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tiddieria · 5 years ago

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The 4 times Adam's dad thinks his son is dating Kai + the 1 time he knows

1- He doesn’t like to assume things about his son.

Adam has proved him wrong multiple times. The first major one was when he assumed he was dating Mira and the second when he assumed his son was straight. He doesn’t like to assume because he doesn’t like to be wrong.

So when Adam introduces him to Kai he thinks nothing of it.

And he continues to think nothing of the soft laughs that come from his sons room. Or the flushed faces when they come downstairs for chips. OR the elongated goodbyes with the front door closed.

Maybe he thought about it a little…

2- His wife and him had gone on a little date night.

They let Adam have some friends over while they were gone as long as they clean up after themselves. The night went well, the restaurant they picked turned out to be pretty good at a reasonable price. Enough for it to be considered ‘fancy’ but not overly expensive like some places in town.

Overall it was a fun little escape from home. But they were parents so there was always someone waiting for them at home.

“I’m gonna go put in Puddles, poor dog must be sick if being outside.” She leaned down and gave him a peck on the cheek before hurrying inside. Sighing he picked up the leftover boxes and his wife’s purse from the passenger side.

When he opened the door to the house he was greeted by a scene.

Mira was sitting on the couch watching a movie along with Skeet who was sitting by her feet. Next to Mira was Adam and Kai completely asleep. They were leaning on each other with Kai’s face smushed against Adam’s shoulder and one of his legs draped over his lap. There seemed to be drool sliding out of his mouth.

Adam wasn’t in a better shape either. His chin was resting on Kai’s head and his arm was over Kai’s waist. Some how one of the throw pillows ended up on his lap under where Kai’s leg was thrown over.

“Hey Adam’s dad sir.” Skeet greeted him.

“Hi kids, you enjoy your night?”

Mira nodded, “Yeah we were just watching Alien but Adam and Kia kinda fell asleep half way through.”

“Yeah they were totally passed out.”

He smiled “ Well Im glad you two had fun regardless of them,” he chuckled, “ You guys can head home at anytime don’t worry. Goodnight.”

“Night Adam’s dad”

“Goodnight!”

He smiled to himself while walking up to his and his wife’s room. Adam always used to fall asleep during movies when he was little.

Although he never really cuddled up with anybody…

3- It was around 2 am when he heard a noise from downstairs.

He checked to see if it was his wife but she was sleeping soundly next to him. Sighing he got up and put on his robe to go check. He was expecting to see Adam getting a late night snack. He’d have to tell him to go to sleep.

Adam likes to do that during one of his “grinds”. He doesn’t understand why someone would stay up this late just to make some virtual money.

He walked down the stairs and sure enough the kitchen lights were on. Sighing and straightening his glasses he got ready to scold his son before he heard voices.

“ Kai its fine really, my parents wont really care if you’re here.”

“I just don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

He heard some steps and shifting.

“You need to be away from them right now its fine.”

“I know... I just wished it wasn’t like this.” Kai’s voice was slightly muffled now. “ i just don’t understand why... why they think its better for me if they stay together.” Kai cleared his throat “If their just fighting all the fucking time”. Kai’s voiced cracked.

He decided to ignore the swear word from the teen and instead became incredibly worried. Who would have known that such a lovable child would be having this much trouble in his home life.

“ I know and I’m sorry that I’m not really good at comforting you.”

Kai let out a soft wet laugh and sniffled, “Dude you’re fine. Just being around you helps.”

“You can sleep here tonight. We’ll wake up early so my parents don’t see.”

“I’d like that..... thank you Adam”

“Anytime”

No other words were spoken but someone was humming softly. He decided to take a peek over the corner of the wall and into the kitchen.

Adam had one hand in Kai’s and the other on the small of his back. The other boy had a hand on his shoulder. They had their eyes closed and were leaning their heads together. They swayed to humming in the kitchen.

They fit together so perfectly.

He went back to his room quietly and when he found a note on the kitchen counter the next morning he said nothing about it.

4- He was finally headed home after a long day at the school.

If he had known how long essays took to grade maybe he wouldn’t have become an english teacher. He looks more like a math teacher anyways.

His wife was out of town with some of her gal pals, something about a outdoor spa in the next town over, so he knows hell have get Adam food. That kid never feed himself any real food just snacks.

At a red light he quickly sent a text to Adam asking him what he wants to eat. When he didn’t get a reply, he think anything of it. Adam usually forgets to put his phone with sound.

He’ll make his son spaghetti or something.

When he got home he expected to find Adam with his VR system in his room not sitting on the couch with Kai.

Kai’s face was extremely red and he wasn’t making eye contact with him. Both if their hairs were a mess sticking up in a random places.

He cleared his throat. “Uh hello Kai, I wasn’t expecting to find you here?”

“OH uh yeah?” Kai scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Are you going to join us for dinner because i don’t know if i have enough spaghetti for 3 people.”

With that Adam quickly got up and pulled up Kai. “ACTUALLY, DAD. Kai was just about to leave.” His voice was strained as he grabbed Kai’s backpack and handed it to him.

“I was?” Adam gave him a look. “OH. Yeah! I,m leaving now.”

They both turned to him and gave him strained smiles before quickly turning around and going out the door. He waited for his son to come back into the house.

When he did come back in they both stared at each other for a minute, trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

He sighed knowing he wasn’t gonna get anything out if his son. “Do you want cheese on your spaghetti?”

He was a little bit pissed.

This weekend he had to go to a english teacher convention because the school wanted him to go. But his flight was canceled and he had to tell them he wouldn't be able to go. Sadly he would have to go tomorrow instead and he had to pay for the flight.

He gripped the steering wheel the whole drive home, trying to calm himself down.

His wife said she was going to be out with some friends so the only person who should be home is Adam. He’ll be able to relax after talking to him.

He parked his car in the driveway, leaving his luggage in the car. Hes going to need it tomorrow anyways!

Going into the house he found it to be surprisingly quiet. Usually when Adam is alone he turns the volume on his TV to the highest volume. A little concerned he took the stairs up to his son’s room.

Outside Adam’s door he heard soft music playing.

Music at a low volume meant Adam was sad about something but when he opened the door with new concern and interest, he did not find Adam curled up in bed trying to shut out the world. Instead he found Adam and Kai.

Kissing.

Kai was sitting on the bed with his legs folded under him leaning over to Adam who was sitting with his legs off the bed. Kai had his hand curled around his face and the other on his chest, slowly going down. Adam had his hands on Kai’s hips holding him where he was.

He felt his mouth open in shock before quickly coughing before he saw something he'll regret.

They jumped and quickly separated from each other. Blush running up from the collars of their shirts to the tips of their ears.

“DAD!”

“SORRY!!!”

They looked at him with wide eyes and quickly tried to come up with an excuse of what he just saw.

He smiled before putting his hand up, silencing them. “ Don't worry about it kids. I’m happy for you guys, just wished you would have told me Adam.”

“I was going to but….”

He nodded, completely understanding. He turned around to leave before stopping. “ And keep the door open from now on.” He walked away as Kai screamed from embarrassment and Adam groaned in disappointment.

He's glad they're happy.

And he's glad he was right.

#the hollow #the hollow (netflix)#adam the hollow #kai the hollow #kaidam #i was gonna post this on ao3 but i dont have an account so #also this is the first time ive wrote anything so sorry if its bad

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shiedagabe · 4 years ago

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The Dream

Today was the day. Today was the day Heath had finally invited you to go to the local carnival, and it appears it was just in time, for today was the spooky month. You could see all types of decorations sprinkled and scattered around town: haunting ghosts hanging from street lamps, jack-o’-lanterns laying on the heavily decorated porches, ready to give unsuspecting kids a good scare, houses decorated like abandoned mansions, each one of them filled with enthusiastic and joyous actors; it couldn’t get any more perfect than this. You latched onto his tall arm, resting your head on it. He was surprised, even startled at first, but he looked at you with his brown eyes, ones which perfectly encapsulated the universe in its entirety. In them you could see everything, from the reflection of the nearby neighborhood and its decaying trees, which leaves fell smoothly because of the calming breeze. Each one of those leaves was unique in their own way; their color brought calm respite to those who admired them; to the immense forest that seamed ever-growing, for each time you looked at him you could see another tree in his immense greenwood, another dream in an innocent soul. He smirked at you, reassuring you that everything was okay, and even though you weren’t in any danger or expecting to be, that smile brought your heart to a calm rest. You decided to pick this neighborhood not only because Heath knew a lot of people that lived here, but also because you wanted to admire these small little trinkets that the town left around, they filled your heart with glee. You knocked on some doors, with your inner child mind jumping around happily, trick or treating the unsuspecting town folk, all in good spirit. They were surprised to see you together, they had no idea you had started dating, but they were more than happy to know that. Most of them invited you two to have dinner at their house since they hadn’t seen you in such a long time because “You had something more important to do”, his words, not yours.

You had finally arrived at the carnival and your bags were already filled to the brim with sweets and treats. You had so many rides to try out, so many haunted mansions to visit, you honestly thought you were only going to leave at the break of dawn, and you relished that idea immensely. You decided to start at the skeet shooting gallery, one that fascinated you because you never had any experiences with firearms, but always had a strong feeling towards. “Are you ready?” the carnival man asked, looking at you with a terrifying smile. He had makeup on, like, too much makeup, but it sure did set the mood for this wonderful night. He looked like the Devil incarnate, but you could see that his eyeliner was already fading; maybe he did this sort of thing as a way to get money and regretted his decision immensely, but you were too afraid to ask. You grabbed the shotgun and as soon as the plates started flying, the recoil hit your face. Heath laughed for a bit, but he noticed that you had a huge red spot on your face, so he caressed it slowly and told you how to hold it properly: “Look, you have to hold up the stock up to your cheek and you have to wedge its butt in your shoulder pocket, like this.” – He said, as he grabbed your hands and placed them properly, you could feel the difference in temperature, fluctuating in a battle against something you had ever known. His palms were hot and warm; they reassured you that what you were doing was right. His fingers, however, were rigid and freezing, cursed by Demeter to be forever cold, yet, somehow, you found comfort in them, and they enveloped your hands and put them where they should be. After trying for a couple of times, you finally managed to shoot down a plate or two. You were happy, really happy, and so was he, he gave you a big hug and whispered something into your ear – “Now watch and learn”. He paid the carnival man to give him another shot and he managed to shoot every single plate down, well, except for one. He blamed that the wind had gotten into his eye, but the man didn’t care because he had finally seen a happy couple, so he let this one slide and asked him to pick a prize. He turned his head to face yours, with a look that said “It’s all yours, pick what you want”. You excitedly asked for the giant fluffy mind flayer plushy, its dark robes and tentacle-like nature fascinated you, for you have never seen one before, and you found it really cute, although mysterious. You decided to try a couple more rides before the big finale, such as the whack-a-mole and the bumper car ride. Now that you think about it, the latter was the most fun attraction you had had in a while. You had to sit in different cars because the operator wouldn't let you ride them together, but you had a blast while doing so. Every time you crashed into each other you looked at each other in the eyes and laughed it off, but whenever someone crashed into you, you two would tag team that person and effectively turn them into a metal sandwich. You were making jokes and were constantly laughing, the night couldn’t have ended in a better way, but both of you wanted to try the miniature London Eye out. It was a perfect replica or the British attraction, but it was sized down as to give everyone a chance to ride it. He once again bought the tickets, and it just now hit you that he had been paying for everything the entire time. You pulled and tugged his shirt, but he already knew what you were nagging him about. He merely placed his finger over your lips and, with a quiet shush, reassured you that it was okay. You never had much money to begin with, but you felt bad letting him pay for every single ride at the carnival, but with that small little gesture you felt at ease and comfortable around him.

