#carried book 1 with me everywhere I went

[nat-seal-well]

Going back to my roots*

*rereading Kingkiller Chronicle and whispering lines and quotes I come across that I memorized years ago and will carry with me for the rest of my life

[hellfirenacht]

Anomaly Part 3

Summary: You can talk to anyone in school with no problem. At least, anyone who’s not named Eddie Munson.

Tags: Anxious-ish!Reader but not shy, one sided pining, no use of y/n, fem!reader, one sided enemies to lovers, fem!reader

2.4k Words

Part 1, Part 2, Master List

Miles Cooper was still at school the following week, which meant that he was given no consequences for what had happened to you or for blaming Eddie. 

Eddie couldn’t even say he was surprised by this point. If Eddie really had been the one to trip you up, he was sure he’d get suspended or even expelled. It was so close to the end of the year and he could feel that Higgins was looking for any reason to keep him from walking across that stage to get his diploma. 

You hadn’t shown up on Monday. Not that it mattered to Eddie either way, you two didn’t even know each other. But you had cleared his name. That was the thought that kept buzzing around his brain like a mosquito that he just couldn’t swat. Despite the glares and the snide remarks, you had gone out of your way to make sure that he didn’t get in trouble for something he didn’t do, which is more than what he could say for a lot of people at this school.

He had to give you credit for that at least. Not many people outside of his small friend circle would stick up for him like that. 

With work and band practice, it was easy to forget about you until Wednesday when you showed up to English class with a thick white cast around your wrist and arm. Shit, your fall really had done a number on you. You were struggling with juggling your books and they fell off your desk with a clatter, and you thanked the girl next to you for helping you pick them up. 

Eddie would like to think he was above eavesdropping and gossip, but he’d be wrong. 

“What happened?” The girl- Sarah- asked. 

“I face planted on the bleachers at the pep rally.” you said, taking your seat again. “One minute I was trying to get down, and the next I’m getting elbowed and my arm hurt.” 

“I heard someone pushed you” 

Eddie heard that emphasis on someone and gripped his pencil, hearing the subtle sound of wood splintering against his thumb. This was not the time to make a scene. 

“No one pushed me. Miles elbowed me and I fell.” you said firmly. 

You were still defending him, Eddie wasn’t sure how to feel. 

“If you’re gonna spread rumors, could you do me a favor and make it sound more interesting?” You continued, “Like, start telling people that I dived off the bleachers to distract everyone that Miles shit himself.”

Eddie snorted loudly before he could stop himself. He slammed his hand pencil down on the table and covered his mouth. Dammit, why did you have to be funny?

Sarah laughed, much less obnoxiously and agreed before asking to sign your cast. You must be covered in signatures now, as you seemed to be friends with everyone. 

Everyone except him. 

Not that it mattered. 

It was nice and all that you saved him from getting in trouble, but it’s not like you two were ever going to be friends, no matter how funny you were. 

Class started and Eddie spent the rest of class doodling and barely paying attention to the teacher. This was usually how his school days went. Yeah, he had been trying harder in the past two years to graduate and pass his classes but some days his brain just refused to focus on anything important. 

The bell rang and Eddie took his sweet time getting his things together. Next period was his favorite- lunch. 

“Shit.” He heard you mumble as you tried to wrangle your books with one arm. He knew there was a rule about not being allowed to carry around a backpack but, shit, Eddie would have thought you’d get some help. Shouldn’t one of those many signatures be offering to carry your books? 

Obviously not, as you finally managed to tuck your notebook under your arm. You looked flustered, and hot in the face. Your brows were furrowed in concentration and you finally let out a loud groan as your papers went flying everywhere as students for the next class started coming in. 

It was pathetic, and Eddie couldn’t exactly leave you stranded. You cleared his name, so at least he could try and help you out right now. Maybe he’d even figure out what your problem with him was. 

“Here.” Eddie said and grabbed the papers closest to him and picked up your binder before you could stop him. 

Normally when Eddie looked at you, you’d turn your nose up at him and look away. This time, he found himself giving you direct eye contact. Your eyes were wide with surprise that he had stepped in to help, followed by more frustration. 

“Thanks.” you said shortly. 

“Need help getting to the lunch room?” Eddie asked. He’d wait for you to say no, to tell him to get out of your face, and he can walk away with a clear conscience that at least he tried. 

You were staring at him as if he were some sort of alien who had just asked you why the sky wasn’t orange. Yeah ok, he could take the hint. 

“Yes.” 

The word sounded choked out, as if the single syllable was a struggle to say. But you had said it, and Eddie was a man of his word, even though he hadn’t promised you anything. 

Eddie stacked your notebook and binder on top of his. You were still staring at him as if you couldn’t believe he was talking to you. Eddie couldn’t really believe it himself. 

He’d do this small favor for you as a thanks, and then you two could go back to ignoring each other. 

“Lead the way.” He said, offering up his best impression of his dad’s smile. If he was lucky (which Eddie never was) then maybe some of his dad’s Munson Magic might rub off on him enough so that you’d at least relax a little. 

You only nodded and led him out of the classroom. 

You didn’t like the cast and it’s off-putting stark white bandages. You wanted to choose a different color- maybe red or black or even that weird obnoxious toxic green that was offered to you. But your mom decided that white would be better because it would make it easier to sign, so white it was. 

Your parents at least took pity on you Monday, letting you stay home to wallow in embarrassment that you had broken your wrist and fractured your arm in front of all of your classmates. Tuesday they released you back to school, but you had instead skipped getting on the bus (because you could not drive one-handed) and played hooky at the local library. It’s not like anyone would care that someone your age was skipping school. 

Wednesday came, and you forced yourself onto the bus, the first time you had used it since moving to Hawkins. The ride was bumpy and long, and your walkman ran out of batteries halfway to school. 

It wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. A few people came up and signed your cast, some asking what happened. You just told them the same thing, that Miles elbowed you and you fell. It wasn’t as exciting as the idea of the school Freak attacking you, but you weren’t about to get Eddie involved in something that he had nothing to do with. You were just going to ignore the fact that Eddie had been the reason you were heading in that direction anyway. 

English class rolled around, and you spent most of it poking the inside of your cast with your pencil, trying to scratch an itch that just wouldn’t go away. It was bad enough that you had fucked up your dominant arm, but this was actually Hell. 

When the bell rang, everyone else seemed to be in a huge rush to get out of the classroom. Everyone but Eddie. Obviously. Because of course the one person you were trying to avoid was now slinking around you. 

Your long weekend, you had done your best to try and not think about him. You could handle falling in front of everyone else in school, but with Eddie it was different. Your stomach twisted as you remembered how he had yelled as you fell next to him and how he had looked at you as you had ignored your stinging arm as you ran out of the gym to clear his name. 

It was bad enough he had heard you make a poor joke out of context, you weren’t going to throw him under the bus either. 

“Need help getting to the lunch room?”

Your face was already hot with the embarrassment of not being able to carry your own books. Your backpack had ripped the second you got off the bus, and you lost your math homework to a puddle. You hated that he was still here to begin with, was breaking your wrist already not enough pain and suffering? 

You were staring at him. Fuck- dammit- shit say something back-

“Yes.” 

The word almost got stuck in your throat. The only reason it came out was that as painful and embarrassing as this moment was, what Stacy would do to you if she found out you said no would be far worse. 

Eddie dropped your books on top of his, and gave you a smile that looked so forced that you couldn’t stand to look at him. Was this being done just out of pity? You’d run for the hills if he wasn’t holding you binder hostage. 

You led him through the hallway, and towards your locker. “I need to put some things up.” you said, and he followed you. 

The hallway was already mostly clear, and so no one seemed to pay you much mind. You weren’t sure what the rumor mill would churn out with Eddie carrying your books, but did it even matter? Two more months and you’d be out of this school and none of these people would matter. 

No one except the young man following behind you. 

Eddie dutifully held your books as you put them away. The door to your locker stopped you from seeing his face, which seemed like the perfect time to take the foot out of your mouth that had been there since the pep rally. 

“...I’m... uh... I’m sorry for what I said on Friday.” you started, pretending to rifle through a folder. “About you being in a cult. It was a stupid joke and I shouldn’t have said it.”

Eddie was quiet for a moment, and you felt your whole body tense up as you waited for him to say anything. 

“Yeah we uh.. We aren’t big on sacrificing in Hellfire.” he said carefully. “Had to stop that with the club budget cuts.” 

You had to bite the inside of your cheek and close your eyes tight to keep from laughing. You covered it up with a cough. “Yeah uh... sounds like that’d be a lot of paperwork.” 

You took a slow and deep breath before closing your locker to look at him. He was smiling at you, a far less forced one than before. It was almost the same smile he gave his friends when he didn’t know you were looking. 

It wasn’t much, but it didn’t stop the butterflies from exploding in your chest. You should see a doctor about that. 

“Oh yeah, tons.” Eddie said. “And with all the letters we get about our club being associated with the Devil it was just a bureaucratic headache.”

