#but this IS directed at some of my family members and friends who don't mask

[healingmoth]

Okay, serious note on COVID and how high risk people are being left to rot:

What do I do with this anger? Where do I direct it? I have so much anger and grief about being immunocompromised and being one of the only people in ALL the communities I move in who is still masking.

I am angry to be surrounded by friends, teachers, community members who don't mask at all anymore. My life and the lives of those like me have been deemed less important. People around me will say they care about my presence but continue to not understand why I care about masks and vaccinations.

Where do I put my rage and grief? I don't want to be angry at my community, but I am. What do I do with it? How the fuck do I make this productive? Where can this energy go? I need to make it productive, I can't keep holding it in anymore.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Amnesia (KidKiller X Reader) P7

Plot: After an explosion reader wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past few years, her parents want to take her home so she can recover and get back to a normal life while the Kid pirates want her back on the ship where she belongs.

Warning: Bad language, Medical stuff, family issues and Violence.

Reader is Female, Poly Relationship, established relationship, Kid X Reader X Killer, Reader is a member of the Kid pirates and is in charge of the money, Budgeting and negotiating the best price.

< Previous part ..... Next part >

You relax a little but keep your eyes on the two just in case, despite them keeping their distance and trying to make you feel safe you still don't trust them. "First I'd like to know exactly what you were told and who told you" Kid speaks up seeming angry about it, you somehow knew his anger isn't directed at you but it still makes you tense up a bit "Kid" Killer sighs shaking his head at his friend who jumps a little noticing he's made you go back to being tense. "It's ok… My parents told me when i woke up. They said i was kidnapped and held for ransom by Pirates when i was 19. They paid the money but I wasn't handed over and i was forced to work for them. I know i have bounty poster for being a part of the crew even if it was against my will. Urm… i think it was a few days ago, they said the pirates got into fight with the marines and there was an explosion, I was arrested but my parents manged to pull some strings so i was free to go and come here… I don't remember any of that though, i just woke up here… I don't even know where here is" You sigh looking over at the window, the world outside was nothing like your home but it wasn't scary, it actually felt better than being home. "Most of that is a lie" Kid scoffs getting angry that your parents would make up something like that but then again you did say they were awful people, Killer nods before shifting a little on the bed to fully face you "Your on Kyuka, an island on the grand line, we had to back track a bit to get some of our crew back and to come see you." Killer states watching as you nod before looking out the window.

You can't believe your on the grand line and you can't believe your parents came out here to get you, it makes you happy that they care enough to come for you. "We did take on a quite a few marine ships and there was an explosion while you were on one of their ships. It had explosives on it and you were steering it away from the Victoria Punk … Our ship, You got knocked into the water along with a few other crew member's and picked up by marines later on." The masked man continues watching as you nod along, that part matches what your parents and doctors told you, although these two seem to care a lot for you, the masked man even sounds worried when talking about the explosion, this brings one question to your head and a strange deep need to know the answer. "What's my relationship with you two?" You ask while looking down at your hand thats griped into a fist on your lap, you know there's more to all this, why would they come this far to get you if you were just a cash grab or a single member of their crew? Why do you feel so comfortable around them? Even though you know their pirates for some reason your convinced they won't hurt you or drag you away. Kid moves to sit on the bed getting you to look up at him, he goes to speak but Killer places his hand on the red head's leg "I don't know if you'll believe us" The masked man sighs as his head drops a bit seeming very unsure, Kid sighs and shakes his head putting his hand on top of the masked man's to comfort him "i want you to know, just don't freak out, please" The masked man continues, anticipation grows in you as your heart beets faster wanting to know now more than before.

Nodding at the two Kid looks back at you deciding he'll be the one to tell you since Killer seems too nervous about your reaction, "Us three are in a relationship together" He state hoping you will understand but you look between the two confused by his words, you kinda know what he means but you want him to be more clear. With a sigh the red haired man slowly moves his mental hand over to you and places it on your still clenched fist, a sense of relief washes over him when you don't pull away or flinch. You couldn't flinch away, you know he wouldn't hurt you on peruses but his hand was heavy making your fist press down onto your burned leg. Your hand shifts making him pull away in shock but you place your hand on the bed before looking up at him. "Elaborate" you state making Kid smile placing his metal hand back on yours as Killer let out a small huff of a laugh "You and your big words" Killer shakes his head, but he sounds happy which makes your heart flutter a little. "You've been a part of my crew for 7 years, Me and Killer have been together for 6 years. We didn't intend for anyone to join but" Kid gulps as his cheeks go red starting to get flustered over having to explain their relationship with you, noticing he's starting to struggle due to embarrassment Killer looks up at you and reaches over placing his hand on top of Kids mettle hand adding to the pile. Your heart pounds harder in your chest but its not out of fear, it makes you happy since you were right about the connection you feel with the two. You didn't think it would be this but you want nothing more than to hear them say how they feel.

Killer waits for your eyes to shift to him before speaking "We both fell in love with you and it took us a while to figure out what we wanted and to tell you… You felt the same, so us three have been together for 4 years now. It's a Poly relationship, we all love and care about each other" Killer finishes off for Kid the two staying quiet after to give you time to process, you may not remember being with them but it sounds so right, you know what a Poly relationship is but you never thought two people would love you and each other at the same time but your happy that it seems that way. Despite these feeling though, you still don't know them well enough to act on any of these feelings, when you know them more or remember more you can then rethink but for now its best to shove these feelings away. Just as you finish deciding what to do and how to answer your parents walk in along with the nurse from before whose apologizes over and over again to them "Get away from her" Your mother yells storming over to you as your farther glares at the two men "Get security" Your father order the nurse who jumps at his stern and angry tone. The two pirates don't move or take their hands off you not threatened by the two people who just walked in. "No, no, it's ok. I said they could stay" You pull your hand away from the two to quickly grab your mothers arm that was reaching for the empty glass vase on your side table. The nurse freezes in place not sure what to do and who to take orders off, your farther raises an eyebrow at you his anger being turned to you now as your mother looks at you in shock not only form your words but from realizing all the roses in the room are gone. Letting out a breath you try and calm yourself knowing what is going to come from the both of them, its best to keep calm in this situation.

Your Farther's abrasive voice cuts through the short silence, if you weren't so used to it then you would have jumped in shock "Y/N, these two are pirates, their the ones that-" Your farther glares at you but your blank eyes meets his stopping him from continuing "I know who they are. I know what you told me but i don't know what to believe. You're telling me one thing and their telling me another, I'd like to hear both sides before i make any kind of decision" You stay calm as you speak knowing getting angry with your farther or mother will make it less likely for them to hear you through their own anger. Your Farther takes a step towards you his eyes filled with rage that you would answer back, he looks like he's going to hit you but you know he won't, mainly because he didn't want to injure his hands. Kid growls low seeing that look on your farther's face and suddenly stand up his fists gripped ready to punch the man "I will kill you if you hurt her" In shock your quickly turn to look up at the red head whose eyes are glaring at your farther, no one has ever defended you against your parents before, everyone always takes their side. He didn't have to do anything, but he did, it sends a strange warm light feeling through your chest but in turn your head starts to hurt, it doesn't feel like a normal headache, the back of your eyes hurt as your head goes fuzzy, there's an image in your mind but it too blurry to make anything out. "Sweetie, they are dangerous, they took you from us, what ever they told you is a lie" Your mother whispers to you but you can't stop looking at Kid who's glaring back at your father, both refusing to back down from what ever mental battle is going on.

The more you look the clearer the image in your mind gets but your head hurts more and more, your ears start to slightly ring as tears well up in your eyes, not because your sad but because of the pressure building behind them. Killer manages to snap you out of your strange gaze by placing a gentle hand on your cheek, your head throbs but you look to meet his masked covered face "You ok?" Killer asks scooting closer his thumb rubbing under your eye wiping away a stray tear, even though he's wearing a mask you can tell he's concerned by his tone. Your mothers eyes widen at seeing you uncontinuously lean into his touch so quickly grabs your slung up arm "Get your hand off my daughter" She scowls while puling you away making you wince in pain grabbing onto your bandaged shoulder as pain shoots through your hole arm. "Don't pull, you'll hurt her.. Y/n you ok?" Killer growls at your mother before turning to you going back to that clam and kind voice, pulling away from your mother you rub your shoulder managing to calm the pain down a little, Killer reaches out to touch your cheek again hoping to comfort you but you push his hand away nit wanting touching you right now. "I'm fine" you finally state despite your head and shoulder throbbing, Your mother gives you a sad look before bending down to you "I'm sorry sweetie, i didn't mean to hurt you" She whispers seeming genuine in her apology so you look up at her and nod giving her a small smile letting her know it's ok. Your farther growl under his breath having enough of the situation "I want these two out of here now" Your farther orders to the nurse behind him but his eyes are glued to the red head who is still glaring back "We're not leaving unless Y/N wants us too" Kid replays as the nurse looks around the room unsure of what to do with all the different people saying different things.

Making his way around the bed towards the red-headed pirate your farther growls under his breath "My daughter has memory loss, she doesn't know what she wants" Your Farther yells only to be met head on by Kid who quickly storms over to the end of the bed getting in your farther face and towering over him, despite the clear intimidation your farther refuses to back down or break eye contact with the red head. "She may have memory loss, but she can still think for herself, she's a grown ass woman" Kid yells into your farther's face starting a yelling match between the two, your head throbs more making your vision go fuzzy, everyone voices fading in and out hardly able to make out the words being yelled. Seeing a glazed over look forming in your eyes Killer's quick to place his hand on your cheek but you slap it away much harder this time "SHUT UP" You yell making almost everyone in the room jump in shock turning their attention to you. "Please just go" You whisper while rubbing your head it starting to hurt less now that the noise has stopped, your mother gives you a happy smile, glad that you've finally agreed with them that the pirates should leave. Kid bites his tongue struggling not to continue yelling at your farther as Killer sighs standing up off the bed. "Well, hurry up and get out" Your farther steps aside gesturing towards the door for the two to leave, looking up at your farther you sigh knowing he didn't get what you were intending "You too" Your mother looks at you with wide eyes before bending down to your level "Sweetie-" she tried to say but you hold your hand up not wanting to hear it.

The nurse sighs knowing what she has to do for her patients sake, you are her patient and their for your comfort is more important "I'm sorry but visiting hours have long been over so please leave, you can come back tomorrow if she wants but if you kick up a fuss again I'll have no chose but to kick you out " She states stepping over to the bed giving you a slight nod, letting you know she's on your side. "That includes you too Mr and Miss Winslow" Your Mother goes to protest at this but your farther gabs her arm pulling her away from the bed "We will be coming back tomorrow and i hope by then you have your attitude fixed" You have to bite your tongue at your fathers comment, you wanted to berate him but it'll only make your head hurt again. "As for them, i don't want them near my daughter" Your mother pipes up looking over at Kid and Killer who haven't moving yet, although Kids fits are clenched at his side his flesh hand starting to turn white while his eyes burn into your farther, if looks could kill your father would be long dead. "Y/n? Is that what you want?" Killer calmly asks turning to you, You need to know more before you make a destitution on who to believe and the only way you'll get that is if you talk to all people involved. "I want you to come back, I-" You want to say more but your farther interrupts you making your head hurt with his sudden yell "Absolutely not" Kid storms over to your farther grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer almost lifting him off the group. "Will you let her speak for once, Gods no wonder she ran away, you over controlling narcissistic bastard" Kid yells only to be stopped by Killer who runs over and grabs the captains shoulder "That's enough, we should go, let Y/N rest. We can talk tomorrow and figure things out"

It surprises you how calm the masked man is and how easily he seems to control the situation, Kid lets go of your farther dropping him to the floor where he stumbles back while fixing his suit collar and tie. "I'm sorry Y/n, we'll let you rest" The masked man turns to you giving you a nod before grabbing Kids arm and tugging on it, The red head sighs before turning to you and rubbing the back of his head "Sorry for my out burst…. we'll see you tomorrow" You nod at his words although you did notice the slight redness in his cheeks, the nurse gives everyone a smile before gesturing towards the door getting everyone to leave. Once everyone's out the room the nurse closes the door and turns to you, making her way over she sits on the edge of the bed before pulling your shirt away from your shoulder to have a look at the bandage "I'm so sorry, i should have stepped in sooner" She whispers while checking for any sign that your wound has reopened but luckily it seemed fine, there's no blood and the bandage hasn't moved. Placing your hand on hers you look up to meet her eyes "It's ok… It's a strange situation and my parents are hard to deal with" You try and comfort her, you know there's also a big likely hood that your farther owns a percentage of this hospital so talking to him in any way other than with respect might get you fired. "Thank you for being on my side, its… rare" You admit pulling your hand away from hers letting her pull your shirt back over your shoulder.

The nurse takes your hand her small smile dropping as she thinks for a second, your about to ask her what's wrong when she starts talking. "I know it's not my place to say but your parents are right about them being dangerous. Eustass Captain Kid and Massacre Soldier Killer both have bounties over two hundred million, their part of the worst generation and ruthless… but on the other hand they do seem to care, they seemed genuinely worried and ready fight for you, it didn't seem like an act." She sighs not sure if she should be telling you all this but you squeeze her hand leaning forwards a bit while giving her a reassuring smile. "Thank you, I'll take any information is can get at this point, like i said before i don't know what to believe, the only thing i can go off is facts and some fuzzy images i can't make out" You state while rubbing your head trying to see that image again but it won't come back, the nurse nods and stands up letting go of your hand "I'll do what ever i can to help but for now I'll get you your meds and then you can rest" She turns leaving you alone in the room again, hopefully you can get more answers tomorrow and hopefully your parents will find your glasses so you can read something. Its so boring just sitting around or watching the dock where ships barely move. With a sigh you lean back against the bed while's placing a hand on your cheek, it still feels warm from Killer's touch it feels nice and you can still faintly smell Kid's cologne giving you a sense of comfort.

----- The Victoria Punk -----

The normally loud dinning room is silent something thats is very rare especially when almost the whole crew is gathered in there, Killer had just finished explaining why you weren't back with them which left the crew feeling deflated. None one spoke for a long while, most of them looking to their Captain hoping he has a plan or an idea but the red head just sat in his chair, his feet propped up on the table while his arms are crossed over his chest tightly. No one could tell what Kid was thinking or feeling, his eyes are angry but his face is blank as the captain stares off into space, with his mind clearly somewhere else Killer sighs crossing one leg over the other as he sits next to the red head. The masked man didn't know what to do, a part of him hopes that Kid will snap and just tell everyone we're grabbing you and leaving despite what they told you but he doesn't want to break any kind of trust or relationship that they have just formed. It's a miracle that you want them to come back, with a sigh Wire leans on the table looking over at his two friends, the room as been quiet for far too long and someone needs to take charge of the situation "So what do we do? Take her in the middle of the night?" The tall man asks knowing exactly what reaction he's going to get, the two men suddenly turn to look at him as they yell the same answer in anger "No" They both glare but soon release the small smirk at the corers of Wire's lips, its clear the tall man only asked that because it would snap them out of their own heads. "She stays until she agrees to come back and i ain't leaving her with those assholes so where staying… House, how long does it take for memories to come back?" Kid sates suddenly turning to the doctor who's messing with her fingers.

House gulps before slowly looking up at her captain knowing he isn't going to like the answer "I-i don't know, it could take a few days or months or years and in some cases… they might not come back at all" Her shoulders tense up as she says her last part, Kid growls while gritting his teeth but before he can start his out burst Killer steps in placing a hand on the captains shoulder giving it a hard squeeze "While were dealing with the situation i want everyone to be on high alert for marines, if her farther does have connection he might have called some in to get rid of us" The masked man states knowing that the crew is at risk, Kid sighs and nods in agreement "There should be several people on watch at all times and no one should leave the ship without permission, understand?" Kid calls out earning loud "yes Captain" from his crew which makes the red head smirk again, House raises her hand getting the two's attention before speaking "I was thinking that maybe i could join you two at some point. i want to look Y/n over, make sure she's healing well and maybe do some snooping around the hospital." She hopes they'll agree but by their thinking faces she feels like it's going to be less and less likely, luckily though they turn to each other and nod, silently agreeing on something "We'll bring it up to her and see if she agrees" Kid states hoping you'll say yes to having someone else look you over, the two don't want to overwhelm you with new people, and they also don't want another reason for your parents to bitch and moan causing you more pain and increasing the chance of a marine presence.

Through the conversation between the three a rhythmic tapping of fingers started to develop getting louder and louder, Heat has his teeth clenched as his fingers tap the table, lost in thought it was Wire who snaps hims out of it by bumping the stitched man's shoulder with his own "What's up?" The tall man whispers not wanting to interrupt Kid and Killer talking to the crew, Heat sighs and rubs his head while stopping the tapping he was uncontinuously doing "I know i've heard the last name before, Winslow, Winslow. uhhh, i-i just can't put my finger on it" The stitched man groans in frustration, its on the tip of his tongue but it just won't force itself any closer, Wire pats his friend on the back giving him some kind of reassurance, it would be nice to know who your parents are, but he doesn't want to put any more weight on Heat's shoulders. A few seconds later it finally hits the stitched man making his eyes widen in slight shock, cursing under his breath the room suddenly goes quiet all eyes turning to Heat since they know something has well and truly caught him off guard. "The Winslow family own a Drug distribution company that mainly castors to the marines and world government, a few years back they were also given a licence to make new drugs although that licence has since been revoked but i can't remember why. They also own several other big company's in weapons, fuel and have shares in others that have been handed down for generations… Their rich.. Like royalty rich"

The room goes completely silent at this no one knowing what to say about the situation, it normally wouldn't bother them if you came from a rich family but this is different, your family sells a lot of stuff to the marines and seems very buddy, buddy with them. It's true your farther can't fire a marine, but he can pull resources which will be disastrous for them so it's no wonder the commodore was so hell-bent on keeping quiet. "So what if her daddy's rich, the prick has no right" Kid growls flicking his hand in protests while leaning back in his chair but it seems some of the crew don't feel the same, they still want you back but being this rich and from a very well known family will bring its issues like it has now "I don't get it, she left and now years later they want her back, Why?" Mohawk asks a man how has been with the crew since the beginning and of course gets his name from the tall and thin orange Mohawk on his head "Something fishy is going on, i think it's a good idea to gave a few of us look into things" Narbe a man with two large scars down his face and over his eyes speaks up making the captain hum in thought, it would be good to get some info in order to have the upper hand, it also might help them in the future "Alright, you two and Heat your in charge of that but don't leave the island" The three smile giving their captain a nod happy to help out and also maybe rough up some people to get information.

[theposhperyton]

if you have the time could you tell me literally everything you know about isfd?

I found your blog through the one piece posts and now need to learn anything I can about this obscure fandom

An ISFD ask from someone who isn't already lost in the sauce? (<-Self call-out) O glorious day!

Gosh, there's so much, I don't really know where to start. I've been following this micro-fandom for YEARS now, and it's one of those things that just keeps on giving. The amount of lost/missing content and the frickin nuked forum (I'm a survivor, baebee!!) really does sometimes make it feel like the universe is trying to wipe us out, but hey. ISFD fans are basically cockroaches. Killable in theory, but surprisingly hearty in an actual life or death of a fandom scenario.

As for the actual content of ISFD that I engage in, I'm a rare(?) case where I kinda dabble in everything. I can confidently say I'm a member of the ** original ** gen of fans, so I've been around for the noteable eras, and have obsessed over every major character group at one time or another, as well as some niche characters (Cyan and his 2 other fans, rise up 🔥🔥)

I gotta say though, I am currently obsessed with the mafia portion of the universe (and, tbh, by extension, the Marama family. They are to me what the Kardashians are to some)

In particular, Phillip Varic has been my consistent blorbo since last September. It is not an exaggeration to say I've averaged about 40 drawings of him a month since then (my friends and I have counted. I should be on my strange addiction at this point, tbh. Or seeking other professional insight)

Here's some of the doodles in question! I am not terribly good at finishing art of him, I just sketch him loosely and rotate him rapidly in my head

I just think he's so neat. And I think his stupid, codependant, and mildly dysfunctional mafia found-family are so neat. And I think his husband (seraphine) and wife (abram) are so neat. And all his kids, both the legal kids and the ones whom he mostly just pays college tuition for, they're neat to. And the echos of Magnolia throughout his life and the larger narrative, even decades later. That's also very neat (my heart doesn't hurt at all!)

I realize I kinda derailed from answering your original ask because the mafia brainrot is debilitating and chronic, but I'm not entirely sure how I'd go about answering it anyway because there is just. So, so much world and lore to glean from ISFD, and none of it in any easy or direct way. Honestly though? The mafia might not be a bad place to start? If you want, I can tell you as much as I know about the cast and dynamics of the mafia, because I feel like a lot of the mafia character's lore and backgrounds act as a good segway to other noteable aspects of the larger ISFD narratives and the in-world political climate as a whole (Especially Mask and Howard. Not to single those poor souls out, but genuinely. How are they both gonna be so afflicted by the narrative like that)

If you're still interested after I practically talked your ear off, I could totally make a larger post about the whole mafia :3 They're my special blorbos ❤️ I would not feel safe around them IRL, but trapped within the confines of fiction, they're all free for me to babygirlify with almost no consequences

[furiousofpanda]

Another unnamed concept for an oc time except for its a basis for a creepypasta that I'm never going to make cause I don't have the time or effort to try and make it real

So I used to go hiking a lot, and even now I fucking love just running around in the woods UH BUT ANYWAYS thus is very inspired from a mountain I climbed with my family called Tiger Mountain. Despite its name its no actually that difficult and is a very beginner friendly trail last I remember. I don't remember If camping or hiking during the night was allowed but for my story I'm assuming they arent.

The concept is that there are masked figures in the woods near dusk. They scare visitors from staying overnight in the woods but also save lost individuals just so nobody ends up sleeping in the woods on tiger mountain.

They say if you sleep overnight there you are giving your soul to the mountain, and you will become one with it over time. This basis is important to understand the several characters I have in mind. All it takes in this scenario is someone to go unconscious and their soul belongs to tiger mountain. You'll know it's taken because a mask will appear. The masks are animal masks of animals that can survive in the forest but also metaphorically represent the individuals strengths and weaknesses. Over time (after 10-20 years) the person, even if they reside in the forest or have moved far away, will turn into that creature. The more damaged the mask is the less time you have, and trying to throw away the mask? It'll just re-appear in your line of sight the moment you take eyes off of it unless it's on you/your holding it.

Now to the actual characters. All of them are victims, none of them chose this but do what they can to make sure nobody ever sleeps in the forest.

I'll refer to each character by their mask as none of them I've come up with names yet.

Rabbit - Quick on feet, impatient, not very talkative, can fight but rathers to flee, tripped and got knocked unconscious by a rock, woke up head bleeding and a mask next to them. Trans FTM, learns about the curse and become friends with Turtle, witnesses turtle turn into a turtle, freaks out, tries to figure out how to reverse the curse but ends up being unsuccessful and runs out of time. He moved into a home nearby tiger mountain before becoming part of the mess to escape a transphobic environment. 26

Fatima (i think i spelt her name wrong but this is Turtle) - thinks before speaking, calm and collected, accepted her fate and has made a secret garden not only for the masked members who live in the woods bit also so that once she turns she has food for a long while. Got ditched by her abusive family in the mountain (they left her behind and never went to find her ever). 19

Ferret - a bit of a Comedian, fast on foot but clumsy, impulsive, ran away from home and doesn't want to return (abusive family), actually willing to kill people if it comes to getting them out of the forrest, needs therapy (he's not okay), 17

Mouse - Mother abandoned them in the forest because she wasn't ready to be a mother/ plus some dark shit im not going to drop on yall yet /. Mouse is curious and doesn't understand right from wrong, still learning who they are, 3 years old.

Woodpecker - crafty, always making things, good at math. worked low end jobs and has a passion for construction, fell asleep on accident while on break while making direction signs that he was hired to put up on the trail. Kinda just doesn't mind living in the forest because he doesn't have to pay taxes and gets to build houses and random things. 42

Coyote - loud, actual asshole, probably storywise turns first. He is pushy, likes to steal or cause harm on purpose, throws away his Mask or damages it every chance he can because "its stupid", gets into fights with others oftenly, everyone hate him but he has nowhere to go. Literally no remorse and triggers/sets off everyone's family issues whenever he exists in the same room as anyone else. 16

There's more but it's 2:30 am my ass needs sleep, I'll write more if I remember to

[thetruthbehindtheemotions]

Contempt

Do you know that lack of consideration? Without appreciation or esteem? That feeling that uplifts the spirit, making the individual not feel fear, envy, greed, or desire? That detachment, you know? Whether it's towards material possessions or people. That feeling of repulsion. Yes, that's me, Contempt.