As you sat on the ride, you were jumping on the seat, excited to finally see the beautiful landscape that lied beyond the light-infected streets. As you reached the top you could see everything you had ever imagined. The city, which lit up amazingly with its yellow sheen, reminding you that every single one of those lights had a purpose, a meaning; they represented each individual that lived there; the forest, immense in its nature, dark and gloomy, hiding secrets that will forever be unknown to humanity. As you saw the ever-distant trees you turned to look at your significant other and he, too, was appreciating the beauty of this gargantuan view. “Isn’t this amazing?” – He asked, without turning his head to face you. “It really is.” – You replied, placing your hand on his firm leg. He looked at you, his eyes were darkened because of the poorly lit atmosphere the ride had, and his gaze reminded you of the timberland below. You held his hand to pull him in for a kiss, but you noticed that it started flaking off rapidly, revealing something which you couldn’t even imagine. His flesh was made of void of indiscernible quality, pure and fresh. You freaked out and screamed, because you had never seen such a thing before. “Are you alright?!” – You screamed, turning to look at his face to see what reaction he would have, but it was no longer there. What lied was an amalgamation of faces and countenances, all screaming in agony, trying to leave this immortal bastion. All of them were unrecognizable, they meshed together, malformed and contorted, and uttered of unspeakable horrors they had suffered, simultaneously. You threw yourself into the corner, trying to get away from this…, wicked and fowl beast, but it grew larger and larger. He, or better, it started scratching what was left of his skin, revealing something unnatural, eldritch, even. It had an uncountable amount of tentacles and eyes, faces and screams, all of them made of pure and unadulterated void, black and unalloyed as the night, and all of them had their eye on you. You closed your eyes and covered your face with your hands, waiting for this nightmare to end, but you suddenly felt a limp appendage touch your shoulder. You peeped through your hands, only to see his face in the millions of others that had joined his and, in an uncoordinated choir, it only managed to say this: “I love you, it wasn’t your fault”.

You jumped out of your bed, startled and afraid, grabbing your plushy as soon as you saw it. You held it near and dear to your heart, squeezing it as hard as you could because you were glad this nightmare was finally over. After being consoled by your tiny little companion, you turned your head to the left to look at the weather, it was raining, heavily, and you weren’t able to admire the urban beauty for a single moment. You turned your head down and realized that the queen sized bed was missing something, or rather, someone. You grabbed the pillowcase that lied on the fresh sheets, unwashed, and smelled it once more. You tell yourself you can still smell his essence, but there is nothing there, not anymore, only a cushion filled to the brim with sorrow and dried tears. You would have readied up to go to work, but you had been fired for mourning for too long, but you decided to get up anyway, dressing anything that would bring back his memories. The drive to the local graveyard was a small one, but one that emotionally took so long. It reminded you of every good memory you had, every kiss you shared, every glance you partook in. Sigh, it’s just a shame to see it all go. You opened the graveyard door, rusty and creaky; and greeted the security guard, but he already knew your name, after all, you were a local. You slowly walked in the mud which consumed your feet, little by little, and sat next to his tombstone, telling him about your day and how you had this weird dream, which he starred in, but the story was all the same. I guess some things never change. I guess some people never let go.

#heath ledger #heath ledger x reader #heath ledger imagine #fanfic #fanfiction #eldritch #horror #psychological horror #halloween #halloween fanfiction

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vignetterose · 5 years ago

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The Hollow Season 2 Review!

*contains spoilers!*

Can I just say, this was 10x better than the first season. The animations! The plot! The emotion! The action! Everything! 10/10 recommend!

So, let’s get into the praises! Like I said, the animation was so much better. I really enjoyed the animation. I felt like the plot had way more depth to it this time and it was more complex which was great!

There was a lot of emotion this season. I actually teared up. Although it devastated me, I like how they handled the Skeet situation. Most shows will pull something like that and then bring them back (which is a cheap copout in my opinion). The Hollow k*lled Skeet off and made it stay like that. They made us live with that. They made the characters live with that. Not many cartoons do that. It was, for a lack of a better word, refreshing. I also was not expecting them to go that dark (burying him, putting his hat up on the grave marker, Mira ending up taking the hat with her). That’s when I cried. I was not expecting a “kid show” to actually show a character buried. (And even reference it later in a conversation using dark dialogue). I found the whole “Skeet continuously trying to **** himself” situation to be a very dark decision as well. They made it a bit funny but it was still a very dark concept. And then with him basically succeeding....that made it even darker (and sadder).

Now onto LGBT+ rep! I am honestly super happy with the rep!!! He said gay!!! He actually said it!!! And they had a full conversation about it! And they addressed the kiss!!! (Adam’s reaction was hilarious). As the season went on, I wasn’t really expecting Kaidam. If anything I was expecting Adam and Reeve to have a thing (but I’ll get into that later). Also, Mira’s dads!!!! And they’re interracial!!! I’m so happy! 8/10 in terms of rep for me in total.

Now time for romances! We did not get Kaidam. Or any canon Adam relationship. However, we didn’t get ANY canon relationship. I’m content with that. They were focused on staying alive and getting through the game. I do think they left it a bit open ended. I think Kai x Vanessa is extremely possible. I also think Mira and Skeet had some feelings for each other. I also think it’s possible that, if we were to get a 3rd season, Adam x Reeve could be a thing. And that’s very cool!

This brings me to the reveals. As in, the backstories of the characters. This was handled very well!! I was super shocked that the original friend group was Adam, Reeve, and Mira. That was definitely not something anyone could have expected. Also Mira and Skeet knowing each other was sweet (although it seemed a bit out of place and had some inconsistencies). Adam being gay of course is amazing. I also liked Mira being a vegetarian. Kai being rich was hilarious. It gave me Fred from Big Hero 6 vibes!

My favorite part was the plot twist/ending. That was the most creative plot twist I’ve ever seen!! They’re digital copies??? It made the whole season bittersweet for me in a way-knowing those aren’t technically the real Adam, Mira, and Kai and the real ones are out living their life. For most of the season I was wondering how they were going to tie in the live action portion of the first season’s finale. I was confused too. They kept talking like that part never even happened. But when they finally revealed the plot twist it hit me like a truck! It was so unexpected. The ending was bittersweet too Them living their lives in the digital world is cool. But the sad part is that those aren’t their real parents and siblings at all. Those really are actual copies. But I did like the ending.

Now time for the criticisms!

The Skeet wanting to **** himself bit got a bit repetitive. But maybe that’s just because I was scared it could be triggering for some people. For the LGBT+ rep, I mostly enjoyed it. I would have given it a higher score but I wish they had explored Adam’s sexuality more and had him reference it more than once. (You can argue the “Most guys look bad in pom poms.” bit was a reference but I’m not sure on that one.) I would have loved a canon love interest but I’m still content with the representation. I’ll still ship Kaidam a bit because it’s cute but I am definitely headcannoning Adam x Reeve to be a couple. I wish they would’ve explored that a bit more. Like I said, it could maybe been seen as open-ended. But I wish they could’ve had a clear “Yes, Adam and Reeve get together” moment. Mira and Skeet were adorable. But like I said, it seemed a bit out of place for me. Also, isn’t Adam Mira’s best friend? How does he not know that she is/was best friends with Skeet? I felt like that was a bit of an inconsistency. About the ending, I wish we had been able to see the real life Adam, Mira, Kai, Reeve, Vanessa, and Skeet living their lives in the outside world. That would’ve made the ending more complete and less sad for me. It would have given me closure. But I think I can understand why they did it. It could’ve seemed out of place having both animation and live action. It was criticized a bit last time.

All in all, I really enjoyed the 2nd season. It was a lot better than the first in my opinion. I don’t think we’ll get a 3rd season since the way they ended the season was a close to the story. It was a full ending. I would love a 3rd season though so I can see the characters again, see them in their new life, and see Adam’s sexuality explored more. I would also love the possible romances to be explored more too. But yes, this is my review and I hope you all enjoyed the season as much as I did!

#i had to repost it because i made mistakes :(#the hollow #the hollow netflix #the hollow netflix spoilers #the hollow spoilers #lgbt

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fuckyeahisawthat · 4 years ago

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Ooh tell me about encounters please?

from this list

Encounters is a Fury Road fic, one of a couple that I thought were solid concepts but just never got around to finishing. (In the Ashes is another.) It is basically a brief history of Furiosa’s relationship with sex and her own sexuality, from her childhood in the Green Place until meeting Max. (Now that I think about it, it is a hilariously perfect illustration of this pattern. Look there’s a reason Max and Furiosa are my forever OTP.)

I actually have a fair amount of this one written, so enjoy a bit of tween Furiosa and Valkyrie in the Green Place:

A summer later. She has her first rifle, and she’s assembled and disassembled it so many times even Katie has tired of watching her do it, but bullets are scarce, and this is what she can do with her rifle so she’s doing it.

Val strides over to where Furiosa is sitting, at the edge of the olive grove, and flops down against the nearest tree. Her crowfeather-dark hair is loose, the way she likes it, even though it means hours of picking knots out by the fire later.

“Got kicked out of the tent,” Val declares. “Moms want to have sex.” They are thirteen now, and have initiate mothers, and that is definitely old enough to talk about sex.

“Ma Amelia’s other lover is coming soon, around waxing half-moon.” Val is braiding a grass stem into her hair, trying to coax it around the dark strands without breaking.

“The hairy one?” Ma Amelia’s other lover is a trader whose caravan passes near the Green Place sometimes on long, irregularly-timed circuits through the Wasteland.

“Skeet? I think that’s this one’s name. Gods, he is hairy though.” She snorts. “He’s nice enough, I guess. Last time he brought me a bayonet blade.” Her fingers work the braid without having to look at it. “Ma Amelia says it’s the right time of the month, so they’re gonna try to make a baby.”

“That’d be nice. We wouldn’t be the youngest any more.”

Val shrugs. “I guess. Ma Bess said Ma Amelia was real grumpy when she was pregnant with me.” The grass blade snaps, and Val huffs in frustration and carefully picks out another one.

When Ma Amelia’s other lovers visit the Green Place, she gets the tent to herself. Ma Bess plants herself right outside, her rifle across her lap, because you never know, with men in the Wasteland. The men may or may not get a whispered tip or two from Ma Bess at some point, depending on how much she likes them.

This is the third or fourth man that Ma Amelia has tried to get pregnant from, that Furiosa can remember. None took.

“Do you think we’ll have lovers, when we’re older?” Val asks.

“Sure, if we want to.” Furiosa looks up and Val is looking at her and she finds herself immediately looking back down at her half-assembled rifle.

“We should practice,” Val declares.

“What?” Furiosa says, although it comes out as more of a cough.

“You know. So we get good at things. For our lovers, when we’re older. Like this.”

Whatever she thought she was going to say in response evaporates as Val leans forward. She bumps their lips together for a split second before pulling away.

“Oh.” Her face is suddenly way too hot and Val is looking at her with her head cocked like this is some kind of fucking dare and if that’s the way it’s gonna be, well then—

She intends to lean in but somehow it’s way more of a lunge, overbalancing both of them and knocking them sideways into the grass. Val shrieks with laughter and at first their faces aren’t lined up and then they are and they’re kissing, and it’s like when you say hello or goodbye with your forehead pressed against the other person’s, except new, different, better, and she gets to put her hand in Val’s hair which is always so sleek and so much—

Val giggles. “I think you’re supposed to open your mouth,” she says, millimeters from Furiosa’s face. “And use your tongue. Somehow.”

“Like this?” Furiosa sticks out her tongue and licks an absurdly long stripe up Val’s face and they both explode in laughter.

#asks answered #mad max fury road #furiosa #fanfic #suzirya

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teacup-crow · 4 years ago

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The Christmas Runner

On the 12th Christmas Eve after the world ended, Molly and Carena told someone the story of the Christmas Runner. Major end of S3 spoilers, very minor spoilers for early S5.

I spent all day in bed and this happened? Will probably go on AO3 once I polish it (and when it’s actually close to Christmas). Promise it’s wholesome!