I know that if I could just talk to him one then I’d be fine. You had told yourself that every single day since these pesky little feelings emerged. Maybe you had been right. The two of you made your way to the cafeteria. 

“You’re just some nerds playing with dice.” you said, and realize that could be taken the wrong way. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve also... played board games.” 

God you were acting like a total airhead. Board games? Really? You were acting like your brain was broken rather than your wrist. 

You felt Eddie’s eyes on you, and saw how he also looked unsure about your answer. Whatever was going through his head, he brushed aside. 

“I should also thank you for clearing my name.” he said, changing the subject. “You came running out of the gym and saved my ass.” 

“I wasn’t going to let someone get in trouble just because I fell!” It was the most assured thing you had ever said to Eddie.

“Well, either way I’d say you’re my hero.” Eddie said. “I’m pretty sure if you hadn’t come running to my rescue I’d probably be expelled by now, and then who would be around to corrupt the youth of Hawkins?” 

Hero. Eddie called you his hero. You felt your body buzzing with an energy that you were not in a place to use. 

You two were in the cafeteria now, and you led Eddie over to where Stacy was sitting. Stacy, being the queen of subtlety that she was, was openly gawking at the sight of the two of you together. 

She was giving you a look, and that look said that the second that Eddie was out of earshot you would be giving her a play by play of every single second of this interaction. 

Eddie dropped your books on the table by Stacy.

“Hi, Eddie!” she said in a perky voice. You wanted to kick her, and shot her a warning look which she ignored. “Will you be dining with us today?” 

You wanted to rip your hair out. 

“As much as I would love to spend my lunch period with you two ladies, I’m afraid my freshmen wouldn’t survive out there in the wild without me.” Eddie gave a dramatic bow. 

“Thank you. For helping me.” you said stiffly. Being on the receiving end of Eddie’s theatrics was making your brain blow a fuse. 

Eddie gave you a nod and sauntered off to his usual table where he was immediately hounded by his friends for being seen with you. You wondered what they were thinking. Did you look weird next to Eddie? Were they judging you for not being part of their group?

“Stop drooling.” Stacy said. “Talk.”

I have never broken a bone and have done minimal googling.

Also these chapters are getting longer dammit. This is supposed to be the easy stuff to wright UGH. Also tell me if there's something you wanna see with this, because I'm winging it like I do with all my writing lol

Tag List: @eddiemunsonfuxks @kirsteng42 @strangereads @pedroschka @generoustrashpeach

@sheneedsrocknroll92 @cyanfairywren @crocworkships @tomtomslongdong @aphrogeneias

@ghcstpyre @totheforestandtheocean @stevekeeryswife @dreamyyy222222 @ajnerdess

@sp1dyb0y1008 @projectcampbell @emxxblog @thebadbatchfan

@transparentenemypenguin @ghoulsgraveyard @spread-the-hope @exploding-bonbon @paleidiot

@2spock @c14r3v1b3srs @yujyujj @saramelaniemoon @morganlolitta

@veemoon @mrsrdlw @eddieheart @bambibiest @mylovelycrazyworld

@sassidykassidy @cultish-corner @thedoubleexposurephotography @bambibiest @wheels-of-despair

[sofs16]

our trust

part 1: a paddock day , part 2: our leclerc win, part 3: our love in photos, part 4: our home, part 5: ripples in our love

#TAGLIST : @autumn-bitch7 @raevyng @luvvtrent @boherahpsody @treehouse-mouse @chasing-liberosis @celestialams @cherry-piee @stevesthetics @ilovechickenwings

the night of the fight, charles was slapped with the harsh reality you had left as he entered your shared home.

usually, you would provide him with delicious food you cooked by the time he was home. now, he had to walk next block to pick up some food. though he could just order, he opted not to wallow on the couch and take the 5 minute walk.

the first thing that stood out to him as he entered was your shoes. white stilettos you’d wear on your date nights, beige sandals you wore practically everywhere, and the adidas shoes he had gotten your for your anniversary with a strawberry keychain, your favorite.

he stared back at the empty coat hanger where yours was, usually. then he made his way to the living room, no blanket of yours was there or those little stuffed toys he had grown to love and appreciate over the last few months.

making his way to the dining or kitchen area, it was only set for one. he sat down staring at your seat. the same seat where he had pleaded you to stay.

after eating, he made it back to your shared room. the things he noticed at first glance was baffling. no salt lamp you loved so dearly, no fluffy blanket you loved, no slippers beside the bed, your skincare products all gone, your jewelry box missing from your bedside table, and many more.

he saw your closet halved of what it was. he sighed and took his pajamas before entering the bathroom and feeling the hole in his chest grow deeper. he had done this to himself.

he settled in your side of the bed, hoping to feel the last ounce of you. scrolling on his phone, he conversed with the grid on his mistakes and what he should do. pierre had told him to march over to france and beg yn to take him back, alonso was strongly opposed to that, suggesting to charles he should give her space but also make himself known. so that’s what he did.

he texted you every time he could and also stalked every yn fanpage known to man. when he got the message you wanted to meet at baku, he held himself from screaming in excitement as he was having dinner with the grid.

y/n/n my love 😘❤️

september 10, 2024

y/n/n my love 😘❤️

would you mind if i went to baku this week and we talked?

sharlie brown 🫀🏎️

Of course, amour! Would you want me to pick you up at the airport?:)

september 11, 2024

y/n/n my love 😘❤️

if you’re not too busy

slr i just finished booking the flight

sharlie brown 🫀🏎️

I am never too busy for you.

y/n/n my love 😘❤️

Thennn tomorrow 9pm, pick me up?

sharlie brown 🫀🏎️

Can not wait to see you, I love you! 😘

Charles rushed out of the ferrari garage to fetch you. On the way, he was starting to worry if ‘and we talked’ would mean you were ending it with him.

He saw you sitting on your luggage outside the airport. He smiled at the sight of you and immediately went out of the car.

It wasn’t easy to not spot Charles as he pulled up in his Ferrari all red attire and his fancy car. You stood up, he hugged you tightly, and you smiled at the familiar feeling. “I missed you so much, amour. Are you okay? How was the flight?”

“I-“ You were cut off as many fans approached you both. Charles was quick to bring you in the car and your luggages and carry ons. A fan asked him to sign a Lightning McQueen shirt and you couldn’t help but laugh, making Charles smile.

The drive wasn’t awkward at all. Charles put on your favorite songs and asked little questions about your time away from him.

You mentioned how you discovered a new restaurant he would love in Nice and should go together.

Charles’ heart sped up at the idea you thought of him in places like restaurants and you wanted to go places with him. It gave him hope your conversation would end positively.

you sat criss crossed on the bed after changing and looked at Charles. “i- I really missed you, Charles” you confessed as he smiled “I missed you more than words can explain it, belle” he replied

no matter how many times you had rehearsed this on the plane, your feelings were confused. you sighed and laid your head on charles’ lap as he stroked your hair.

“i still wanna be with you charles, of course i do. i just… i dont know how to trust you. i need your word charles. you won’t do this to me ever again because it fucking hurts, charles leclerc. It hurts. drunk or not, i need you to control yourself, though i don’t know how you’ll control your drunk self. i cant do this again.”

“again? … i know, amour. i have been making myself better for you while you were away. i am lessening my drinking because i can not live without you. i have not even drank since you left and you are my everything, my priority, even on top of ferrari” he kissed your forehead as you smiled.

“‘kay… i missed you” you said quietly, nuzzling into his sweater. “me too, love” “get rest, you’ll do great tomorrow” “with you by my side, i hope so” he chuckled.

charles knew you wouldn’t just forget about it, so he was determined to prove to you he meant everything he said.

yn.charlesupdate

liked by 13,484 others

yn.charlesupdate PARENTS BACK TOGETHER AT BAKU AIRPORT !!!❤️❤️❤️ view all 1,484 comments

ynslife happy if they worked it out but i really hope yn doesn’t get hurt again:/

gridzfire LFG PADDOCK YN BACK AT IT AGAIN

september 12, 2024

clercspaddock

liked by yn, and 7,585 others

clercspaddock YN AT THE PADDOCK WE WON

view all 262 comments

yn what can i say, i missed u hoes 🤷🏻‍♀️

⤷ clercspaddock More than charles?

⤷ yn you’re as delusional as i used to be if u believe that babes…. but i love u guys 🫀

⤷ clercspaddock hey, i had to shoot my shot

⤷ uryn how did u just casually have a convo w yn

⤷ clercspaddock I DONT KNOW

september 13, 2024

yn’s instagram story:

“ back here ❤️”

viewed by 2,484,484 others

ynnns16

liked by yn, and 2,383 others

ynnns16 yeah maybe he cheated but u cant deny he’s in love with her. it was probably a mistake because look at how he looks when he’s talking abt her:,)

view all 47 comments

september 14, 2023

yn

liked by scuderiaferrari, charles_leclerc, and 2,597,797 others

yn YOUR SILLIEST WAG IS BACK WITH A MAN WITH POLE 🥹

view all 278,484 comments

2024leclercs yn beating the ferrari admin at the pole post 😭

charles_leclerc Je t’aime❤️ je ne peux pas vivre sans toi i love you❤️ i can’t live without you

⤷ yn 😘

⤷ landonorris has charles infected you with that emoji

⤷ yn it started as a joke but im afraid so.