Many have already experienced this part of emotions, others will still have the displeasure of knowing it. You must be wondering why I'm talking about my own self like this, am I right? Well, I may be Contempt, but that doesn't mean I like who I am. Contempt is a bitter feeling, both for the one who inflicts it and the one who receives it. When we despise, we need to deeply reflect on the reasons that led us to act in such a way. It may not seem like it, but when we have this feeling towards someone, we may be suffering as much or even more than the one who is the target of our lack of appreciation.

To despise means to generally place oneself in a position of superiority and arrogance, evaluating one's target with disregard or even feigned indifference.

Indifference that is not genuine, because if it were, we wouldn't waste our time trying to hurt the other person because, in reality, that's what the one who despises desires: to hurt the other.

The gaze of disdain is an inappropriate gaze. We are all important and have value in the eyes of the creator, regardless of our religion, social status, professional position, or preferences. How could an architect see their finished work if it weren't for the builders? Perfect or imperfect, we all play our role in the universe, and I believe that "in our own way," no one prioritizes performing it wrongly or inadequately.

If someone bothers us and we treat them with disdain, we should deeply analyze the real reasons behind such behavior. Surely, if we act with discernment, we can also perceive an implicit message in this context of judgment.

The one who is despised feels the pain of contempt, but it is appropriate for the one who sneers and takes pleasure in it to evaluate the reason behind such a limited perspective. With what pretension do we name, judge, or condemn? What lies behind the acts of contempt directed at someone? Through our needs and weaknesses, we are also becoming guarantors of our own evolutionary postponement. Do you care about despising someone? How much do you truly care about them? Because behind contempt, there may be another masked feeling that perhaps we don't want to admit even to ourselves.

Yes, behind contempt, there are many masked feelings. Often, a person begins to despise others out of fear. That's right, out of fear. Everyone has fallen deeply in love with someone at some point, and if not, they will. One of the virtues that human beings possess is the ability to love, whether it's a friend, family members, or romantic partners. But you must already know that loving too much often brings consequences that are not so good. Sometimes you give yourself body and soul to someone, love them unconditionally, and often receive nothing in return. It's agonizing, I know. Many times, you throw yourself headfirst into a relationship, and in the end, you end up getting hurt. You are deeply wounded, and out of fear that this may happen again someday, you promise yourself never to fall in love again, never to have your heart broken again, and thus, you begin to despise everything and everyone who comes close. You become a cold, arrogant person who only wants to hurt others, to make them feel the same pain you once felt. And if at first you only despised, in the end, you ended up becoming the despised.

Contempt often stems from the fear of revealing to the world who you truly are. Society also contributes greatly to this, as they have that outdated and overly prejudiced view, causing many to hide behind a mask of indifference, and to prevent others from discovering their true selves, they acquire the habit of despising. Well, despising may seem like the easiest path to endure certain things, but believe me, it's not the least painful. Many, when choosing the path of contempt, end up even more hurt and anguished, and in the worst cases, some even take their own lives.

However, contempt always has two sides: the one who despises and the one who is despised.

So the question remains: how does the one who is despised react to contempt? The perfect answer to this question is the person who "needs" to be loved by others. This type of structure always suffers greatly from contempt, and what's worse, they usually cling to people, situations, and jobs that despise them. Why? Because these people "don't love them," and they "need" to make them love them. Sounds complicated? It is! Besides being complicated, it generates a lot of unnecessary pain. In certain cases, when we suffer because of contempt, it's because we are trapped in the need for validation from others. Thus, when we are despised, we feel like our greatest fear is coming true, and therefore, we must do everything possible to avoid it. It is with this decision that we end up trapped in a painful trap.

I must admit that these are quite complex issues, but you may be wondering, "Where did you come from? How did you arise?" Well, I emerged from Hatred, which arose from Love, which arose from an act of Kindness. It's like a cycle, where actions - whether intentional or not - end up generating consequences, and it is these consequences that have generated us, it is from these consequences that emotions have emerged. We function like a large company, where each emotion/feeling has its sector and its functions. We are responsible for generating chaos, but also for generating calmness. We are sisters, friends, enemies, lovers, and often even strangers. Most of the time, we are complex and difficult to understand, but we are also easy to interpret. However, unlike the other emotions - except for Loneliness - I prefer to stay away and keep myself distant from anything that may harm me. It can be lonely at times, I must admit, but after seeing everything that Love and Hatred have been through, all the fights, all the words spoken that ultimately hurt them, I decided to do what I know best: to disdain.

And this is me, Contempt. The behavior characteristic of someone who doesn't care. Someone who acts with indifference, with a lack of consideration, care, and attention. I am the one who, after despising so much, in the end, became the one who is despised.

"Contempt is a bitter pill that can be swallowed but not chewed without making faces."

- Molière

***********************************

Desprezo

Sabe aquela ausência de consideração? Sem apreço nem estima? Aquela sensação que eleva o espírito, fazendo com que o individuo não sinta medo, inveja, cobiça e nem desejo? Aquele desapego sabe? Seja por bens materiais ou por pessoas. Aquela sensação de repulsa. Sim, esse sou eu, o Desprezo.

Muitos já conheceram essa parte das emoções, outros ainda irão ter o desprazer de conhecê-la. Você deve está se perguntando por que estou falando assim do meu próprio eu, estou certo? Pois bem, eu até posso ser o Desprezo, mais isso não quer dizer que eu goste de quem sou. O desprezo é um sentimento amargo, tanto aquele que desfere, quanto aquele que recebe. Quando desprezamos, precisamos refletir profundamente os motivos que nos levaram a agir de tal maneira. Pode parecer que não, mas quando temos esse sentimento por alguém, podemos estar sofrendo tanto ou até mais do que aquele que é o alvo da nossa falta de apreço.

Desprezar significa colocar-se geralmente em um degrau de superioridade e arrogância, avaliando seu alvo com pouco caso ou até com uma dissimulada indiferença.

Indiferença que não é verdadeira, porque se assim o fosse, não perderiamos nosso tempo tentando atingir o outro, porque, na verdade, é isso que aquele que despreza deseja: ferir o outro.

O olhar de menosprezo e um olhar inadequado. Todos somos importantes e temos nosso valor aos olhos do criador, independente de nossa religião, status social, posição profissional ou preferência. Como um arquiteto poderia ver a sua obra finalizada, se não fossem os seus construtores? Perfeitos ou imperfeitos, todos desempenhamos nosso papel no universo, e acredito que "ao seu modo", ninguém tem como prioridade desempenhá-lo de maneira errada ou inadequada.

Se alguém nos incomoda e o tratamos com desdém, convém fazermos uma análise profunda dos reais motivos que estão por trás de tal atitude. Com certeza, se agirmos com critério, poderemos também captar uma mensagem implícita neste contexto de julgamento.

Aquele que é desprezado sente a dor do desprezo, mas convém àquele que desdenha e sente prazer nisso, avaliar o motivo de tão limitada visão. Com que pretensão nomeamos, julgamos ou condenamos? O que estaria por trás dos atos de desprezo, desferidos a alguém? Através de nossas carências e fraquezas estamos também nos tornando avalistas do nosso próprio adiamento evolutivo. Você se preocupa em desprezar alguém? O quanto você se importa de verdade com ela? Pois saiba que, por trás do desprezo, pode existir outro sentimento mascarado que talvez não queiramos admitir nem a nós mesmos.

Sim, por trás do desprezo há muitos sentimentos mascarados. Muitas vezes uma pessoa passa a desprezar os demais por medo. Isso mesmo, por medo. Todos um dia já se apaixonaram perdidamente por alguém, e se não, ainda hão de se apaixonar. Uma das virtudes que o ser humano possui é a capacidade de amar, seja um amigo, familiares ou namorados. Mas vocês já devem saber que, muitas vezes, amar demais trás consequências não tão boas assim. As vezes você se entrega de corpo e alma a uma pessoa, a ama incondicionalmente e muitas vezes não recebe nada em troca. É angustiante, eu sei. Muitas vezes também você se joga de cabeça em uma relação e no final, acaba quebrando à cara. Você se machuca profundamente e por medo de que isso um dia possa voltar a acontecer, promete a si mesmo que nunca mais irá apaixonar-se novamente, que nunca mais terá seu coração quebrado novamente e assim, começa a desprezar tudo e a todos que se aproximam. Você se torna uma pessoa fria, arrogante, e só quer ferir os outros, só quer que eles sintam a mesma dor que um dia você sentiu. E se no começo você só desprezava, no final acabou virando o desprezado.

O desprezo muitas vezes também vem do medo de revelar ao mundo quem você realmente é. A sociedade também contribui muito para que isso ocorra, pois eles têm aquela visão ultrapassada e preconceituosa demais, fazendo com quê muitos se escondam atrás de uma mascara de indiferença, e para que os demais não descubram seu verdadeiro eu, acabam adquirindo o hábito de desprezar. Bom, desprezar pode até ser o caminho mais fácil para suportar certas coisas, mas acreditem, não é o menos doloroso. Muitos, ao optarem pelo caminho do desprezo, acabam ficando ainda mais magoados e angustiados, no pior dos casos, alguns até tiram a própria vida.

Porém, o desprezo tem sempre dois lados: quem despreza e quem é desprezado.

Assim fica a pergunta: como quem é desprezado reage ao desprezo? A resposta perfeita para essa pergunta é a pessoa que "precisa" ser amada pelos outros. Este tipo de estrutura sempre sofre muito com o desprezo e o pior, em geral se apega às pessoas, situações, empregos que o desprezam. Por quê? Porque estes "não a amam" e ela "precisa" fazer com que a amem. Parece complicado? E é! Além de ser complicado gera um monte de dor desnecessária.

Em certos casos, quando sofremos por causa do desprezo, é porque estamos presos na armadilha de precisar da valorização do outro, desta maneira quando somos desprezados sentimos que nosso maior medo está se tornando realidade e, portanto, devemos fazer todo o possível para evitar isso, e é com esta decisão que acabamos presos numa armadilha dolorosa.

São questões bem complexas devo admitir, mas vocês devem estar se perguntando:

"Mas, de onde você surgiu? Como surgiu?" Bem, eu surgi do Ódio, que surgiu do Amor, que surgiu de um ato de Bondade. É como um ciclo, onde as atitudes - pensadas ou não - acabam gerando consequências, e foram essas consequências que nos geraram, foram dessas consequências que surgiram as emoções. Funcionamos como uma grande empresa, onde cada emoção/sentimento tem seu setor e suas funções. Somos responsáveis por gerar o caos, mas também por gerar a calmaria. Somos irmãs, amigas, inimigas, amantes, muitas vezes até desconhecidas. Na maioria das vezes somos complexas e difíceis de entender, mas também somos fáceis de interpretar. Mas diferente das outras emoções - tirando a Solidão —, eu prefiro me manter longe e afastado de tudo aquilo que possa vir a me fazer mal. É meio solitário às vezes, devo admitir, mas depois de ver tudo pelo que o Amor e o Odio passaram, de todas as brigas, de todas as palavras ditas e que consequentemente os magoaram, resolvi fazer o que sei de melhor, desprezar.

E esse sou eu, o Desprezo. O comportamento próprio de quem não se importa. Que age com indiferença, com ausência de consideração, de cuidado e de atenção. Sou aquele que de tanto desprezar, no fim das contas, acabou se tornando o desprezado.

"O desprezo é uma pílula amarga, que se pode engolir, mas que não se pode mastigar sem fazer caretas."

— Molière

[thecarriebradshawproject]

7/12/2023

Journaling has always helped me in my life. Ever since I got a My Secret Journal when I was a kid. I continued to journal here and there throughout my life, but I always come back to writing about my feelings.

Now that I am writing my feelings on a blog, I truly feel like Carrie Bradshaw (hence the name).

Anyways, I have been in a depression SLUMP! There was signs of it coming, but I didn't have the energy to fight it. It wasn't hurting anyone, but myself, if I sat around all day. Never did anything but numb my brain to get through my days. It really does sound depressing...

I have struggled with depression since I was in about 8th grade (woohoo the American education system failed me). I have struggled with anxiety my whole life, I just didn't realize it until later. This is mostly because anxiety presents itself very differently in children. I was constantly getting sick before school, I would cry A LOT, and I always remember my parents telling me I am like Charlie Brown... So yeah, I have always been an anxious person.

So, I will be 25 next month. My frontal lobe will finally be fully developed. That means it's all downhill from here, right? I mean, I love my career and I can see myself being at my company for years to come. However, it feels like every other aspect of my life is constantly in shambles.

I have some great friends and such a loving family, I really do, but I am not always the best friend or family member. I am not going to lie, I am the person who flakes (sometimes last minute), and I am not scared to turn down invites either. Which makes sense why I am not always invited to things. I really get it. But... I am still feeling so distant from everyone in my life. I get I am not in my hometown anymore, but we are all in the same state! And it feels embarrassing to reach out to someone and basically tell them that I am mentally unwell and I need their support in this not fun time in my life. Sounds like too much for me, so I can only imagine how other people would respond.

I try to keep conversation lines open, but it is so easy to get "busy" or distracted in adulthood. I get this is apart of life, but I cannot recall in my life when my parents did not have their friends around constantly. I remember my mom being on a bowling league, going to concerts, hosting card game nights. I remember my dad racing throughout Michigan, celebrating birthdays at bars, and his bestie would stop by for coffee on most Sunday mornings, even if it was just for one cup.

I love my parents friends and they definitely feel like family. I have joked before that I could show up to my parents' friend's houses unannounced and I would be accepted in with open arms and no questions asked. They all agree this would be true.

Now what do I do when I do not have friends? I know I have not gotten to that yet, but if it keeps going like this, I could see it happening. Can I make new friends with such strong bonds? Will I even make new friends? Will I always just be a miserable person?!

I don't try to be miserable, but I can't help it. I get so sunken into my depression, that I can't even mask it. I always drain poor Justin's energy. I know it can be exhausting dealing with dealing with poor mental health, and I am scared I will continue to push him away. I wouldn't want to marry someone who may just give up on life...

I am slowly sleeping and numbing my way through life. This is not what life is meant to be or at least I don't think it is. However, I have no idea how to fix the damage I have caused to myself... Or how to have a fulfilling life to start with... Is it money, love, family, a career, or maybe even traveling? Who knows? I sure as hell don't know.

Hopefully, I will start getting more direction/answers in life. Hopefully, I do not become a cranky depressed woman who dies alone. I want to be able to reflect on genuine happy moments in my life. I am terrified that it might never happen...

Wish me luck! I truly need it...

[oldtvandcomics]

I'm fine with however you want to organize it. Knowing you, it will be very neat either way. :-) We don't actually need a new character, we have got Britt Reid's father, Dan Reid Jr. He was the Lone Ranger's sidekick for a while, because of course there needs to be a teenage sidekick, then managed the relatively rare stunt in superhero fiction to grow up and become an ordinary member of society. His relationship with Britt is somewhat complicated, which is part of what drove Britt to start being the Green Hornet

My absolute dream scenario would look like this:

Part 1: The Lone Ranger origin story, basically just getting him from the ambush to the point of deciding to become the masked crime fighter we know. Main emphasis on his relationship with Tonto, because every adaptation so far had some major forgetting-to-develop-his-character-because-of-racism problems. (Also because he's the secondary main character. Duh.)

Part 2: The story where they find and adopt Dan (who was lost when his mother died in an ambush on the wagon train they were in, and presumed dead until John and Tonto randomly run into him at the Canadian border). Typical teenage hero adventure, the kind you don't really see today any more, where a teenager gets to do cool heroic stuff and feel cool about it, and hold his own easily with the adults around him. Also some emphasis on Dan dealing with the death of his (adopted) grandmother, and being stuck with his uncle, who is a complete stranger to him, and a little weird, because, well *gestures at the Lone Ranger*

Part 3: The one where Britt's father finds out that he is a superhero. He and Kato have been doing the Green Hornet gig for a while now, they have got a routine, they are good at in and generally happy, if a little tired all the time. Then Britt's father randomly comes to stay at his apartment for whatever reason (business trip?), and they try to look normal, but something comes up, and they can't just pause the Green Hornet, and eventually, Dan finds out. Touching scene ensues where he tells Britt about who the Lone Ranger was.

There probably would be some overarching themes, something something justice, something something believing in a society that is not good to you, something something family, especially non-traditional family structures (queer headcanon or not, John Reid did end up raising a teenage boy with his male best friend/life partner. Who is a person of colour. They absolutely would have run into some interesting complications. I wouldn't make the story about this, but it would add a lot to have it in the background). Maybe nostalgia and the way idealizing the past can keep us from fighting for the present? Idk, there is definitely enough to explore, you could go into multiple fascinating directions.

Pulptober 2024: 9 - The Lone Ranger + 3 - The Green Hornet

Listen, if I've already fallen out of the rhythm, then I might as well combine these two and get something interesting out of it.

We always tend to see the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet as separate heroes, but I firmly believe that a significant part of their value comes from putting them into dialogue with each other. It's what elevates these two from being cool heroes among other cool heroes to something really special.

The connection is clear, as they were both created by the same people, three years apart (1933 for the Lone Ranger and 1936 for the Green Hornet), and it is clear that the Green Hornet is in many ways modelled after the Lone Ranger. Also, they are canonically related, Britt being John's great-nephew. So, yeah, no question there.

What is fun (to me) is the tonal difference between the two.

The Lone Ranger is a fairy tale, working very much according to fairy tale logic. Listen. I have written fanfiction about him before, the logistics makes no sense. Those people don't have a tent. Also, they manage to carry everything with themselves on the back of only two horses, and that includes very specialized crime fighting equipment like an entire huge make-up kit that John sometimes uses. How do they get their food? How are they always perfectly clean despite spending all day every day riding around in the desert?? The answer is, it doesn't matter. The Lone Ranger is not there to be a perfectly rounded character grounded in reality, he is there to ride around a help people.

And it works, because the story is set in the past. Which is also why it is allowed to have such a positive and wholesome tone.

Contrast the Green Hornet, a story that is set in the present. It is grounded. Britt has got a job, and an apartment, and coworkers who are at least as fully fleshed out characters than he is. The tone is much more realistic. Britt Reid is someone you could meet on the street.

As such, his story is a lot less fairy tale than that of the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger is able to be a shining hero whom everyone loves, but the Green Hornet is not. Hence the whole criminal mastermind disguise.

Today, we are being bombarded by gritty "realistic" remakes, and people genuinely question if we are even able to comprehend a positive outlook on the world and people (khm, Man of Steel). But I like to think that ninety years ago, people already has the same problem. There is something comforting in that thought.

[unknownalien3388]

Wanda Goes To Support Group.

Still mourning the loss of her late wife, Wanda begins attending a spousal support group. Knowing Y/N would want her to heal and live her life, Wanda reluctantly participates in the sessions for months. It's only when her newfound friend Natasha encourages her that Wanda finally decides to share her heartbreaking story with the group, signifying a crucial turning point in her healing journey.

                                                   --------

The one thing I loathe above all else is my Spousal Support Group It is just a bunch of depressed people getting together to talk about why they are depressed. It is sad, really. But I go every week anyway, in hopes that one day it will make me feel better. But it never does. Actually, nothing makes me feel better anymore and nothing has in a very long time. “Wanda?” Keegan Mc Call, the Spousal Support Group leader, and grief counsellor, called my name softly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Yes?” I say, making an effort to appear like I have been paying attention and not like I have been planning my escape. I had only been here little under five minutes, but I was already ready to walk out of the local church that was holding the support group and never come back.

"I see you brought a friend with you." Keegan nodded her head to the young woman sitting next to me, hand clasped in mine. Natasha Romanoff, my new and only friend. We met a few months back after she commented her agreement on my Facebook rant post about how Spousal Support Groups were stupid and a waste of time. Soon after, she sent me a direct message, and we began chatting. During our conversation, we discovered that we had a lot in common, which was a rare thing to find after most of my friends drifted away in the months following my wife's death.

"Hi, I'm Natasha," she introduced herself with a smile. To those who don't know her well, Natasha's smile would seem warm and genuine. But I easily saw through her fake smile to the unease that hid behind it. Her smile, like a lot of things Natasha did since her wife's death, was part of the mask she'd created following her wife's passing. Even though it didn't sit right with Natasha to hide her true feelings, the façade served as some type of shield between her and the outside world. A coping mechanism that allowed people see what they wanted to see to help them believe that Natasha was better. And though it felt artificial and wrong to her, it did give her what she needed to truly grieve in private. After Y/N's death, I learned that most people found solace in the idea that they had contributed in some way to someone else's healing after the loss of a loved one, be it a spouse or a family member. 

"Hello Natasha." The group replied in unison.

The awkward silence that followed was broken by the sound of Keegan clapping her hands to gain the group's attention. "Okay, how about we start care and share time?" She looked around the circle. "Who haven't we started with? how about you start us off, Sarah?" Keegan suggested.

"Sure," Sarah muttered dejectedly, not really caring. Everyone knew that she attended the support group, not because she wanted to, but because she didn't want her mother to worry about her after she lost her husband of fifteen years to brain cancer two years ago. Sarah blamed herself for her husband's death. She believed that if she had taken his constant and severe headaches more seriously and pushed him to see a doctor sooner, her husband would still be alive. It was clear, just by looking at Sarah, that since her husband's passing, she had stopped taking proper care of herself. Her skin was an unhealthy pale color; she had lost a concerning amount of weight, and it was obvious she hadn't washed her hair in months.

I glanced around the group as each member took turns retelling their stories of loss and grief. We were all sat in a circle called the Circle of Divine Healing, in the middle of the room and just below a crucifix. It is believed that Jesus was watching over us during support group and granting us the strength to heal from our pain and troubles. I was grateful that Keegan was too preoccupied with the other members to notice what I was doing. Which was not paying attention. I didn't need to. It was the same stories each week. Care and Share Time was my least favorite part of support group. It was a time, at the beginning of the session, where everyone took turns telling their story of how they lost their spouse and how they are still grieving even though it has been ‘insert time here’ since they passed and at the end, we all, in monotone, say ‘We are sorry for your loss, and we are here for you.’ Which I think is a load of bullshit and completely insincere because no one in Spousal Support Group interacted with each other outside of the weekly meetings. 

“Now, Wanda, would you like to share?” Keegan asked like she did each meeting, with a hopeful look in her eyes. I know every week Keegan hoped I might finally open up about my loss and pain with the group as she believed that once I could accept what I had lost and could share my story, I would truly be able to begin my healing process.

"Sure." I sighed. "But I still think this is a big waste of time." I mumbled to Natasha, making sure no one else could hear me.

"Wow! That's great!" Keegan exclaimed enthusiastically. Her surprise was evident, both on her face and in her voice. I couldn't blame her. Normally, I would skip the sharing part of Sharing and Caring, deeming it useless because retelling the story wouldn't change anything, it wouldn't bring my wife back. But this week, I decided to share, not for mine or Keegan's benefit, but because of Natasha and her story. Natasha had lost her wife five years ago in a gas station robbery. Her wife wasn't even supposed to be there that night; she was merely buying milk for Natasha because she knew how grumpy Natasha got without her morning coffee. I had seen her without her morning coffee, she was barley human. While waiting in line to pay, a man in a ski mask entered and ordered everyone to the floor. Everything was going as expected until the robber aimed his gun at a young boy in line and demanded he give over his money. For some the boy refused and that is when Natasha's wife intervened. She tried to de-escalate the situation, which, for some unknown reason, enraged the robber. Everything happened so fast, and no one could recall what happened. But somehow the gun the robber was holding went off, accidentally shotting Nataha's wife. This caused him to panic and flee the scene. Natsha's wife died on the phone with Natasha, bleeding on the gas station floor, awaiting paramedics. She died trying to protect a child—for just five dollars.

“You got this. I know you do.” Natasha whispered in my ear, squeezing my hand in a sign of support and encouragement.