(In my headcanon here Carena is 15, Molly is 13 and Sara is 7)

“Sam’s givin’ you how much to watch her?” Carena Skeet spluttered, towering over the younger girl, leaning her hands over her head on the brick wall of the housing block. The moon was a sharpened, thin crescent, and lights winked in the guard towers. Over in the main barn, they could faintly hear the twanging of a slightly out-of-tune guitar and some tipsy singing, suggesting the grown-ups’ Christmas Eve party was already in full swing.

Everyone said that Molly Harrison was the prettiest girl in Abel, with blonde curly hair and eyes blue enough to knock out zoms, but right now she was shifting foot-to-foot, looking more irritated than anything else.

“A loaf of crusty bread and a pot of blackcurrant jam, and… you’re not having any of it, Caz.”

“Dr Cohen only promised me a bloody book!” Carena pouted, but avoided stomping her foot. She’d about grown out of that. Nobody would dare call her pretty, but she was too, in a fiercely intimidating way. It was two months until she turned sixteen and could finally start Runner training, and she’d already begun practicing first thing every morning, tearing around the training shed when the sun had barely risen. Where Molly was soft and homely, she was angled and muscular. “You can read it if you let me have a spoonful.”

“That’s a rubbish trade and you know it! I won’t always go along with everything you tell me to do, you know, it’s not fair-“

“Oh blah blah blah, quit whinin’, let’s just get the job done before they realise they double-booked.” She dropped her hands and stalked away. Her foster dad’s old fireman jacket was too big on her, but wearing the king’s clothing added to her swagger.

“You don’t like kids,” Molly pointed out, stumbling a little behind her as she strode off to the front door.

“Kids is fine. Kids is kids. I have, like, fifteen siblings. I know what I’m doing.”

“Yes, and you don’t like any of them. And they’re all the same age as you!”

“What can I say, I’m not good at sharing.” She turned and gazed pointedly at Molly, who shrugged it off. “It doesn’t take two people to babysit a seven year old.”

“Yeah, so go away, Caz. You don’t even want a book.”

“Gotta get on Dr Myers’ and Sam’s good side if I want to be recommended for Runner, don’t I? Janine respects their opinion more than anyone else except Runner Five.”

“So go and sit on guard duty with Runner Five and earn their approval.”

“You jokin’? Five’s batshit.”

“They’re also the only reason we’re not dead, so maybe you should be a bit more respectful.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t try to tell me what to do, Molly Harrison...” Carena’s tone was affronted, teetering on nasty. Then she stopped herself. “But yeah, you’re right. Five’s batshit bonkers, but they’re awesome.”

“And scary?” Molly added.

“Yeah, if you’re a wuss.”

They’d reached the green wooden door of Maxine and Paula’s apartment, a wreath on the outside, a menorah in the window. Sara had hung paper chains all down their part of the corridor. It made both the teenagers smile for a second or two.

Carena knocked, to no reply. She tried again.

“That’s weird,” she muttered.

“Sara, you in there?” Molly tried, peeking through the window.

“Sara, we brought chocolate!”

This caused a patter of feet to charge towards the door. Carena grinned. “First rule of kids is lie through your teeth.”

“MOLLY!” Sara sprang through the door in a bright blur of red sweater and green trousers, and jumped into Molly’s outstretched arms. “Did you bring Galileo too?”

Years before, when Archie Jensen had lost Mildred van der Graff to an explosion, Five had managed to get their own chicken back to Abel relatively unscathed. Molly, already interested in animals even as a small child, had adopted Galileo Figaro, a now-geriatric menace with a beak that had lasted longer than anyone expected. The hen had strong memories of her dinosaur roots, and, apart from Molly, Five and Sara, would attack almost anyone who dared enter the coop.

“Galileo’s an old hen, she’s resting.”

“She went cluck-cluck-cluck over the rainbow bridge to Ed Harrison’s stomach, you mean.”

“Caz! Dad would never!” Molly looked scandalised as Carena burst out laughing at her own joke. Thankfully, it went over Sara’s head as she dropped down from Molly’s arms and stared up at Carena’s jacket in awe. Caz ruffled her mop of springy hair affectionately. She liked this kid, at least. It was very difficult not to.

“Hello, baby Sara, how’s it goin’?”

“Good, Princess Caz! I’m making a jigsaw puzzle. It’s got a million trillion pieces!”

“Sounds like an absolute riot. Tell you what, Molly can finish it with you and I’ll heat up the rations.”

Molly nodded despite herself, taking the pudgy little hand in hers and stepping into the cosy apartment. “Okay, let’s go, hopefully we have all the pieces...”

“Daddy had to remake some of the missing ones but he said you can barely tell the difference, sort of! Anyway, you said you had chocolate?”

This was still one of the oldest housing blocks in Abel, but instead of enough bunks for eight people the two rooms comfortably housed the little family of three, bathroom splitting a bedroom on one side and a family room on the other with a table and a bookshelf and warm candle-lit lamps too high for Sara to knock over on the mantelpiece. Woollen throws covered the kind of battered armchairs you sank into and artwork lined the walls. There was even a tidy kitchen corner with a kettle and a camp stove and a stack of chipped plates and mugs. It was one of Carena’s favourite places: better even than sharing a room with some of the roller girls on a rare trip to see her foster dad in London; much better than her own springy bunk in the children’s dorms, the wall behind her chequered curtain plastered in pictures and photos and plans but still not private enough to block out the whining and crying of the little ones all night. It was nice to see a place where a real family lived. When she stood in the centre of the room, she could squeeze her eyes shut and almost picture the faces of her real parents, her actual bedroom, the kitchen they’d had with a white-tiled floor. Or was it sand-coloured tiles? She wasn’t quite sure, not that she’d admit it. Whenever anyone asked, she always said she remembered the pre-zombie world perfectly.

“Caz? Are you heating up the food or...?”

“I’m getting to it!” She stomped towards the stove, where Sara’s parents had already left a few crumbling Tupperware containers of pea soup from the kitchens, and Molly had brought a bowl of eggs to hard boil if they felt snacky. Not particularly inspiring, but then food had been limited for the last week as the kitchens saved all their supplies up for Christmas Day. And none of them knew how to be fussy: Sara and Molly did not remember a time when food was plentiful, and Carena’s last remnants of pickiness had been starved out of her when the Ministry occupied Abel. She’d been nine, and her stomach hadn’t stopped rumbling for that whole terrible ten months. It ached again a little just thinking about it. She wondered if that had left her weaker, permanently damaged her chance to become a Runner or a roller-girl. As if her asthma wasn’t enough of a handicap. Well, she’d do it anyway. Nothing was going to get in her way, least of all the legacy of those who had hurt her foster father.

“Three bowls of green soup, coming up!” She added a lick of salt, and stirred the metal pot. The ruckus from the square was louder now, almost matched by the younger girls playing with the puzzle behind her.

“I can’t tell if this is supposed to be a man’s face or a rat.”

“Daddy’s not a very good draw-er.”

“I mean… he could use some practice, to be honest. Any clue on where this piece should fit, Caz?”

Carena doled out the bowls and spoons. “Looks like a squiggle with earmuffs to me. Sam’s crap at art.”

“Don’t swear in front of Sara!”

“She’ll be fiiiine,” Carena rolled her eyes. “Lighten up, Molly.”

“Yeah, lighten up, Molly!” Sara echoed jubilantly. “Crap, crap, crap.”

“Okay, you can cut it out now. Eat your dinner.”

Molly changed the subject, sensing another mischievous outburst of swearing on the horizon. “Are you excited for Christmas, Sara?”

“Yeah! Did you hear that we’re going to have a hog roast and potatoes?! And games! And, and, Ms Marsh knitted me a hat and mittens!”

“How do you know about that?” Molly admonished. Sara immediately looked caught in the act.

“I… maybe heard her and Mama talking about it.”

“Did you ‘maybe hear’ or were you spying on your Mama?”

“I wasn’t spying! People just think kids can’t hear stuff!”

“Hey, spyin’ is a great skill, don’t knock it, Mol. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.”

“I wasn’t spying!” Sara drank down the last of her soup, licked the bowl, and pouted adorably. It was hard for the babysitters not to laugh.

“You know, I think that piece might actually be a clockwork mouse. I think it goes down at the bottom…”

They finished the jigsaw with only four missing pieces. “It’s… a big man in a red coat with a white beard! With lots of toys. I’m going to call him Mr Bob.”

“Sara, that’s Santa. Do you not know about Santa?”

“Father Christmas?” Molly tried, although she wasn’t completely confident either. Sara looked blank.

“You know my father is called Sam Yao?”

“No, baby, Santa Claus is different. He brings things to good children at Christmas.” In the back of her mind was an image of Ed in a terribly cobbled together Santa suit, a tiny Molly on his shoulders. A good memory in a flock of bad ones. It twinged in her chest.

“He’s a Runner?”

Carena sighed. “Basically. Yeah. Santa Claus is just another name for the Christmas Runner. Every Christmas Eve, he goes from township to township, leaving gifts for all of the children.”

“How does he get through the gates?”

“Well, duh, he lets the township leaders know what time he’s going to come on Rofflenet first. And he’s really fast, so he doesn’t need to worry about Raiders or zoms. He’s got a big sled drawn by nine dogs for all the presents!”

Sara’s eyes sparkled. “What are the dogs called?”

“Well, the main one is Rudolf, and he’s an, an Irish red setter. Or he wears a red jumper, like you. Something to do with red. The other ones…” she looked to Molly for assistance, and realised the blonde girl was just as enraptured. “The other ones aren’t important.”

“Caz!”

“Fine! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer… Victor?”

Her mind drew a complete blank. Somewhere in her subconscious, a woman’s voice read the words of Twas the Night Before Christmas, but she couldn’t quite make them out. “Um… Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh and Spam?”

Molly snorted in surprise, her face contorting and shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back a peal of laughter. At least Sara seemed satisfied. “Okay, so how come I don’t hear them all?”

“He sneaks in with magic and only when you’re extremely tired so it’s, like, impossible to stay up to hear. But if you leave a sock on the end of your bed he’s guaranteed to put sommat cool in it.”

“How will he know what I like?”

Molly looked thoughtful. “Maybe you should leave him a list? But you like a lot of things.”

“And my socks are quite small.” Sara looked pensive, kicking her feet in the air to check the size of them. “You two should write lists as well!”

“I’m too old to write one-“ Carena tried, but Sara was already insistently jabbing a pencil and an old receipt at her from a scrap paper drawer in the cabinet.

“These big long lists from the olden days are perfect, we can use the back.”

Carena’s eyes flitted over the receipt. Morrisons. Mango, papaya, hummus, avocadoes. All words she didn’t recognise, foods she would never get to try, and, suddenly intimidated, she laid it down on the table. She wasn’t the strongest reader or writer at the best of times - she’d learned too late, and it was difficult with so many new things in a row. Sara sounded out the letters on her own list as she wrote, her reading already confident.

“Dear Christmas Runner. Thank you for all your hard work, and for taking so many risks to deliver presents…”

Molly glanced over at Carena with a dash of awkward concern. They’d shared a schoolroom as children, and again for the last few years, and had some of the same frustrations, although Molly struggled more with maths and numbers and the purpose and point of algebra and geometry than writing and words. “Can I write both of ours, and you do the pictures? Your drawings are really good.”

Carena nodded, and got up abruptly to wash out the pot and make some tea. Outside, the town choir had drummed up enough numbers to give a few carols a go. She cracked open the window a little to let the sound filter up.

“I would really like some bubblegum but I know it is hard to find and my mothers don’t like it so don’t worry if you can’t find any. I also like marbles and you can fit lots of them in a sock!”

“You’re already running out of space!”

“Okay. Lots of love from Sara Myers-Cohen-Yao, kiss kiss kiss! What are you going to ask for?”

“Nicer soap,” Molly said, quite serious. “And I need a new metal bucket for chicken feed and milking. Mine is close to holes.”

“A bucket won’t fit in a sock!” Sara scoffed with childish mirth. “That’s ridiculous!”

“I don’t know, she has really big feet.” This made Sara giggle even more, and slide off the chair to look at Molly’s feet more closely.