⤷ charles_leclerc What is wrong with it?

fernandoalo_oficial Good to see you again 😊

⤷ yn I LOVE YOU

ynspillow did she just forgive and forget… babes..

⤷ yn againnn, we want to keep this private. but i don’t forget easily

⤷ verstappens3 as u should queen

mclaren You’d look good in orange 🍊

⤷ yn you mean papaya?

⤷ mclaren Whatever works for you! Send the address🧡

⤷ scuderiaferrari Don’t steal our girl🙁

⤷ mclaren Just sent the package of papaya shirts 😘

redbullracing Want to design new shirts for us? ❤️

⤷ yn YES

⤷ scuderiaferrari Excuse us.

⤷ yn you never asked me

⤷ scuderiaferrari Running to Charles about this.

ynsnorris LOL ADMINS FIGHTING OVER YN AND REDBULL JUST ASKS FOR A DESIGN 😭 september 14, 2024

yn’s instagram story:

yn.jpg

liked by scuderiaferrari, charles_leclerc, and 872,584 others

yn.jpg finally get to share my lil gig soon

view all 16,166 comments

charles_leclerc My talented girl ❤️

[ liked by yn.jpg ]

f1 Lets go!!! chickf1lla RED BULL TOO? WHAT

scuderiaferrari ❤️

⤷ ynclaren u guys badly need all the help u can get after that shit show while yn was gone…

⤷ yn.jpg LOLLLL

[COMMENT DELETED!]

yn that wasnt me

september 16, 2024

yn

liked by charles_leclerc, and 5,584,393 others

yn we’ve been doing this for quite some time so i’m glad i get to share it with everyone now🪷 i had an amazing time doing one of the things i love in one of my favorite places! i worked with f1 and vogue magazine for this one! the “adrenaline on track” issue is out next month🏎️❤️‍🔥🫧

view all 837,594 comments

maxverstappen1 Amazing

⤷ yn thanks max 🐙

landonorris IS THAT ME

⤷ yn dont let it inflate your ego

lewishamilton fire shots 🔥

⤷ yn thankies lewyyyyy

charles_leclerc These are as beautiful as you ❤️

⤷ yn are u calling my shots ugly

⤷ charlando LMAOAOAOA YN STOP

⤷ charles_leclerc What, No! I am saying you are so beautiful and out of this planet, just like these amazing photos!

charsyln yn making charles work for it as she should

voguesf1 fr though. im so happy charles and yn dated/ are dating because yn’s passions and talents are being showed to the world. everyone has talents but im just grateful we get to see her art and see her make a name for herself, not just charles’ gf

⤷ yn youre so kind:( thank you<333

⤷ voguesf1 YOURE SO KIND?? SEE THIS WOMAN IS THE RIGHT WOMAN FOR HIM AND THE WORLD TO KNOW

[liked by charles_leclerc, and 1,585 others]

⤷ stylishts lets just hope he doesn’t fuck this relationship up

[liked by yn]

september 18, 2024

love4wags

liked by 16,383 others

love4wags Yn’s old twitter account has been found and leaked. Most tweets are about F1 and her current boyfriend, Charles. The twitter account has now been deleter.

view all 4,697 comments

user this is disgusting. why are you posting something so personal here?

⤷ user1 well clearly she posted it on social media. she should’ve made her account private

⤷user3 she probably left it public so she’d get attention😂

checosbrazil “I hope the person I marry one day is not like this” ….. Um

tshoehbookss I never knew she had sm trauma…

yn hii pls take this down:)

⤷ ynsloml oh mom:(

september 19, 2024

[ THIS POST HAS BEEN ARCHIVED! ]

ynstree

liked by 5,282 others

ynsloml WHY AM I CRYING OVER A TWEET. view all 1,272 comments

f1stime Well, now we know how old she is… 5 months older than Charles!

fruitsofme notice how she always says “it’s okay” in her tweets…

september 19, 2024

yn

liked by charles_leclerc and, 1,595,393 others

yn yes, i am the type to respond to anything against me while staying unbothered, get used to it.

plssss stop sharing my old tweets! they are embarrassing and old and not up to date with who i am now or how i am. i am the happiest with charles and im in an alright relationship with my parents. i am okay and always have been so! stop! spreading! lies!i worked hard for myself to live the life i live now and im thankful for the opportunities charles has given me.

(i did not at all do this for attention as i forgot about it and thought it was private <i didnt know how to private accounts at the time>)

[COMMENTS ARE DISABLED]

september 19, 2024

ynsodddd

liked by yn, and 6,383 others

ynsodddd why has yn gotten the most shit out of all the wags. what did she ever do to yall😭😭😭 and to the ‘fans’ sharing her old tweets… BFFR!!!! this girl has gone thru sm LEAVE HER ALONE 😭

view all 1,684 comments

user1 fr why is everything just happening to her rn😭 traumatic parents, got cheated on, working with vogue, photographer, can speak like 6/7 languages????

⤷user2 what in the wattpad

⤷author what in the tumblr (;)

september 19, 2024

charles_leclerc

liked by yn, and 7,383,595 others

charles_leclerc Best way to start racing weekend❤️

[COMMENTS ARE DISABLED!]

september 19, 2024

#SOF i ran out of pics for the boarder thing but i may have gotten a little overboard with the drama.

please please share your opinions and lmk if i ruined it 😊

[written-in-flowers]

Losing Humanity: OT8 X Male!Reader Pt. 2

Pairing: Vampire!Hyunjin x Male!Reader (end game) | Side pairings: OT8 x Male!reader, Vampire!Felix x Lycan!Chan, Vampire!Minho x Lycan!Han

Genre: Angst, smut, horror | Au: Resident Evil: Village, vampires, werewolves/lycans, hybrids.

Word Count: 5k

Summary: Following a dreadful experiment, YN has to wrestle with his new body and abilities. With the help of the four lords and their sons, he might be able to find the family and purpose he'd been looking for.

Overall Tags: strangers to lovers, exes to lovers, secret romances, feuding families, omegaverse, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, graphic depictions of violence, blood and violence, mad science experiments, eventual smut, male reader fic, graphic depictions of human to monster transformations, horror, suspense. anal sex, anal fingering, loss of virginity, virgin!reader, threesome -/m/m/m, group sex, rimming, blowjobs, rough blowjobs, water sex, outdoor sex, harem but one end game, happy ending, tentacle sex, hallucinations, psychological horror

Disclaimer: These works are completely fictitious and for entertainment purposes only. They are not meant to reflect or label the members of Stray Kids in any way. The events within never took place. Thank you.

Previous < | > Next

***

‘Day 1:

Subject shows no signs of life. Rigor mortis set in overnight, and his skin is waxy and stiff. No signs of transformation or mutation. I conducted a blood test and the mold from the parasite has begun clinging to the DNA. I expected the mutation to be immediate. Mother’s journal said she saw flies around our bodies on the first day, but I have not seen a single fly in here. The only creature I’ve seen is the bat hanging over the body. It must’ve come in through a window upstairs. 

We placed Jimin in the music room this morning. His body looked beautiful, glimmering like a rare crystal in the chandelier light. None of us could stop weeping. Seeing my mother bursting into tears only made my resolve stronger. I must succeed.’

“Felix.” 

Minho’s voice caught his attention, but his thoughts immediately drowned him back out. 

“Felix,” he heard him call out again. 

The fluttering of wings came closer until Minho stood beside him. Leather clad hands rubbed across his shoulders, and massaged the tense muscles. Felix nearly melted when he felt hard thumbs gently roll the knots building between his shoulder blades. He then realized Hyunjin wasn’t with him. Usually, the Dimitrescu boys went everywhere together. But, considering the scene from this morning, he guessed Hyunjin went to comfort their mother. 

“Come upstairs,” he said in his ear, “Be with your family. The boy isn’t going anywhere.”

“I know,” he replied, finishing off his last thoughts. “I wanted to write down my observations for today.”

“And your results?”

“Inconclusive,” he sighed defeatedly, putting the book and pencil aside and turning in his seat. “He’s a corpse, but they always start off dead. I did a few tests on him, and Cadou has absorbed his DNA.”

“That’s…good?”

“Yes, that means he is more likely to come back than others before him.”

“Felix, leave the boy be,” he said, “And come upstairs. Take a break from this madness, please.”

“��This madness’ is going to save us.”

“We don’t need ‘saving’, Felix.”

“Fine…It’ll aid us.” 

“Felix-”

“-Why do you oppose this so fiercely-”

He stopped at once. Minho, glowing in the orange candlelight, still had puffy eyes and wet cheeks. Felix saw the same regret and guilt he carried reflected in Minho’s eyes. He immediately faltered. Here he was concerned over a corpse while his brother mourned in silence. Felix reached out to dry a spot right on his cheekbone, feeling the warm skin under his bare hand. He briefly recalled Minho’s quiet sobs as they stood around Jimin’s statue; he remembered his hand reaching for Felix’s in the empty, quiet room. 