I nodded in agreement and took a deep breath. "I lost my wife. It will be a year next February, The16th to be exact. My birthday," I began, my voice just loud enough to be heard, my gaze distant. "Her name was Y/N, and she was the love of my life. No, she was my life." I could hear the quiver in my voice and feel my eyes start to glisten with unshed tears as the memories that I usually tried to keep locked away, came flooding back. My grip on my chair's armrest tightened as I continued. "It was supposed to be our date night. Y/N wanted us to stay home, have a homestyle date because it was raining heavily. But I insisted on going out, you know, to do something special for my birthday." My breathing became shallow as the events of that night flashed through my mind. "We hadn't been driving for long when we came around a sharp bend and saw a stalled car in the middle of the road, its engine dead. By the time I realized what was happening, I didn't have enough time to stop. I slammed on the brakes and swerved, desperately trying to avoid hitting the car." The tension in the room grew as my words spoke with the pain of that fateful night. "We crashed into the siderail on the other side of the road. All I remember before I blacked out is the sound of screeching tires and shattering glass, followed by Y/N’s agonizing screams. I'll never forget those sounds; they will haunt me for the rest of my life." My voice shook, my eyes locked on the ground in front of me, not wanting anyone to see the unshed tears in my eyes. "When I regained consciousness, it was still raining, and there were people standing around. They kept asking if I was okay, telling me to stay still as help was on its way. But all I cared about was finding Y/N. I needed to find her." My hands began to tremble as I got closer to the heartbreaking moment where I lost my wife. "I counted my lucky stars that I was able to find her that night, even with the blood and the rain blurring my vision. I ran to where she lay, broken and dying on the road. I lifted her head into my lap, and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes." My own tears finally escaped, streaking down my cheeks, my voice choked with emotion. "She said, ‘I know I am not going to make it, baby. Can you please hold me until I go?’ And I did. I held her tight, and I kissed her, our last kiss. I knew she was gone, even though I held her close." I chocked back a sob and a heavy silence hung in the room as I finished my story. The pain etched on my face was clear to everyone in that room and they then knew just how deep my grief ran. "I remember waking up in my hospital bed some time later, and it was like my brain still couldn't fully comprehend that Y/N was really gone. I couldn't believe that everything could end in one single moment. One moment, and my whole world had crumbled beneath me. If only I hadn't nagged her. If only I hadn't kept insisting that we go out for our date. Then she would still be alive, and I wouldn't be here recounting the worst day of my life." My shoulders were hunched over, and my head bowed as I came to the end. I still didn't look up. I didn't want anyone to see me cry.

"Thank you for sharing with us, Wanda. We are sorry for your loss, and we are here for you." Keegan told me softly she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Aren’t we guys?” I could feel the sympathetic gaze of the support group members as they offered their condolences, making me inwardly wince and cringe. I hated it. Fake forced pity is worse than real pity. And I know most of them meant well, but when you are in the thick of healing, nothing else matters. Not even other people in the process of healing. "Does anyone have anything to say to Wanda?" Keegan asked the group and Eliza Beth, a lady known in the Spousal Support Group Community for her strong religious beliefs raised her hand. "Nice of you to volunteer, Eliza Beth. What words of wisdom do you have for Wanda?"

The fake pity I could handle, but the next words that came out religious woman's moth stirred my emotions in all the wrong ways. “I know the Lord was there that night to take your sweet angel to heaven and He will look after her until it is your time to join her!" Eliza Beth declared; her voice full of conviction. As she spoke, she made the sign of the cross, touching her finger to her forehead, then her lower chest, and finally, both her shoulders, one at a time, sealing her words.

My eyes welled with tears, my grief and frustration rose to the surface as I responded, my voice steady but filled with raw emotion. "No, the Lord was not there that night, and if He was, then He was not listening to me beg and plead with Him not to take my Y/N away." My fingers clenched into fists, and I fought to rein in the anger that surged through me. I took a deep breath before deciding that I had enough of support group for one night. I turned in my chair to face Keegan head on. "Thank you for letting me share." I told her sincerely. I then rose from my seat and walked out of the church without looking back, knowing that Natasha would be following close behind. The echoes of the support group's insincere condolences lingered in my ears and my footsteps were heavy with the weight of my loss as I walked through the carpark to Natasha's car. Natasha drove us to Support group because while I could finally handle being inside a car without having a panic attack, I was nowhere close to being ready to be behind the wheel. Not after the last time I drove a car, which resulted in my wife's death.

On the car ride home, Natasha broke the silence with a question that had gnawed at her for years. "Why do you even still go to those things? I mean, I know you hate Spousal Support Group as much as I do, and I stopped going five years ago." Natasha had told me about how she had gone to support group for a month following her wife's death and how she hated it so much that she stopped going.

I sighed as I untied my ponytail and ran my fingers through my auburn brown hair. "You want the truth?" I asked.

Natasha's voice was resolute. "Always."

"The only reason I keep going is the donuts; they are pretty great," I admitted, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She and Natasha shared a brief, genuine laugh. "No, but really, I go because I know that Y/N wouldn’t want me to be hung up over her death. She would want me to heal and carry on with my life, so I try to do that as best as I can. Which just happens to include going to Spousal Support Group every week until I am better or as close to it as I can get." A calm silence enveloped the car, before I spoke again. “You know, Y/N thought that if she was going to die it was because she was attacked by a wild animal like a moose.”

Natasha, her curiosity piqued, asked, "A moose? That’s pretty random."

My laughter broke through the somber atmosphere. It felt nice to be able to laugh. I hadn't laughed since Y/N died. In saying that, I hadn’t done a lot of things since Y/N died.

"Yeah, Y/N was random like that. She believed it would be a cool way to go."

Well, you know what I think?" Natasha asked as we neared my house, it stopped being home when Y/N died. 

I had been gazing out into the night, but I looked towards Natasha at the sound of her voice. "No, what?"

A small grin played on Natasha's lips. "I think she would be proud of you for trying."

My heart swelled with emotion, and her nerves were replaced by a warm feeling of hope. "You think?" I asked nervously, my tanned hands, scarred from years of working on my family's farm, gripped the armrest.  I didn’t know why I was nervous; I just was.

"Yeah, I do," Natasha affirmed with a nod of her head.

A smile spread across my face, a small but significant step on my healing journey. Not long after I went back to staring out into the night, with my heart still aching with the loss Y/N. but now with an added glimmer of hope. I looked up at the stars and whispered, "I hope she is."

  The End.

[pappydaddy]

Terror at Starcourt Mall: Robin's Ending (r.b.)

a/n: this is the last part of the terror at starcourt mall series. i am not gonna lie, i am excited for this series to be over. i will definitely miss writing this characterization of y/n (the only reason i didn't do an oc is because the request asked for a reader-insert and i was the one who turned it into a series because i have no self-control).

i had the hardest time with this because i kept comparing the endings (i am pretty sure this one is better than steve's but...). i also don't think i included enough build up to the relationships, but it is really hard to do that with this season. everyone seemed to split up a lot in season three which i hope doesn't happen next season.

anywho! without any farther ado, i present to you lovelies, the end of the series that has been brewing for over a year now! i hope you guys enjoy it💛!

tv show/movie: stranger things

pairing: robin buckley x fem!russian!reader

requested

part i | part ii | part iii | part iv

| part v - steve’s ending | part vi - robin’s ending - you're here | steve's ending - steve's pov (special!) (coming soon) | robin's ending - robin's pov (special!) (coming soon)

warnings: the fear of violence/harassment, spoilers, blood, extreme violence. talk about not being out to your parents, etc. very quickly proof-read. will do a better proof-read when redoing my older fics and re-reading my newer ones.

note: episode 8 is changed a little bit. billy also does not die because i want max to be happy and not traumatized by watching her step-brother die. i also have hopper alive.

disclaimer: in light of recent acts of war inflicted on ukraine by russia, i wish to make it clear that i am in no way supporting russia through this series. a, this series was written well in advance to the conflict coming to light and, b, this is set in a different time in history/society/public relations. my heart hurts for the ukraine and for everyone that is effected negatively by the acts of war incited by russia. i am also horribly heartbroken over the people who have died thus far and i am deeply sorry for the families of the people that are stuck in the ukraine or that have died.

sidenote warning: the reader is written to do ballet - explained above. quickly proof-read, will proof-read better when i redo my older fics and edit my newer fics.

sidenote: throughout the series, there will be some scenes skipped. this was a creative choice when i had to edit some things out to shorten it (it was over 100 pages).

taglist: @spongebob-in-the-upsidedown | @rottenstyx | @boxofsilentwords | @badass-yn (disclaimer: for this part, i only put robins's taglist members as this is her ending)

masterlist | taglist | wips | navigation

- not my gif -

Standing in the middle of the food court, Y/N replayed the conversation she just had with Steve. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him busying himself by digging through the cupboards of one of the restaurants. She had just explained to him how she didn’t feel the same way as he did. He tried to convince her that he was okay, that he understood that she couldn’t help who she had feelings for, but she could tell it was getting to him. She was his best friend, she knew the self-love issues he faced. His entire life, he faced his parents. All along, he was just a boy trying to find his place and feel loved. Swallowing down the guilt building in her throat, Y/N rubbed her bare arm.

“Hey, Y/N, what’s wrong,” Robin approached the distracted girl, startling her. “Sorry, I didn't think I was going to scare you,” The blonde apologized, glancing over Y/N’s shoulder in the direction she was just looking at, seeing Steve flinging paper cups everywhere. “What’s up with him?” She asked with furrowed brows, pointing over at the distraught teen. Sending another guilty glance his way, she wanted to make sure Robin was talking about him.

“I just told him I didn’t love him back. I think he’s trying to mask his true feelings,” Y/N explained, looking back at the blue-eyed girl. Robin nodded slowly, swallowing as a thought dawned on her. Her eyes darted to Y/N, fearful as she braced herself for the worst. Robin was convinced that she was going to be joining Steve in his masking in a matter of seconds. “I told him I’m in love with you.” She dropped a bombshell. Not the bomb-shell Robin was expecting, but still a bombshell.

Robin stood there, her body rigid as she tried to comprehend the words she was just told. Y/N peered wearily at the stunned girl, nervous that she suddenly took back her confession. “Y-you love me? Not Steve?” Robin stammered quietly, still not believing it.

“Uh-” Y/N trailed off, not knowing how to answer that. Did Robin not know that she was super gay? Y/N thought that was glaringly obvious. When she came out to her family, everyone had claimed to have already known. In fact, they were all pretty much surprised that it had taken her that long to figure it out herself. It was as if Y/N was a walking definition of bisexual. “I thought that was obvious?” She trailed off, forming it more like a question.

“Uh, yeah, it could have been, but if you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly the best at reading situations when I am flustered.” Robin rattled nervously, fidgeting with her hands, eyes locked on a tile a few feet behind Y/N.

“Why are you flustered?” Y/N furrowed her brows. Robin snapped her head up to look directly at Y/N, her vibrant blue eyes clouded with question.

“I’m always flustered around you,” Robin answered, still questioning if Y/N was being serious with that question or not. “You’re gorgeous, incredibly talented, cultured, and crazy smart. Of course, you would make me flustered on a good day. However, on a great day such as right now with you confessing your feelings to me, I am beyond flustered.” Robin ranted, clearly nervous and a bit bashful. Y/N felt her cheeks redden at this, making her look down at her shoes as well. Opening her mouth to respond, she was interrupted by Hopper’s voice.

“Hey, heads up,” Looking over, they saw him tossing Dustin a radio from one of the dead Russians. “You can navigate, just from someplace safe.” He informed Dustin and Erica. Still reeling from the conversation, Robin and Y/N tried their best to keep up with what was going on,

“It’s not that simple.” Dustin denied with a shake of his head, his curls bouncing.

“The signal won’t reach.” Erica piped up. For two people who bickered and appeared to detest each other, they sure were working together perfectly.

“Not with this. You need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the Russians’ radio tower. But for that to work, you need someone who has both seen their comms room and has access to a super-powered handcrafted radio tower, one preferably already situated at the highest point in Hawkins,” Dustin continued to find flaws in Hopper’s plan. Y/N was pretty sure she could visibly see Hopper’s blood pressure rising. “Oh wait, that’s me,” Dustin pointed the antenna of the radio to himself, proud. That must have been the radio that got them into the mess they were in with the Russians. “If you want us to navigate, you got us. But we need a head start,” He paused, looking at Erica before looking at Hopper. “And a car.”

“Fine,” Hopper spoke through clenched teeth, his hard eyes glaring at the pre-teen as if he was fighting every urge within him not to act out against a child. “You can take this,” He only talked in short sentences, finding it helped curb his anger. “It’s parked out front, but don’t do anything stupid and you take Steve with you,” Hopper declared the rules, throwing the car keys towards Steve suddenly, almost catching the young adult by surprise. “But, you can’t take Y/N. I’m putting her on El duty. El seems to trust her and will do anything if Y/N is there.”

“I-” Y/N stammered, shocked that she was singled out like that. “You okay if I don’t go with you guys?” She asked Robin, craning her neck to look at the blonde girl. She knew Robin was still freaked out. This was her first time dealing with anything from the Upside Down and she had just escaped capture. Y/N was surprised that she was still standing after everything that has happened in the past few hours.

Blinking, Y/N took the sight of her in while she waited for Robin to answer. The way the moonlight coming through the skylight spotlighted her, the way the neon lights reflected off her freckled face. She looked like a picture that was supposed to be hung in an expensive photography gala, priced as the most expensive picture there. “Yeah, stay. You’re needed here. Stay safe and we’ll reconvene after all of this is done - no biggie.” Robin tried to play it off as nonchalant, but the slight crack in her voice gave her away. Even she knew that something else was going to happen tonight.

“Hey,” Y/N spoke softly, her hand shooting out to grab Robin’s making the blonde snap her eyes to the contact in shock before they bounced back up to look at Y/N. “I promise, everything is going to be alright. Almost all of us have been through this before. We might not know everything about the Mind Flayer, but we know enough that we can beat this thing.” She reassured the nervous girl.

Nodding, Robin swallowed thickly. “See you on the other side?” Her voice shook, looking for reassurance from Y/N.

“See you on the other side.” Y/N confirmed, letting go of Robin as her group started moving towards the doors Hopper had directed them to. Sighing, Y/N watched the group until they disappeared. She really hoped she hadn’t just lied to Robin. Licking her lips, Y/N pulled her eyes away from the door Robin just left through. She had just gotten her, she better not lose her or the universe will have hell to pay. Robin stuck around after being kidnapped by Russians and after learning Y/N was Russian, there was no way Y/N would allow a Mind Flayer to come between them.

____

Y/N was not too sure how the plan got so horribly messed up or how the distributor of Nancy’s mom’s car was ruined, but she did not appreciate trying to roll the totalled show car Eleven flipped back onto its wheels. Even with all of them pushing, the car wasn’t even fully on its side. It was still leaning against the restaurants. Straining, Y/N’s face was so hot she imagined someone could cook an egg on it. Her arms shook, her elbows bending, not being able to hold the car up anymore. It was almost like everyone was thinking the same thing, all of their arms weakening at the same time. “Well shit.” Lucas breathed out once they all let the car flop back, more glass shattering somehow. Panting, Y/N looked around, hoping she wasn’t the only one struggling to breathe right now. With all the running and planning she has done, pushing a car should not be on her to-do list.

“Let me try.” Eleven spoke up from where she stood, facing the tired group next to Will. Y/N, too tired to really comprehend what she had just said, stared at her, heaving breaths in and out.

“El-” The tired Mike tried to fight her on this, but he cut himself off. Too out of breath to continue his objection to the idea. Eleven stepped up closer to the car, a look of determination flickering behind her eyes. Sighing, she squared her shoulders, exuding fake confidence.

“I can do it.” She reassured him. Mike sighed, looking at the group around him. Y/N shrugged, she didn’t see why El couldn’t try. She must have rested enough by now to be able to roll the car over. She did fling it in the first place. Without speaking, everyone slowly and carefully climbed around the car, giving El the room she needed to use her powers. Clustering behind her, everyone waited with hitched breaths. She had used a lot of her powers to get that Upside Down slug out of her leg, it was very possible that this wasn’t going to work, but they all held out hope regardless.

Shooting out her hand, a look of deep concentration on her face, the car rattled from the force of El. Metal bent and squeaked, a low frequency humming just barely registering, but the loudest thing was the gasping and straining from El. Disappointment swirled in all of their stomachs when they realized that the car was moving more from them manually pushing it. The low frequency became louder, wobbling in Y/N’s ears as El poured all her strength into it, blood trickling from her nose. With a small yell, El gave a push with her hand, giving up, the car slumping back with another bang. “It didn’t work.” El muttered, obviously upset. Y/N reached forward, her hands settling on El’s shoulders making the girl look up at her.

“It’s okay, El. You’re tired, I’m sure we can find another way to get the car upright again.” She reassured her, rubbing her hands up and down the girl’s biceps, trying to soothe her. El stewed in her thoughts as everyone tried to come up with another plan.

“I got it,” Mike exclaimed, rushing over to where the car was once parked, yanking off the velvet ropes attached to the golden poles. “It’s simple physics. With using theses and pushing against the car instead of using our hands, we could actually flip it back over.” Mike explained, rolling one of the brass stands towards the group, Lucas tentatively picking it up, thinking Mike’s plan over.

“You’re sure it’ll work? We are playing with borrowed time already.” Y/N asked nervously. They couldn’t afford another failed attempt. It was only a matter of time before they were found by Billy or the Mind Flayer.

“Trust me,” Mike told her, almost daring her to not trust him. Blinking, she nodded, allowing him to continue stripping the stands of the ropes, rolling them to the group. By the end of it, everyone except El and Y/N had one. “Alright, we have to push all at the same time for this to work. Let’s go.” He nodded them towards the car. Suddenly, El ripped herself from Y/N’s hold, speed walking right to a garbage can. With furrowed brows, Y/N watched her go for a second before following her.

“Uh, El,” She asked quietly, but El didn’t respond, she only started to dig through the garbage. Stepping overused napkins, Y/N sat down at a bench nearby. “Look, El, if you want to talk, you can come sit with me. But if not, I’ll leave you be. Obviously, you have your way of dealing with this, but I really do think you’re just tired.” Y/N felt like she was talking to the wind as her words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Napkins and soft drink cups bounced on the tile floor as El continued to dig. Glancing over at the others, she saw them all getting into position on the other side of the car, only their heads visible at the angle she was watching from.

“Okay, first pry it up on three, ready,” Mike hollered, earning nods from everyone around the car. “One,” He counted, getting ready himself. “Two,” He swallowed, appearing to be using every ounce of his being to hope this works. Time was quickly running out. “Three!” He yelled, everyone pushing. With sounds of struggle and crunching metal, Y/N watched with bated breath, not noticing El moving on to another trash can. The car flopped entirely on its side with a floor rumbling thump, revealing the pants of the group pushing it.

“All right, now, all the way,” Jonathan stepped in as the group's cheerleader. Without another word, they all placed the flat end of the stands against the car. “Ready, three,” Jonathan started to count down. “Two,” He continued, everyone, preparing their stances. “One!” He announced, prompting everyone to push again. With just that push, the car fell down to all four tires with a hiss and a rock.

“Told you. Physics.” Mike pointed out, everyone letting their stands drop, relieved that it actually worked. Y/N glanced back at the trash can El was last at before her eyes searched the space for her, spotting her at another, just starting to dig through this one. Sighing, she moved over there, sitting on the stairs by her. Silently, she watched the girl, intrigued by what she was doing. The throwing of the trash soon stopped as El placed a coke can on top of the garbage can. She was trying her powers again, the presence of the familiar frequency warping in Y/N’s gave it away. Y/N found herself intently watching the can, waiting for it to be crushed by El’s powers.

“El-” Mike’s voice startled Y/N. The frequency stopped as El lost concentration. Shifting her eyes to El, she saw the girl blinking back tears, a trail of blood coming from her nose again. “Are you okay?” Mike asked, but he didn’t get a response. Max, who stood next to Mike, opened her mouth, but a low rumble coming from overhead made Max and Y/N lookup.

It was hard to see anything from the glare of the neon lights on the skylight paired with the darkness of the summer night, but now they could see the skylight warping under the weight of something. Gulping, Y/N stood. “Uh-” She couldn’t get the words out as thundering footsteps were clouding her thoughts. The glass started cracking, but they all stood there in shock.

“Mike.” Max finally spoke, making Mike look up. Another footstep thundered, making Y/N flitch. The skylight was going to give out any second and the four of them were all standing directly under it.

“Nancy!” Mike yelled, the lights overhead flicking from the weight of the Mind Flayer crushing the wires. The snarl of the creature was easily heard through the cracked glass, the presence of it being brought to everyone’s attention now.

“We have to move now, hide!” Y/N yelled to everyone, turning and running up the few stairs she had been sitting on. A few shards of glass rained down onto the tile, the skylight holding its own against the sheer weight of the monster. Without knowing where the people behind her were going, Y/N ran for The Gap, hoping the others would follow her, but just as she just slipped through the gap in the two columns, the skylight gave out, cutting the others off and forcing them to find another hiding spot.

Y/N stumbled from the shake in the floor from the Mind Flayer landing, causing her to fall, the carpet burning her knees. She hissed quietly at the impact, the sound being drowned out by the Mind Flayer’s sickening roar and loud stomps. Wincing, she crawled as quickly and quietly as she could away from the openness of the entryway, propping herself up against one of the clothing bins in the middle of the store. Peeking around the corner, she finally laid eye upon the monster that was terrorizing them this year. There, in the middle of the ruins of the mall’s roof stood a thirty-foot, fleshy monster with spider-like appendages. It was exactly like the drawing Will did last year except for defined. She couldn’t see the face of the monster as it was facing the car they had just flipped over.

The Mind Flayer let out a snarl, stocking around, its head swinging, searching for anyone. Y/N gasped as its head started to swivel towards The Gap. Ducking back out of sight, she squeezed her eyes closed, holding her breath to stay quiet and still. The loud, unprompted roar of the beast startled her, but she remained still. One tiny flitch would give away her spot in seconds, sealing her grave practically. From over the top of the bins in front of her, she could see the door to the backroom. If she could get a good run in, she would be able to make it, it was only about ten feet away from her. Heaving a deep breath, she mustered up the courage to peek around the corner of the bin again, seeing the Mind Flayer looking elsewhere. This was her chance. Rolling onto the balls of her feet, she stood up partially, remaining hunched over.

“Oh, my god. Oh, my god.” She chanted under her breath as the monster shrieked, throwing herself behind yet another bin of clothing. She was questioning every choice she had made that led her up to the moment, her head falling back as her chest heaved. Gasping, she resisted the urge to look at the sound of something being shattered and broken against the floor. The Walkie. It has been placed on a bench while they figured out the car situation. In the second of silence, Y/N could hear the staticky voice of Dustin, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying, all she could hear was the panic in his voice. They knew the Mind Flayer was at the mall. The thought was reassuring. They could get help, but by help, it was most likely going to be Steve and Robin - the new unlikely duo. Robin had no place coming back here, not when it was this dangerous. She had never dealt with something like this before, her inexperience was dangerous to her.

“God, please, don’t let her come,” She whispered, her soft voice barely audible over the low growl of the Mind Flayer. “Please keep her away from here. Please keep her safe.” She wasn’t even religious, but she thought of giving it a shot. According to people, it worked. Sucking in a breath, she felt the floor beneath her rattle caused by the stomping of the Mind Flayer walking closer to The Gap. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed herself closer to the bin, tears slipping from her eyes. She fought the urge to let out a sob. She could smell the putrid smell of rotting flesh flowing towards her, the sound of destruction following the Mind Flayer as it streamlined to The Gap. She gasped, the floor shaking more when the final stomp of the Mind Flayer came, landing right outside the gate of The Gap.

With stuttering breaths, she turned her head to the side slightly, her eyes seeing one of the large appendages belonging to the monster. Whimpering, the snarl of the Mind Flayer shook her to her core. She could hear a small chittering noise, but she couldn’t place what it was, too afraid to open her eyes let alone poke her head out and look. A loud, unprompted roar from the Mind Flayer made her hands fly up to cover her ears, the sound rattling her eardrums. In her head, she was singing her favourite song, trying to block out the thuds of the Mind Flayer walking away, snarling and growling the entire way as it searched for the people it knew were in there.

The sudden clattering of stands being knocked over startled her. Expecting it to be the Mind Flayer, she quickly crawled around the end of the bin, hiding from whatever came into the store. The door was only about five feet away from her now, teasing her with safety. Peeking around the corner, she saw the flash of yellow as the Mind Flayer screeched out a roar, its racing footsteps shaking the ground. “El, Max, Mike.” Y/N hissed, crawling quickly to the bin beside her, closing in on the backroom. Pausing, she pressed herself against the end of that bin just in time for the Mind Flayer to knock down one of the walls. Instinctively, she curled into herself, shielding her face and stomach, but the dust and debris didn’t reach her. She could hear a small, squeaky snarl and growl making her peek around. There, she could see two tentacle-like extensions moving through, searching for hiding in here.