“Ha, ha, ha,” Molly gave Carena a mock-withering stare. “What do you want, Caz? I’m doing yours now.”

Carena thought as the water began to bubble. All she really wanted was to be a Runner. To explore. To get buckets and soap and marbles and gum and make faces back in the township light up. All she wanted was her lungs and airways to do as she commanded, her muscles and heart to work with her, to let her push past exhaustion.

“Eh. Shoelaces would be nice.” She smirked at Molly. “Or some chicken fat.”

“Make one more threat to my chicken’s life, Carena Skeet and you won’t be getting anything from the Christmas Runner!”

“I surrender, I surrender!” Carena laughed, and poured the tea. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be in bed by now, Sara? If we’re going to get this Runner to come at all.”

“But I’m not even tired,” the small girl yawned, still on the floor with her head on the chair and cuddling one of the throws her mothers had stacked on the sideboard.

Molly grabbed the rest of them. “Come on, we’ll build a blanket den, have our tea in there, and Caz can tell you more about the Christmas Runner.”

“Startin’ to feel like Caz does all the work around here,” Carena added, stirring in milk and honey and using the puzzle box as a makeshift tea-tray. “Go on then, lead the way.”

Five minutes later, they’d constructed a large blanket fort and, huddled together inside it, Carena began to tell them everything she remembered from the world before, embellishing the odd detail or ten.

“You’re lying, there were no flying snowmen.”

“Well, I saw a film about them!”

Eventually, Sara curled up and fell asleep, thumb in her mouth, dreaming up a jumble of tinsel and angels and dancing snowmen and turkeys.

Molly smiled, sleepy herself. “You know, you’re actually really good with kids.”

“You’re actually good at lightenin’ up.”

“Yeah! This was fun. I had a really nice evening.”

“Molly…” Carena began, and stopped. She tucked Sara’s blankets around her a little tighter. She didn’t know how to say how safe she felt, maybe for the first time since she lost her brother, warm and wanted and hopeful, surrounded by the peace she wanted so badly to fight for. “I think tomorrow is gonna be a really good day.”

The bell in the square jangled once, twice, twelve times and for once they didn’t panic. It had been years since a horde went anywhere near the gates. This was midnight.

“Merry Christmas, Caz.”

“Merry Christmas.”

***

Carena awoke under a pile of blankets, her head on the end of Sara’s bed, the sound of Dr Cohen humming in the kitchen as she fried the eggs for breakfast, and caught three bulging stockings out of the corner of her eye. A lump came to her throat as she saw the book, as promised, bound in ribbon, that she recognised even without reading the words.

The Abel Runner’s Handbook, fourth ed.

She nearly knocked the wind out of the doctors in her rush to hug them.

#zombies run #zr #carena skeet #molly harrison

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wordsablaze · 5 years ago

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help, i lost myself again

It's over and they've won but is it really winning if Kai somehow feels more lost than ever?

A/N: aka angst™ bc i love hurting my faves... title from six feet under by bilie eilish :) oh and this has major s2 spoilers !!

When Kai wakes up, he doesn't react as calmly as the others.

He doesn't go and ask his parents if they're real or question the existence of his house.

But that's because his parents aren't there, they're never there, and his house feels just as empty as it always did.

The doughnuts taste great though.

And then he runs into another Hollow gamer who seems not to recognise him but he doesn't really question it because why would someone so talented and famous want to talk to him anyway?

But then Mira and Adam share their thoughts and he has to admit that what they think makes sense in a really nonsensical kind of way.

So he takes them to his house and tries not to pay attention to their judgemental staring, gazing, as Davis brings them something to drink, as they notice the giant statue of himself, as they see his neighbour Kevin.

The giant chicken from his nightmares helpfully distracts him from thinking about their reactions.

But Mabel is eventually defeated because as if he's going to allow his nightmares to hurt his best friends.

And then it turns out his best friends don't in fact like each other when he'd spent most of the first hollow game thinking that they do, that they choose each other over him.

He's not sure if it's worse that they liked each other or if it's worse that they didn't , because the latter means they just didn't like him.

Maybe they aren't his best friends after all.

He certainly isn't theirs anyway.

He pointedly ignores those thoughts once he realises he really isn't dreaming and they get caught up in figuring out how to find Weirdy.

But those thoughts come right back when he asks Adam why they'd chosen him over Reeve and apparently it's just because he was available.

Available.

Not because he was good at what he did or because they liked him or because they thought he could help, but just because he was there.

It stings to hear but he doesn't argue because they have more pressing matters, like making sure the other, more valuable member of their team is okay.

And anyway, Adam jokes around with him afterwards and it's not really that bad.

(But he does stop trying to convince Adam he's cool because clearly that's a futile quest.)

It's bittersweet to see Skeet because last time, he and Reeve had all but bullied him, but it's better this time because he's far nicer - he does try and leave the second they rescue him but that's only to be expected, really.

Fighting fire with fire is ridiculous but it works out in the end, mostly thanks to Adam and his clever ideas.

Speaking of clever ideas, Skeet's idea to try and reboot is not clever and it's endlessly frustrating to try and rescue someone who doesn't want to be rescued.

(It's kind of like how his parents keep trying to rescue a marriage that's better off not rescued)

But they do it anyway, and then they find Mira, and it turns out she and Skeet have something between them, which makes his old crush on Mira kind of embarrassing.

And he convinces himself that the others let him control the wheels that turn the puzzle floors because they know he can fly, not just because he'd be the lesser loss if something went wrong.

Sliding on mucus is surprisingly fun, and there's something he never thought he'd think.

But losing a friend is significantly less fun.

Although he's not entirely sure he can call Skeet a friend but they'd shared laughs and Skeet hadn't minded his presence all that much and that's what friends are like, right?

So it definitely hurts to lose him, and he imagines Mira is devastated. He just wishes he could help.

But he can't, as usual.

It's definitely unusual, though, that the weird evil scientist decides to dress Adam and Mira up to look fancy and formal and he gets given a sailor outfit, of all things.

(Come on, he has fire powers, why would he ever be a sailor?)

But the guy has good cutlery, Kai can give him that. Although said cutlery is not so good when Reeve is trying to kill him with it.

Saving the others from their weird possessed state ruins his hair but really, it doesn't matter when he's wearing what he is.

And then they finally, finally find Weirdy.

Though not before they meet another team in which one of them has fire power, his power.

And Nisha is really good at using it.

But it's meant to be his thing.

If another player can master his power better than he can, what does he have left?

It's unfair .

What's also unfair is Adam and Reeve yelling at each other like an old married couple, exactly like another married couple he knows.

It throws him back to Easter and how arguing had ruined his chance of finding any chocolate the Easter Bunny had left for him, and he abruptly forgets where he is and what they're doing.

(Thank heavens for Davis, who had always given him chocolate before bed to try and make up for things.)

He manages to push his memories aside as they focus on trying to get Weirdy's attention but all they get for their trouble is being thrown into yet another life or death situation.

It's disheartening to know that even Weirdy, who'd been specifically programmed to help them, has given up on them.

Not to mention that Vanessa won't stop acting strange and although he'd figured out that she was only pretending to like him before, which is a whole other world of hurt he doesn't even want to address, it's unnerving to see her so quiet.

But she mostly ignores him and they end up separated from Adam and Reeve.

They end up eaten, actually.

It's a bizarre experience and not one he'd like to experience ever again. Although he'd take it over Christmas dinners any day.

And then he manages to get Vanessa to tell him why she's been so sad, and they have what he feels like is a nice conversation.

(It's rare that he can discuss video games with someone who understands what he's talking about and poor Davis had tried but hadn't quite gotten the hang of it all.)

Of course he wants to blame her but he'd already done that and it hadn't helped in the slightest so he just assures her he isn't annoyed.

And then the others get back because apparently Mira is the only one who can help things along when they're underwater.

And he wants to tell Adam how happy he is to see him but he remembers that Adam had chosen him out of necessity and he holds back.

Plus, Adam and Reeve suddenly being friendly with each other again means he's probably no longer needed anyway.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The pixies or sprites or whatever they are make a nice break from people trying to kill them and figuring out how to make a goat is actually pretty enjoyable .

Until Weirdy ruins it by telling them they're not even real.

But they're not dead either, so he'd been slightly wrong about that.

And it turns out the other team have figured out their doomsday weapon, which is exactly what they don't need to make things better.

Stopping the other team is just as easy as his parents getting along, which is to say it's one of the most difficult things in the world.

Vanessa ends up disappearing, and that's just great because he'd thought they were getting close, becoming friends, and he'd just convinced the others to side with her.

(But it's fine because it's nothing new, it's not like he's used to retaining friends.)

And then because of course life can't be easy, they have to stall the other team, who seem to always be a step ahead of them.

He tries to be a good friend and joins Adam in attempting to force the weird pyramid open but it seems his efforts go unappreciated, surprise surprise.

Stupid motion sickness.

He can practically feel Mira's disapproval when he throws up but he can't help it, he really can't, and he'd take a dragon over a car chase anytime.

The boss battle feels wrong and they all just get thrown around for trying to confusingly help by not helping.

And he feels awful because he knows he wouldn't have been fast enough to save Iris, he'd almost cost everyone their lives.

But he's happy Vanessa is alive.

Although it seems he's too happy because by telling Vanessa what he'd figured out about the mechanical boss, the other team learns how to win.

All is almost lost, again .

Well, before Weirdy finally gets round to being amazing, helping them properly, and conjuring a portal that leads back to whatever their new life is.

It works.

It really works .

And they're still not dead.

And everything is as okay as it can be.

Except it's not, because the others have families to go back to but the game hadn't even thought to program his parents into this world so all he has is a mostly empty house.

(That's not to say he's not grateful for Davis, who is by far the best butler and friend in the world.)

But while the others are making a toast to old friends and new adventures, he can't help but feel a little lost .

Actually, make that very lost.

Because where does he fit into this new world?

Turns out you can take Kai out of the hollow but you can't take the hollow feeling out of Kai.

sorry for the big sad but the poor kid is traumatised enough to warrant this tbh... more of my thoughts at @kaidamplease if you’re interested :p

thanks for reading! masterlist

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thrushpot · 5 years ago

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the craft (1996)

“id love to see the craft made into a fic” requested by anonymous.

warnings: death, attempted noncon, alcohol

a/n: first movie-inspired fic of more to come. centered around Billy (Skeet Ulrich’s character) and the witchy stuff getting played on him as karma. highly recommend watching if you like cult classics!!

—

You could’ve guessed before even moving here that Hawkins was gonna be a fucking drag. The weather was gloomy, the air wasn’t fresh like you’re used to, and it was so uncomfortably quaint that it made you feel stranded and claustrophobic. You bit your nails the entire flight and even after landing, while the pouring rain soaked your clothes and drenched your hair when first stepping foot in the small town.

It was an especially frightening discovery after a gritty argument with your folks, spouting on about what a brat you’re turning out to be, how much of a disappointment you’re bound to become; so in the midst of a fit enraged, not moving from where you lay stubbornly on your bed with angry tears, you had accidentally slammed the door shut. After realizing what you’d done, curiosity had replaced vexation. Neither of your parents could call the cops or toss you in some looney bin, so you chose to avoid catastrophe by keeping it low and only using it if bored in private. It felt oddly empowering, treasuring the gift, but you’d never been compelled to use it for harm before.

After eating dinner with empty conversation and the only background noise being imaginary crickets and the rain, you’d excused yourself once your plate was wiped clean. Stomping back upstairs, ignoring any distasteful remarks aimed at your departure. You wondered that if the town sucked ass, then that meant school likely would too.

—

It wasn’t hard to see from a mile away that you did not come from nor belong here. Cliques scattered the halls, although this school surely isn’t as big as your last it still has its fair share. Jocks and douchebags, popular cheerleaders, edgy goths. Those titles never served to you, naturally feeling better going alone. Nobody tried approaching the new girl just to say hi or bother looking in your direction. That is until basic jock Billy Hargrove did with a mischievous smirk during lunch a couple tables away, noticing you’re all alone sipping on your school milk. With crass confidence in his stride, he makes his way over to you in the most dramatic, full-of-himself way as possible taking a seat across from yours.