“Forgive me,” Felix said softly, looking up at him. “You’re right. This isn’t important right now. Where’s Hyunjin?” 

“With Mother,” he replied, “She’s devastated. I think it’d cheer her up if you came upstairs and played something for her. She loves it when you play your violin. You could play one of her favorites.”

“I haven’t touched that violin in ages,” he said. “Music was Jimin’s talent, not mine.”

“She’d still be touched if you did.”

“I don’t even know if the thing’s in tune-”

“-Look, you little mad man,” Minho poked his shoulder, and Felix sensed a shift in his attitude, “Hyunjin already painted a portrait of him for her. I went out into the village and caught her fresh prey for supper. You, Frankenstein, haven’t done anything to cheer our mother up, and you’re going to pull your weight,” he poked him a second time. “So, leave your little science project here, and come play the violin for our mother.” 

Felix smirked, knowing how to turn the tide, “I like it when you get a little assertive. It’s appealing.” 

Minho turned his head as Felix leaned in for a kiss. His displeasure turned even more sour when he looked at the ceiling. “And make sure she doesn’t see your new pet,” he said, watching the black bat sleeping above them. “You know she doesn’t like bats. She’ll be furious.” 

“It’s not like I brought it in here,” Felix reasoned. “It must’ve come from upstairs or a hole in the dungeons. I’m not bothered by it.”

“I don’t care if you’re not bothered. Mother will be. Keep it in here or eat it.” 

Minho slipped from his arms and started flying away. Felix gave the bat one more look of contempt, then followed him. 

***

Day 2:

It is early morning and more bats have appeared overnight. I examined the body today to find several teeth marks in the stiff skin. I’m worried the bats may drain him of blood, so I returned the favor by ripping one open. I wonder what will happen if I inject the bat blood instead of my own?’

“What are you doing?!” 

Felix jumped at Hyunjin’s shocked voice, nearly dropping his syringe. “Damnit, Hyunjin!” he cursed, “Have you ever thought of knocking?”

“Mother says dinner is ready,” he replied innocently. “She said to take a break from your laboratory to come eat. She thinks you spend too much time here.”

“I’m busy.”

He walked over to Felix’s work table. He saw the small bowl of thick, crimson blood, the bat carcass, and an empty syringe. “What are you doing? Hoping by getting injected with bat blood you’ll grow wings?” he teased, laughing quietly at his own joke. 

“Oh hush,” Felix nudged him. He pulled out blood from the bowl with the needle halfway. He’d start with a small measurement and see the results. Worst case will be that nothing happens. “I saw the bats drinking his blood. It made me wonder what sort of effect their blood will have on him. I never experimented with animals before.” 

Hyunjin whistled as he looked along the ceiling. “There are certainly a lot of them,” he said, “So you have plenty of supplies.” 

Felix snorted in agreement, then took the needle over to the body. He found a vein rising up from the skin, so it took little effort to inject him. As he did this, he noticed a sudden shift in the room around him. All the black bats, big and small, ruffled their wings as he emptied the syringe into your body. Hyunjin and Felix stayed still, watching the creatures come to life around them. He heard the creatures shriek and hiss. Felix thought they might attack him and his brother, but just as it came, the animals quickly settled down again. 

“Huh,” he said, “Curious.” 

“Okay, that’s odd,” said Hyunjin, nervously. “Was that supposed to happen?”

“Not sure.”

“I’m getting out of here,” Hyunjin said, turning away from the table, “Dinner is ready. Come on.”

Felix put his tools aside, and followed Hyunjin out of the laboratory. When he appeared at the dinner table, his mother noted that he smelled like bats. 

“There are some hanging around the dungeons,” he told her, picking up his soup spoon. Even though they fed off flesh and blood, his mother insisted they still eat with proper manners. She told her sons if they fed directly from their prey like animals, they’d be no better than Heisenberg and his trio of mongrels. “I guess their scent clung onto me.” 

“He was experimenting with their blood, Mother,” Hyunjin said, digging into his own meal. “He wants to grow wings and fly.”

“I do not,” Felix laughed, tossing a napkin ring at Hyunjin, who dodged it expertly. 

"Ugh, the mere thought of those beasts makes my skin crawl," she shuddered. "I thought Ignatius killed them all."

"He must have missed a few," Felix replied. "They do not bother me, Mother. Do not worry yourself over them." 

Her appreciative smile reassured him. 

***

Day 3:

Came into the lab to find more bats. Most of them have taken spots around the body, as if guarding it from me. Mother thought there was a nest in one of the towers, and sent a servant to go exterminate them. I cut his throat before he could do such a thing. I can’t let anyone interfere in what I’m doing. I told Minho I’m close. I can feel it. Every time I see a change, I sense the final result coming. 

It seems the bats give life to the body each time they feed from him. His skin is no longer waxy or graying, but smooth and fresh. While his body temperature remains below 21 degrees celsius, I discovered the muscles have regained mobility. I have noticed other transformations as well. The curves of the body’s ears have pointed upwards, and his toenails and fingernails have blackened. They’ve grown into sharp claws that draw blood at the slightest touch. I believe this is the nocturnal beasts’ doing.'

"Do you think he'll be like Jimin?"

Hyunjin's question startled him. He turned in his seat to see his brother sitting right beside the body. He’d come from hunting outside; Felix could smell the pine and fresh air clinging to his scent. He saw his younger brother observe the body solemnly. 

"Possibly," said Felix. "We won't know until he wakes up."

Hyunjin crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them, unbothered by the bats and their droppings. He scanned over your profile as if told to memorize you. "I dreamed about him last night. Jiminie, I mean."

"You did?"

"Yes," he said, not looking at Felix. "He was standing in the forest, smiling with a snowball in his hand. He dared me to come chase him, saying he'd kiss me if I caught him. He looked beautiful; more beautiful than he did in life. I started chasing him around the forest. I could hear his laughter in the distance, as if it was coming from everywhere and yet nowhere. I saw him…I think he was underneath trees? I was flying to him when…" he gulped thickly, "When the wind grew harsher and colder. It started kicking up snow, and I couldn’t see him. I could hear him calling out to me, crying and begging for me to help him and…and…”  

Felix pictured the scene in his mind: Jimin standing in the middle of a forest clearing, fresh snowflakes melting on his cheeks and wearing his usual daring smile. He loved to challenge his older brothers, laughing when they lost to his games. Hyunjin in particular fell for them, but thinking about it now, it must've been on purpose. Hyunjin must've done it to make Jimim smile and laugh. He always made him laugh. 

"I miss him."

"So do I."

"I want him back,” he said in a voice thick with tears.

“We can’t bring him back, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin said nothing else. He only stared at you, tears spilling down his cheeks. Felix put down his pen and walked to Hyunjin. He brushed his hand through Hyunjin’s dark hair, letting it slide between his fingers as he felt his scalp. The motion soothed his brother, whose sobs subsided gradually. 

“I wish we could.”

“Me too.” 

***

Day 4:

It is just past noon and already the body shows signs of life. A strong heartbeat, steady breathing, and natural color are starting to return. This subject appears to be taking on a bat-like form with the shape of his ears and hands resembling their features. I wonder if he’ll grow wings as well-’

Felix had been in the middle of his report when a loud bang caught him (and the bats) off guard. Dropping his pencil, he turned to see Hyunjin materialize in front of him. Panicked and anxious, Hyunjin spoke quickly:

“Mother’s coming!”

“What?!”

“She found out that you killed the exterminator she sent up to the tower, and she's coming to speak to you,” he replied, not bothered by the unsettled bats. "I think she suspects you!"

“Felix!” 

He heard his mother’s voice come from behind the door, heavy steps getting louder and louder. Panic hitched a breath up his throat, and he barely had time to cover anything up before the door slammed open. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu walked in, her eyes cold and angry as they scanned the room. The bats, having been startled by her appearance, suddenly shifted and fluttered around which made her flinch a moment. However, it became clear her anger far outweighed her phobia. 

“What is going on here?” she asked, eyes gazing down at her second eldest. She spotted the body, and gasped softly, “Felix, what are you doing?” 

“Mother,” he began carefully, “I can explain-”

“-Did you not heed Mother Miranda’s commands? Did I not tell you to stop these fruitless experiments? If Mother Miranda were to find out what you’ve done with the Ca-Argh, these foul beasts!” 

She swatted a bat away from her as it passed, and glared at Felix. Her long legs took her over to him in a few strides, and a hand on the back of his collar lifted him from the floor. He could’ve spun out of her grasp, but he wouldn’t dare. She’d kill him, if he did that. She brought him upstairs into the corridor leading down into his laboratory, rounding on him furiously.

"Mother Miranda strongly opposed this," she seethed. "You are wasting perfectly good resources on these damned experiments of yours!"