Gulping, she pulled herself back, looking to the side, hoping El and the others were hidden enough. The knowledge that in any second, the tentacle could swoop around and find her made her heart race and her palms become slick with sweat. From her hiding spot, the tentacle closest to her side of the store sounded like it was winding up to do something, then she could hear something being quickly drug along the carpet. Holding her breath, she waited, wanting to hear if it found one of the kids. A loud roar shook the large store, Y/N flinching on instinct of the loud noise. Seconds later, she could hear something large being thrown through the air, the familiar thud of a mannequin hitting the wall on the back of the store.

Closing her eyes, she let out a shaky breath. The sound of a scuffle coming from beside her nearly made her pee her pants, her eyes flinging open in fear only to see Max, El, and Mike settling against the bin beside her. “Guys,” She whispered, gaining their attention. With their backs pressed flush against the bin, their eyes wide and chests heaving in panic, they shifted their eyes to her. “When we have a chance, go to the backroom.” She pointed to the door. She assumed that was their plan all along, but in case it wasn’t she wanted them to find a way to safety.

They all nodded, looking back forward as the tentacle crept back into the store, clicking and growling the entire way. The Mind Flayer let out an angry snarl, making them jolt. The tentacle was close, they could hear it chittering as it weaved through the store. Watching the kids, Y/N gulped, seeing the bright red of the melded flesh. It didn’t see them yet, but it was only a matter of time before it turned towards them. Y/N wasn’t even sure how it would see them, it didn’t bear any eyes. Y/N felt like her heart was racing but also stopping at the same time as it continued to move, the four claw-like talons spread out. With shallow and shaky breaths, she felt like she was in a scene of Beetlejuice looking at the thing.

Suddenly, from within the main part of the mall, there was a bang of a popping balloon - surely from Lucas’ slingshot. With a loud screech, the tentacle zoomed backwards, the sudden movement making them all jump. Again, the stomps of the Mind Flayer were heard retreating, searching out the source of the noise. “Now!” Y/N informed the kids, all four of them scrambling towards the door. Bursting through, they were met by the blinding white of the back halls instantly. Y/N had assumed that with a big store like The Gap, they would have had a breakroom, but she had assumed wrong when she was staring down the long back hall.

“Where do we go now?” Max asked, panting. Her hands flew to her forehead, her palm resting against the flushed skin. Mike looked around, familiarizing himself with where they were.

“If we can find Scoops’ backroom, I’ll know where we are,” Mike said surely, starting to walk down the vast hall. Y/N shrugged, following after him. Mike and Max had spent the summer sneaking into free movies by navigating these back halls. If Y/N was going to blindly follow someone through here, she would choose them. The four combed along, looking at every door they passed. The squeaks of their sneakers echoed off the walls as they searched, hoping to find the one place everyone knew. “Here it is!” Mike called, being way ahead of the group.

“Okay, that’s great but that’ll lead us right back out to the Mind Flayer.” Max pointed out, the three girls meeting Mike where he stood. The tall teen simply shook his head, giving the redhead a look of annoyance.

“We’re not going to go through Scoops, we’re going to use it as our center,” He explained, earning confused looks from all three girls. With a roll of his eyes, Mike huffed. “Scoops is our hub. The central point of our map. From here, I can navigate the halls,” He elaborated, sounds of understanding leaving Y/N. She understood what he meant now. “For instance, I know there is a service elevator right there and see that corner,” He asked, pointing to a corner where there was a staircase, an elevator, some exposed pipes painted white and a sharp corner that looked dark. “That leads to a door that takes us to another hallway. That hallway will lead us to a loading dock.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go before something else can happen.” Y/N spoke, walking towards the corner with intent. The rest followed, knowing that she was right. The longer they all sat there, the more likely it was that something else would be thrown at them. Turning the corner, El let out a whimper, nearly crumpling to the ground, Mike and Max reaching out for her.

“My leg.” She said, her teeth clamping into her lower teeth painfully. Mike and Max held her arms as she cried, trying to put weight on her leg again, tears pulling in her eyes. Y/N looked to her then to the doors that sat at the end of the hall. It was a double door carved out on the wall beside them.

“She can’t walk on that, someone needs to help her.” Y/N noted. It was a few feet until they reached the door then they still had to reach the loading bay. Immediately, Mike slung her arm around his shoulders without a second thought, Max catching on to his plan and doing the same.

“Open the doors for us,” Mike nodded to Y/N. “It’s just these doors then the man door for the loading dock. We don’t have that far left to go.” He explained, his back hunched to accommodate the heights of El and Max. Nodding, Y/N started to move again, the group slowed due to El’s leg. They were moving slowly to begin with, but now they were doubling their travel time. Silence surrounded them, the only sounds being the echoing footfalls of Y/N and the scuffing footsteps of the three hobbling behind her. Pulling open the first set of doors, Y/N poked her head out, checking to see if anything was hiding within the hall.

“Coast is clear, come on,” She nodded, beckoning them into the hallway as she held the door open. “When we get out to the parking lot, do not leave the loading bay until I say you can in case there is something out there. El needs to be protected, she’s the one the Mind Flayer wants and Hopper left me here to protect her.” She informed them, the door slamming behind them. Stepping in front of the three, she refused to let the group move until they agreed.

“Understood.” Mike and Max spoke in unison, nodding curtly. Nodded, Y/N held her chin high, turning on her heel and starting to walk down the hall. Mike and Max started to stumble as El tried to put more weight on her leg. Y/N glanced back at them as they steadied themselves again. Sighing out her nose, she dreaded reaching the bay. There was a strong possibility that something was waiting for them out there that would throw a wrench in their hurriedly concocted plan. She was facing it the whole battle and she would not be surprised if it happened yet again. Every time she comes so close to something going her way, another curveball is thrown her way. She had to be prepared for anything, especially now that she has to protect El, Max, and Mike. Before, she had Dustin and Erica who bickered constantly, but they were quick thinking. Max and Mike’s heads were clouded with worries about El, they couldn’t distance themselves to focus on a task like Dustin and Erica could. Their one focus was El while Y/N had to worry about the protection of all of them.

Blinking, Y/N tried to get out of her head. It was a daunting task - protecting the one person the Mind Flayer wanted. Rolling her shoulders back, she saw a door coming into sight as they got closer to the end of the hallway. “That’s it, that’s the door that leads to the loading bay.” Mike informed her, his breath short as he contorted himself, making sure El was the most comfortable. Giving him a sharp nod of recognition, Y/N narrowed her eyes at it. This was the door that separated them from whatever was outside. The thing that blinded them from knowing what was waiting for them once they escaped the mall. It was a harrowing thought, one that made fear creep up the back of Y/N’s neck.

Finally reaching the fateful door, Y/N touched the freezing cold metal of the doorknob, ready to twist it and fling it open. Pausing, her neck was pointed down to the knob, her hand clutching it tightly. Twisting her head to the side, her eyes still locked on the knob, she spoke. “Remember what I told you before. You stay in the bay hidden until I tell you if it’s safe. There are no exceptions,” She reminded them sternly, her voice short and straight to the point. “This isn’t like last year, you have to listen,” She craned her neck to look at them from the corner of her eyes, her back straightening. “If I don’t tell you it’s safe within a few seconds, hit the button to close the gate and hide. Got it? No funny business, this is serious.” She pressed. She couldn’t have another repeat of last year. Sure, it worked out fine, but Steve, Dustin, and Lucas were there - now it’s just Max, Mike, and Y/N protecting El.

“Yes, we get it, now open the door.” Mike gestured to the still-closed door. Looking back to the metal door, Y/N heaved a breath in. Quickly, her wrist turned, the doorknob pulling the stopped in. Pushing the heavy door open, she stepped out, quickly looking around the loading bay for any signs of danger.

“Come on, it’s safe right now,” She nodded for them to step out. Turning sideways, the three of the side-shuffled out the door, Y/N releasing it the second Mike slipped out. With an echoing bang, the door closed. “Don’t play the hero tonight Mike, not right now at least.” She warned him, knowing out of him and Max, he would be the most likely to go against her rule. Earning a pursed expression in return, she slinked in front of the group, trying to make it look like it was just her. Speed walking towards the button to open the gate blocking the loading bay off, she sent the three one last stern look, telling them to behave.

“We’ll listen, Y/N,” Max spoke softly, understanding why she was so adamant on them not stepping out of the loading dock until Y/N was sure it was safe. “To protect El.” She nodded firmly, earning a twinge of a smile from Y/N.

“One more thing,” Y/N spoke up, her hand hovering over the button, waiting to push it. “If anything happens to me out there and I can’t get back to you, you guys have to protect yourselves just as much as El. Make sure you’re all safe. For me.” She pleaded, earning three nods in return. Humming in gratitude, her hand smacked the button, the gate rattling before slowly pulling open. With one last fleeting look to the hidden trio, she sauntered towards the opening gate acting as nonchalant and unsuspecting as she could.

Standing in the middle of the opening gate, she lifted her head from looking at her feet, scanning the parking lot. Instantly, her eyes caught the orange glow of flames attacking the blue Camaro. The front end looked smashed, the door closed. The hunched-over silhouette of the car owner stood out to her, the back of his head peeking out over the hood that was ablaze. Billy, he was easily identifiable even from the back by his mullet that appeared to be matted. She could hear the crackling of the fire, the glow intensifying as it grew, catching the flammable residue on the hood from basic upkeep. The faint smell of smoke entered her nostrils as she stepped towards it. She couldn’t tell the kids to stay there, it would give their presence away to Billy.

Within seconds, Billy stood to his full height, his head slowly lifting, his eyes locking on Y/N’s figure silhouetted by the yellow tinted light of the bay. The reflection of orange hues from the fire made her face visible to him. Her chest nearly caved in on itself as she tried to not let her fear known to him. By the light of the growing fire climbing along his car, Y/N could see the layer of sweat glistening on his skin and the black-coloured veins protruding from his skin - a clear sign he was still flayed. He stood there, watching her. With the distance between them, it was hard for her to get the upper hand. Breaking into a sprint, she tried to throw him off, pretending she wasn’t close to dying from fear at the thought of fighting him alone.

He didn’t appear phased by her tactic at all, simply walking around the burning hood, his hand clutching one of his legs which he was dragging behind him. He was hurt. It was like a beautiful present to her. With Billy hurt, it might not let her win a fight, but it would certainly even the playing field a little - prolonging her defeat. Never filtering in her fake confidence, she was only a few feet from him, Billy ready to catch her hands as she wound them up to attack him. Once she was within his reach, he grabbed her biceps, the defensive move she was hoping for. Using his strength to hold her up, she swung her leg out, her heel striking him in his injured leg. With an uncharacteristic wail, Billy’s grip on her dropped, sending her straight back to the ground, his hands grasping his leg as pain flared within his thigh. From putting all her weight behind the kick, she had relied on his hold to keep her upright, leading to her falling to her knees on the hard, slightly chipped pavement. The skin of her knees ripped from the impact, the palms of her hands slapping in front of her to prevent her face from hitting the pavement.

Not wanting to lose her upper hand, Y/N pushed herself up in under the second, her hands up, ready to protect herself or to strike. Shuffling back a few feet to distance herself from him, Y/N watched as he recovered from his pain, standing up straight again. “Come on, Billy, can’t fight me?” She taunted, hopefully giving the kids the cue that it was not safe. She didn’t care what happened to her as long as the kids were safe. Billy grunted, his fist wiping a bead of sweat from the tip of his nose, his top lip curling into a sneer at her. Rolling her shoulders back, she mentally blocked everything else from her mind, focusing on fighting Billy.

He was slow with his leg, not being able to run, but his stride was still far greater than Y/N’s meaning he met her in no time, but she could also calculate his move. Effortlessly, she dodged his fist as it swung for her jaw. Almost like a ricochet, she sent her own fist towards him, distracting him by aiming for his face as well. While his arms were busy blocking his face, her other fist hit his leg again, but it didn’t appear to have the same effect as her kick to the same region. He didn’t reach for his leg, instead, a pained grunt left his lips as his hand clamped down harder on the fist that he blocked. Forcefully pushing her fist back, she stumbled back, quickly losing her upper hand just like that. Gasping, Billy delivered a blow to her jaw, knocking her to the side. Thrown off-balance, her side hit the rough gravel, loose rocks digging into the soft flesh of her arms, cutting them. The heat of the fire was warmer now, the crackling louder, she had landed closer to the car.

The echoing beats of Billy’s sauntering footsteps approaching her echoing into the dark summer night. It looked like he was coming to finish her off - seeing her as an obstacle in the way of him getting El. Pushing herself up, her weight rested on one hand behind her, her left hand coming up to cup her jaw, whining in pain. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Billy’s brown leather boots step up to her, his knees bending as he crouched beside her, his hands being placed on either side of her, his presence looming over her intimidatingly. As his smug eyes were locked on her quickly bruising face, she reached up, her fingers wrapping around the warm metal of the car door handle, ranking it open. It was all so fast. The way she laid flat, both her hands gripping the bottom of the blue door, sending it directly towards Billy’s face. With a resounding thud, Billy grunted, his head flinging back, a crunch of his nose echoing. Kicking her feet up, the bottoms of her sneakers made contact with his pelvis, using the leg strength built over the year of being en pointe, she flung the injured Billy off of her, scrambling up.

Before whirling around to face Billy again, she casted a glance at the gate, seeing Mike poking his head around the corner of the brick wall, checking on her. She wanted to yell for him to run, to hide, but she knew that as of right now, Billy didn’t know about them being there. Spinning around, she saw Billy’s eyes screwed shut, holding his nose as he pushed himself up, not giving her the chance to strike him while he was down. “So far I’m winning, Hargrove.” She taunted again, needing his attention to be on her. Knowing that the kids were still lingering around, it was ever more important that she prolonged this fight as long as she could.

Billy snorted back the blood starting to leak from his nose, spitting it out of his mouth and onto the pavement. His eyes caught something over her shoulder making her look back at the gate. The hurried scuffs of the three kids retreating could be heard over the whip-like cracks of the fire. Cursing in her mind, she looked back to Billy, her mouth hanging open. The closing of the gate was even more evidence that there was someone in the loading bay. “Hopper told me to protect her. You’re not getting to her if I can help it.” She spit at him, determined to at least delay him long enough for the kids to hide or someone else to show up.

Billy narrowed his eyes at her, his fists raising. She copied his actions, shuffling a few feet away from him once again, trying to figure out how to gain the upper hand back. They were at equal power now. Nobody was down, nobody was showing a weak spot. Billy casted a glance at the gate. Y/N knew it was nearly closed. With the other gates, you could open it from the outside, that was the only gate that was only opened from the inside - most likely due to the jewelry store that received their shipments from that bay. In an act of desperation, Billy ran at Y/N, the sudden movement catching her off guard for a split second. As a reflex, she stepped aside, the raging Billy missing her by an inch. His shoulder knocked against her however making her stumble and hiss as the pain. Holding her shoulder, she turned to him, not wanting her back to him at any point.

He whirled around, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get to El as long as Y/N was conscious. Like an angry bull, Billy seethed. “Come on Billy, you’ve got more than that in you, you have to.” She jeered with a curl of her upper lip. Preparing herself for what she was about to do, she took a deep breath. It was risky, but if it worked, she would be able to knock Billy’s defence down even more. Running at him, she lifted herself into the air, trying to catch him off guard yet again. Her fist wound up, she threw it at him, trying to make contact with anything. Wrapping his hand tightly around her wrist, he stopped her fist, his other hand coming up to her shoulder to stop a second surprise blow. Pushing her down, her back slapped against the pavement, the air leaving her instantly, but she still had her wits. Slipping her leg between his open legs, she hooked his leg with hers, her heel yanking at the back of his knee, bringing him down with her.

It was a scramble of who could get to who first, their knees digging into the hard ground. Grabbing at Billy’s ears, she resorted to good old-fashioned catfight rules. Yanking on them, Billy cried out, his large hand clamping down on Y/N’s face, blocking her sight. Successfully, Billy pulled her off him but not without a good tug on his earlobes, his gold hoop in his left ear clattering to the ground. Pulling his hand from her face, he sent another fist to her, hitting her cheekbone with all his strength. With a yelp, Y/N’s head was forced to the side, her body following from her lack of balance. Her body ripped and bounced as it hit the pavement, her head whacking off of it last. Her eyes closed immediately, her body limply rolling onto her back. She could hear the urgent retreat of Billy, heading for the rapidly closing gate before everything went black.

____

Her back felt like it needed to be cracked like a glow stick as she started to come to. Groaning, she felt uncomfortable heat from the side of her, the fire. She remembered every little thing instantly. Groaning, she tried to force her eyes open. She needed to stop Billy from getting the kids. While she remembered everything, she had no way of telling how long she had been kicked out for. Groaning again, she could feel herself start to wiggle and move slightly, her arms and legs giving in to the want for a long-overdue stretch. “Oh my god! I knew I heard groaning,” A voice yelled in shock making Y/N hiss, the sound making pain ricochet off the inside of her skull. “Y/N,” The voice fretted, quieter as footsteps thudded towards them. “Are you okay?” She could feel someone falling to her side, their hands gripping her shoulders to shake her gently.

“You guys go ahead, get the Mind Flayer, we’ll deal with this,” Another voice chimed in. In the background, there were mutters of ‘okay’s and ‘sounds good’s - paired with retreating footsteps. Stirring again, Y/N squeezed her eyes closed, her body feeling incredibly stiff. “Hey, Robin, she’s waking up.” The second voice pointed out, sounding relieved. With another groan, she forced her eyes open, the bright moon pointing down through a break in the clouds made her hiss, turning her head to the side, giving her eyes time to adjust.

“When did you guys get here?” Her voice was hoarse as she swallowed, trying to bring moisture back to her throat. Eyes squinted as if she had just woken up from a slumber, she pushed herself up, her already stinging palms screaming as the dirt and dust of the pavement slipped into the cuts. Looking up at Robin, she saw her on her knees beside her. Eyes jumping behind her, she saw Steve hovering, his hands on his knees.

“A few minutes ago, we followed the Mind Flagger back here.” Robin informed her, her hand slipping around the back of Y/N head to feel for any blood or dents.

“Mind Flayer,” Steve corrected her, earning a sharp look from Robin as her fingers danced towards the side of Y/N’s head. Y/N hissed as her soft touch hit the spot she had hit against the pavement. “We were unloading fireworks for Lucas’ plan when Robin kept hearing groaning - that’s when we found you.” He informed her, gesturing to her sitting there. Flicking her eyes up to look at him, she saw him chewing his lip.

“Everyone kept saying it was Billy, but it didn’t sound like groans Billy would make. I took the investigation into my own hands,” Robin picked up the story, letting her hand drop from Y/N head, her eyes flicking towards the nasty bruises on her jaw and cheekbone. “Billy did this, didn't he?” Robin asked, her eyes moving from the bruises to meet her eyes. Nodding, Y/N swallowed again.

“Yeah, I had a feeling something was out here so I went to investigate before letting the kids follow me, but he realized they were in the bay-” She pointed to the gate, seeing it broken, smoke from the electric tracks drifting slowly into the air. “Before I went unconscious, I heard him heading over there,” She recounted, bending her knees, getting her feet under her. Looking at Steve, she directed this to him, knowing he would understand the severity of the situation. “He went after the kids.”

“He went after the kids,” Steve repeated, looking over at the gate as Robin helped Y/N to her feet. Billy going after the kids was one of his worst fears. Billy almost beat Steve to death last fall and now he beat Y/N unconscious. He would make short work of Max and Mike to get to El. “You know where they could have gone?” He asked, looking at Y/N who shook herself off, trying to rid her body of the stiffness.

“Yeah, follow me.” She nodded towards the gate, starting to walk towards it.

“Wait,” Robin rushed forward, slightly stunned that Y/N was so ready to face off against Billy again. “Are you sure you’re okay enough to possibly meet Billy again?” She asked, her hand gripping Y/N’s wrist, concern clouding her eyes.

Looking over at Robin, Y/N nodded. “You learn to recover quickly when you’ve been through this a few times,” Y/N told her sadly. When you’ve experienced the world of the Upside Down as much as this group, recovering of any injuries is put on the back burner. You don’t have time to tend to wounds when you’re protecting a group of kids that trouble follows. “I’ll be fine, Steve and I have both been injured worse than this dealing with a lot scarier.” She reassured her. Expelling a breath, Robin shifted her eyes over to Steve who nodded. Rolling her lips she dropped Y/N’s wrist.

“If you guys say so.” Robin muttered, following behind the pair as they picked up into a jog.

“We have to move fast, if I was knocked out for the Mind Flayer coming back, that means I’ve been out for at least five minutes. Billy could have El by now if they didn’t get to hide,” Y/N informed them of the severity of the situation. Hoping they would follow, Y/N broke into a run, crossing the parking lot in seconds, adrenaline taking over as it started to pump through her veins. She could hear the echoing footfalls of Steve and Robin picking up the pace to keep up with her. “Just follow me, I know what path they would take.” She yelled over her shoulder, heading right for the man door she had walked out of earlier.

Yanking the heavy door open, she didn’t bother holding it open for the others. The harsh flicking of the lights stung her eyes making her clamp them closed, flinching away. She should have expected it, with the Mind Flayer in full-on battle mode, it seemed to suck the energy from the lights making them flick in its presence. Steve and Robin seemed to have the same reaction as they hissed out groans once they approached the door themselves. Pushing through, Y/N lifted her head, her eyes opening again. She took off, following the path that she had walked earlier, Steve and Robin stumbling after her, still trying to adjust to the lights. “What is that?” Y/N called back to them as she heard the muffled explosions that were causing the walls to shake.

“Fireworks,” Robin yelled back, finally becoming accustomed to the strobing lights. “Part of Lucas’ plan to distract the Mind Flayer.” She reminded her of the earlier comment made by Steve. Nodding, she ignored the small sounds knowing it wasn’t anything too dangerous.

“If we go through these doors, this is where it gets complicated,” Y/N pointed to the double doors leading to the service elevator they had passed. “They could have gone up to the second floor or they could have gone to hide in Scoops, there isn’t a way to tell.” She warned them, pushing through the door in a rush only to freeze when her eyes landed on the sight before them.

“It looks like Billy’s already been here,” Steve commented, recognizing the bruise forming on Max’s cheekbone as she lay there unconscious, her head laid upon her outstretched arm. “But where is Mike,” He asked, not seeing the bushy-haired teen. “Do you think Max used herself as a distraction?” He pressed, looking to Y/N who looked at the girl in horror.

“She could have, but it’s unlikely. I told them specifically not to pull any heroic stunts and Mike is more likely to go against the rules.” She marched down the hall, Steve and Robin scrambling after her. Robin slipped past her, quickly rounding the corner to see what was hiding around it.

“Found Mike,” She alerted them, her eyes pointed to the floor. Coming up to the corner, Y/N gasped. Mike laid there also unconscious, a bruise on his forehead. “But there is no El, Billy must have taken her.” Robin noted the missing kid. The three of them shared horrified looks, gulping loudly.

“That means El is out there with the Mind Flayer-” Y/N was cut off by the groan sounding from her feet. Looking down, she saw Max stirring, flopping onto her back. Dropping down. Y/N crouched in front of her, her hand reaching out to lightly shake her. “Hey, Max.” She whispered, giving the girl a small shake. Max’s eyes fluttered open before shooting closed again, too overcome with the sudden harshness of the light.

“Mike is waking up too!” Robin called, dropping down to help the teen wake up.

“Y/N, Billy has El, he got to us before we could hide,” Max’s voice was dry as she pushed herself up, her eyes opening again. “I tried to bring him back, but he didn’t even give me a chance.” She continued, her hand resting upon her bruised cheek.

“That’s okay, Max, you tried,” She solaced, helping the redhead to her feet. She wobbled slightly, trying to get used to being awake again. “Lucas and the others are back and they have a plan, we’re not alone anymore,” She told her. If Y/N had to say, she would say that they held up pretty well against Billy when it was just the four of them. Max smiled softly at her as they shuffled around Steve and Robin who were crouched around Mike, trying to wake him. “Are you okay though?” Y/N looked back at Max, her brows furrowed in worry.