“Lookin’ pretty lonely there, new girl. Y/N is it?” he raises one brow, not asking for permission before snaking Doritos from your lunchtray, chomping while maintaining a smug expression. You scoff before shoving the red bag of corn chips toward him.

“Help yourself. And yeah, that’s me. Who are you?”

Billy has taken the bag with a don’t mind if I do attitude, answering you with his mouth full while licking the stained nacho cheese off his fingertips. “Name’s Billy. So why you here all alone? Haven’t found your crowd yet, or you just a ‘fraidy cat?”

You roll your eyes before playing along with his stupid game. “Well Billy, I just moved here and haven’t talked to anyone besides my lunch buddy that just hogged my chips,” you snip, watching the cocky blonde tilt the bag up to his mouth to finish the rest of the crumbs at the bottom. When he’s done with that portion of your meal, he points to the carton of two percent.

“May I?”

“Nothing’s stopping you,” you bite with sarcasm. He chuckles at your obvious distaste but nevertheless resumed picking at your food and chugging a good amount of the dairy drink down.

“You owe me fifty cents, by the way.”

“Oh yeah? How ‘bout I repay you with a little somethin’ else instead,” he inched closer, the proximity allowing you the feeling of his breath fanning your cheek. You’d been rendered speechless, caught off guard with how shameless and flirtatious he turned. “I’ll repay you with a few pointers, what with you being a little newbie ‘round here. Sound good?” he finished, grinning at how tense and worked up he made you in seconds. “What is it, sweetheart? D’ya think I’d repay you with somethin’ else?” he snickered, taking your carton again and quenching his thirst, the white drips of milk falling down his chin.

“Nope. Just don’t give a shit about your advice,” you snap back into character, his arrogance provoking you to try using one of your little tricks; maybe make him stutter or choke just so he’ll leave you alone. But that would be breaking the rules, and you were strict against taking advantage of it to cause trouble.

“I’ll give it to you anyways. See, my crew over there thinks you’re pretty cute, so you could come around anytime you like. Definitely avoid those freaks over there,” he slyly nods his head over in the direction of two girls dressed in black, chainsmoking. “They won’t be too welcoming.”

“What’s up with them?” you hush inconspicuously, intridgued by their scandalous bravado. You could see yourself hanging out with them even if that meant disregarding all the misinformation Billy feeds you.

“See the little one on the left? That’s Nancy the Slut Wheeler. Nickname sorta explains itself. She fucked more than half the guys on my team and cheated on her long-term boy toy Harrington,” he explains, not shy about what’s coming out of his mouth no matter how derogatory or degrading. “Not speaking from experience or anything. And the bigger one is Robin Buckley, she’s a dyke.”

“Uh, okay. That all the dirt you got or what?”

“Nah, there’s more shit floatin’ around here about stuff they do. I’ve heard they’re into witchcraft, but I dunno if I believe that one.”

Now that snagged your attention, but you wouldn’t share a thing like that with a guy like Billy. “Anyway, thanks for sharing lunch, Y/N. Was a pleasure. You should come to my practice after school, we could have another fun little chat. Whaddya say?” he licks his lips, holding your stare to persuade you into visiting. “Please?”

You really could give a fuck about watching a bunch of sweaty guys toss and argue around a ball, no matter which sport, but it was hard to find courage to decline his pleading yet intimidating stare. “Maybe I’ll swing by,” you hesitate, earning an enthusiastic holler out of Billy before he gets up from your table and makes a pit stop near you for a moment to whisper in your ear.

“Really looking forward to it, new girl.”

Successfully hiding your hot cheeks as he pats your back, sending a wink over his shoulder before heading back to his circle of friends not-so-subtly watching. When the bell rings to signal lunch’s end, Nancy and Robin catch your eye, ashing their cigarettes, fixating on you. Flustered from getting caught, you quickly snatch your lunchtray and dump whatever’s left in the trash, hanging your head low as you make your way to your next class.

—

Biology class was humiliating. After approaching Nancy and Robin about a group project assigned on your first day, Robin gawked as Nancy glared without a yes or a no about letting you join them. It was a long shot anyways. While awkwardly nodding as they both continuously stare you down, you shuffle to the very back of the classroom. With nothing better to do, thinking no one was paying attention, you flick your pencil in the air, making it stand as your hands stay in your lap. Moments later, getting lost in thought about Billy, wondering what his intentions were, how you were ever gonna fit in here; Robin witnesses the unworldly telekinetic party trick. Her mouth hangs in awe, not believing she allowed Nancy to bully her into rejecting you.

“You don’t know what you’re even talking about,” Nancy argues, popping her chewing gum as she gazes in the bathroom mirror and applies another sloppy smear of eyeliner.

Robin’s scoff is followed by a sigh before turning Nancy away from her reflection. “I know what I saw! She can... do things. Like with her mind. She’s our third, I know it,” the girl vigorously nods her head. Nancy remained unconvinced but decides to give in if it’ll shut her dimwit of a best friend the fuck up.

“Fine, okay! We’ll talk to her after school, see what happens. You better not be fucking with me on this. We don’t need any incidents happening because you’re seeing things that aren’t there,” Nancy stares her down like a wolf threatening to attack, eyeballing the taller girl with satisfaction as she gulps submissively.

—

You decided there was nothing better to do than make an appearance at Billy’s basketball practice after school. As he dribbles the ball and taunts his opponents, he spots you from afar and takes his attention off the game and momentarily directs it towards you instead. With a wink, he sticks his tongue out teasingly before taking his tank top off and giving one of his teammates a high five. While lost in the dance of seduction with Billy, you neglect to notice the presence of two girls lingering behind you.

“He’s not actually into you, you know.”

Snapping your head back in shock, you recover from the cheap scare before identifying the voice as Nancy Wheeler. The one Billy had accused of being the school’s slut. Right beside her stands Robin, not looking quite as vicious as her partner in crime. Robin, the significantly gentler and taller one, gives you a warmer greeting of a wave and a tight smile. Billy said that she was the infamous “dyke.”

“What are you talking about?” you ask, not easily trusting her word but also not believing Billy’s rumors either. Nancy looks over to the court where Billy skips around effortlessly, making a basket for his team and earning praise and applause from his coach.

“He did the same thing to me. See, first he’ll try talking you into sucking him off, then when that doesn’t work he begs you to fuck him. Says all the right things, you’re beautiful Nancy, please baby, I won’t tell anyone if you just come sit on my cock. Then after you tell him you’re still not ready, he tells the whole school you did it anyway. Makes shit up to impress people.” Nancy bites as-a-matter-of-factly, nodding over in Billy’s direction on the court. Billy, busily unaware of being your topic of conversation, jukes an opponent and snatches the ball, slamming the weaker boy down to the ground with a snap of his body being thrown to the ground. You tightened your hold on your schoolbag not knowing who to believe anymore. Hearing one thing and then another gave you a fucking headache.

“Look, it’s not— I’m not even here for him. It’s not what it looks like,” you stammer as Nancy raises her brow with dubiousness. She cracks a salty grin at you then turns to the boys playing on the court.

“Go Billy! Score that basket, baby!” Nancy shouts with manic laughter, sickly happy when the distraction disrupts his focus, causing him to lose the ball and get shoved backwards by another opponent. Nancy turns and slowly struts closer, sitting on the bleachers and leaning over to whisper in your ear with a ruthless ball of hate gleaming her eye. “He’s a jerk. I’d stay away if I were you.”

With that, she jumps off the bleachers and orders Robin to follow. The taller girl weakly smiles again as you sit and stare as they exit the gym and light a smoke outside. Billy watches them leave and huffs, jogging over.

“Hey. Thought I advised you to not hang around them,” he tisks, spreading his legs before pouring a cup of water down his chin to cool off. You blush and look the other way, clearing your throat.

“I wasn’t. They just sorta came and started talking to me,” you mutter with an attitude.

Billy scoots impossibly closer and fixes a stray hair dangling in front of your face, petting your cheek as if you were a child. “Well, don’t believe whatever shit comes from her fat mouth, alright?”

“Um— okay I guess.”

“That’s a good girl. Glad you came, by the way. Wanna gimme your number so we could do this somewhere a little more private, hm?” he beckons, taking another generous swallow to quench his thirst while holding your stare. You’re stunned and backed into a corner again to comply, nodding while grabbing a pen from your bag. Billy holds out his palm and nods to the pen in your hand, encouraging you to get writing. You waver another moment, unsure if it’s smart getting involved, before saying fuck it and writing the ten digits on his palm. Billy’s name gets shouted from his coach, breaking the thick tension that grew as the moments wore on. He yells back that he needed a quick break before blowing you a kiss. After tossing himself off the bleachers and getting back in the game, he stares down at his hand where the black smudged writing is and smirks, looking up only to find that you’re already gone.

—

“Almost didn’t think you’d answer, maybe gave me a phony number or you’d be with those weirdos again,” Billy snorts, bottlecap flying before handing a beer over. You chuckle uneasily before accepting the beverage, tasting the warm mediocrity before swallowing. It didn’t take long for him to call, now being week two attending Hawkins High. His choice of setting for this “date” was a rooftop of some dark building, stars out and streetlights being the only source of light. Billy’s arm has wrapped around you as you both sip on the beer he provided, an awkward silence suffocating the air.

When the blonde got bored, he’d started trailing his fingers down your back, tiptoeing them teasingly awaiting your reaction. When he gets nothing but you stiffening up, he swoops down to devour your neck, feeling you tilt your head for him to give more. Jackpot. His wandering tongue sucks a deep purple mark as his grabby hands reach to grope you through your bra, making you gasp and feel dumbfounded on what to do and what to say.

“Billy, I don’t think—“

“Mm, what is it new girl? You want more, don’t you?” he mumbles in your neck, then gets greeted by the feeling of blue balls and disappointment when instead of coming closer, you pull away. He scoffs and sits up, straightening himself out.

“I’m just not ready for... that. Sorry,” you weakly apologize, outrageously uncomfortable by the invasion of space and feeling wrong when you notice the growing tent in his jeans. “Are you... like, mad or something?”

Billy sighs, humiliated by your rejection that poked a hole in his ego. He won’t give up on his conquest that easy.

“C’mon, beautiful, not like I’ll tell anyone. We could just have a little fun—“

“No, I-I really gotta go. But I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

Billy glares at the ground, kicking a rock by his feet in annoyance before rolling his eyes. Guess he’ll just have to improvise instead when he brags to the boys tomorrow.

“Yeah, fine.”

—

The next day, sly comments were thrown at you before first period started. He didn’t talk to you at all like usual, your classmates whispering and giggling about the alleged “fun” you shared with Billy the jock Hargrove. Dirty details travelled around locker rooms, even raunchy ones about you supposedly riding him in the backseat of his car calling him “daddy.” He threw in another lie that you asked him to slap you in the face as he fucked you. The purple splotch he sucked on your neck didn’t help defend yourself.

“Hey, Billy!”

The jock turns away from the boisterous crowd that had worshipped him all day. Once he catches your eye he whispers to a boy next to him, whatever secret so hilarious that he clutched his stomach and snorted when Billy finished. He swiftly strolls over to you and folds his hands, faking formality with a plastic smile.

“Yes, new girl?”

“I wanna know why you said that stuff about me. You damn well know we didn’t do anything! How could you?” you whisper-shout, feeling disgusted and violated. Billy snorts a laugh and regains his composure a second later as if all this is some comedy sketch.

“Oh yeah? Really, new girl, I’d love to do it again sometime. Truly... I just don’t like sloppy seconds. You were great though, I had— nah, Daddy sure had a blast. But we’re done here.” Billy pats your head with mockery before strolling over to his circle of friends without a care in the world.

“You know what? Fuck you. Next time I’ll charge a buck an inch, make it cheap.” you spit, barely making it to the bathroom to scurry and wipe the tears desperately spurting from your eyes. You crawled to the corner of the washroom and hugged yourself, quieting down when you hear footsteps inching closer before entering. It was Nancy and Robin.

