Sans. Less hassle.

The bridge comes to an end, leading to a shadowy doorway and an elevator that probably would've been super handy but was out of order to pad out the length of this bullshit subplot. Augh...It's so much easier to think my life is a fictional story or internet abridge series. It's the only way my brain allows most of this crap to make any sense.

"So this is it, huh? The epic conclusion of this grand show. Heh...I want to feel accomplished for making it this far. Almost. But all I do feel is..."

I can't finish my sentence. The weight I thought I got off my back earlier begins pressing on me again.

"Nothing...I feel nothing. *sniffling* Damn it...Don't fucking cry!"

With a breakdown seconds away from happening, I enter the doorway to the room of darkness and a door shuts behind me then locks. There is no going back now.

Please...I made a promise...Please...Don't make me have to RESET...Please...I'm begging...Please...

#undertale #underfell #Anomaly #Lynsie #sans #papyrus #gaster #grillby #grandpa semi #flowey #Asriel #toriel #asgore #frisk #chara #undyne #mettaton #napstablook #alphys

7 notes · View notes