Max nodded, her hand still rubbing her cheek. “Yeah, I’m fine, my face is just sore,” She disclosed, dropping her hand from her face, her own touch agitating the bruise. “What about you, Billy must’ve hurt you pretty bad.” Max questioned, gesturing to Y/N’s own bruised face. Gently, she raised her hand to the bruises, wincing when her soft touch hit the tender skin.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. I held my own.” She waved off the younger girl's concern. Turning to face the small huddle, Y/N watched as Mike groggily looked around in a daze, not saying anything as he blinked. It was as if his brain was just catching up, not really registering anything.

“Mike-” Steve spoke cautiously, concerned about his lack of reaction. Steve’s voice seemed to release Mike from his daze, the boy shooting upright, his eyes nearly blown out. Everyone jumped at the sudden shift of energy, not expecting him to do that. “Are you okay?” Steve pressed, Mike, still looking frantically around.

“Where is El,” He asked, his eyes jumping from person to person, not seeing El anywhere. Pushing himself off the floor, it was almost like he wasn’t hurt in the first place. Blinking at him, everyone stayed silent, observing him. “Where is El?” He asked again, his voice dropping from panicked to stern, wanting one of them to answer. Robin looked back at Y/N, questioning if someone was going to tell him. Stepping forward, Y/N cleared her throat.

“Billy got her, Mike.”

“So what are we all standing here for? We have to go help her.” Mike shot back instantly as soon as the last syllable dropped from Y/N’s lips. Without waiting for a reply, Mike turned on his heel, walking briskly down the hall, eyes narrowed in determination. Dumbfounded, the group stood there for a second. This was the boy who was just laying on the floor unconscious and now he was storming down the hall.

“This child is going to drive me to my wit's end, he stresses me out sometimes.” Y/N shook her head, slipping between Steve and Robin as she started to run off after the fast-walking Mike. Between his tendency to ignore his own ailments and him not listening, Mike was definitely the most stressful out of all the kids. He did tend to be the ring-leader in most of their shenanigans. From behind her, she could hear the scramble of running footsteps behind her, Mike picking up his pace when he knew everyone was running behind him.

“Where are we going, we don’t even know where Billy took her!” Robin shouted breathlessly, unsure of what the plan was. Nobody was really sure, Y/N even doubted if Mike even had a plan. This was all more of a feel-it-out-as-you-go situation. There was no plan that someone could come up with, you had to use your instincts. As quick as he took off, Mike flung open a door, the words ‘Scoops Ahoy’ glowing for a second before the light by it dimmed, hiding it once again. Mike was using his center to figure out where to go from here.

Trusting him, Y/N wrapped her fingers around the edge of the door before it could close, narrowly missing having her fingers jammed in the metal door. Shoving it open unnecessarily hard, it slammed against the wall. There was an absence of booms from fireworks telling them that they had jumped into action at just the right time to come to the group's aid. Robin’s sneakers screeched as she turned in after Y/N, Steve and Max following closely, but Mike was already running through the backroom. Bursting through the second door, Y/N pushed her legs faster, trying to reach Mike. No matter how much Mike viewed himself as indestructible, he wasn’t.

She managed to catch up to him when he threw open the swinging door into the parlour, not even pausing at the sight of the Mind Flayer occupying the food court yet again. Stumbling to a stop just under the broken gate of the store, Mike and Y/N looked at the sight in front of them in complete terror. Billy stood tall, seemingly challenging the Mind Flayer which stood surrounded by little fires scattered around, smoke rolling through the mall like a fog machine at a concert. The neon signs flickered, acting like strobe lights reflecting off the squishy flesh of the Mind Flayer and the sweaty skin of Billy. With a low growl that shook within everyone, the Mind Flayer dipped its head low, chittering as it tried to intimidate Billy.

“What is he doing, does this mean he’s not flayed anymore?” Robin questioned breathlessly as she met the pair, confused even more by the sight. Nobody answered her, simply not understanding themselves as they watched the scene unfold.

“He’s sacrificing himself for El.” Y/N realized as the Mind Flayer tried to peek around Billy at the cowering girl laying on the floor behind the muscular teen. Whimpers fell from El’s mouth as she used her hands and heels to push herself away from the monster who could easily get around Billy. The Mind Flayer let out a monstrous roar, but Billy never backed down.

Suddenly, the jaw of the Mind Flayer dropped, the circular rows of razor-like teeth being revealed. Once again, the tentacle that was nestled within the middle of all those lethal teeth rose from its resting spot. Y/N stumbled back slightly upon seeing it again. Just shy of an hour ago, that tentacle was one of those hunting through The Gap in search of the people hiding within it - Y/N being one of them. Out of instinct, Robin slid in front of the clearly scared Y/N, not even knowing what the hell the thing was, she was ready to lay her life on the line. The tentacle jumped out, opening the four claw-like points wide, aiming right at El who continued to crawl backwards, trying to escape the threat of the monster. Protecting El, Billy’s fists shot out, a scream of determination ripping past his lips, his fists meeting the back of the open tentacle. “No!” His yell echoed throughout the silent mall.

Everyone watched, unbelieving as Billy battled the Mind Flayer, the claws of the tentacle squirming, trying to break free of Billy’s strength. Y/N felt like she was watching a scene in a movie, sitting at the edge of her seat, everything becoming muffled as her heartbeat in her ears. Billy let out a powerful scream of agony, using every ounce of power within him, his back muscles rippling as he pushed against the interdimensional mutant. Everyone watched, watching as everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The sides of the monster started to ripple and bulge, four new tentacles spurting from the Mind Flayer - it was going to kill Billy.

“Steve,” Robin called as if something just dawned on her. “Don’t you still have that firework you put in your pocket?” Her words flung out of her mouth at a mile a second, knowing there was no time to waste. As if a lightbulb went off in Steve’s head, he reached into his pocket, pulling a closed fist out. Opening it, he revealed a small but mighty firework.

“Here, use this,” Y/N didn’t even know she was speaking let alone moving. Her brain was on auto-pilot, her body moving without any commands from her conscious mind. Pulling her Zippo lighter from her back pocket, she threw it to Steve. Catching the metal lighter easily, he flicked the cover open, the flame dancing within a second. “Hurry!” Y/N yelled, looking back at the Mind Flayer, the tentacles shaking themselves out as they grew fully from the leviathan, all facing Billy. They paused for a second, waiting for the command from the Mind Flayer to attack.

“I can’t light the damn thing,” Steve cried, the flame not catching on the fuse. In horror, they all watched the tentacles shooting towards Billy. “I got it!” Steve announced, hopping forward before chucking the now-lit firework at the monster. Eyes trailed the arching explosive, the sparkling flame dancing on the fuse like a sparkler at a fair. A deafening pop was heard as the fuse ran out, the firework hitting the side of the Mind Flayer. With a wounded squeal, the Mind Flayer retracted all of the tentacles seconds before they could hit Billy.

Colourful sparks flew everywhere, raining down making everyone below cover themselves. Y/N hissed, a few sparks hitting her forearms, her skin sizzling. Uncovering their eyes, they watched as the Mind Flayer swayed, screams of pain leaving it - shaking the building. Just then the pained sways quickly turned to the monster rearing up, its front legs kicking in the air. In fear, the five hidden within Scoops ducked, not knowing what was happening. “What’s going on now?” Robin asked, her yell barely audible over the screeches of the Mind Flayer, its legs stomping down against the floor.

“Joyce and Hopper closed the gate!” Y/N guessed as the injured Billy and El ran towards Scoops, trying to escape the flailing Mind Flayer, leaning against each other. The Mind Flayer hit one of the columns, the second-floor platform shaking as concrete fell upon the flesh of the behemoth that screamed out, its body flinging into a part of the platform, the floor falling with a thud.

“It’s going to take down this entire building!” Robin fretted, watching in a mix of amazement and fear, flinching as it hit another column. Y/N reached over, grabbing Robin and yanking her back as the Mind Flayer stumbled closer to Scoops. Stumbling from the sudden force, Robin gripped Y/N’s arm, her eyes not leaving the screaming beast. Finally, with a dying squeal, the Mind Flayer’s body flopped to the ground with a plume of dust and debris lifting around it. Light but short breaths were the only sounds as everyone watched the corpse, dreading that it would move again.

A low, quiet rumble left its dying body before everything went still. Around the body, the smoke became thicker, the little fires growing and spreading as they consumed the debris laying there. “Is it dead? How can we tell?” Robin tried to whisper, but it came out louder than she expected. Also seeking out that answer, Y/N stepped back up to the opening of Scoops, looking over the rolling smoke to the platform, Robin stumbling after her, still not letting go of her arm.

Emerging from the shadows of above, Will let his fingers wrap around the railing, peering over. “It’s dead.” He spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear. A relieved breath left Y/N as she looked at Robin who still had confusion swimming in her eyes.

“It’s over,” She whispered, eyes alive with relief and happiness. “It’s finally all over.” She repeated, eyes stinging with tears of joy. They didn’t have to worry about something else being thrown at them. There were no more surprises. Nothing was trying to kill them anymore, nothing was chasing them down. With an airy chuckle, she threw her arms around Robin, holding the stunned girl flush against her.

____

Hugging the blanket closer around her, she shivered, the cold summer rain pelting her. She hadn’t realized how hot the inside of the mall had gotten thanks to the growing flames that were now licking the broken skylight until she had been ushered out of the building by firefighters. “So, Will was able to know if the Mind Flayer was dead because he is connected to it?” Robin vocalized her confusion as Max and Y/N tried to explain the Upside Down to her and Billy. Max looked to Y/N for clarification, even though she herself still did not completely understand Will’s connection to the Upside Down.

“I would assume, you would really have to ask Dustin, he’s the one who makes all the connections.” She shrugged. Everything that knew about the Upside Down and its creatures was largely due to Dustin’s nerd brain. He was good at looking at the parallels and connecting the dots, coming to an answer.

“And that Mind Flayer thing was only one of the creatures of the Upside Down?” Billy wondered this time, his thick eyebrows knitted together.

“Correct,” Y/N nodded. “So far, we have encountered Demogorgons and Demo-dogs which, from my understanding, are just baby Demogorgons,” She explained, shivering like a leaf as a strong wind blew against her cold body. “Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and I beat the Demogorgon by lighting it on fire while Hopper and Joyce saved Will and closed the gate. A few months ago, the kids, Steve, and I lit the hub of the Mind Flayer’s tunnels on fire which distracted the Demo-dogs so that Hopper and El could close the gate.” She recounted the past two fights nonchalantly. Robin and Billy looked at each other, flabbergasted that she could talk so easily about it. She sounded like this was a normal thing to experience.

Robin opened her mouth, wanting to ask something else, but a frantic cry cut her off. “Max! Max, oh, Max,” A redheaded woman came running towards the group, her purse clutched to her side as her feet waddled, unable to actually run in her heels. Y/N looked to Max, knowing she didn’t have a great relationship with her mother. To her surprise, Max jumped off the gurney she sat on, running to meet her mom. The pair embraced, their arms tight around each other. “Billy-” The woman looked at the blonde teen sitting there awkwardly. “You were here too,” She asked, extending an arm and waving him over. Reluctantly, but almost happily, Billy stood from the same gurney, giving the woman a one-armed hug. “What on earth were you two doing here and how did the mall catch on fire?” She fretted, her hands cupping each other's cheeks.

The pair didn’t answer her, only hugging into her again to distract her from her question. What could they say? A giant mutant monster from another dimension attacked them and they had to battle it to protect their friend who had powers? It looked like their tactic worked since the woman pulled away from the hug, tears welling in her eyes as she realized how close she was to losing them (but not for the reasons she assumed). “Come on, let’s get you guys home, Neil’s away so you guys can relax.”

Y/N and Robin watched as the woman turned, the two siblings under her arms, Billy hunched over due to the height difference. “I think this whole thing changed Billy,” Y/N conjectured, watching him as he leaned into the touch of his stepmother. “At least it showed him that there are people who care for him,” She spoke again, looking over at Robin whose blue eyes continued to watch the three. Y/N eyes flicked over the distracted girl. Cocking her head, she could tell she wasn’t focusing intently on the family, there was something going on in that head of hers. “What are you thinking about?” Y/N asked, letting her eyes roam around the parking lot as firefighters, paramedics, soldiers and army officials ran around. Scientists in lab coats set up an impromptu lab, testing things found within the lab below the mall.

Looking farther, she could see Will clutching Joyce just like he did when he was younger. Beside the son and mother stood Hopper and El, locked in a hug as equally as heartwarming. Smiling softly, she looked back over at Robin when she still didn’t answer only to find her looking at her. The flicking orange from the still wildly raging fire lit up her skin as if she were sitting in front of a fireplace, the pink neon sign of the mall adding a different colour to the masterpiece of Robin’s face in that second. “Don’t judge me?” Her voice cracked, her eyes were wide and innocent.

“Never.” Y/N reassured, her hand laying down on top of Robins, her blanket falling from her shoulders, exposing her to the cold but she didn’t care. Blinking, Robin swallowed thickly, eyes dropping to their hands before lifting back up to Y/N’s warm ones.

“I know I should be thinking about whatever the hell just happened, but I can’t stop thinking about how you love me,” She explained what was swirling within her mind. “For some reason, I feel like that’s the most unbelievable thing that has happened in this past week,” Robin tore her eyes from Y/N’s, her hand slipping out from under hers. Fiddling with her fingers in her lap, Robin rolled her lips together. “We didn’t really get a chance to talk about this earlier and from the moment I knew we were safe from monsters and evil Russians-” She emphasized the ‘evil’ part, making sure Y/N knew she didn’t think all Russians were evil. “I couldn’t stop thinking that there must be a miscommunication between us.” She expressed, still not looking at Y/N.

“A miscommunication,” Y/N questioned with a shake of her head, not understanding what Robin meant. “I like you, Robin, I am one hundred percent sure of that. I’m even confident that I love you.”

“Yeah, you could love me, but do you know the way I love you,” Robin spoke, finally looking back at her. Y/N stayed silent, nervous herself as to where this was going. “I don’t love you like most girls love other girls, I love you in the way that a boy would love a girl,” She didn’t even give Y/N time to respond before she was already speaking again. “And I get it if you don’t love me in that way. I never expected you to. I was perfectly happy being silently in love with you when you barely even knew I existed-”

Robin’s words were cut off by the press of Y/N’s lips on hers. Robin, shocked and a little scared, was thankful that they were hidden partially in the darkness of the two ambulances beside them, making it hard to spot them. Relaxing into the pressure of her lips against hers, Robin followed the movement of Y/N’s lips, her hand falling onto Y/N’s lap, her hand holding her thigh. Humming, Y/N could feel the heat crawling through her whole body, warming her against the cold summer breeze. Robin felt the soft touch of Y/N’s fingers on her jaw, her hand cupping her cheek tenderly. As Y/N pulled her lips back from Robin’s the girls whined a little, missing the way their lips moulded together.

Slightly breathless, they opened their eyes, electricity shooting through them when their clouded eyes met. “Does that explain how I love you?” Y/N questioned, her breath fanning over Robin’s lips as their foreheads were pressed together.

“Beautifully.” Robin responded, leaning her lips closer to Y/N’s, looking to feel that same happy twist of her stomach she felt when their lips first collided, but the call of her name stopped her.

“Robin? Robin? Where is my daughter,” The worried cry of Robin’s mom made them spring apart just in time for the frantic heel clicks to walk around the ambulance that hid them from her sight. There, dressed from the Fourth of July party she was attending, stood an older-looking Robin. “Oh, Robin,” She breathed out in relief, embracing her daughter as she still sat on the gurney. “What on earth were you doing still at work when this fire broke out? You weren’t letting all those people into the mall after hours were you?”

Ah, the government works fast. Going with a story of an illegal gathering after mall hours with a freak fire to kill all of the people brainwashed by the Mind Flayer. “Steve and I had to count the tubs of ice cream, there was a theft, but we couldn’t figure out what they stole.” She lied effortlessly to her mother, her voice muffled as her mother hugged her too tight.

“Well, I am glad you're safe, but next job you get, they better prioritize your safety - not staying late to investigate theft,” Her mother pulled away, smoothing back the hair that fell into Robin’s eyes. “That’s corporate’s job, not yours.” She muttered, cupping Robin’s cheeks as she inspected her, pleased with the state of her daughter. From the corner of the older woman’s eye, she caught sight of Y/N, eyeing her nervously.

“This is my friend Y/N, I’ve been at her house the past few nights, she came to walk me home, but then hell broke loose - literally.” Robin once again lied, gesturing over to Y/N. The older woman looked at her, smiling sweetly.

“Hi, Mrs. Buckley, nice to meet you.” Y/N smiled a bit awkwardly at her. She assumed Robin wasn’t out to her parents yet, making her a bit uncomfortable since she was seconds away from shoving her tongue in her daughter’s mouth before she showed up.

“Nice to meet you as well, Y/N, are your parents coming to get you?” She asked kindly with a tilt of her head.

“No, ma’am, they are away for the Fourth of July, that’s why Robin was staying with me. Just so I wasn’t alone.” She explained, also backing up Robin’s lie. Not all of it was a lie, her family was away for the Fourth of July. They were up in Canada away from the festivities because, in the past, the aggressions towards them were worse around this time of year. Tisking, Mrs. Buckley gave her a sympathetic look.

“Horrible timing, they have no idea any of this happened to you,” She sighed, feeling bad for Y/N parents. “You’re coming to stay with us, you are in no state to go back to an empty house,” She decided for Y/N. Opening her mouth to argue, Mrs. Buckley cut her off unknowingly. “You can share a bed with Robin, I’m sure she won’t mind. You can also borrow some of her clothes, she has tons,” She rambled, digging through her purse for her car keys. “I’m just going to go talk to a paramedic and we’ll leave, okay girls?” She didn’t even give them time to reply before she was already walking off in search of a paramedic.

“I’m sorry about my mom and the sudden change when she showed up,” Robin apologized, rubbing the back of her head when she knew her mother was busy. “I’m not out to my parents yet. Every time I go to tell them, I chicken out.”

“I get that. I’m not technically out to anyone other than you, my family, and Steve. I’ve just never been one to hide my sexuality around my parents even though I did come out to them,” She sympathized, her hand grabbing Robin’s to intertwine their fingers together, trying to make it look as friendly as she could. “You’ll be able to tell them when the time comes, don’t rush it.”

Robin smiled, looking at her, her blue eyes dancing with sparkles. Squeezing Y/N’s hand, she showed her gratitude towards her. “I really want to kiss you again.” She whispered in case her mother was coming back. Y/N smiled wide at this, her cheeks heating up with a blush.

“We’ll have plenty of time to do that, don’t worry.” She flirted with a wink, making Robin laugh, their eyes never breaking their connection. The pair sat there, basking in the energy surrounding them in the most intimate way possible.

[marvelsswansong]

Why Sebastian Stan’s Vacation is A Problem

This is a photo of Sebastian Stan and his new girlfriend, Alejandra Onieva, lounging on a private yacht surrounded by personal crew members in Ibiza, Spain. 

This is the SAME MAN who went on a rant during a virtual interview with Muscle & Fitness saying: “But what makes me insane is seeing that the beaches in fucking Miami are still flooded with these fucking idiots.”

This is the SAME MAN who acknowledged his privilege to be able to sit at home and be financially comfortable, while his friends who are nurses, for example, are “coming home and not being able to hold their children because they’re afraid they’re going to contaminate their families, then going back to work.” 

This is the SAME MAN who encouraged people to follow coronavirus guidelines by wearing masks on Instagram to millions of his followers. 

During a time where millions and millions of people have lost their lives, their loved ones, their jobs, their livelihoods and their financial stability over this pandemic... He decides to leave his mansion in America and go on an unnecessary vacation on a yacht with private crew members in another country. 

America is leading the number of coronavirus cases globally by almost 3 million. Spain is SIXTH ON THE GLOBAL LIST. 

The fact that he flew from a country with the highest number of corona cases to go to another country with a high number of corona cases for an UNNECESSARY VACATION, with crew members not practicing social distancing guidelines, is ignorant. He could’ve caused someone to contract or transmit corona on his car drive to the airport, flight to Spain, on the yacht, on his way to a hotel, etc. He could’ve contributed to the irresponsible loss of a life, to the burden of an already fragile healthcare system, and even worse leading by example- telling his millions of fans that it is okay to prioritize luxury over moral duty to keep others safe. 

And as second waves are starting to appear in countries that have seemingly flattened their curves and the new mutated strain (G614) shows a stronger ability to infect humans, now is not the time to travel for luxury. As this virus continues to mutate and god knows how fast, there’s no telling how this will effect us all later. 

This is not hate. This is not about whether or not you are a fan of his (though I am). This is about HOLDING CELEBRITIES ACCOUNTABLE. Of recognizing that when many people around the world CANNOT choose to stay home, he goes out of his way to fly to another country for a luxurious vacation. 

I am incredibly disappointed at how irresponsible this is and how this may influence others. I get that it may be suffocating and boring for him to stay home, but it is the very LEAST he can do as someone who is not being financially struck in the gut by this pandemic and as a celebrity who millions of people look up to.

Shame on you, Sebastian Stan. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edit since some of y’all are missing the point: the biggest reason why I and many other fans are mad is because this is HYPOCRITICAL. There is a conversation to be had about how to keep the economy stable and functional during a pandemic, but (1) that is a macro-issue, this is a micro-issue focusing on Sebastian’s hypocrisy and irresponsibility, (2) that is an issue healthcare professionals and politicans need to be having hand in hand, not politicans opening up borders without fixing internal issues first, and (3) even if his trip to Ibiza could be justified, he ultimately didn’t need multiple crew members on board to serve him water and towels (would it have been that hard to just have one person on board to steer the ship)?

Some of you are so hell bent on defending Sebastian that you are going out of your way to call me names and be cruel- ignorant, stupid, hateful, jealous, etc.... I think you are the ones who need to get a life if you’re so butthurt over a sensible post with valid points that you feel the need to attack a 18 year old with an opinion over the internet. I’ll be blocking any direct hate from now on, anon ask, reblog or otherwise. I encourage discussions below if you disagree or if you have another suggestion, but I am NOT okay with the way I’ve been treated the past few days over this. Be civil like I have, or go on with your day. Because let’s be honest, this will just be a blip in the timeline for his career. 

-------------------------------------------------

EDIT 2:

It's come out that Sebastian was visiting children at CAJE in Madrid in July and now some are trying to say this nullifies all points and negative sentiments about his trip.

I'd like to remind you that doing good deeds and bad deeds can COEXIST at the same time. Some will argue that his visit was PR, I would disagree with that because at the end of the day Sebastian isn't a bad guy. He's not heartless. So yes, I do think it's genuine. The timing of it coming out is a bit odd but whatever. However.

He still didn't need to go on this luxurious yacht. He didn't need multiple crew members serving him water and towels. Especially when he could've just had one crew member steering the boat. Him and his gf on the boat weren't following Covid19 guidelines. And whether or not he actually contracted or passed on the disease, the message he sent out to the world by doing this was dangerous, hypocrticial and irresponsible following his comments in March.

Don't pick one good thing he does to justify all his other actions. Yes Sebastian is a good guy at the end of the day, but what he did was still hypocrticial and irresponsible. If you still don't agree with me that's your prerogative. Go on with your day and forget about this post. I respect your liberty to not respect my opinion.

[romijuli]

actually you know what. posting here. not everything is a direct copy-paste i added bits here and there

(i think about this bit of act 5 constantly. like. chikage “trained liar” utsuki IMMEDIATELY seen through by this 18-year-old who up until this point came across to him as inherently trusting and ready to buy into whatever Chikage told him. like!!!!)