"No, Mother, I'm 'wasting' Mother Miranda’s resources," he spat back at her. Why did she not understand? Did she not see what he was doing? "Resources she is using to make a daughter that's already dead!"

"And what are you doing?" She remarked. "Are you not doing this to replace the brother you had lost?" 

"No," he stood up straight, "I'm making something far greater."

"Oh?"

He heard it before she did. It echoed somewhere behind her, flowing through the open dungeon doors and into the corridor. High screeches mingled with growls came sounding through, followed by shattering glass and cracking wood. Felix ignored his mother completely, focusing on the sound. It came from his laboratory. He turned to Hyunjin, who'd followed them, and knew by his wide eyes that he heard it as well. 

"Must you continue to bring these failures upon us?" She wept, tears glistening in her eyes and falling down her cheeks. "Have we not suffered enough? These experiments of yours have only brought hopes that cannot be met. Mother Miranda has already forbidden these trials of yours; she will be furious when she discovers what you’ve done. I am locking that dungeon-"

"-Mother-" he could hear all the bats in the dungeon flapping their wings, crying out from below. Yet, he heard a noise sticking out in the symphony of calls. It was louder and sharper on the ears, with a low growl at the end. He gently reached for Alcina. 

"-I am speaking, young man!" She sobbed. "It is already hard enough having lost Jimin! Now, you are bringing on more sorrow and shame to our house!-"

"-Mother, please move from the door-" they flew up the staircases now. Felix could hear them. Whatever it was, he heard loud scrapings against the stone walls and snarling cries from the beast. Yes, it is a beast. 

"-This endeavor can bring her wrath on all of us! We would be no better than those dogs in the factory! You are to stop this experiment of yours right now, and we will never talk of this to anyone! If any of those of lords found out about this, we'd be in serious trouble-”

"-Mother, look out!" 

Felix and Hyunjin immediately rushed at their mother, who screamed right as a swarm of bats shot out from the dungeon doors. In a gust of wind, the swarm remained tightly formed together and spiraling down the quiet corridor. When they passed, Felix did not wait for words of caution or shock. Starting with a run, his thick mass of flies barrelled through after the bats. Excitement and amazement rolled around in his stomach. He was not sure what he'd done, but he'd created something. 

The bats reached a window at the end of the hall, which led out into a walkway between towers. Felix followed them out into the frozen air, almost on the tail of the last bat in the swarm, circling the bell tower up to the very top and then back down. He raced ahead as it zigzagged between more towers and structures around the castle. He'd just passed over the rooftops when he noticed Minho and Hyunjin at his heels. He could hear their delighted laughter over the rushing winds, both of them weaving in and out of one another below him. Felix raced ahead until he came level with the bat swarm. He needed to see how long you could stay in this form before landing. The cold did not seem to bother you, and you moved with much more speed than any of them. 

The four masses moved throughout the castle, briefly coming back inside. They broke through doors, circled rooms, and then went back outside to the open garden where their mother stood waiting. They rounded the center before finally landing in front of her. Alcina did not say anything as you appeared in front of her, snarling and growling. Felix took a better look at you. Your body tensed in his defensive stance, blackened claws ready to strike. You were strong. You were mean. You were exactly what they needed to defeat the Huntsman. Felix saw two fangs poking out from the straight line of teeth, which looked as if they could rip through anything. Black eyes glared at the four Dimitrescus angrily, his mouth curving into a snarl. 

“What…” you began, “Have you done to me?” 

Felix stared in confusion. He studied his creation from afar. His mother wrote in her journal that he and his brothers looked at her like newborns. They remembered nothing before they'd been given the parasite. Yet, you looked at him with fury in your eyes. 

"You remember?" He asked, surprised. 

"Of course I remember," he spat. "I remember everything. I remember you…you strapping me down and cutting me open; you sticking that vile little beast inside me, and feeling it move around in my stomach. It…" he gave a look of disgust, "What did you do to me? What am I?"

"I made you great," Felix sighed, marveling at your form. You turned out so much better than he'd hoped. "I made you powerful. Don't you feel it inside you? You must feel something. Tell me everything. Anything. I need to know what it is you are feeling right now.” He spoke with eagerness. He stepped closer to you, not bothered by your fangs or claws now. 

“You made me a monster!”

“I gave you a gift,” he said gently. “I gave you something so few are privileged and strong enough to receive. I have given you a life far greater than the one you had before.”

“The life I had was good because it was mine!” You argued. 

“Your family was poor and starving,” Hyunjin came up beside Felix, not scared of the irritated creature before them, “Your father’s corn crops aren’t fruitful and your mother’s sickness worsens with each passing day.”

“But they were my family! You cannot take someone away from their family and perform these-these experiments on them!” Felix noticed a glossy black color overtook your eyes in an instant, flashing in your anger. “I was a person! I was a human being, and you made me a monster! A damned abomination! I had a family, a life! You took that from me!”

“Then go to them,” Minho challenged. Eyes focused directly on you, he stepped between his brothers and this new threat. “Go back to your family, and see how long you last around them before they realize what you are.”

“Wha-what?” You appeared caught off by the question, gazing back into Felix intently. 

“If your human life was so wonderful and your family truly would want you back, then go,” he said. “But, don’t expect them to accept what you’ve become,” he inched closer despite their mother’s soft gasp. “Once they see what you've turned into, they'll cast you out or worse.”

“It was your family who sent you in the first place,” said Felix. “They knew what might happen to you here, and they still sent you. What sort of family sacrifices one to save the others?”

“Especially to such a cruel death,” Hyunjin said, circling him. Felix saw the seduction building in his eyes once he saw you wouldn’t lunge at him. “We could've drained you slowly in our dungeons. You could be hanging up from the ceiling with your life slowly slipping out of you. That doesn't sound very fun to me.”

“They'd do even worse if they saw you now,” Felix added. “They burn people at the stake in your village, don't they?”

You stayed posed in defense. You knew they were right. The simpletons in the nearby village based their opinions and beliefs on superstitions and ignorance. They feared the beasts that lived in the woodlands and mountains around them, and believed their little trinkets might protect them. Felix might not always agree with Mother Miranda but he admired her control over the villagers. They truly thought of her as their savior and protector, when it was far from true. Surely, you'd come to know that with time and then your own beliefs would be shattered. 

“Stay with us,” Hyunjin hissed softly to you, “And live a fruitful life.”

“Stay with us,” Minho said, circling your other side, “And never die, never grow old or sick. You would be invincible. You would be unstoppable.”

“I will make you great,” Felix told you. “After I'm done with you, you will be stronger than any beast that roams these lands. Does that not sound better than whatever pitiful life you lived before?”

You hesitated, your eyes glancing between the four of them. “I would care for you,” Alcina said gently. “I would be your mother and keep you close. Nobody will harm you as long as I am alive, Darling. You will want for nothing with me.”

You still did not speak. You gave them each one more look before you turned on the spot. Your swarm of bats fluttered around them as you shot back up into the air. Felix moved to follow but his mother steadied his shoulder. 

“Let him go,” she said. “Let him sort himself out on his own.” She then narrowed her eyes, “You and I still have much to discuss, young man.”

“Mother!”

She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and carried him back to the castle. His brothers cackled delightfully behind them. 

****

You flew far from the castle. Everything felt more real than before. You could hear everything from a humming bird's heartbeat to the farmer toiling in his field. The crisp winter air filled your lungs, the trees and leaves in the winds as you blew through them. Trees cracked and animals fled as you zoomed through them. What had they done to you? The confusion of waking up left your mind whirling. The oncoming bombardment of senses woke you from the lifeless sleep you’d entered after Felix cut you open. You’d heard angry voices and the shrieking of your bats. It drew you from sleep like water through cracks. You’d felt yourself slowly rising, and then coming up all at once. The panic from the confusion drove you to burst from the room, wanting to escape them and this new, strange feeling inside you. 

Familiarity. Home. You need that.  

You finally stopped on the outskirts of your village. The longing for home hit you as you saw the wooden houses and frozen crops in the clearing of trees. The creek you'd grown up alongside still ran freezing waters over black rocks, and the trees around it remained as dead as when you left. Home felt more like home than before. As you breached the threshold, you wanted to believe you were right. Your family, regardless of what they'd done, would not turn you away. The other villagers might, but not your mother. She'd hold you close and tell you she loved you. Her warmth is what you craved in such a dizzying world. 

You followed the path back home through the tall dead crops. Their hard stalks brushed your bare skin, and you stomped through them with careful footing. The world was quiet in the morning hours. Far too quiet. Before, you might have thought nothing of it, but you did not feel that way anymore. Every step echoed throughout the quietness, and the earthy air carried a thicker scent on it. The scent of sweat and blood coming through the stalks and tall grass kept you on your toes. Soon, you heard them. Their low grunting and snorting came to you loud and clear from somewhere nearby. The monsters the villagers always spoke of came to mind. Men who’d been turned into feral beasts who seek nothing but flesh and blood. Mother Miranda kept the villagers safer from them, but you sensed that might not be fully true.