“Can’t say we didn’t warn you —“

“I know I should have listened to you guys. But now I wanna fuck with this bastard.”

—

Lovespells don’t take much, and the rumors were true. The Bitches of Eastwick had let you in, only took more convincing of your worthiness to Nancy, but she warmed up to you. When she saw what you could do she had to give Robin credit, you truly were their third. And finally, you’d been put in a place you genuinely belonged.

“Is he— is he staring still? What’s he doing now?”

“He’s totally still watching you. Holy shit Y/N, it’s working, I can tell!” Robin whispers as she muffled her laugh with the back of her hand, seeing how Billy couldn’t take his eyes off you longer than five seconds even in the middle of a lecture. As the bell rang, you and Robin gathered up your things to meet Nancy for next period. Billy wasn’t far behind, trying and failing to remain inconspicuous as he followed you.

“He’s behind us.”

“What?”

“Look out.” Right on cue, Billy pushed you and Robin apart to make room for himself while tripping over his shoelaces.

“Uh, hey Y/N,” the boy gulps, scratching the back of his neck, seeing his posse from afar giving him a “what the fuck” look. He flips them off and rubs his hand over your back. “I just wanted to, yunno, apologize for that shit I said. I feel real bad ‘cause you didn’t deserve it. You deserve a gentleman and I can be that for you now,” he explains, blocking your way. His eyes are void of hate or ridicule, instead swirling with awe and devotion as he bit his lip awaiting your forgiveness. You pretend to think, giving his head a noogie like an obedient pet, then grant a forgive-and-forget.

“It’s cool. Maybe tell your friends later that you’re a lying sack of shit, but for now, carry these books for me and my friend?”

He nods vigorously like a soldier eager to please, graciously taking your heavy books from you and Robin and stacking them in his arms. “Of course, Y/N. Anything in the world. Um, do you think I could sit with you in math?”

—

Billy had no fucking clue what happened to him, but he wholeheartedly couldn’t find it in him to even pay it a speck of attention. It didn’t bother him that nothing gave him any pleasure nor satisfaction anymore, the world shrinking to this dead, lifeless black and white, the only light and color he could see that brought joy was her. He could die just feeling her in his arms and he wouldn’t be sad. With complete and utter tunnel vision blocking him from surroundings, everyday he devoted himself to any task she wanted, even pathetically following her and her friends to the girls’ bathroom. He got in deep shit from the entire female staff, but he remained indifferent.

If she said jump, Billy asked how high. If she wanted him to braid her fucking hair, he’d learn fast and make sure it was done thoroughly and flawlessly. Billy was touch starved, weak, losing sight of everyone else around him. No more charming girls into bed, no more basketball wins for the team, his only purpose being solely Y/N’s love or validation. All priorities from the past drastically altered, but there were no second thoughts. No questions, just wants. Needs. The power she held over him was substantial and beautifully overbearing, like black magic or something.

Weeks after the spell kicked in, she now sits in his Camaro with her feet on the dash as Black Sabbath roars from the speakers. No complaints were heard on his end when you demanded he change the music, happily turning it to your favorite station. You plop a sucker in your mouth, tasting the cherry red flavoring before patting Billy’s head and calling him a good boy. Billy blushed and leaned into your touch, pulling over by the pier and shutting the car off.

“You don’t even know what’s happening, do you?” she asks with a laugh. He joins her even though he wasn’t aware of what’s funny. But he finds her delightful, so anything she does or anywhere she goes, he follows.

“No. No I don’t, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing matters. Just you and me,” he promises, playing with a strand of her hair before leaning in. He missed her candy-tasting lips when she turns her head, then feels something in his stomach churn after getting denied her kiss.

“Tough luck, champ. I don’t want that from you, just wanted to talk.”

Talk? Billy recoiled, clenching his fists at his sides. Something inside him is intensifying, he just doesn’t know what. Before he knows what’s happening, he’s shaking, burning with a need that feels so close yet so far. There’s no control stopping it.

“I mean, do you even eat or sleep anymore? It’s pathetic. This should be wearing off soon...” she trailed off, watching the waves crash at a distance.

“I won’t fucking eat or fucking sleep until I get what’s mine, you understand? I don’t care about anything else. I just wanna... why won’t you hold me?” he implored, yanking the collar of her shirt so she’s closer to his lips. It almost feels too good to be true.

“Stop! Jesus, I didn’t mean for it to go this far! You’re under a spell, you jackass, now let me go!” she squeals, punching his chest. Billy ignores it, that indifference coming back. He reached for his belt when he thinks he has her where he wants her but gets stopped by a righteous kick to the crotch, making him howl in anger.

“Goddammit!” the boy whined, cradling himself through his jeans from the excruciating pain.

“Stay the hell away, you hear me? Don’t ever come near me or my friends again,” she threatens, exiting the vehicle before stomping away. Billy scrubs the tears off his face and punched the steering wheel with miserable frustration.

—

“He... he grabbed me. Wouldn’t let go this time,” you gulp, feeling the ghost of his frighteningly tight grip pulling you. Steam shoots from Nancy’s ears as Robin takes comfort and asks if you’re okay. Nancy has already stirred up a plan for revenge as she flips through the pages of spells, searching for the perfect one.

“Nance, what are you doing?” you ask with reluctance, knowing it isn’t anything good.

“We need to make him pay. He was gonna hurt you, case you forgot. Hargrove’s always been a goddamn scumbug, but he tried fucking you without your permission and he won’t get away with it this time.”

—

Billy gulps the last of the beer from the solo cup and belches, eyes half-lidded and bloodshot. They widen a bit when he spots Nancy enter the house party. He’s determined to do whatever it takes to get you again, and if he has to talk to your leech of a best friend, so be it. The blonde seeks Nancy upstairs and follows her to a vacant room.

“Where is she?” he demands lazily, eyes faltering once again as he loses balance and falls to the bed back first. He gets comfy with the beer nestled in his grip, still expecting her to give him insight on your disappearance.

“How cute. Miss tormenting your little wife, don’tcha, hot stuff?” Nancy mocks, crawling over to where he lays on the bed and trailing two fingers over his crotch. Billy reacts with stealth, disgusted as he roughly shoved her hand away.

”Don’t. I’m warning you,” he threatens. “Tell me where the fuck Y/N is. I need, I need to talk to her—“

“I’m not telling you shit! She doesn’t want you, understand? You meant nothing to her this whole time. She used you.” Nancy laughs and points her finger at him. Billy rolled his eyes, calling bullshit. You wouldn’t do a thing like that, not in a million years. This is typical Slutty Wheeler, throwing tantrums because she couldn’t get a taste of his dick anymore.

Nancy’s blood boiled, veins popping out of her forehead; on the verge to end this already. But she has to fuck with him like he fucked with her first. The teenage girl burns with hostility as she recalls the spell, working her magic. She runs her hands over her face as it morphs into yours. She takes a look in the mirror and finds your eyes staring at her reflection. With a sick, evil smile, she gets back on the bed and runs her hands down Billy’s chiseled chest, feeling him jump until he sees your face. He gasps, too dumb from the spell and drunk from the liquor to realize he was being tricked again.

“Baby, I’ve missed you so damn much,” he mumbles to who he thinks is you, unbuttoning Nancy’s shirt and kissing every inch of skin he sees. She moans in ecstasy, laughing at how fucking easy he is, then sticks her tongue down Billy’s throat. They were all over eachother for another twenty minutes until a furious knock interrupts.

It’s you and Robin.

“What the fuck?” Billy wipes his mouth of Nancy’s spit then throws himself off the bed in a hurry. Her spell wore off, now changing back to her usual self, giving Billy a playful wave.

“You’re — you’re a witch! They were right!” Billy stutters, his world turning upside down making him sick to his stomach.

“They usually are,” she shrugs.

“Nancy, you got what you wanted. He’s freaked out, now let’s go.” you ordered, the guilt eating you alive. Nancy doesn’t stop.

“Your lover’s a witch too, yunno. The only reason you’re obsessed with her is cause we cast a spell on you. But that’s why I’m here, helping you forget.”

Billy’s chest heaved up and down rapidly, shaking his head, sobering up. “No. No, she didn’t — she wouldn’t do that,” he denies, sweat gathering on his forehead and heart hammering fast.

”NANCE! This is fucking over! Now let’s go!” you beg, loathing his puppy-dog eyes. Robin stands frozen beside you, knowing how unpredictable Nancy got when she’s angry.

“You’re just jealous.”

Robin gulps and closes her eyes, knowing that’ll set her off.

“Jealous?” Nancy emphasized, preying onto the boy as he backs away. “You’re Y/N’s servant. You barely fucking exist to me. This whole time you’ve treated girls like whores, but you’re the whore!” she cries, feet lifting off the ground, towering over him as he backs further towards the window. Billy’s beyond petrified now, weeping quietly as he dares try calling for help.

“I-I’m sorry, Nance. You know I didn’t mean it. I liked you last year, but— but I’m in love with her now, and I’m sorry!”

His sorry ass apology does nothing besides push the last of her buttons, feeding into her wrath.

“Did you hear that, Y/N? He says he’s sorry! Oh, what a shame we have to kill him, ‘cause at least he’s sorry!” Nancy claws are her hair, spinning back and fourth, screaming nonsense as Billy pleads and holds his hand out to you.

“Who’s it gonna be, Y/N? This rapist scumbag slut, or your friend that took you in when you were a nobody?”

Tears of your own had escaped, mortified by how escaladed things have become. You shook your head helplessly, holding onto Robin for safety. There was no stopping her now. Like a wave from a natural disaster, Nancy thrusts her arms in the air and hurls the boy out the window with God-like force. You’ll never forget the sounds of his cry for help on the way down and the SPLAT when his body hit the pavement. Nancy lets out a sigh of relief as if a long day’s work is finally over, and wipes the sweat beading off her forehead. She turns to you and Robin after catching her breath.

“What’re you staring at, guys? C’mon, let’s find Robin a girlfriend next.”

—

my first whack at a horror-ish/thriller instead of drama/romance. I freaking LOVE this movie, def go check it out if you haven’t cause there’s a lot more plot I left out. thaaaank you all, I’ll be starting the next movie fic soon !:)

#billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #stranger things fanfic #billy hargrove #stranger things imagine #the craft (1996)

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rivalsofnycupdates · 5 years ago

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“A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.”

■ ABOUT. ■

name: Carson Woods age: forty-nine occupation: royals of purgatory vice president gender: cis-male pronouns: he/him sexuality: heterosexual

■ HISTORY. ■ tw: depression

Carson grew up with two junkies for parents, at the age of eight-years-old he was placed in a foster home which wasn’t any better. He had a roof over his head and food on the table but his foster parents only cared for the government money. Carson learned at a young age to keep his head down and not voice his opinion or else he’d often get beaten. In his first week as a freshman in high school, he gained an interest in the photography lab. He took a camera and learned how to use it since he was often hit for speaking out, he used photography as a way of voicing his opinion without speaking. One day after school a teacher had caught him printing some images and without a second thought, he bolted. He assumed he was going to get in trouble for using the equipment without asking. Later that week, the teacher who had caught him told him he could use the equipment and studio whenever he pleased.

As Carson got more involved with photography he found himself sleeping overnight at the school. He found an old janitor's closet that was never used and created himself a new home. By sophomore year he was able to charge people for his images and take on freelance projects. He started to save as much as he could because he knew the day he graduated high school he wasn’t sure where he would live. As graduation day approached he hadn’t saved enough to be able to rent an apartment. He’d gone back to his foster home to find out that he didn’t have a place there because they rented out his room. Carson was left on the streets without anything more than the money he’s saved. Living on the streets caused him to sink him into a state of depression. During this dark period, he spent a lot of his money on drugs and alcohol. Over time he’d disappeared into the shadows of New York without a single person giving a shit about him.