Sakuya's whole like "innocent naive cinnamon roll" persona is a defense mechanism to an extent, right. like if he acts like A Good Boy and doesn't rock the boat then maybe people will keep him around. and like, don't get me wrong, he's a VERY good person, it's not like he's entirely covering up the person he is. (and honestly that's true of EVERY a3 character who "masks" like sakuya. kazunari, itaru, citron, chikage, i'm probably forgetting someone,) 

it's just, like, that fear of showing anything that would be regarded as less-than-pleasant in case someone uses it as an excuse to toss him aside like so many of the adults in his life did.

thats why stuff like the act 5 bits i screenshotted + him getting really protective/possessive about Romeo is IMPORTANT, like they're the few moments he totally lets down the mask and hints at this incredibly complex and wonderful character that NO ONE EVER FUCKING TALKS ABOUT!!!

like, okay here is where my thoughts on twitter ended but i’m gonna keep going. every fandom has their bouts of like, stopping their analysis of certain characters at the surface level. it’s not a phenomenon unique to any specific piece of media. but MAN, when it comes to SAKUYA, most people - not just some, imo, MOST - just kinda STOP. like!!!!! here is this wholeass traumatized young man. he has so few memories of his parents but they so clearly loved him, and now he’s getting passed around between the rest of his family members because they don’t want him around.

he didn’t even get presents from SANTA after his parents died until he got to mankai!!!!! (go read the first christmas event please i think about it at least once a week) and even then he felt GUILTY for not wanting to talk about it with anyone!!! like. this is a guy who trauma dumped to a PENGUIN instead of, like, talking to his troupemates or his friends. (also go read aquarium showtime) AND MOST PEOPLE STILL ACT LIKE HE’S JUST A NAIVE BABY CINNAMON ROLL. like i guess that means he’s doing a good job of acting like an inoffensive Good Boy but like come on.

(there’s also something to be said about the way some folks still treat him like a kid but treat Banri and Juza like adults, which i guess liber kinda leans into in some regards but it’s still REALLY weird imo, like, at this point we’ve known the three of them as adults for longer than we knew them as teenagers. something something “cheeriness is seen as an inherently childlike trait” idk. like. Sakuya can legally drink now they mentioned it in his last set of birthday lines. come on.)

went off about sakuya on twitter earlier and like, half tempted to copy-paste that here,

[kylosgenesis]

Teardrops on fire

Synopsis:

Steve Rogers is the last Alpha of the an almost extinct Lycan pack. With only less than 100 members left. Steve must produce an heir to ensure the species survival and reduce the chance of attacks from others. Omegas are rare, and betas have a hard time producing children. Steves reality is finally setting in as his obligation of producing an heir faces a major set back.

Reader is the last suitable omega to mate with Steve, due to the fear of her daughters fate in the pack, her mother kept her hidden from the pack after her own exile. Only her mother, and Bucky's family know of her existence. Bucky is Steve's right hand man, and the packs best warrior! He and the reader developed a friendship and bond over the years, but age forced them to become distant.

What happens when she presents and her first heat cycle comes? Her body is in excruciating pain and a strong fever quickly overcomes her body. Facing the fear of her daughters possible death, her mom calls on the only person who can save her at this point, Alpha Steve! Bucky and the alphas friendship will be tested. The reader will be faced with her love for Bucky or her duty to the pack.

Warnings: Mentions of death , A/B/O dynamics

Chapter 3: Leave a light on

Bucky and Steve packed a suitcase of supplies, they both knew it was a race against time at this point. Her body would become weak without the pheromones of an alpha, her changing hormones wouldn't be able to adapt for her body's transition into her designation. Her own body would become her worst enemy right now, and if they didn't make it in time she could die in a pool of her own slick and sweat as her body struggled to accommodate the change.

That was one of the reasons omegas became so rare! Over the course of thousands of years their bodies began to change.Even with an alpha, sometimes the transition was too much on their bodies! Not many would make it. The omega’s that did were meant to be the strongest women the packs had to offer, their wombs strong , healthy, and ready to accommodate an alpha.

There was an old wives tale that would travel around the packs about a perfect mate, a bond so strong that would turn two souls and bodies into one. Soul that have been meant to be together since the beginning of time, like a puzzle piece waiting for it’s perfect match .Always calling for each other! One way or another prevailing.

People stopped believing in those kinds of stories a long time ago!

“Steve,Is that everything?” Bucky was loading up the bags into the truck. His mother and Katerina had headed back to the cabin, hoping to get a head start and try to explain to her what would be going on. I believe so! We still don't know what we're walking into… Steve furrowed his brow with his hand. His free hand on his lower back. “Hell Buck! I don't even know what i'm supposed to do! Hey I'm Steve, you don't know me but i'm here to take you away from everything you've ever known… also I kinda have to mate with you to save your life.``

“I know it doesn't sound like the best plan! But it's all we can do right now.” Bucky wanted to reassure his friend, tell him it was all going to be alright. Deep down he himself was feeling uneasy. He wanted to crawl out of his skin. Why did their nature have to be like this? He felt like they were not that evolved from animals when it came to heats. She was probably scared, he wanted to reassure his friend that she would be okay with him.

Bucky remembered leaving her all those years ago. It broke his heart! Deep down Bucky didn't even want to see her. He couldn't live with the look of disappointment she'd give him. Or worse what if she wasn't disappointed, what if it was like the years didn't go by between them. How could he handle seeing her gentle eyes, knowing he couldn't return the same look back.

It wasn't even a question anymore! Any dream involving her he's had for the past ten years had to be thrown away! He had to forget her smile, her laugh, her smell! She was never meant to be his and now more than ever he had to put his pack first.

Bucky gave Steve a reassuring smile and motioned to the truck, they were losing daylight and they both had a long night ahead of them. Both lost within their own thoughts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She felt like she was being torn apart!

Yes, she's had some bad cramps during her cycle, but this pain was different! If felt like she was being completely ripped apart from the inside. She felt weak and both terribly hot and freezing at the same time.

She had this strong feeling to just stay in bed at the back of her mind, but she just couldn't let herself waste away in bed waiting for her mother. Her mom had called winifred after this morning, within the hour they were both gone! They said they'd be back my sundown with some supplies and someone who might help her. As the pain intensified she readied herself to go get some things that could help alleviate her. She remembered her mom taught her this recipe with mint, nuts, and berries, back when she had first gotten her period; many years ago. Sometimes when she was out fishing or hunting and she felt her body start to feel strange, she'd look for those, and boil some water for a tea. It provided instant relief for her, and she'd go back to her day like nothing happened.

Gathering the strength and courage; she walked out of the comfort of her cabin for a quick trip to get those three things. If only she could just have that tea ready, it would make the time waiting for her mom to get back bearable.She knew the woods like the back of her hand, she'd done it countless times where she knew where everything would be.

As she trekked further and further into the woods! She remembered she'd spotted a new mint bush a few days ago, with the old one in the opposite direction she decided to just to just go with her memory and find that one.

Even though she knew these woods by heart, her pounding head and aching body made it a struggle for her focus long enough to orient herself.

She stopped to catch her breath and suddenly felt aware of the heat taking over her body. In the distance, the sounds of the running current of the creek, screamed for her to just get in to find some relief. All she wanted was just to dip her feet in and feel the water run beneath her feet.

The icy water prickled through her skin and it showed her more than the heat did, eventually her body and mind relaxed and she just closed her eyes for what felt like two seconds.

Suddenly the floor beneath was overtaken by a current, she was too weak to swim or fight .So she just let the current run its course; dragging along her weakened body.

In just an instant! She was harshly dragged away from the little bit of forest she knew!

She woke up hours later in the darkness!

The current had dumped her near the bank.

She could tell it was still territory, but it was all unknown and new to her. She definitely did not have the strength to follow the stream, so with what little strength she had, she started a fire! She laid down next to it hoping that morning would come soon, and give her the strength she needed to return home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they exited the car they could smell her, but it was lingering and faded. Bucky’s senses were on fire! That smell drove him insane. It awoke every muscle in his being, he’s partially glad that it wasn’t fully her, just the lingering trace of her scent.

He couldn’t do that to Steve. He had to mask his face, pretend she didn’t smell like air after you’ve been holding your breath for ten years.

“Where is she ?” Steve was worried, not only was this his omega, but she was a part of his pack now. His Alpha nature led him to worry about her, even if he didn't fully know her or understood her yet.

All Steve knew is that he felt drawn to her! He needed to protect her and care for her! Seeing the small cabin was like a punch to his gut! He couldn't believe that there were people in his pack living like this.

The roof needed work, the inside was just enough to be considered cozy, but not comfortable!. It was all patched together! He understood that it was the best that they could do with the circumstances, but his heart was swelling with pride at the idea of bringing his omega to his home. For her to finally know comfort, and not want for anything, he'd take better care of her than his own self. Her smell told him everything he needed to know about her, it was like she was made for him, and he was made for her,

Steve looked to Katerina and back to Bucky.

He couldn't understand how this place had been here for such a long time without him knowing about it, Steve remembered his dad's cruel nature. It wasn't beneath him to cast out a pregnant woman to fend for herself, but why hasn't she tried coming back once his father had died. Steve would have let them back! He knew why she was scared and distrustful of him. He probably reminded her of the person who took her life from her.

As the sky grew darker it became impeccably evident that something had gone terribly wrong. Bucky knew it! He had a bad feeling sinking at the pit of his stomach. No experienced hunter, like herself would be out past sundown. The woods become too dangerous and unforgiving even to experienced people.

Bucky taught her to know the woods. She could track.! If she’s out there she’s probably injured and in a bad situation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ Clint, Nat, you guys will take the northern side of the river, there's a lot of territory there so I trust you guys will be okay as a team!,” Steve was guiding them to a spot marked on the map, he drew a circle through the section with with finger the over caressing his chin in thought.

“Tony, you will cover the west end on the river… over by this side” Bucky said over Steves planning and was pointing Tony to his designated research area.

Bucky and Steve had gone into a full missing persons mission. They had mapped out the territory and had called the strongest members of the pack. Most of them were a part of the packs defense team. They were all loyal to Steve and led by Bucky as the commander of the pack's small army.

Bucky’ s mind was not at the best place! He was slowly becoming more feral with desperation. “What if an outsider smelled her and crossed territories?” The thought was just too dangerous to entertain and Bucky kept going!

After hours of searching, the search party grew cold, hungry, and tired! Steve was called off the search party as the weather grew harsher, he was worried about his pack. They had families to tend to, and needed rest.

Steve was going in by himself, and Bucky wasn’t about to let his best friend do it alone. Going in just by themselves would be a risk, but they both knew how strong they had to be! They could rest later! She was all that mattered right now!

He wouldn’t stop searching till he had turned every rock on the territory! Every little corner if this damn reserve would be searched! He would find his ... Steve’s mega.

Bucky was the best tracker in his pack and even neighboring packs. If anyone needed anybody or anything found, Bucky was the best in the business. He was strong, determined, and could be ruthless with deserters who would try to run away from the pack after stealing or injuring a member!. Nobody had made it past the territory without Bucky catching them first.

They called him the Winter Soldier! While others found the harsh temperatures, and unforgiving terrain hard to navigate and specially survive; Bucky seemed to read the wind and knew how to use the weather to his advantage. He was the best there was.

If he could not find her he might as well never find anybody else in his entire life. He count fail her. He needed her!...She needed him!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her whole body ached!

She couldn’t get up from this one. She knew she’d only survive a few hours, maybe a day or two without food, and in this weather. She just placed herself inside a hollow trunk, and cradled her body to preserve as much heat as possible. She was thankful that the fever was a bit of a heat source, but cursed at the cold chills it gave her. Soon her body relaxed and she wondered what death would feel like.

She thought of her life.

Her mom.

It hurt so much when she thought of him! As she thought of him, her heart was agonizing in longing, but her body was slowly responding. Her fever had subsided, and she tried stepping out of the trunk. She stumbled and lost her footing, but just as she was about to collapse near the now extinguished fire, she felt a pair of strong arms break her fall.

She thought she was probably dead now!

Looking at her, where the most piercing blue eyes she’d ever seen! His hair now at his shoulders, and a beard forming around his face. He looked different than her mind had imagined him all these years. She allowed herself to relax in his arms, and her eyes filled with tears as she passed out; surrounded by his smell , and waiting for this delusion to be over.

They said death had a way of making people feel comfort, and happiness before the light at the end. But this seemed so real! she wasn't scared of dying anymore, she was scared he wouldn't be there if she woke up again.

Tags: @austynparksandpizza @connie326 @nerdgirljen @exposition-belongs-somewhere

[lovethisletters]

The Bat & The Lantern || Batman x Reader

Hi, lovely! I had so much fun writing this (I'm not gonna lie, I was quite nervous at first, since I don't know that much about the whole green lantern universe, but guess it turned out...ok?) so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and to be honest, I would like to revisit this story again in the future!

Little disclaimer: The reader is a Human green lantern but similar to star-lord she lived the majority of her life in space, that's why she's so oblivious as to whom Batman is, also this takes place during Dick Grayson early years as robin (12-13).

Word count: 2233!!!

Summary: Reader is a new member of the Justice League...but Batman doesn't seem too happy about it.

Keys: Y/S/N: Your Superhero Name | Y/N: Your (real) Name.

Hal Jordan was your friend since you joined the green lanterns (which it was barely 3 or 4 years ago)

Basically...you were "new"

But that didn't stop your fellow green lanterns (?) From seeing all your potential.

Everyone is convinced that with the right training and perseverance, you will become one of the greatest green lanterns of all time.

So, it didn't take long before you proved yourself to be capable enough to join the big leagues.

More specifically, The Justice League.

Hal was the one to introduce you to his companions.

The Amazonian, the human looking alien, the speedster, the other Alien not so human looking, the half robot; everyone was so nice to you since they met you.

Everyone except...The grumpy bat.

When you first introduced yourself, he didn't even bother to be as welcoming as the others.

He just stood there, looking all big and serious that you almost thought it was a statue or the poor guy had catatonic lapses or was way too shy or socially awkward to approach you.

You felt bad, so you approached him instead.

—Hi! I'm Y/S/N...—You said enthusiastically before being abruptly interrupted.

—I know, I heard your introduction already—His voice so devoid of any kind of emotion that you may as well had been talking to a machine.

"Scanning complete, Batman"

A voice inside his cowl informed him, it sounded like an older man with a British accent.

—Thank you, I'll check it later.

That’s when it hit you…the reason why he was watching you so intensely and standing so incredibly still: He was scanning you.

Fucking. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

You stayed there, your face paralyzed with surprise and anger, without knowing very well what to answer; you didn't want to cause a scene on your first day, but this man was just so rude; That is not an appropriate way to receive a new member. yes, it is normal to have suspicions, but you would appreciate if he had the decency to let his suspicions be known when you weren't present.

—she just introduced herself and already on with the paranoic behavior, Bats? seriously? —Hal stepped in your defense.

—this is a routine procedure; I'm just being cautious.

—He was like that at the beginning with all of us too, don’t worry he’ll warm up to you in no time—Wonder woman whispered in your ear after watching your uncomfortable expression.

Ultimatedly you decided to listen to the amazonian and let that one slide, “is normal to be wary of new things anyways” you repeated yourself.

As the months passed you have grown quite frustrated. Between all the missions and meetings even though you felt your relationship with the rest of the team grow closer and they began to trust you and respect you; your relationship with the Batman stayed pretty much the same.

Yes, there was a bit of progress….a bit.

He was bit more talkative to you, a bit more “friendly”, a bit more trusting.

But it was always just a bit never actually fully a teammate to you, your relationship felt more like distant coworkers.

At the beginning it didn’t worry you too much, until your lack of communication started to mess with your performance in the missions, sometimes something completely bizarre and unexpected would happen and because both of you didn’t know each other very well, the mission would take the double amount of time to resolve since you couldn’t coordinate at all.

One time he almost ran you over with his batwing…

The whole thing was kinda funny looking back on it but at the time you were furious (rightfully so)

In his defense, he didn’t knew you were there…I mean…you basically where standing in his parking spot (not that you knew there was such a thing, most members could fly or at least jump really high, so you kinda always forgot he couldn’t…and to be honest you didn’t know his exact powers)

—Sorry—was all he said as he got out of the strangely shaped flying vehicle and directed only one glance at you to make sure you where ok before entering the building, always maintaining that characteristic calm and cold demeanor.

One day you entered the hall of justice earlier than usual only to find an unexpected guest sitting in one of the empty chairs his gaze fixated on a book, he was wearing a rather colorful suit of some sort matching his green mask, then you realized when you were close enough…he was a C H I L D.

You panicked, why was a child here? Is he some sort of mini spy? How was he able to get through the security system?  Did he touch anything dangerous?

This and many more questions ran through your mind, the child noticed you were looking at him and only gave a polite nod as a greeting before returning his attention to his book.

Perhaps a school trip that you weren’t aware of was taking place and this kid strayed from his class? Perhaps he was looking for one of your teammates to ask for a photo and got lost and decided to wait here for his teacher? That will explain why everyone wasn’t here in the meetings room, perhaps they were busy giving the (hypothetical) group of children a tour?

—Hey kiddo! Are you lost? —you began the conversation in a friendly tone before kneeling down a little in order to appear less imposing…after all he was a child you didn’t wanna scare him.

He looked at you so incredulously.

You could almost hear him think “ma’am wtf are you doing???” through his expressions.

—What’s your name?

—Ummm…uh…Robin?­—He spoke like it was something obvious  while signaling the “R” symbol on his chest.

—Robin, uh? What a pretty name! tell me Robin…why are you here? Are you lost?

Poor boy he was so confused, you didn’t know who he was? Didn’t any of the members told you about him? And more importantly…Why where you talking to him like if he was a 5-year-old?

—No, ma’am…I’m just waiting for Batman.

“Batman? Was he a fan of Batman of all superheroes?”  It surprised you a bit, usually kids tend to like superman or wonder woman more since they are nicer and charismatic, and Batman was the opposite.

—Sorry Kiddo, I don’t think he’s one for photos, perhaps you could ask the others some other time! ­— you began explaining trying to dissuade the kid while guiding him towards the exit.

—He’s not here for photos—smooth as ever…the Bat was behind you.

—He’s my sidekick.

Your jaw dropped, a sidekick? He’s a CHILD! You knew superheroes had sidekicks, but you never knew they were that young!

Before you could even begin to protest, Batman ignored you, looking down at the child and instructing him to collect his things.

—Hurry, you’ll be late for class again. — He said before disappearing behind the door that led to his parking spot.

Robin quickly followed, hanging his backpack over his shoulder before stopping in his tracks directing an apologetic smile towards you and saying:

—Don’t worry miss, I can take care of myself! — He must have noticed the concern on your face before leaving.

Since that day your routine changed.

You would wake up earlier, many times you’ll be the first to arrive to the Hall of justice, and even have breakfast flying on your way there all for one thing: Robin.

Once you learned he was Batman’s sidekick you couldn’t help but worry over that poor child, “what if he gets hurt? Is he eating/sleeping/resting properly?” you just couldn’t help yourself.

At first it was just checking on the kid by just…seeing him in the morning and greeting him casually but there were times he wasn’t there, and you would panic internally and there was no other way to calm your anxiety until you would ask the Bat about the child.

He would always replay shortly: “He’s at home” “He’s at school” “He’s busy” and your conversations always would end there.

One day that Robin was there however, instead of your usual ‘greeting nod’ he started talking to you.

He asked you all sorts of things (that weren’t compromising to your real identity ofc) “What’s your favorite color?” “What music do you like?” “What’s your favorite movie?”

And it started from there.

The conversations with Robin grew not only more frequent but also more personal (as personal as someone with a superhero lifestyle can be), to the point it had become a routine for you to come early and talk to the boy, sometimes you had breakfast together or even helped him with his homework before the Bat would take him to school.

Perhaps it was because you didn’t have many acquittances here on earth, but Robin became family to you.

And family takes care of each other.

It had been a rather difficult and spontaneous mission; Lex Luthor was starting to act a little bit fishy (more than usual) using his connections and money Luthor had been acquiring/robbing very specifically concerning items all over the US, his next objectives: a Radion sample being investigated in a secret laboratory in Star city and a Dionesium sample...contained in the Wayne tower laboratories...

The team decided to split to put a stop to Luthor’s minions and his plan.

The Bat insisted the rest of the team should go to Star city, telling them that he and Robin could handle it, but everyone was immediately against it: Luthor had already collected relatively powerful items and being the intelligent motherfucker he is, probably transformed some of those items to give to his goon’s so they might have a chance in harming any of the members if they were to interfere.

Ultimately, the team agreed you and cyborg would accompany them to Wayne Tower.

Robin was stoked, he would get the opportunity to fight alongside you! But Batman…not so much…he kept trying to lose the two of you on the way there; fortunately, cyborg put a tracker on the batwing, he wasn’t going to get rid of you that easy.

Upon your arrival, you could spot several men (armed like if they were military but with a much more upgraded equipment) already leaving the building, carrying two tanks (presumably full of that substance Martian Manhunter had mentioned before) and heading to a truck without any plates.

Long story short: you organized a plan as quickly as you could but…something went wrong…Cyborg and Robin were supposed to create a distraction while the two of you recovered the tanks without damaging them, since the properties of the substance within remained unknown.

But something went wrong: You and Batman failed to coordinate and so you were spotted by the henchmen, they started aiming their weapons at the two of you, initially you thought a force field generated by the power of your ring would be enough...oh no, honey, you’re so wrong.

Sonic weapons were able to not only break your concentration quickly, but also made your ears bleed! One after another you kept re-making the fields, but the sonic waves so deathly and loud just kept coming.

You don’t know how but you were able to stand your ground long enough to make cover not only for Batman and allow him to get the tanks back safely but also for the rest of your team and give them a slight advantage to take down as many of Luthor’s minions as they could.

And then…you passed out.

You woke up at the infirmary in Justice Hall, your head a mess and wrapped in bandages, you had broken your arm because that shit inside a cast too for some reason…and…your ring was gone!

Panic!

No, never mind it was on the nightstand next to the chair in which batman was sitting on.

WAIT…next to the chair in which batman was sitting on?!?!?!

—How are you feeling? — you didn’t know if it was him suddenly talking or the genuine concern on his voice that startle you, so you just nodded slightly while he approached you.

—Can you hear me properly? —Surprisingly you could, but you still were a bit taken aback by his presence.

—I…­—Before responding your brain reminded you of the fact that you didn’t had your ring on, hence your secret identity was revealed to Batman. Your hands practically flew to your face in embarrassment. You didn’t know why but without your mask you felt naked and vulnerable.

He noticed.

His gaze studying your pained expression before he let out a small sigh.

—I came here…to thank you…and apologize— hesitantly his hands moved to the back of his cowl.

—You not only put yourself in danger for Cyborg and Robin, but you also concerned yourself with my safety even when it was probably my fault that we ended up in that situation —He admitted pressing a hidden button loosing up his cowl before finally taking it off and reviling the most gorgeous man you’ve had ever lay your eyes on.

—And for that I thank you and apologize…sincerely—Such sudden action left you speechless for a while, Batman not only had thanked you and apologized, but he had entrusted his identity to you.

—I think-…I think we started with the wrong foot; you know? —You finally were able to respond, breaking the silence that filled the room and surprising him slightly by your sudden declaration.

—Let’s start again…Hi! I’m Y/N—You imitated the same friendly voice tone you first used to talk to him.

The lips on the man in front of you curved forming a subtle almost imperceptive grin.

—Hello, Y/N, I’m Bruce…Bruce Wayne.

 ♡♤♡♤♡♤♡♤

 WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IT. TOOK. SO. LONG. Sorry :c

I had a bunch of ideas for this request but ended up going with this one since I wanted to expand on their beginning, I’m still trying to figure out a way to write Bruce and this was my first attempt, so…sorry if it was…bad :c I’ll try harder next time!!!

Any errors you might see, please let me know; English is not my first language so I’m trying to improve.

In the final scene I wanted Bruce to show he recognized the Reader as an equal so that’s why he took it off…still I felt like it could improve.

 ♡♤♡♤♡♤♡♤

I will forever thank you if you go check out my other profile: @aileysmirnov​ where I post things about my OC: edits, one-shots, imagines, art, etc. If you like Greek mythology and the bat family maybe you would get to be a little bit fond of her as much as I am!

Anyway! Thank you for reading!

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #11

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

[AO3]

*edited so the images are better

"... At least until we can get you to your room. You need to wake up before they ring the bell."

'What's goin' on..?' Why was my shoulder shaking?

"Is Mori okay?”

The sound of my nickname snapped me into consciousness. I pushed myself up and hummed in question. When I opened my eyes it took me a moment to adjust to the bright light. Everyone was standing in front of a gate.

"Did you sleep well?"

Why did this world have three suns? Wait. Two were Sinbad's eyes. That checks out.

I nodded with another hum. I wasn't able to form words yet, and even if I could I would have lost access from waking up to such a beautiful sight.

I missed his response since I was still half asleep, but I did hear Ja'far repeating his words from earlier.

"Please, try to stay awake for a little while. When we step through, they will ring the bell to announce Sin's arrival home. We didn't want you waking up from the shock."

I had to repeat his words in my mind to hold onto them.

"Oh. Thank you for waking me."