It came at you at the edge of the crop. It reeked of death, saliva and blood dripping between its sharp teeth and staining its hands. You let out a high pitched sound in surprise, and instantly slashed at its face. Panic rushed through you as you started swinging your claws at him, more high screams coming from your throat. They mixed with the beasts’ low growls and snarls, the two of you colliding in strong grapples. Its body felt like a rock, hard and rough as it pushed against yours. Whenever you pushed, it pushed back twice as hard. The stench of blood and sweat suffocated you; the sprays of drool and dampness of its breath on your skin sickened you. The creature howled as you ripped through its flesh, drawing dark red blood that splattered the withered leaves near him. Taking advantage of the moment, you sunk your teeth down into its shoulder. It tasted stale and sour; it should make you gag, but you still bit. 

When their nails scratched up your back, you twirled with the creature in your arms. The bats bit and scratched at your prey, who tried swiping them off as they wrapped around his body. Blood watered the ground below by the time they’d twisted its neck and removed the head completely. When you came back down, the bats rejoining your body and making you a whole being again, you saw the destruction you’d caused. The torso was bitten and torn into, with the head and one arm lying nearby in the grass. You took deep breaths, their stench still in your nose and blood in your mouth. You had the urge to spit it out.

But you also had the urge to devour the corpse.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you fought off the temptation and wiped your mouth clean. Coming home covered in blood would not be a good look. It’ll frighten your mother, for sure. Finding a low stream, you splashed the freezing water on your face and rinsed the blood from your mouth. You wondered how the monster came so close to the village. It made you question Mother Miranda more. Walking, you listened for more of them, knowing the scent of blood might lure them to you. Your adrenaline kicked up throughout your walk into the village. You didn’t see a single soul as you stepped over the snow covered grounds, passing empty homes and buildings. The familiarity of your village did not make you feel any safer. Felix was unfortunately right to a point: your fellow neighbors did not take well to anything strange. You shuddered remembering what they’d done to Maritza, an elderly woman who lived at the outskirts of town. Someone claimed she’d been casting spells on her daughter, visiting her as an apparition and tormenting her at night. Everyone believed them because the child had several scratches and marks on her body. Even you believed it once. You’d expected her to be shunned from the village, become an outcast to never be seen again. Instead, the villagers burned her at the stake. You could still smell the burning flesh.

After a short time, you came upon a familiar gate up the road. Dark green with rust on the sides, your family kept the gate closed at all times. Your father said it worked as an extra safety precaution in case intruders tried getting inside. You often asked who’d want to harm your family, but he never answered. Now, with its skin still under your nails, you know who. Unable to get through the locked gate, you tried figuring out a way over it instead. Nothing seemed as obvious as flying over it, which you did with immense ease. You didn’t know you’re able to dematerialize into bats, but you saw the benefits it’ll provide your family. Walking through the snow, you grinned seeing the front door. Right behind it is your mother, likely sitting in her rocking chair knitting a scarf or sweater. You already saw her smile as you knocked on the door.

Nobody answered. You found that strange. You knocked again, but no answer.

“Mama? Papa? It’s me, YN,” you said through the door. “I’ve come home. Please, open the door.” You jiggled the knob, and banged on the door. “Mama, please! Open the door!”

You heard the door latch, and it opened slowly. It was your father. Shaking, fear in his eyes, you noticed he held a shotgun. He kept it pointed right at you. He must’ve seen you through the eyehole in the door. You put your hands up in surrender.

“Papa, what are you doing?” you asked in shock. “It’s me. It’s YN, your son.”

“You’re not my son. You’ve become one of those monsters up at the castle,” he grunted, cocking his gun. “Get out of here or I’ll shoot.”

“Papa, please. I’m not like them. If I was, I wouldn’t be here,” you tried convincing him. “Where’s Mama? She’ll tell you. It’s me. It’s your boy.” You stared down the barrel of the gun, tears starting to fill your eyes. “I’ve come home, Papa. I can…I can do new things now. I can protect you from the monsters. I can kill them, Papa. You won’t need to lock the gate anymore or be afraid to hunt in the woods. I could hunt for you, and bring you and Mama-”

“-You won’t bring us anything but death,” your father interrupted you. “Stay back, before I shoot!”

“Willhem?”

Your mother appeared in the hallway behind him. Your heart leapt at the sight of her. “Mama, tell him it’s me.”

“YN?” she said, sounding in disbelief. “How did you get here?”

“He’s a monster now, Lena. I told you they’d either kill him or turn him into one of them.”

“Mama, please, tell him to put the gun down.”

“How did you escape them?” She came up behind your father, and she gasped.

“I flew away,” you said hurriedly. “The Lady…Her son did something to me. He put something inside me that makes me turn into bats. I can fly, Mama. I told Papa I could protect-”

“-You need to leave,” she cut you off. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Mama…” her harsh words pulled down all your hopes.

“If they find out you’ve returned here, they’ll kill us all,” she continued. “You are supposed to be in the castle. She will be enraged if she learns you came back here.”

“She knows I did. She let me go.”

“For now,” she said. She gave several hard, hacking coughs into her handkerchief which you saw spotted with blood. “How could you come back here?” she asked, voice hoarse from coughing, “Especially given what you are now? She will not send parcels if she knows you’ve come home. You have to go back. We sent you there for a reason.”

“We didn’t think they’d turn you into a monster,” your father said, gun still pointed at you.

It became clear as day. “You knew what was going to happen?”

“Not for certain,” he said. “We saw The Williams’ sent their son and received their food parcels and gold.” He paused, “We were starving, YN, and your mother is ill. The merchant had medicine, but we could not afford it. He suggested sending you to work for The Lady; he did not sugarcoat it for us. He said you’d never return, and if you did, you would not be yourself.”

“You allowed this?” You asked your mother in a whisper. Hot tears spilled down your cheeks to your jaw, your throat tightening as the sobs started forming. “Mama…”

“It was not an easy decision,” she said, “But we thought it was better than you slowly dying from starvation. He said the Lady and her sons would be quick, and it’d be painless.”

“It was far from it,” you told her. “You knew what would happen to me, and still sent me there?”

“We did it to spare you more misery.”

“No, you did it to save your skin,” you sobbed. “How could you…The crops would have grown eventually. We would’ve found a way to survive.”

“Survival these days is by luck and the grace of Mother Miranda,” she said. You saw the pain in her eyes and she put her hand on the doorknob, “Go now, YN, before she sends those creatures after you.”

“Mama, Papa, please.”

“The others will see you eventually,” your father told you. He began walking towards you, the gun still raised, and you instinctively moved back down the steps. “And they will kill you and outcast us for bringing you into the village. It is best for everyone if you left.”

“Mama,” your voice was thick from your sobs, “Mama, don’t do this. I’m still me. I’m still your son, just a little different now.”

“We said leave,” she said more firmly from the doorway.

“Mama, wait!”

“Get out of here before someone sees you,” your father said, gesturing to the gate.

“Papa, please don’t do this.”

“I said out, you abominable beast,” he said harshly.

With shaking fingers, you opened the gate behind you. He roughly pushed you through it, then shut the gate quickly. Your fists pounded on the door as you called out to him. They could not cast you aside so easily. They were your parents. They were meant to be your protectors. You cried out for them, seeing your fists starting to put dents in the metal. After a few more cries, you realized the truth. Your parents had given up on you. They’d sold you for gold and some food. You put your forehead to the gate, savoring the last bits of home through the cold metal, as you wept. Every happy moment spent in this house flashed before you. Had they loved you at all? Perhaps you’d always been a burden, yet they saw no proper way of getting rid of you until now. They’d sent you to a fate worse than death.

You stayed by the gate, unable to stop sobbing, before you heard the sound of footsteps coming up the road. People. You knew by the smell reaching your nose. If they saw you, they’d be as frightened as they’d been of Maritza. Bending your knees, you launched yourself into the air and became the bats again. You cried harder now in the safety and quietness of the air. The truth became bitter in your throat. Visions of your father with his gun and your mother’s stern face made it harder to swallow. You flew far away from the village, no longer wishing to see the place where your biggest heartache lived, and landed in the middle of the forest. You didn’t know where and you didn’t care. The silence of the forest made it easier to absorb everything. Slumping against the tree, you tried breathing out the tightness in your chest. Your tears did not stop even in the silence.

You sunk to the ground, head in your hands as you cried.