Six years later, he walked into a 24-hour dinner wanting a cup of coffee. He’d appeared with a split lip, swollen cheek and coming down from his daily high. The woman behind the counter caught his eye. She’d been persistent in helping him heal his wounds and as she patched him up, they started talking and didn’t stop for another four hours. Every night after that he’d come back to see Bari Eddington for his one cup of coffee and hours of good company. Since meeting Bari, he didn’t get the urge to drink the day away, his days were a little more bearable knowing he would see her later on. One day, in his little community of homeless people, a fight broke out. Carson got in the middle with hopes of resolving the situation. As he tried to talk them down, his plan backfired when he was shot above the knee and the back of his shoulder. He remembers thinking about Bari, knowing that he wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye. A day later he was confronted by men in leather jackets with Royals logo on the back. Next thing he knew he was carried to the hospital with Bari by his side. That night he found out Bari was a member of the Royals and after hanging around them he was eventually voted in as a prospect.

■ WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? ■

It’s safe to say, that Bari and The Royals were a large part of what brought Carson some happiness in his life. The gang gave him purpose, it gave him structure, though most of all it gave him a family, he didn’t think he’d ever have. It’s been years since he’s touched drugs or alcohol, although at times it was very tempting to just let go and party with the guys. As the years went on and he was given more responsibility he was happy he didn’t grow up in this life. He believed he was able to bring a different perspective because he wasn’t surrounded by Royals growing up.

■ KEEP THIS AWAY FROM YOUR ENEMIES ■

Carson believes he knows Joshua better than many other people. He would argue he may know him as well as he knows his wife. With that in mind, Carson is aware that he’s not included in all of the gang details, although he wouldn’t ever believe that Josh had a secret agenda. Recently something happened that has sparked doubt in his beliefs. While going through some old storage, he found a police report, most likely stolen, detailing the murder of Evan Alcott’s first girlfriend and mother of his oldest daughter. He’d never looked over the report before, he wondered why Josh had it? Perhaps it was Evans? As he continued to look, he noticed the details about the bullet casings. Casings that belonged to a model of gun they sold, more specifically, the model they only keep for themselves.

■ RELATIONSHIPS. ■

■ Joshua Krongold: He met Josh while he was a prospect for the gang and they got to know each other pretty well since they were often paired on the same bullshit runs. Twenty years later, he and Josh run the club. Carson believes he has moved the club in a direction that’s a little less impulsive when it comes to violence, which has been hard since Josh first instinct is violence at any trouble.

■ Genevieve Alter: When he first met Gen he wasn’t sure if having them and their brother around the gang was smart. Though Carson could see the work ethic in the twins. It’s for that reason he has always had a soft spot for them, Genevieve especially.

■ CONNECTIONS. ■

■ Bari Woods > Wife

■ Karen Woods > Daughter

■ Liam Woods > Son

■ Emmett Wade > Occasional Hacker Connection

■ Garrett Miller > Enemy

Carson Woods is an OPEN character and is portrayed by Skeet Ulrich who’s FC IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.

#rp #rpg #lsrpg #mob rp #mob rpg #male #skeet ulrich fc #carsonwoods #non negotiable fc #royals #all #open #openm

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cordonianchoicesqueen · 6 years ago

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Rewritten: The Royal Romance: Yacht Party (Part 18)

A/N: Sorry it’s taken so long to get out another entry in this series. I’ve been travelling and interviewing and it’s been a whole thing! I am really looking forward to continuing writing the beach party with the growing tension between Drake and Riley + the full on romance blossoming between Liam and Riley.

Summary: Riley attends Olivia’s boat party alone and ventures to the famous beach party that Maxwell was so excited about.

Choices Chapter: Book One, Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: Characters and main storyline from Pixelberry’s Choices.

Word Count: 2100+

Warnings: none

Link to Full Series: Rewritten

Tags: @krsnlove @cora-nova @hopefulmoonobject

Yacht Party

I approached Olivia’s luxury yacht as though it was a lion’s den. It was huge with multiple decks filled with dignitaries and suitors. I could hear laughter and music riding through the air as I arrived at the gang way. Hana wasn’t going to be there, Liam was with his father and there was no way in hell someone could drag Drake onto this boat. I had to hope Maxwell was inside. I readied myself, took some deep breaths and entered the den.

A bodyguard checked my name on a list and I was handed a glass of champagne. The first person I noticed was Tariq, dressed in a three-piece suit with his hair slicked back as usual. He was surrounded by a number of women, including Madeline. He looked as though he was in his element, telling a story avidly but the women looked bored, which he was completely oblivious to. “… And so,” his voice travelled, “my silk bathrobe came back with a loose thread! Can you believe it? Fabric softer than an angel’s cloud! Ruined! I fired the dry cleaner on the spot.” Madeline looked him in the eye with her stone-cold glare, “Stop talking to me.” I smirked. Madeline was definitely a force to be reckoned with and I knew there was no point trying to get her on my side but it was almost funny to watch her tear down others with barely any effort. I avoided the group best I could. However, I was unlucky enough to enter Olivia’s eye line. In her second outfit of the day; she sneered, handed her empty glass to someone and made her way through the crowd towards me. “Lady Riley! I’m so glad you could make it,” her tongue dripped in sarcasm. “Thank you?” I said, eyebrow raised. “You’re absolutely welcome! Now, I know these mingling events may not exactly be your cup of tea and I want you to feel comfortable. So, I’ve decided to help you out,” Olivia smirked. On cue, a staff member walked up and offered me a life jacket. His expression gave away nothing as he bowed, politely. I could feel the panic in the pit of my stomach. What was this? Was she going to throw me overboard? I gingerly accepted it. “I don’t really have to wear this, do I?” I asked, trying not to let her know she was rattling me. “I don’t want you to drown in your own fear,” Olivia cackled. As the joke landed, I narrowed my eyes and went close enough to Olivia that no one else would hear me, “Olivia… you’re mean and a loser.” “Does this look like the face of a woman who cares?” she hissed back. “It’s getting about time you give this whole thing up and went home.” “You’ll have to try harder than this,” I retorted, dropping the life jacket to the ground. “A good host opens with an appetizer,” Olivia replied. “I hope you don’t continue to disappoint,” I taunted. For once, I had actually managed to get a rise out of her. Olivia’s body went rigid and her fists clenched. “You-” she started. “See you around,” I smiled warmly and shrugged, exiting the conversation. I walked away, leaving Olivia fuming, alone, behind me. In the distance, I spotted some sailboats lining up to begin the next race. After getting another glass of champagne, of course, I found a nice little spot at the railings where I could watch. I wished I could be with Liam in the royal box as I had been for the horse races. Maybe in a year I would be. I felt alone in the sea of people. I knew I couldn’t let Olivia get to me but the reason she managed to irk me so much was because in my heart I knew she was right. I didn’t belong there, not like the other women. I didn’t deserve to drink the fancy champagne and rub elbows with dignitaries from all over Europe. I belonged in the dumpster behind a bar in New York City. “They’re so beautiful. Look at all the colours,” Penelope said, sweetly, approaching me. “Oui, it’s a sight to behold,” Kiara said, joining too. Maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought. “I like the one with poodles on the sails,” Penelope pointed. “I hope they win.” “My favourite is the one with the fleur de lis… Riley, which boat do you favour?” Kiara asked. I pointed out to sea, “the boat with the star-spangled sail.” Kiara laughed, “You really are une Americaine, through and through.” I smiled a genuine smile. Maybe Olivia’s influence was waning and I finally had a chance to see the real Kiara and Penelope, not the versions they became as Olivia’s minions. Kiara was right too. There was something nice about seeing something in an unfamiliar place that reminded me of home. I wasn’t the same as everyone here but that’s what made me unique and interesting. I was an American but I was an American ready to learn and adapt. The starting pistol fired and each of the ship’s sails inflated, catching the wind. They looked utterly graceful from a distance, skimming the water, almost flying, into the distance until they were just dots on the horizon.

An hour later, the sailboats reappeared. I had been happily chatting and getting to know both Penelope and Kiara, over a few too many drinks, but the return of the boats brought excitement to everyone aboard Olivia’s yacht. Luckily, we still had our spot at the railing as people crammed in, wanting to witness the final few minutes of the race. I leant out, feeling the salt air on my face and causing my hair to fly out behind me in beautiful waves. It was a tight race but, finally, the boats crossed the finish line. “The one with pirate sails won,” Kiara said, surprised. “On to race number two!” Penelope replied energised. “I’m going to need a lot more champagne!” I complained to which both girls cheered.

A couple hours later the races had come to an end. I was suitably tipsy off the never-ending supply of champagne. Olivia could be the absolute worst but goddamn did she know how to throw a good party. Although, my definition of a good party was basically anything with an open bar. I and the other suitors gathered on the docks, chatting about the beach party to come. I made an immediate bee line for Hana and enveloped her in a hug. “Never leave me again,” I said, desperately. She wrapped her arms tightly back around me. She giggled, “now the real party begins!” “Maxwell already told me how excited he is for the beach party…” I grinned. “Do I hear my ears burning?” Maxwell approached arms open wide. “Ready for the beach extravaganza?” “I think so?” I said. “Why? Is there something I should have prepped?” What would it be this time? A new dance? Dog training? Skeet shooting? Cake decorating? “Nope! It’s just a fun party on one of the most gorgeous private beaches in the area,” Maxwell pulled a beer out his pocket and popped it open.

The private beach was alive with beautiful women and gorgeous men dancing to upbeat pop music with their champagne flutes high in the air. There was volleyball and water sports; plus, a buffet filled with a variety of delicacies. It truly was the party Maxwell had promised. I stepped out the limo and scanned the gorgeous beach, “Alright, where’s Liam at?” “Looks like he’s tied up with the Queen and Madeline right now,” Maxwell nodded his head in the direction of a shaded part of the shoreline. “Should I try to make a move?” I asked. “Better to bide your time. You’ll likely get only one shot at spending time with him today. Better to do it when Queen is not around. In the meanwhile, we might as well eat!” he said, excited. Under a brightly coloured marquee was a scrumptious buffet that made my mouth water. Maxwell and I couldn’t have moved faster to join the line, right behind Hana. “Have you tried the appetisers?” she asked. “What are they?” Maxwell said, eyes transfixed on her. “Some kind of avant-garde gourmet seafood thing,” she explained. “They seem a little… fishy… literally,” I made a face. “It’s a bit high-end but we should give it a try,” she shrugged. “I’m… pretty sure it’s still moving,” I said looking at the weirdly textured appetiser. “That means it’s fresh?” Hana tried. “Well… here goes,” I said “Mmm, Squishy,” Maxwell said, trying the food. “Well, it tastes like caviar and very expensive caviar at that!” Hana smiled. “Kind of like a fresh, salty sea Jell-O,” I said, trying to get used to the unknown taste. Over by the picnic area, I could see Drake standing strategically beside a table towering with food but with no line. He spotted me and smiled, running a hand through his mop of hair. I smiled back and he tilted his head to indicate we should join him. “I hope you all came hungry because the real food has arrived,” he grinned. “There’s so much of it!” Maxwell said, licking his lips. “Is this… barbecue?” Hana said, shocked. The table was layered with burgers, steaks, hot dogs and lots of grilled vegetables. There was a ridiculous selection of cheeses and sauces. I felt myself drooling and I suddenly realised how much I missed home. “Oh yes. Classic Americana. You’ve got your pulled pork, chicken kebabs, brisket, ribs, vegetables and sauces unique to regions around the world,” Drake said biting into his food, leaving BBQ sauce across his lips. “And you can’t forget the classic sloppy joe.” Hana eyed the food nervously, “A… what?” “Seasoned ground beef with onions, tomato sauce, and whatever else you feel like throwing in there,” Drake explained. “You had me at not fish!” Maxwell exclaimed, grabbing himself a burger. “It looks messy… but intriguing,” Hana shrugged, trying to level with everyone else’s excitement. “Drake, I love sloppy joes! They were basically all I ate through middle school,” I said, reaching for my own. “Thank you, Brooks. Somebody else around here can appreciate a simple dish,” Drake said, meeting my eyes. For the second time that day, I felt trapped in Drake’s gaze. It was as if neither of us could look away… or didn’t want to. I hated how my heart rate increased when I heard him laugh and that I couldn’t stop thinking about his dimples. I didn’t want to think that he was handsome. I didn’t want to be attracted to him. Yet, I needed to come to terms with it to get over it. He wasn’t Liam. I was here for Liam. “It feels a little strange to have such casual food here,” Hana said, picking at her dish. Drake turned his attention to Hana, a slight blush in his cheeks, “Liam thought that Brooks would appreciate it. A little taste of home.” “This was his idea?” I asked, eyes wide. See! Liam, even when he was away from me, was thinking about me and trying to work out ways to make me happy. I couldn’t wait to see him again, to be wrapped in his arms. I couldn’t wait for an excuse to kiss him and feel his body pressed against mine. I had to erase Drake from my mind. “Mostly. From a purely selfish angle, I’m not exactly a caviar and oyster kind of guy, so I may have told him it was definitely a great idea,” Drake said. “Anyway, dig in! I love a good barbecue! Reminds me of the cookouts on the lawn or summers with the family…” “Aww, Drake,” I said, wiping sauce from my cheek, “That’s actually kind of sweet…” “It is not! Now would you rather talk or would you rather eat?” he retorted. “Let’s… talk about what happened to the real Drake. You’ve been awfully nice lately,” I teased. “Sharing food with us… talking about family cookouts… You need to frown of something. This isn’t right.” Drake scowled at me. “… Happy?” he raised an eyebrow. “Mildly… I’m keeping my eye on you,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t strain yourself,” he replied. We chatted as we dug into the barbecue assortment. Drake laughed at Hana as she attempted to eat her messy food daintily and Maxwell made sure to help wipe the sauce from her lips. For a moment, it felt as though I was just hanging out with friends rather than in a strange competition to marry a prince. I really didn’t know how I’d ever lived without them.