Even with their best efforts I didn't have enough time to get clear headed before the bell was rang to announce the return of the King. I ended up jolting anyway.

I was glad to still be on Aladdin's flying turban. I couldn't focus if my life depended on it. I had some energy since I had just been resting and I was still mostly numb from sleep so my aches and pains weren't affecting me yet. After being sick for so long, I was in serious need of serotonin, so I couldn't shake the waves of excitement building in me as I realized I really was in Sinbad's Palace. It's one thing to read about something and another to actually experience it. I knew I had said I would see a doctor as soon as I arrived, but I couldn't stop myself from going into full geek mode and just wanting to look around.

In other words, I was a weak, energetic, space cadet without a filter -prime condition to make an idiot and/or nuisance of myself- if I couldn't find something to force me to "sober" up and start masking.

---

~POV Sin~

Horns announced the King's return to his Palace as the group walked through its gate. Many of the guards and civil servants present gave their welcome. The looks of awe on his guests' faces as they walked through the entrance to the court yard boosted Sinbad's already large ego.

Alibaba's and Aladdin's excitement had started to wane after walking so long, but Mori had the same look she wore when she first got on the ship. Now that Sinbad had seen her like that before, he knew better than to try to engage her in something she wasn't already thinking about. It was a lot like dealing with Yamuraiha after the magicians made a breakthrough. But that didn't mean he wouldn't still try to tease her if he had the opportunity; he'd just have to try a different method.

It was a bit of a relief to see Mori so energetic after the previous night. He would still have the doctors sent to her asap though.

Given how important his guests were, Sinbad decided to escort them, himself, to the Green Sagittarius Tower. Placing the 3 kids in the guest tower was a given since they hadn't agreed to any partnerships yet. The Purple Leo Tower was where Sinbad and his most trusted lived; as much as he wanted to move Mori in there with them immediately, Sinbad knew it would be better to wait until the others learned to trust her, so his Prophet was going to have to stay in the Green Sagittarius Tower for now. This would also give them more time to prepare her permanent room.

Ja'far raised his voice slightly to get all of the guests' attention as he explained a little about the Tower. Masrur took his cue to leave. The Fanalis raised his hand in a half hearted wave as he turned away from the group and started to walk away. The King watched one General leave as he heard the other lead his guests into the Tower.

It was his time to head off too. The rest of his Generals that had been left at home would be showing up to greet him -there was a lot to catch up on. As Sinbad had started to leave, the waves encouraged him to look back at the guest tower. Mori was standing watching him instead of following Ja'far. She had her bag in her arms instead of on her back.

"Is something wrong?"

"I know I should go rest and wait for a doctor, but," she looked at him with an odd expression -like she was seeing through him, "the waves keep pointing me that way." She pointed at the direction he was going.

She was right. The waves would have her follow him

instead of Ja'far.

"It's Drakon!" Mori gasped and her eyes grew. She gave a small laugh to herself. "The first Household Member is the first to show up."

Sure enough, the only member of Sinbad's Household that had fully assimilated with his Djinn's power had entered the court yard.

If she had this much energy and the waves wanted her out here then it should be fine. "Would you like to meet him now?"

Mori looked up at him shocked and expectant. "Is that okay???” It was like he was the center of her world in that moment.

"As long as you feel up to it." This was a good feeling.

She squeezed her bag in her arms. Mori seemed to become like a clingy child when she was unwell. If he had told her to go rest would she have begged him to stay and clung to him like she had before?

Her eyes grew determined. "I will have energy for about an hour. I'll go rest when I start to wear out, and I will ask for help if I need it -you don't have to remind me." Was she this direct because she was sick?

Drakon's deep voice came from behind Sinbad. "Welcome home, my friend."

The King turned to face his General. "It's good to be back."

"How did things end in Balbadd? When we heard about you loosing your metal vessels we got a little worried but it looks like you got them back." He laughed at the end. Drakon knew better than most that his King always manages to come out on top no matter what happens to him. He stiffened slightly. "Hmm? Who's this?” The General noticed Mori before Sinbad had a chance to answer his other questions.

Time for introductions then. "Drakon, this is Mori. She's the prophet I told Yam about." The King gestured towards her.

Mori put her bag down and when she stood up she had full composure. She offered a hand to the General. "It's an honor to meet you, Drakon. I read all about you when I read Fate." If Sinbad didn't know any better he would have no idea Mori had nearly died of fever only a few hours ago -she only looked tired. She was much better at acting than he expected. How long could she hide it though?

Drakon looked more dragon than man now making most uneasy around him, yet Mori didn't seem scared of him at all. Was it because she was hiding it or because she had read Fate? Actually, there was a strange glint in her eyes he couldn't place.

"Oh?” Drakon took her up on the handshake she offered. It was rare for someone not to flinch upon seeing him for the first time; Mori was definitely making a good first impression. "I must admit that I'm curious about this ability of yours."

The glint in Mori's eye grew into a full sparkle.

Their handshake didn't sit right with King Sinbad.

When their hands released, Mori put her hands in her pockets like she often did.

"Would you like an example?" Her smile didn't give anything away. "Before you were shipped out to Baal's Dungeon you tried to be noble and charming to Serendine but she responded by talking about how you followed her around 'like a baby duck' when you were little. Then she made you promise not to die." The waves were building around Mori again.

Serendine must have really said that. Drakon might not look human anymore, but Sinbad could still read his friend's expressions plain as day. Drakon was shocked by the first thing she said, and she was only just starting. Mori really was amazing.

"I know! Let me show you what I've got copied down so far" Mori squat down to her bag. She pulled out and opened a scroll, "Yeah. This one." She stood up with the scroll in hand and swayed a bit on the way up -she couldn't hide her condition fully.

Mori stepped between the King and his General, and turned so they were all facing the same direction. She raised the scroll so it would be easier to see. "Honestly, I had some other things to write down before I could start copying down Fate. I didn't start this until getting onto the ship, so please excuse the sloppiness."

Mori's handwriting looked rushed, like she couldn't get all of this out fast enough. Sinbad had barely gotten to start reading before she continued unrolling to reveal a detailed illustration of a family of three.

"That's-!" It was Sinbad and his parents when he was little.

Drakon glanced at his King, "Sin, are those people your parents?"

"Yup." Mori responded without looking up. "He looks a lot like Badrr, doesn't he?"

Back in Balbadd, Mori had said that she had read his life from his birth to his death, but it was different seeing undeniable proof.

She scrolled past more text and past another illustration and didn't stop until she got to a drawing of child Drakon following Serendine just like she had described. Mori continued scrolling through her work, and each image brought on more comments. There was an illustration of Sinbad meeting Yunan which she gratefully skipped past, a few of inside Baal and one from when Sinbad killed the Abare Narwhal in place of-

"Is this one of me? I look so young!!" The Imuchakk towered over all of them.

Mori whipped her head up. "Hinahoho?!" She wobbled from her quick movement. Sinbad placed a hand at her back to steady her; Mori didn't even react to his hand, instead she put all of her weight on it so she could stare up at the man behind them for a moment. That excited smile spread across her face. "Hello! It's nice to meet you. Please call me Mori."

Sinbad had purposefully gestured for Hina to stay quiet when he came up behind them so as not to distract Mori, but this was fine too.

"So this is where you went!" Ja'far came back from getting the three kids settled into their room.

Mori's smile was unwavering as she stood back on her own, unrolled the scroll to the next image and flipped it around for Ja'far to see. "We just got to your entrance. Care to join us?"

"Lady Prophet, I know you slept on your way here, but you were barely able to get off the ship before you had to lay down. Did you forget you're sick??"

Both Generals that had been looking at the scroll murmured questions about Mori's condition while the Prophet said nothing. At least Ja'far's words would have explained who Mori was for Hinahoho.

Ja'far's eyes wandered to the scroll in Mori's hands; his shoulders jolted when he realized what he was looking at. "Is that me??” He stepped closer to get a better look. After studying the image he looked up at the person holding it. "Did you make this?"

"Yes and yes."

The Prophet and the youngest General present watched each other for an opening.

Mori broke their silence. "I will go rest when I finish showing this scroll. We are almost done anyway."

Ja'far sighed. "Fine." He walked up next to Sinbad to join the group. Even if he tried to deny it, he couldn't fully hide his interest. "What is this scroll you've made?"

Mori turned

the scroll back around so the rest were able to see an image of when Ja'far attacked Sinbad in his sleep back when he was still an assassin. "Since I'm Sindria's Prophet now, I am copying down Fate so it will be easier to keep in order than thinking about it. This is just a draft though. After I have everything written down I'll go back and make it better."

That explanation was perfectly timed as two more Generals had join the group from behind -not that Mori seemed to notice.

Next was an image of Hina in a cave being surrounded by insects.

"Hold on. I never told anyone about that."

Mori stopped scrolling at Hinahoho's comment.

"What is this?" Sinbad asked his General.

But it was Mori who answered. "When Hinahoho first entered Valefor's Dungeon he was swarmed by Blooderflies."

"'Blooderflies?'" All six repeated back at her.

"Butterflies that drink blood," she explained confidently. When none of them responded she tensed. Sinbad could see her turn a little pink as she said to herself, "I thought it was a clever name."

"I think it's hilarious!" Pisiti said before breaking into giggles.

Mori jolted, "It's Pisti this time!" and started to look around for the source of the voice. She spotted the Artemyran that was shorter than herself and the man standing behind her. "And Sharkkan!”

Sinbad could see Yamuraiha and Spartos in the distance. As soon as they were all introduced he'd have Mori head to bed -end of the scroll or not; the waves from earlier would be reaching their peak soon and she had almost fell over twice already. Of course, he wouldn't mind catching her again, but he didn't want her pushing herself in her current condition.

The cocky prince had his hands on his hips. "Are you really a Prophet or our biggest fan?"

"Maybe I'm both," Mori answered with a smile. Her face was a little red.

Was she flirting with Sharkkan??

"That so?" Sharkkan smirked and leaned between Drakon and Hinahoho to get a closer look at her. "When they said there was a real prophet I was expecting some old hag, not a cutie like you."

Mori's eyes dilated and she gave a small gasp. Seeing Mori get embarrassed from compliments was something that Sinbad normally enjoyed, but this time it put a bad taste in his mouth. And did Sharkkan have to get so close to her?

Mori clearly agreed since she attempted to step away from the flirtiest of the Eight Generals. She must have forgotten about her own bag though, as she tripped over it and fell backwards right into Sinbad's arms.

Mori didn't try to stand back up at all. She looked up at the King and after a moment she hid her face behind the scroll she was holding. ”I-I am not a klutz!”

"Oh?" Sinbad smiled down at her. This was much better. "Then did you intentionally fall-”

Mori clapped a hand over his mouth. "No! Shut up! I blame you for this!” She pulled the scroll into her chest, but it unrolled anyway. She was doing a poor job of hiding her enjoyment of his teasing.

He laughed into her hand and she went quiet. Her blush started traveling down her neck since her face couldn't contain it all. This was a much stronger reaction than he normally got from her. He was clearly the only one that could pull such cute expressions out of Mori. Sinbad kissed the palm hiding his lips, and when she pulled it back to herself with an "Ah!" he knew he had to tease her more.

"Are you saying you're really swooning for me then, my Beautiful Prophet?"

"I-!" Mori couldn't bring herself to deny it and pulled the scroll back up to her face. She still wasn't trying to stand on her own or leave his arms.

"That's a good atmosphere."

*Whistles*

"You don't think ...?"

"OH MY-!"

See? No one could seduce a woman better than he could.

Mori finally found her rebuttal. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be surrounded by your waves near constantly??"

He hadn't thought about that. Mori's waves were constantly opening new paths for Fate to flow. They have felt advantageous and that they would help him reach his goals. He wanted to keep her close to see what other changes she would make. And of course he had felt that she was going to live out the rest of her life in Sindria. But what did his waves feel like to her?

She looked up at him as angry as she was embarrassed. "I only slipped on the ramp and just now, and-and fell off of the bowsprit last night, because your waves crashed into me!”

That caught him off guard. "You knew it was me last night?"

"YES!" Mori's voice cracked at the end; she was still recovering so all this talking must have been wearing her out. "You're the only one who's waves feel like this." She broke eye as she got to the end.

Mori could identify him from his waves? There were certain people who's waves stood out to him as well -like hers-, but Sinbad was still not used to anyone else being able to feel the waves. This meant that he had kept quiet for nothing. It also meant that Mori had clung to him knowing who he was -maybe she wouldn't have accepted comfort from just anyone.

Her voice was almost inaudible. "When I realized it was you I was relieved. I've gotten hurt in the past when I was sick because I was alone so, ... thank you for taking care of me."

Just like when he had first learned that Mori could feels the waves, he was happy he was already holding her. He wanted to pull her closer like he had last time as well.

Yam let out a gasp while landing.

"WAIT!" Ja'far had been about to cut in to stop their antics anyway, but this was a completely different issue. "Mori, can you feel the waves of Fate like Sin??"

The King and the Prophet both stared at Ja'far for a few moments before answering in unison, "Yes."

((Hey everybody. Pretty sure you can guess why this chapter took so long. I just really wanted to draw so much of this chapter in comic form UwU Also, a bunch of life things got in the way. Now that everything is opening back up I can't work from home anymore. I'm very sensitive to the heat so I have to rest and cool down after each drive which really cuts into the time I have each day. -_-

Ja'far stared in disbelief at his King. "Sin, you knew?? Are you sure?"

With the mood completely ruined Sinbad helped Mori stand up properly. She grabbed his sleeve to keep herself steady and he left his arm around her waist just in case.

All of Sinbad's Generals -sans Masrur who had already left- were watching him. Mori had many abilities that made her extremely valuable, but they also made her a prime target to any of their enemies. The more her value is known the bigger the target on her will be, and Mori wasn't a fighter. Sinbad had already told all of them that Mori was a Prophet since she had already made that skill known to others, and it was something he wanted to use -there was no way he could hide it. His Generals had kept the fact that he could feel the waves a secret this whole time, so they would be able to keep her secret as well.

"Mori can definitely feel the waves of Fate. But you should know it is different from her ability as a prophet." He figured he should clear that up before they asked. Sinbad didn't know how they were different, but he had enough information to know they were.

Mori's voice was a little horse and on the weak side. "Since King Sinbad and Ja'far eavesdropped on my conversation with Aladdin there's no reason to hide it."

The King and his partner in crime froze. SHE KNEW HE HAD SPIED ON HER. Did his waves give him away?

Mori continued, "I can only read the Fates of realities that I am not currently in. It's not the same as different planets; It's a different universe with different rules." She rolled up the scroll while explaining. "The one I came from doesn't have Rukh, magoi, magic, or Djinn, but we did have 1500 to 2000 more years of scientific development compared to this world-" She was cut off by a short coughing fit.

Sinbad looked down at Mori. She was getting worse by the second. It was most likely fever and not embarrassment making her cheeks red in this moment. "It seems I've pushed you too hard while you are still recovering. My apologies." It was time to send the prophet to bed. He pulled at her waist lightly. "Let's get you to your room so you can rest."

Mori shook her head. "I have one more thing I want to say first."

"Fine." If it wasn't for the look in her eyes he would have refused her.

Mori's voice was getting worse so she had to take breaks in her speech. "I don't know what caused me to slip from my reality into this one, but I'm here now ... I fully intend to use my knowledge to help this world... But since I can't read this world's Fates anymore, I don't know how my changes will affect things..." She gripped the scroll like a life line. "As much as I'd like to answer the questions you all must have now... my voice is really starting to hurt, so I'd like to go rest."

Sinbad sighed. "Of course." It was a tough note to leave on, but her health came first. They'd have plenty of time to talk once she was better.

On a side note, I will be drawing Storpas (lol) in the next chapter. Don't worry, I didn't forget him.

It will probably be another 2 weeks or so before I finish the next chapter since I have less time to work on it now.))

[chris-evans-indian-fanfic]

Merchant of Death

One-Shot

Description: Mob!Thanos is a collector of the most precious things in the world. But what happens when his eyes upon you?

Warning - Mentions of violence and beheading

Words- 5400~

This one-shot is my entry for @sweater-daddiesdumbdork 's writing challenge. I used the following image prompt. Check out this link to participate in the challenge!

My Main Masterlist

I don’t consent to have any of my work published or featured on any third party app, website or translated. If you are seeing this fanfiction anywhere but Tumblr, it has been reposted without my permission. In that case, please do share the link and let me know.

…

Nobody knew his real name. Nobody cared. Named after the Greek God of death himself, Thanos was modern day's omen of slaughter. Being the leader of one of the oldest mob families in New York, Thanos commanded a certain level of respect amongst his peers. It wasn't just that his heritage was daunting. His towering height, broad shoulders, vast expanse of muscled torso and legs were enough to intimidate even the toughest of the fighters. Always dressed in an impeccably crisp suit, his bald head, sharp eyes and a strong, set jaw easily gave the impression that he was the owner of a multi-billionaire corporation.

It wouldn't be wrong to call his drugs and weapons empire a well-oiled corporation. His 10 fingers were dipped in blood in multiple countries throughout the seven continents, yes even in Antarctica. 

Thanos was a well-known figure. Everybody knew who he was, knew what he did, but nobody, not even the law authorities, could ever connect him with any illegal activity, be it harbouring and selling of illegal guns and drugs, or smuggling goods to his centres across the globe.

For all his wrongdoings, Thanos did donate 10% of his revenue to the poor, the homeless, the downtrodden. Almost like a twisted version of Robinhood, where he ripped off the rich with highly priced drugs and paid a part of the amount to the poor.

For this reason, there were two sides of him which were portrayed in the media, those who earned his favour called him Messiah of the Poor, while the others who had witnessed his ire addressed him as the Merchant of Death. But in both the iterations, it had been made ample clear that nobody could make Thanos bleed.

That's why it came as a shock when the Chief of Police, Steve Rogers, had managed to shoot Thanos in an encounter. Looking at their leader fall to the ground, Thanos' men commenced their feral attack on the protectors of the law, driving them back. 

The bullet had pierced his left forearm, but hopefully hadn't made it far into his body, thanks to the bulletproof vest sewn into the jacket. 

His men rushed him to the nearest hospital as he put pressure on the wound. 

...

Being the night of 31st December, the ER was more crowded than usual, with drunk idiots involved in car accidents, accidental weapon discharges, or some even sustaining injuries by bursting fire crackers at a close range. 

You silently cursed yourself. Yeah saving lives was noble and all, but spending the entire New Year's Eve in the hospital, surrounded by blood and equally bloody cries of their families and friends really got on your nerves at times.

You steeled yourself as you entered the operation theatre (OT) for another surgery. This moron's druggie friend had shot him in the chest because he thought he was someone else. This would be a complicated surgery, as the bullet was deep inside the muscle, almost touching the heart. One miscalculation could result in more complications.

Halfway through the surgery, you heard a commotion outside the OT. Furrowing your head, you tried to concentrate, but the noise grew louder. You focused your mind on removing the bullet. As if choreographed, your instrument touched the bullet just as a gun was fired right outside your door. 

Your colleagues jumped, but you set your concentration on removing the piece of metal from this man's body. 

The doors to the OT were kicked open as a tall, thin man entered weilding a gun, asking for you. Your staff promptly pointed at your bent figure. 

You were still focused on extracting the bullet when the gun cocked next to your ear, "C'mon out Doctor, we need you to treat our boss," Maw commanded you.

Ignoring him, you carefully pulled the metal upwards, looking at the live scan feed on the screen for direction. 

"I don't think you heard me Doctor. Leave this man and come with me. Our boss needs you. I will not repeat myself," warned Maw, his venomous voice laced with concern for his boss.

You did not move.

When he pressed the gun to your forehead, your staff gasped in terror, but you refused to budge.

As soon as the damned bullet was out, you dropped it onto a tray along with your gloves, instructed your staff to stitch up the wound, and wordlessly looked at the greasy-haired Maw. 

He beckoned you to follow him into Thanos' room where he was being prepped for surgery. You saw Dr Yellowstone tending to him as you approached. "I am sorry Doctor, I told them that you were in a surgery but..." you brushed him off, asking to see the preliminary reports. Dr Yellowstone explained that the bullet wound wasn't deep, and that a simple surgery headed by him would have sufficed, but they were insistent to get you to do the surgery. 

"Of course," Maw's sickeningly smooth voice was back in your ear, "We wanted someone who's the best for our boss. And you are the best surgeon in the entire state, aren't you Doctor?" he asked with a sneer.

You continued to ignore him, coordinating with your staff. As Thanos was put in a wheelchair, Maw pulled out his gun again, cocking it near your forehead, "Our boss better be able to move that hand again miss, or tonight will be the last time you use both your hands."

That threat pushed you over the edge. All evening and night of dealing with insensitive jerks like this guy over here had finally made you snap. 

You turned towards him, looked at the barrel of his gun and slapped him right across his cheek. 

Whether it was the force of your slap, or the fact that your assault had been completely unexpected, nobody could tell, but Maw staggered backwards, his free hand resting on his long reddening cheek where you had struck him. 

Thanos jerked in attention at your action. His pain seemed forgotten as he looked at you. Your plump figure stood tall as you glared at Maw. 

"Put that gun away or there's more where that came from," you warned him spitefully. 

"Nurse, take him to the OT. Dr Yellowstone, coordinate with the blood bank, we might need extra blood. I will see to it that the anesthesia is ready to administer," you left the room after instructing your team. As if you were going to wait around to witness the reaction of Thanos's right-hand man.

In the OT, you saw Thanos' large figure laid on the bed. You approached him with the anesthesia, but he held your hand with his uninjured arm. "Don't," he spoke in his thick voice. "It will hurt. The pain might lead to further complications," you explained. "No. I want to feel your touch," he said simply.

You rolled your eyes and cringed on the inside.

As the surgery began, Thanos kept his dark eyes on you. Neither once did he wince with pain, or avert his gaze. Ignoring him, you set about to remove the bullet from his arm, a quick procedure. 

"Dr Yellowstone," you said from behind your mask, "stitch the wound and dress it."

"Where are you going?" Thanos asked you plainly, as if you both were sitting in a coffee shop. You ignored him and removed your gloves as Dr Yellowstone approached the patient. 

Thanos moved his arm, "No. You will not. She will," he nodded towards you. 

Audibly groaning, your assistant helped you in wearing a new pair of gloves.

Finally, with the wound stitched and dressed, you left the OT to tell Maw the good news.

…

3 hours after the surgery, Thanos looked at your file while resting on his bed. Compiled by Maw, this file had every detail of your life, no matter how minute. You had captured his attention unlike anything else, anyone else. He flipped through the pages, learning more about your family, friends, hobby, and profession. 

His member twitched when he saw your images from social media. Beneath the doctor's coat, you were plump, curvy and thick, just the way he liked his women. He paused, drinking in your appearance in a swimsuit. Placing a finger on your face, he slowly traced your outline, his finger respecting every bump, every bend till he reached your covered mound. He pressed it, as if hoping to see you react, but you kept on smiling in the image. 

Eyes heavy with sleep, he looked around his room. His quiet quarters screamed with opulence. Decorated with the world's most expensive marble, motifs covered in 24k gold, diamond chandelier and Persian rugs, his room paid homage to some of the priceless wonders of the planet. But looking at them now, Thanos realised that none held a candle next to you. 

As he settled in to sleep, he smirked. You would make a nice addition to his room.

…

A week later, Thanos surprised his men by driving himself to your hospital. He had taken an appointment, afterall, his wound needed to be checked.

He knocked on your cabin door, entering only when you said to. He smiled warmly at your startled expression, standing patiently next to the chairs across your desk. 

"Dione," he interrupted you, "Please call me Dione."

You gathered yourself quickly, "Mr Thanos I-"

He smiled cheekily, he knew he had struck at the right place, at the right time. Extending his arm, he reached out for your palm, holding it gently in his. "Please come in. You must be tired," he said, leading you into your own house. 

You squinted your eyes. You remembered reading the strange name on your list of appointments today. "What can I help you with Mr Dione?"

Thanos smiled. He liked the way his name rolled off your lips. "May I take a seat?" You nodded.

Thanos barely fit in the chair, his vast thighs almost bulging out from the sides of the chair. "I think my wound needs to be redressed."

"I thought Maw said he had the best doctors at your beck and call," you spat at him.

"I owe you an apology," he said slowly, "Maw's behaviour that night was appalling, to say the least. I have never hurt or intended to hurt healthcare workers. I regret his actions. Please accept my sincere apologies."