***

A/N: Poor baby!! It was obvious, but sometimes we need that confirmation, right? I'm glad people are enjoying this series, I really didn't think many would lol Reblog and like <3

[bettsfic]

Do you have any preferred notebooks? Anything better than Moleskine which I don't think would be hard (!!??)... The ink bleeding through to the page behind is so distracting. Random question but I figured you'd be perfect to ask!! Thank you

i've been waiting my entire tumblrlife for this, anon. stationery is one of my most persevering special interests.

just to caveat, i still use a moleskine for my personal journal, but i only write in it once or twice a month so they tend to last years. i bought my current journal in 2017 before enshittification and so i haven't had a problem with the paper. i use a felt-tip pen on it mostly, but even the few times i've tried fountain pens, i haven't had any bleed-through. it's really unfortunate they've gone downhill.

and i mean, for context, i beat the shit out of my moleskines. and look how they've held up!

the one on the left i used from 2011 to 2017. it went all around the world with me and i carried it everywhere for 6 years. i taped every stupid scrap of paper i came across into it and that's why it's so beefy. the elastic band has stretched too far is all; i need to find something sturdier to keep it shut.

the one on the right i started in 2017 and i'm about 2/3rds through it. i tape some stuff in but not as much as i used to. at one point it was in my backpack in the overhead compartment of a plane and some guy's water bottle spilled all over it. i was devastated. but it slurped that shit up and kept trucking. you can't even tell it's waterlogged anymore.

my mom bought me a special edition van gogh moleskine for my birthday last year that i was planning to use for my next journal. i just tested the paper against the 2017 journal using a kaweco sport bold tip, and the van gogh paper does indeed bleed significantly more than the 2017 paper. a real shame. i'm probably still going to use it though, because i've kept the proud tradition of "use notebooks people buy me for my birthday as my next journal" since i was 14. also, i'll probably end up starting it when i'm 37, the age van gogh died.

last august marked my 20th anniversary of my journaling habit, btw. i was going to write a newsletter about it but it started spiraling into a whole-ass book and i had to set it down.

a close and higher quality alternative to moleskine, much beloved by bullet journalers, is leuchtturm. their A5 hardcover is very similar to the classic moleskine pictured above. i don't use one because i have no use for lie-flat notebooks for anything other than a personal journal (which is covered for the next decade or so), but i love buying them as gifts.

my commonplace notebook is the A4 rhodia top spiral, which i've mentioned in my newsletter before. there is something truly magical about this notebook. when i bought it, i carried it around with me everywhere even though i had no idea what to write in it. i started commonplacing before i even knew what that was, simply because the tactile and aesthetic sensation of filling each page was so satisfying. i go through 1-2 per year.

this isn't a notebook proper, but my research binders are B5 maruman clartes with their corresponding loose leaf paper. again, like the rhodia A4 top spiral, the sensation of writing on the paper and organizing the binder is very satisfying and so it encourages me to take a lot of notes.

maruman also makes the famously amazing mnemosyne series of notebooks. i haven't used one before but i really like them, and as soon as i need a high quality top spiral notebook that the A4 rhodia can't fulfill, that's what i'll be moving to.

my purse notebook is a field notes reporter's notebook. these are new so they haven't stood the test of time the way the others have, but i love the size and the binding, and afaik field notes is one of the few american stationery brands that hasn't fallen prey to a quality drop in paper. i also love field notes classic pocket notebook but have never been able to make a pocket notebook habit stick. it took me a long time to realize tiny notebooks don't encourage me to write in them, because a lot of my notebooking is about the thrill and aesthetic pleasure of seeing an overwhelming amount of text on a page.

my planner is a hobonichi techo weeks, which is the same size as the reporter's notebook and also goes in my purse. this is my first year using a hobonichi planner and i really love it. like the others, its quality encourages me to use it. i've found hobonichi overall is a really good notebook brand.

my sketchbook (which i don't use very much) is a strathmore 500 series mixed media softcover. i bought it before i realized how deterring i find lie-flat books and i think i would be more motivated to draw by investing in one of their wirebound ones, even though all the artists i follow on youtube tell you not to do that. i keep meaning to change it into a collage notebook instead, i just haven't had the time or desk space to do it.

and an honorable mention: before the pandemic, back when i did things and went places, i used a grand voyageur traveler's notebook from paper republic. i'm actually very sad i don't have much of a use for it anymore, but maybe one day i'll do stuff again and return to it. it's weird that i don't see paper republic mentioned often (ever) in bujo spheres, when i think their products are better than traveler's company (although i haven't tested one for a significant period of time; people swear by them though).

hopefully one or two of these stand out to you!

[preciadosbass]

28/7/14 [draft from yesterday]

woke up at 11:47 to my parents in my doorway. mum started putting stuff on my bed but i though it was just stuff of mine that id left around the house but it turned out she’d bought me some stuff which is really nice. she got me socks [because i only have one non-fluffy pair], slippers [because our dogs hair is everywhere and my pyjamas end up getting the hair all over the house, even after the place has been hoovered], and purple trainers [because beforehand i only had my converse + knee high converse, and they were both getting muddy and causing me blisters when i go on walks.] i feel extra bad about the argument we had last night now.

i was super tired and my eyes still felt like they were glued shut but i decided not to go back to sleep. i got a little anxious when i saw my ex bestfriend was sad so i sent him a message telling him that i’m here for him and stuff. i still care about him so much, even if we don’t talk anymore. i watched a mikey way complication and listened to a podcast with the way brothers on up until 1:20 when i had a nap [im lazy, i know]

i should mention, i had the weirdest dream. so excuse how bad this explanation is going to be. me and kellin [quinn] were both teens and we were at a restaurant. he had tacky plastic skates on and started doing backflips in them? and running on the spot and joking about being chased? it was such a strange dream to have, especially because i haven’t had one in ages. also, my dad was there for some reason lmaoo

i woke up at around 2 and stayed with boris until 3:20 before i had something to eat and started researching a few crime cases. id been thinking about reading a bit of my sylvia plath book but i got in another argument with my parents [not really with my dad] and practically went into sensory overload so i went in my room and scrolled through ed related things on reddit. although i just wanted to have a conversation with them.

my dad lets things go easier, but mum tends to start saying ‘maybe you’d be happy if i’m not here’ and stuff like that, which i have never and would never imply to her. it just makes me feel like shit, she acts like i’m not allowed to be mad. and i feel absolutely terrible writing this, especially because of the whole gift thing from earlier, and i know shes probably just stressed, and i love her, but nobody acknowledges that i am too. they never do, whatever i do seems to anger my mum. anyway, i spiralled writing this and i don’t wanna turn it into a complete vent post, so let’s carry on.

i carried on scrolling through reddit until like 8 where i went on a walk with all of my family [which we haven’t done in at least a year]. didn’t get off to a good start because the second i walked outside my sister dropped her phone on our rock driveway and smashed her phone to pieces.

she was arguing about paying for the damage up until we got to the park when she went back home with my dad. me and my mum carried on walking while we did would you rather because anything else was starting an argument. we ended up doing so right before we got home but at least i walked for an hour today, i wish it’d been more though. also at one point she asked me if i was questioning my gender like WHAT?? why didn’t i take the opportunity to tell her ffs.. when i got home i obviously said hi to boris and then scrolled on twitter for a bit.

one of my acquaintance’s [i call anyone my age that i know that, because i know people, but they’re not nice to me whatsoever, we don’t hang out, they bully me, i don’t consider them a friend etc] was being their usual self again. i try everything i can to politely escape them/avoid them but i just don’t know how. id feel bad cutting contact with no explanation but if i told them all the disgusting things they do they’d deny it. but i know i have to at some point, they’re such a bad person and i’m tired of putting up with them.

anyway, i feel like i seem like a bitch for not liking them, and the problem in every scenario i’ve written about today so let me know if anyone actually reads this and wants to know what makes her such a bad person. after seeing that i listened to some evanescence and i was just about to put on my fight club dvd i got from a bootsale a while ago when my dad said he was ready for me to ask questions about boris soon so i went up to their room.

we actually didn’t argue tonight because i was able to get on with it quite quickly so i did my teeth and said goodnight to boris around 3. he again started purring before id even started stroking him, he’s so precious. also went over my cals by like 60 today so that sucks

have a good day/night -_<

[romana-after-dark]

The Wrong Way: Chapter 4

Dark!Joel Miller x Fem!Reader Tommy Miller x reader (secondary)

Masterlist

Summery: You are sold to Joel to clear up some of your fathers' debts, and he takes you back to his house where him, Tommy, and high ranking members of his raiding trope stay. Joel is mean, cruel, and hash, but had small moments of softness that confuse you in your venerable state. Over time, you get to know him and Tommy, and see different sides of each, an both are hiding secrets. Was it possible to fall in love under these circumstances? Or was that just another way Joel was fucking with you?

Aka: my mom sold me to One Direction

WARNINGS FOR FULL FIC, NOT CHAPTER BY CHAPTER UNLESS SOMETHING NEW IS ADDED AFTER MASTER WARNING LIST: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT!!!! Fic contains graphic depictions of sexual assault, rape, molestation, dubcon/non con. Blow Jobs, PIV sex, lose of virginity, sex trafficking, past incest, death/people dying everywhere, Stockholm syndrome, falling for your rapist, victim blaming, torcher, branding, physical abuse, rape (not Joel), somno, dub con on tommy? idk he's not really into it but feels like he has to, self-harm/depression/suicidal thoughts (not a lot) but fair warning, major age gaps, love triangle, pregnancy/birth, threats of abortion, major character death

I don't wannt say special warnings for every chapter but I need y'all to know 1. It says in the warnings rape, not Joel 2. HEAVY HEAVY victim blaming that is NOT MY ACTUAL THOUGHTS and 3. oh my god, when I say graphic depictions of violence...... so much for this chapter. Like Joel describes torcher.