#the royal romance #trr #trrgang #rewritten #choices fandom #maxwell beaumont #hana lee #olivia nevrakis #drake walker #choices #choices app #playchoices #Riley Brooks

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mss4msu · 7 years ago

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Happy 100th Birthday Steven!

Summary: The Avengers decide to throw Steve a 100th birthday party. The theme is throwback, but no one wanted to research the 1930s, so they decide to do the early 2000s. Cap is introduced to a new decade of culture, and he and Bucky are particularly taken by Lil John’s “Get Low”.

Words: 1871

A/N: This one goes out to @221bshrlocked because she hyped me up that this would be a hilarious idea. I’ve decided I’ll be making a series of “Steve and Bucky are introduced to various pop culture things that are dirty, but they don’t know that”. This one is fluffier than my fluffball of a dog (future ones may get smutty, who knows?).

“Alright gang, it’s Cap’s BIG birthday next week, so we should get started on planning his party.” Tony had called together a meeting of all the Avengers except for Sam, Bucky, and Steve to put together a surprise bash for Steve’s 100th birthday. You had all voted that telling either Sam or Bucky would mean the surprise would be ruined, so the trio was being kept in the dark.

“I still think we should have rented out the Natural History Museum so he could party with all the other fossils. That’d really be a throwback party,” Nat remarked. The group had also decided the theme of the birthday should be a throwback. Of course, you’d all been so busy on missions no one had had the time to research the early 1900s, so it was decreed that the early 2000s would be used instead.

“Well the old man wanted to have a low-key birthday, so I figured a large public space wouldn’t be a great place for that. I’m not trying to start another Civil War over a birthday.” Tony replied. “Rhodey has a busy week of ‘Iron Patriot’ appearances (it’s 4th of July, I’m not calling him War Machine), so he has divided up tasks for everyone. Bruce, Peter, and I are on decorations. Wanda and Vision, you can prepare the food. Clint and Scott, you’ll be in charge of keeping Steve, Bucky, and Sam busy day of so we have time to set up. Nat and (Y/N), you’re in charge of music. The guest list is just us; the Wakandans are busy doing outreach programs about cultural appropriation, which is fitting for this time of year, and Thor is on some other planet. Alright, everyone know what you’re doing? Great, then go do it!”

Everyone split up and spent the week secretly organizing everything for the party. You and Nat spent hours crafting the perfect Spotify playlist, not wanting to leave a single jam out. Finally, it was the day of the party. You woke up just in time to join Clint and Scott’s in the chauffeuring of Bucky, Sam, and Steve to the big Fourth of July parade. You knew you could slip out later to come back and help everyone set-up, but Steve had been asked to be the Grand Marshall of the parade and you wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“Happy Fourth of July!” you winked at Steve as you got in the car. He rolled his eyes at you, waiting for the follow up. You just stared at him in response for a few seconds, not wanting to give him satisfaction to early. “Oh right! And happy birthday Steve!”

“Thank you!!” he beamed. The parade lasted longer than you had hoped, but it was worth it to see Steve at the head of the parade, an embodiment of everything America should be, and slightly restoring your faith in the country.

“So, you guys want to go get ice cream?” Scott asked when you met up with Steve following the parade. “I know a Baskin Robbins nearby!”

“I actually have to head back guys, I forgot the sunscreen this morning, so my skin has become a very patriotic mix of white and red,” you replied. Although this seemed like an easy out to get back to the party preparations, you really had gotten a bit of a sunburn at that parade.

“We could give you frostbite and you’d be red, white, and blue!” Sam joked. You punched him on the arm and got a Lyft to pick you up.

You got back to the compound and couldn’t believe the quality of the decorations. Movie posters of the most iconic early 2000s films, like A Cinderella Story and She’s the Man, lined the hallways. Nokia bricks and Razr phones were hanging from the ceiling, their screens decorated with pictures of Cap. You couldn’t figure out who had taken the pic of Cap with listening to an iPod in a bubble bath, but you were so glad they had. The food tables were decorated in layers of denim, and you felt blessed that Britney and Justin had graced the world with that look.

Everyone was scrambling to finish their jobs, and you and Nat were putting the finishing touches on the playlist, when Scott texted that they were on their way back.

“Alright everyone, places!” Tony yelled, and you all crouched behind the furniture, with the exception of Peter, who had literally gone above and beyond by hiding on the ceiling.

“I know everyone says apple pie is American, but putting apple pie IN ice cream is really taking things to the next level!” you could hear Bucky chuckling as they walked down the hallway.

“What in Sam Hill is this?” The confusion in his voice made Natasha stifle a laugh and you realized he likely had no idea what he was walking into. You had been helping him go through his “things to catch up on” list and you were nowhere near the 2000s. This was going to be a crash course for him.

Steve flipped on the lights to the room and everyone sprung up and yelled, “SURPRISE!” He stumbled back slightly, the surprise working on him.

“Don’t have a heart attack there, old man,” Nat said, punching him on the arm and giving him a hug.

As everyone started enjoying the food and Nat turned the playlist on, you gave Steve and Bucky a tour of the 2000s .

“So what’s with the phones?” Bucky asked.

“Well, the Razr was the classic phone all the ‘cool’ kids had back in the day,” you winked at them, “and the Nokia is a phone noted for being unbreakable.”

“Unbreakable?” Bucky asked, raising his eyebrow at Steve. They both ripped a Nokia from the ceiling, and you yelled for everyone to gather around for a true test of strength. Steve tried with all his might, but even his super soldier strength was not enough for the brick. Bucky tried to break the phone, squeezing it between his metal fingers, but could not cause even a crack in the screen.

“Is Thor coming?” You heard Clint ask. “Maybe his hammer is worthy enough to break a Nokia.”

“Tony, we may have to talk to Nokia and see if we can use this tech in suits or something,” Bruce remarked, taking the phone from Steve.

As the playlist started playing the dancing songs, you and Nat cleared the dance floor, which you had decorated as a giant Dance Dance Revolution mat. Steve and Bucky watched as everyone took the dance floor and started doing the “Cupid Shuffle”.

“Get over here boys!” you yelled. They shook their heads no, so you ran to them, grabbed their arms and pulled them to the dance floor. “Look, it’s easy. It’s to the right to the right to the right to the right, to the left to the left to the left to the left, then you kick, kick, kick, kick, then walk it and turn to the next side!” They watched you, tripping over themselves, and slowly got the hang of it just as the song ended.

“We’ll need to practice that one again I think,” Steve huffed to you.

“You’re tired after that version? I’ve got a more advanced one that involves kicking and dropping it low,” you winked at him, making him blush.

“EVERYONE CLEAR THE FLOOR!” you heard Peter yell. “THIS IS MY SONG!” Everyone moved off the dance floor and cheered as Peter strutted his stuff to Rihanna’s “Umbrella”.

There was more dancing and fun-having when THE song you had been waiting for came on. “Nat, we should have moved this song up the playlist!” you yelled, turning the volume of the speaker all the way up, and sprinting to the middle of the dance floor.

“TO THE WINDOW!!!! TO THE WALL!!!!!! TILL THE SWEAT DROP DOWN MY BALLS!!!!! TILL ALL THESE BITCHES CRAWL!!!!” You screamed, busting a move.

Steve and Bucky stared at you with their jaws dropped.

“UM (Y/N)?” Steve yelled, “WHAT KIND OF SONG IS THIS???” You ignored him and kept dancing.

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO THE WINDOW AND TO THE WALL??” Bucky asked, looking at Steve and confusion and trying to figure out what made the wall better than the window and vice versa.

“AND WHY ARE YOU ANNOUNCING TO THE WORLD THAT THERE IS SWEAT DRIPPING DOWN YOUR BALLS?” Steve screamed, turning red from yelling and from the idea of discussing his privates so publicly.

You were too busy dropping that ass (hey!) and attempting to shake it fast (hey!) and popping that ass to the left and the right (hey!) to answer them. And they became too busy watching you do it to keep asking questions. Eventually they started singing along, Steve feeling all too pleased with himself when yelling “MOTHERFUCKER!”

By the time you were bending over to the front to touch your toes, Bucky was next to you, shaking his butt along to the beat. Steve and Bucky screamed out the last chorus, giggling as they yelled “SKEET SKEET SKEET.” You raised your eyebrow at Natasha, wondering if these two actually knew what “skeet” was, but you quickly forgot as Vision wheeled out a giant birthday cake covered in lit sparklers.

“The fire marshall told us that using 100 candles would be a fire hazard, so we decided to do 35 sparklers, because that’s how old you look,” he said dryly.

“That’s very kind of you, Vision.” Steve blushed.

“Even with super soldier strength, I don’t think you will be able to blow out the sparklers. Perhaps that was a mistake on our part,” Vision stated.

“It looks great, Vis!” Steve cheerily replied.

“Are you getting teary-eyed Cap?” Tony chuckled.

“I’m just very thankful to have all of you as friends and to have been given such a spectacular party. Skeet, skeet to you all!” He said, holding up a bite of cake in a cheers.

“Skeet, skeet!” Everyone replied back, holding back giggles.

For the next few weeks, any training session with Steve and Bucky was set to “Get Low.” You began to make a game out of it, and every time the “all these bitches crawl” lyric came on, you would stop everything, get on the floor, and start crawling towards them. They started having everyone run sprints from the window to the wall, and you regretted ever having introduced them to the song in the first place.

You all found redemption in their new use of the word “skeet”. Nat had convinced them that “skeet” was a new and improved version of “yeet,” and should be used in times of agreement or before doing exciting things. Steve began yelling “SKEET” before jumping off the Quinjet on missions, and Bucky would scream “SKEET” before punching out bad guys. He couldn’t figure out why the villains always got knocked out with a confused laugh. At this point, the joke had gone on for too long to tell them the truth of what “skeet” actually meant. Your only hope was to introduce them to a new catchphrase, and sooner rather than later, before they “skeet”ed the wrong person...

#marvel #happy birthday steve #happy birthday cap #captain america #steve rogers #fan fic #independence day #100th birthday

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