Thanos or Dione, surprised you for the second time that day. His acknowledgement of his staff's misbehaviour left you dumbfounded.

He cleared his throat, "As I was saying, I think my wound needs to be redressed." He turned to his side as much as he could, and displayed the bloodied bandage on his arm. 

You asked him to sit on the patient's examining bed in your office and unwrapped his bandage.

"Does it bleed everyday?" you asked.

"No, it started bleeding today. As soon as it did I thought I should visit you."

Thanos looked at you closely. He studied every contour of your face. His right hand fought the urge to cup your cheek and pull you closer to him.

You traced the wound on his left arm and straightened your back, fully aware of his intense gaze on you. 

"Mr Thanos…,"

"Mr Dione, please," he interrupted you.

"Mr Thanos," you asserted, "This wound has been reopened by a knife. And judging by the angle of the cut, I think it was you who did it," you stared at his eyes.

He whispered your name, "I just wanted to see you again."

"It's Dr (Y/N) for you," you spoke sharply, "I will fix this wound now. But if you inflict harm upon yourself again, then I will not be able to help you."

Thanos saw you grab your kit and come near him, "I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"I don't think there was any foot involved, Mr Thanos. The only things that were involved were a gun and my palm on Maw's cheek."

He chuckled softly at the memory. He loved the fire burning in your eyes. He wanted to see what would you look like burning up on his bed, riding waves of pleasure with him.

"Let me make it very clear, because people like you need to get everything spelled out for them," the venom dripping from your words brought his attention back to you, "I do not want to be involved with you Mr Thanos. I have no intention of being a mobster's trophy girlfriend. If you are really thankful for what I did, then you will leave me alone and never set a foot in this hospital again. Have I made myself clear?" you stared at his hungry eyes as you finished bandaging him.

Nobody on the entire planet, not even the President himself, dared to speak with Thanos in that tone. And here you were, staring him down as if he was worthless. It only made him hungrier, knowing that claiming you would be the sweetest reward he can give himself.

…

The rest of the week was thankfully uneventful for you. On Saturday night, you slowly climbed the stairs to your floor, feeling relieved. At least you had the whole of tomorrow to relax. 

Reaching your apartment, you found the door unlocked. You stepped backwards, deciding to call the police from your building's security office. 

Just then, your door swung open and a smiling Thanos cheerfully greeted you, "Welcome home doctor! Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you take a relaxing hot bath? I have already filled your tub with warm water."

After the exhausting week you had, you had never expected to find Thanos in your home, cooking dinner and preparing a bath. All you could do was stare at him with your mouth open, his black pants draping his thighs perfectly, the blue shirt hugging his muscled arms and torso as if second skin and to top it all, he was wearing your apron, the one with the cute pandas on it. The apron didn't even cover the distance between what you guessed were his nipples.  

"I am not Thanos. I am Dione," he voice sounded sincere, "You asked Thanos to leave you alone, not Dione."

You barely felt his touch as he held your palm, again astonished at how gentle this huge beast of a man can be. 

He locked the door behind you, took your purse and coat and knelt to untie your shoelaces. You jumped back at that gesture, finally coming to your senses. "What… what are you doing?" you managed to ask.

He looked up at you, "Wouldn't you be more comfortable if your shoes were removed?" 

"No."

"No?" Thanos asked.

"Yes, I mean no. No, I meant what…"

Thanos shook his head, amused as he reached down to untie your shoes, ignoring your protests. He got up slowly, his body a mere inch away from yours. He held your eyes with his as he reached behind your head, unclipping your hair. He stood mesmerized as your hair fell down your shoulders, his hand massaging the spot where they were bunched up on your scalp. 

You purred at his ministrations, your eyes suddenly widening as you heard the sound escape your lips. He let you move back as you held his gaze. Why did he have to be so goddamn attractive?! 

You closed your eyes. No he's a mobster. You cannot be involved with him. No. No. No. Control yourself.

After that evening, you saw Thanos, (or Dione, you didn't really care) everyday in your home. You saw him first thing in the morning as he cooked you a hearty breakfast, and the last person for the day when he made dinner and tucked you in your bed.

You opened your eyes. You can do this. "Thanos and Dione are the same person. I don't want to be involved with you. Leave. Right now," you half-heartedly snarled, reaching for the door. But he put a hand on the lock first, stopping you. 

"They aren't the same person. Thanos would never cook for anyone, even for himself. He wouldn't tolerate your disrespectful tone and arrogance. But I am. I want to-"

"Excuse me? Arrogance?" you cocked an eyebrow, "Do you realise the amount of shit I have had to go through after I operated on you? The FBI, CBI, Police and God knows what came pounding down my doors, accusing me of harbouring and aiding a criminal."

"I am well aware," he admitted tersely, "I have made sure that you will not be bothered again."

Your eyes widened as his words sunk in, "Did you kill them?" you whispered, your hands immediately flying to your mouth.

"I didn't," he stated.

A frown formed on your face as you tried to unpack his confession. "Did Thanos get them killed?" you asked with purpose.

Just then, the oven's timer chimed. "Ahh, dinner is ready. I made your favourite lasagna. There's also garlic bread and a cucumber mint salad. Do you still want to take a bath before dinner?" he asked casually as if he hadn't murdered a squad of officers. 

Sensing your hesitation, he came over to you, and stepped in your space, "Give me a chance," he urged, "I am not the monster they paint me to be. Allow me to show you who Dione is. Let me cherish you. I promise, as long as I am with you, I will not indulge in any criminal activity. Please. Give us a chance," he finished earnestly, taking both your palms in his hands.

You slowly raised your eyes to meet his, breathing in his luscious, musky scent. His hand caressed your cheek, weaving through your hair as he pulled you closer, delicately. His soft exhale on your lips weakened your knees. But he stopped. The handsome bastard was waiting for you to come closer. 

"I will walk a 1000 steps to reach you," he whispered quietly, "if you just take one towards me."

His other hand started a torturous journey up your arm, his touch feather light. His thumb slowly traced the outline of your bottom lip, coming to rest behind your head. 

For a second, you were lost in his ministrations. For a second, you wanted to give in to the stillness of the night. 

But a loud crash, and a woman's blood-curdling scream interrupted your peace. You jumped, looking in the direction of the noise. Thanos followed your gaze and smiled. He hummed with satisfaction, "Where were we?"

You shook out of his gentle grip and headed towards the direction of the commotion. As you peered down your window, you let out a scream. Down on the road, the body of a SWAT agent was sprawled on top of an indented car. It seemed as if he had fallen off the top of your neighbouring building. 

Coming up behind you, Thanos vowed, "I would never engage in illegal activities when I am with you. But Thanos will destroy the world if that's what it takes to protect you."

…

Breakfast in Milan, luncheons in Athens and late night hot chocolate in Paris was enough to sway even the most heartless of the human beings. But you were still on your toes, waiting for this dream to turn into an ugly nightmare. 

That wasn't all. He started buying you groceries, and even basic amenities like toothpaste and hairbrush. Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head when you saw that he had even replenished your tampons.

For all his drawbacks, you couldn't ignore the fact that he never touched you without your consent. He treated you with respect, and cared for you as if you were made with glass. Some nights, when you came home unbelievably late, he was ready to massage your aching feet, while patiently listening to you rant about your day.

The time you spent with him almost felt domesticated. But you knew it was borrowed. Time went by and you started accompanying him on his trips as he refused to let you stay behind. You saw very little of Maw on these trips. Instead his other henchwoman, Proxima, was assigned to you. 

"What is holding you back?" he asked you one day, as he brought dinner to your room in Venice, overlooking the city. "I have expressed my love for you in as many ways as I could," his eyes roamed over your body, "I think I have managed to strike the perfect balance between Thanos and Dione. I have done good on my promise to make sure you never see the ugly side of my business. Then why do you still refuse to come to me?"

You looked at him with a frown, "What makes you think I do not see the ugly side of your business? Do you know the amount of drug overdose cases we get in a day?"

Thanos looked out the window, "All those people are aware of the ill-effects of drugs. If they still choose to take it, then how does that make me the villain? Somebody else will sell the drugs if I don't."

"Really? That's your justification? So you owe nothing to the people whose lives are destroyed by your drugs and guns? What about the poor? The young who are addicted to your substance?" you argued in an accusing tone.

"I donate 10% of my earnings to them. But I can't help everyone," he justified.

Thanos chewed in silence as he considered your words, "Will you give yourself to me if I donate half of my wealth?" he looked at you after a few moments.

"10% is not even a dip in your ocean of riches Dione. You want to talk about striking a balance? Then donate 50% of your wealth to those who actually need the money. Auction off your antiques, your collectibles. Build schools, donate to NGOs, be good and help the people, the portion of the society who needs you the most," you tried to convince him.

You softly pushed your plate away, "No amount of charity can justify the killings Dione."

As Thanos gripped his fork tighter at your words, you swore you saw the metal bend. "I have to do what needs to be done to protect you. Even if it means spilling the blood of a few agents of the law. Do you think they will protect you from me? You are nothing but a source of information for them. As soon as they are done with you they will toss you aside like useless garbage. Your identity, your entire life will be erased from the record. You don't want me to protect you like that? Okay. Then what would you have me do?" he demanded an answer.

You met his gaze, your silence filling the conversation with words.

"I cannot just quit. I have spent my whole life building this empire and I am not about to give it up," he claimed through gritted teeth.

"But what did it cost you?" It was your turn to surprise him with your question. 

"Everything," he admitted, "and more. But this was all I have ever had. There was no reason for me to leave this-"

"You do have a reason now," you interrupted him. 

You dragged your chair towards Thanos and sat beside him. Placing a hand on his heart, you kept your eyes on him. "You have a reason now," you repeated in a whisper. 

You saw a myriad of emotions cross his eyes. Taking advantage of his astonishment, you kissed his shoulder and rested your forehead on it. You felt his heart beating faster. 

Thanos was glad your head was on his shoulder, as he didn't want you to see the tears in his eyes. This was the first time you had initiated any form of affection towards him. He held your hand, the one on his heart, and kissed it with a promise.

…

Officer Natasha Romanoff hurried towards Steve Rogers' office. She entered without knocking. 

"Hey there! Knock before you-" Tony Stark, the Weapons Contacter tried to speak before Natasha cut him short.

"Steve, you need to hear this," Natasha looked at him. 

In the last few months, thanks to Steve's bravery in the shoot-out with Thanos's men, he had been promoted to the highest ranking covert field agent at the FBI. 

Steve nodded, requesting Tony to reschedule the meeting. As soon as they had the privacy, Natasha filled him in on the news. "Thanos is donating 50% of his wealth to charities and NGOs across the country. He's moving with his girl to Mauritius."

"He's building a new base there?" Steve cocked an eyebrow.

"No, he's retiring. If he gets on that plane then we will lose him forever."

"Hmmm," he considered her words, "I have a plan."

…

Thanos had advised you against going back to your apartment, arguing that all of your stuff was already packed and on the way to the flight. But you were relentless. You had to go back to retrieve a piece of your legacy which you were sure his men must have missed. 

He watched in amazement as you removed the photo frame from your wall and tore the wallpaper, revealing a cavity inside. 

You retrieved a box, wiping the dust off of it. Walking towards Thanos, you opened the box to reveal 6 rings. "These belonged to my grandfather. He always believed that there are six traits that make a man. He gave me these rings on his deathbed, and asked me to pass it on to the man who I deemed worthy." Pointing to the ring with the purple stone, you recited your grandfather's words, "Be with a man who commands Power," yellow stone- "But make sure he has a kind Soul," orange stone- "He should be able to read your Mind," green stone- "However, he must know the value of Time," red stone- "He should be able to accept his Reality," and lastly, the blue stone- "But, he should give you the world, the galaxy, the entire Space, if need be."

Holding out the box for him, you presented him with the rings. You smiled indulgently as you wiped his tears. He took your hand in his, kissing your fingers, your palm, your wrist. You laughed as he hugged your hand, "This is the second most precious gift I have ever been given."

You tilted your head, puzzled, "What is the most precious gift?"

"You."

…

Steve saw you and Thanos exit the building, hand in hand like two lovestruck teenagers. "Team Alpha, if you have a clear shot take it. But do not fatally wound him. We need him alive. I repeat, we need him alive. Team Omega, standby for the extraction. Team Beta, grab the First Aid Kit as soon as the Patient is hit" he commanded into the walkie-talkie using their codewords for you and Thanos.

"You still haven't told me where are we going," you pouted slightly as you walked towards the car. "Patience love, all in good time," Thanos smiled down at you. "This is White Wolf Team Alpha, firing in 3...2...," Bucky spoke in his earpiece.

"Wherever we are going, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you," you spoke. "...1." You suddenly turned to face Thanos, and started walking backwards, your hand still in his. 

The bullet pierced the space above your heart, before colliding with Thanos's bulletproof vest. Gunshots reduced to dull thuds around you as you collapsed in Thanos's arms, your blood staining his shirt. 

You didn't notice when he carried you to the car. You didn't notice the speeding car coming to a halt. All you could hear was his panicked voice, and feel his pounding heart.

"Maw why are we stopping?" Thanos screamed at his henchman.

"Sire, there is a traffic jam ahead. We can't take any other route. There are rows of cars behind us. We are trapped," he said regretfully.

"I don't care! Kill them all, clear the road with explosives. She needs to get to a hospital NOW!" Thanos's voice boomed as panic gripped his heart.

"Sire we can't use explosives, the road might cave in. Proxima is arranging for a mobile hospital as we speak. They should be here soon," Maw spoke with hope.

Cradling you in his arms, Thanos pushed your hair back from your face, "Stay with me. Please stay with me. Don't leave me now. Please… no…"

"Hey," you managed to say in a cracked voice as tears escaped his eyes, "Dione," he looked at you, "I will... always be with you... my love," you struggled to caress his cheek as he held your arm. 

"Please please please no," he pleaded.

You gasped as a new jolt of pain ran through your body, "I… I love you… Di… Dione," you smiled.

A heart-wrenching scream escaped Thanos as he held your lifeless body. His anguish lost in the traffic of vehicles blaring their horns.

…

"Sire," Maw's voice broke Thanos from his reverie. He turned to look at the box in Maw's hand. In the dim light of his room, he opened the lid to see the severed head of James Buchanan Barnes. 

"Steve Rogers has gone underground sire, but we will soon find him," Maw promised. 

"He is not the real problem Maw," Thanos turned back to the window, "Do you remember what the doctor had said? If we would have gotten her to the hospital in time, she would have been alive today."

He paused, looking down the crowded city before him, "She died because we couldn't get her to the hospital earlier. What had caused the traffic jam?"

"Two cars had gotten into an accident, which caused a pile up on the road," Maw explained.

"That pile up wouldn't have occurred 10 years ago. In the last 2 decades, there has been a population boom which has ended up putting a strain on resources. Governments across the world are refusing to tackle this problem and in fact, are boastful of the increase in their population." As if on cue, he saw large groups of people fill up the sidewalk as hundreds of cars poured onto the road, everybody eager to reach home after their workday.

"What do you mean sire?"

"The scales of the world have been tipped unevenly, Maw. Balance needs to be restored to the order of the planet. The rich can't have an endless supply of luxury while the poor scramble for basic sustenance. She was right, we need to help the poor, but we can't wipe out those in power completely."

Thanos looked at the setting sun with determination, "It is time to kill half of humanity."

Maw inhaled sharply, "Sire! How would we manage-"

"The drugs," said Thanos simply, "50% of our cargo will contain lethal drugs till we achieve our target. Distribute it randomly throughout our supply chain for the next 6 months."

Maw paused for a moment. The severity of this crime left him dumbstruck. "Sire," he spoke at last, "She wouldn't have wanted this."

Thanos looked at the 6 rings on his fingers. "She wanted to live Maw. But she couldn't. She always tried to help people as much as she could. This is the only way we can fulfill her wish, by helping people across the globe."

"By killing people across the globe," Maw meekly argued.

"You kill everyday for a living Maw. Why has this idea turned your silver tongue into a knot?"

He could only gulp in response.

"The world needs correction Maw. Now more than ever. The lethal drugs should be shipped from tomorrow onwards. I would find it unpleasant to feed your body to our dogs, if you fail your duty," Thanos' thinly veiled threat hung in the air like a sword. 

Maw bowed down, "As my sire wishes," and left the room in quite a hurry.

Thanos walked towards your painting on the wall opposite to his bed, the only ornamentation in his otherwise desolate room. 

"You will see my love," he cooed, "we will see the sun rise on a grateful world together."

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Permanent tag: @donutloverxo

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[lilallama]

(Sorry if I spell something wrongly lol) Idk, This is my opinion? Gryffindor, Jungkook. Hufflepuff, Taehyung & Yoongi. Ravenclaw, Namjoon & Jin. Slytherin, Jimin & Hobi??? I literally just searched the meaning of each house and just picked one based on the personality shown. Also, If you don't think this matches them, Sorry ;-;

[Don't worry, sweetie ^^. You don't have to apologise! 💕🍑]

Hoseok is a lot more two faced than I actually tend to show. The way he presents himself is mostly a mask. While he seems mostly calm on the outside, he's actually quite the opposite on the inside. Out of all the boys it'd be easiest for him to manipulate/influence Y/n (@bangtans-apollo Tae is quacking-) and he's aware of that. That's one of the reasons why they started the club 1. To protect Y/n, 2. The club concept came because it'd be easier to meet up and they would automatically get a clubroom and 3. Hoseok threatened to tell on them if they don't join, he'd make Y/n despise each one of them.

He is a strong leader (one of the Slytherin traits), I try to make him resourceful (but I am not myself so that might not shine through too much), he is definitely cunning. The whole ordeal with wanting to be with Y/n no matter what is pretty ambitious, I'd say. And lastly the traditionalism trait, he is very into tradition and has to keep his domestic fantasies with Y/n a secret. His parents raised him very traditional, he would hate it if (female) Y/n would ask him out first or would propose first and would at first frown upon his attention to (male or non binary) Y/n.

All in all Slytherin seems very accurate.

Now concerning Jimin; similar to Hoseok he too can be a two faced snake. He doesn't hide his true thoughts from Y/n or the boys, if anything he overshares sometimes (one time he started talking to Taehyung about some... rather inappropriate things concerning Y/n. That got his Y/n privilege taken away for a whole month). And despite practically pleading to be the "dumb bimbo" stereotype, he is surprisingly clever and intelligent. Before Highschool, before he made his first experiences with popular boys, he was a straight A's and B's student. Yet once he had his first boyfriend, he discovered that the people surrounding him typically preferred the dumb blondes. (He actually broke up with the captain of the football team for Y/n.)

He also sometimes displays ambitious, just in a whiney sort of way. Self preservation is definitely something. Unlike Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon or Jeongguk, he wouldn't let himself be killed for Y/n's sake. If Y/n were to be killed he would end up deluding himself into thinking a person who looks similar to them is them and would force Y/n's personality and style on them. Cunningness is 100% accurate. He's fake. He pretends to be a silly sweetheart who loves everyone but will spread rumours about you, blame things on you etc. and everyone believes him. His cunningness concerning Y/n is more whiney than anything.

So I do think Jimin fits Slytherin.

Namjoon was raised by strict parents who forbade him a tremendous amount of things and painted his world for him. It was engraved in his head, he was going to be the CEO of their company one day. Yet despite everything he still had a head of his own. Maye it was because if his high IQ that he understood that his parents weren't the only opinion in his life. Don't get me wrong, they still left him scarred (sadly literally, as his father once hit him bloody) and traumatised but not without a mind of his own. Ever since he was small creativity and originality was something he admired and loved. It was partly reason of why he fell for Y/n, their individuality, their mind, their heart, their soul.

We will not need to discuss intelligence, it's a trait he undoubtedly has. He is always willing to learn and showed interest in many different things before Y/n captured his focus. He is most likely one of the wisest members as he is aware of how twisted his love for them truly is (once again something I tend to fail at portraying) and tried to stop it when it started. But somehow that only made everything worse and by now he doesn't care anymore at all. When he was a child he used to be more openly curious than nowadays (as it caused him many punishments from his parents).

I feel that Namjoon would fit Ravenclaw.

Seokjin was spoiled all his life. His parents adored him, other kids adored him, everyone adored him. While he might've acted oblivious he knew that it's because of his money. Similar to Jimin, Seokjin changed when he entered high school. While he always was a pretty intelligent and well behaved student (still very arrogant though) he then became less concerned with studies and once made a teacher cry (that was before he met Y/n). He loves standing out as an individual, that includes making anyone change who crosses his path with the same outfit (not in school as they wear a school uniform. But outside, yes, he has that much power. Everyone knows Kim Seokjin).

As said before, Seokjin is far from stupid. He is a very intelligent individual but doesn't show the extent of his nolage. Instead aiming for a cool "Queen B" persona. He is witty with his comebacks (something I cannot write because I do not possess that superpower), he's quick with his words. He holds respect for people who are 60+ years old as he believes they've been through a lot in life already. These people have wisdom he could only gain by experience and that he respects (there is one very sweet lady that lives alone in a very big mansion a few streets away from his penthouse. He always visits her because he loves her genuine kindness. When he met Y/n she recently passed away and he saw a part of her in them).

Seokjin could qualify for a Ravenclaw.

Taehyung was raised by a very Christian family that he still cherishes very much. Because of their intense belief he was raised to worship. He never fell in love, so when Y/n crossed paths with his, he started showing love how he's used to it (Out of all the boys Taehyung is straight up insane. Something in his brain might be wired wrong, there is no explanation on why he likes them, on why he believed that's what love is because his parents treated him with normal, familiar love. So he is simply sick, there is no "saving" him. He's better of in a mental hospital). But he was always a very kind boy. Giving instead of taking, never wanting anything in return. Out of everyone, Taehyung was the one who welcomed new students and made tons of friends. But he grew out of it as his focus turned to art. He aimed to make his parents proud so he didn't have time for friends.

His loyalty is unlike any other. You could torture him half dead and he'd still forgive you, stay loyal to you, serve you. He is Y/n's servant. He works hard on improving his artistic abilities and also to maintain fairly good grades. For Y/n any labour he'd have to be put through would seem like a blessing. Another trait for Hufflepuff would be fairness and he surely is fair. As one of the least jealous members of the club he really only cares if Y/n's okay with what's happening or could get hurt (he always kets the other members have more privileges than he has because he believes it'd be not only greedy but prideful to want Y/n to hinself. He avoids any sin when it comes to Y/n, envy, wrath, pride, sloth, nothing will ever come near his modern day Jesus).

Taehyung definitely is a Hufflepuff.

If the boy who works two parttime jobs, to pay for rent, bills and food, cleans the shabby apartment by himself because his alcoholic mother is busy messing it up again, yet still treats his mother with kindness, only to be treated like trash by seven more powerful and successful guys in his school who all like the same person he does and still manages to maintain the position as intern and honour roll student at a prestigious school for roch people, isn't in Hufflepuff then I don't know what. This poor soul is incredibly sensitive and kind. He isn't judgemental (as he himself is used to people judging him). All round very sweet.

I think it's very clear that he's very diligent and hard working. He holds great passion for music and enjoys writing poetry, a very sensitive soul. Yoongi isn't someone to complain about something being unfair (cough cough Jimin cough cough) or try and steal Y/n away from them. His day dreams consist of imagining Y/n liking him back, but he is certain that would never happen (according to you guys, it seems a lot of you would pick Yoongi if you'd get to decide). Not only is Yoongi kind but loyal as well, he'd never imagine leaving anyone behind even his useless mother.

Yoongi is 1000% a Hufflepuff.

Jeongguk tends to be hot tempered, he goes from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds. Everything in life seems like a challenge to prove he's better than others think (his father was a notorious serial killer who killed twenty one people yet got away with a ten year prison sentence and got released after six, ten months later Jeongguk was born). In truth he did not care for anyone else, only Y/n. So all tge chivalry he could muster was directed at them.

He is one brave guy who doesn't get easily scared (I guess living with as well as being a serial killer at sixteen years old desensitised him). Jeongguk is courageous just not in/for a positive way/purpose. He deluted himself into thinking that Y/n needs protection, HIS protection. He once attacked a teacher because they were helping Y/n with a question, that's very daring (more like stupid) just not in a good way. A (still not) more positive example of his daringness is when he wants to impress Y/n. He hung from a skyscraper for five minutes doing pullups, just to inpress them. One time he also jumped across his luxurious pool at home (and almost slipped, almost bashing his head in) just to prove that he can jump further than someone they talked about.

I could very much picture him as a Griffendor.

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