AN: I wrote a 12 page research paper last Friday through Tuesday, wrote a 3 paper essay Friday and TODAY I wrote 5 pages on Candide by Voltaire THEN hoped on here to write this all while battling a cold and taking finales. So if this sucks, please be nice, I still got another week of finals 🥺

***********

Things had greatly improved for you after that. Joel tended to the branding wound and despite being the one who gave it to you, it still had the effect you knew Joel intended; the intimacy it endeared him to you. Tommy, who had became your primary caregiver, also tended to the wound when Joel was too busy being… Joel… to take care of you. When Joel was too drunk, too angry, too busy killing raiding and asserting his authority to spend much more time with you besides sex and gentle touches after, Tommy was there, ready to swoop in. Sometimes Tommy changed the bandage very quickly after Joel, and you suspected it wasn’t because he thought you needed it, but more that he wanted to clean you of Joel, he wanted his bandaged wrapped around your thigh, his fingers trailing on the skin…

Joel, although not chatty, began to spend a little more time with you, not just fucking you. Well, he usually fucked you. But the routine of Joel coming back from a raid, rape you, and carefully bathing your trembling and shaken body has been exchanged for a new routine.

 Joel comes home, he comes in the room carrying a bag or a box or just fighting a few items. Then he fucks you, of course, and you do your best to enjoy it. He makes you come, he always does, and hasn’t pushed the issue of kissing, then comes on you. The week you were ovulating and on your period, this was exchanged for blow jobs, and you had a chance to show what you actually knew how to do; pleasure men with your mouth. You could take a lot, when you were in control and you knew how to work a man when they weren’t beating you, and when you looked up at Joel, with your hands on his thighs thick as tree trunks, you knew you had him. Joel would then set up a bath, even if you just blew him, and carried you there and back, always, where he’d then sit quietly as you went through the few items he brought. Maybe a new shirt, curtains for the window that had been fixed but partially bordered up fix your escape, a book, nail polish, snacks… little things that slowly made your position livable. 

Tommy didn’t bring you much, he couldn’t, you knew, without raising Joel’s suspicions, but he did spend time with you. Games of go-fish continued as did Uno when he found you a pack, and you slowly got to know bits and pieces more of his life pre-outbreak; a life you were too young to remember. He told you he watched his niece die the first day, and since you never heard mentions of other siblings, you assumed his niece was Joel’s daughter, and you couldn’t help feel sympathy for why Joel was the way that he was. All this had given you a sense of power you didn’t have before, and Nick was right that day on the porch; you had both of the Millers wrapped around your figure, to a certain extent.

And you got cocky.

Your bedroom door remained locked at all times, and it was Tommy who took you to the bathroom when needed. To get there, Tommy and you passed the living room as Tommy held your hand, and many times, Nick was in the living room, watching… Ever since you licked Joel’s neck, Nick became more blatant in his harassment. Once, you walked by, ever-attached to Tommy’s side, Nick was sitting down on a recliner, green eyes staring at you intently, and you watched as he palmed his erection while making direct eye contact. In response, you flipped him off.

“Nick, knock it off” Tommy barked at him, stepping between you as he guided you inside the bathroom and placing you on the other side of him when he walked you back, questioning you about the interaction.

“What the hell happened there?” He asked, the concern clear in his eyes. “He do something to yuh?”

You shake your head. “No, he’s just an asshole”

Tommy couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, he is. You’d tell me if he did, right?”

Joel asked you a similar question weeks ago, and you had wondered what it was, at the time, that made Joel think you would actually trust him, but it was clear that Joel had a different idea of what this relationship was. With Tommy, it was different. You would tell Tommy, and Tommy would tell Joel, and Joel would brutally hurt or kill them, depending on the offense. 

“Joel left me alone with him the morning after…” You shift a bit, remembering what was done to you before things got better. Tommy’s face softened, but the guilt was there, so you continued on. “He said Joel would get tired of me, and when Nick gets his chance…” You don’t finish the threat, Tommy knew.

Tommy took your hand, he had been growing more and more physical lately. It was innocent; comforting. A reminder that Tommy was there, ever your protector. “I won’t let that happen. When Joel is done with you, I’ll help you. Get you somewhere safe.”

“But there's nowhere to go, Tommy! I can’t go home, my dad will just sell me off again, and my brother is dead, I have nowhere to go.”

Tommy hesitated before speaking. “Listen, you can’t ever tell Joel, but I got… some connections. A town you’ll be safe in. I promise.”

You wait for a moment before speaking, ever so quietly. “Can’t we… can’t we just go?”

The way Tommy looked at you, you instantly regretted asking that. Tommy looked so guilty, so sorry, that it physically hurt you to see the pain he was in. “I’m sorry, honey. I really am… but you’ve seen how Joel is with you, he’d never let you go. He’d come for you,”

“Wouldn’t he just buy someone else?” You felt bad, wanting to throw this onto someone else, but as good as things have gotten, you were still living on the edge, walking a thin line.

Tommy shook his head. “You don’t understand. You are the first girl Joel’s ever taken here, he doesn’t do this. He’s obsessed with you.”

“Lucky me”

Sighing, Tommy pulled you closer to him. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, I really am. I don’t know how long you’ll be here but I promise you two things. One, I’m going to try and make this as easy on you as I can, and I’m gonna do my best to keep you safe, okay?” He waits until you nod before continuing. “But when all this is over, I ain’t lett’n them have you. I’ll take you to Jackson. Everything will be okay.”

You lean into him, his firm chest comforting you. “Will you come with me?”

Tommy didn’t have an honest answer. There were a lot of questions that would need to be answered, like what he and Maria were, if Joel would even let him go… but for now he wanted to pretend. “Yeah, I’ll go with you, sweetheart.”

You should have known not to get too comfortable, not with Tommy’s protection, with Joel’s change in behavior, and especially with your disgusted taunting on Nick. You should’ve known, or at least played your cards as if you knew Nick had something up his sleeve, his own way to blackmail you and effectively keep you from the Millers.

When you hear the door open, you assume it’s Joel and put down the book, prepared to service Joel. Instead, you see Nick in the doorway.

“JOEL!” You immediately yell, knowing Nick would regret evening coming to the room.

But Nick just laughs. “Joel’s gone, so is your little knight in shining armor.” He took a few steps forward in your small room, and you scramble back.

Tommy and Joel were gone… You try to push down your panic, attempting to keep yourself calm as you stand up. “So what now? You’re gonna keep threatening me, slap me round a bit? If you do anything, Joel will know, and you’ll be dead.”

Nick’s only reply is to grab your hair and slam you against the wall, pressing his body up against yours and his hot, smelly breath in your ear. “We’ll see about that.”

You’d like to think you would have fought, fought like you did Joel the first time he took you, but you were broken into submission. It wouldn’t have done any good anyway, you were weak from sitting in one room all day for weeks on end; Nick was stronger. He seemed to know how to hurt you in ways that wouldn’t mark: yanking hard on your hair enough he ripped chunks out, gripping your face at a strength that won’t bruise at your skin tone, slapping you everywhere, which will fade by the time Joel is back. As he violates you, he continues saying disgusting things, calling you names, degrading you… why did this feel worse than Joel? Why did you feel more disgusted, more violated…

“Joel’s always bragging about how he makes you cum, but I’m not gonna do that, you don't get to have that pleasure, you’re not worth it, whores don’t get orgasms.”

You didn’t want it, you refused it from Tommy, you fought it from Joel for a long time, and you think that Nick realized that.

“Or maybe I should make you cum, huh?” Nick panted, thrusting painfully into you. “How embarrassing would that be?”

You shut your eyes, trying so hard not to give away that you really did not want to cum, you wanted it to just end.

But he knew. Nick touched you, working your body methodically coldly, nothing like even how Joel did early on, when he was determined to make you cum; even though, Joel touched you with passion and fervor, even if violence. The orgasm was weak, it didn’t feel good, just a spasming of the muscle. 

“Look at you, coming on your rapists cock, fucking pathetic” Nick said after you came, jerking himself onto you as you cried.

You curl in on yourself, not looking at Nick as he dressed. “What now? You can’t kill me, and I’m going to tell Joel.” You say miserably, deadset and determined to tell Joel like you promised him you would, and get Nick killed.

Nick shakes his head. “No, you won’t tell him” He laughed. “If you do, I’ll tell him about you and Tommy. How you fucking begged like a whore for Tommy, like Joel wasn’t going to be enough, you needed to get stuffed twice. I don’t imagine Joel will take very well to his brother being the one to break you open. The walls are thinner here than you two seemed to think.”

You freeze. He’s right, you can’t tell Joel, because if Joel finds out, you are certainly dead, but more importantly… Tommy… you can’t be the reason Tommy is hurt…

Nick laughs cruelly, kicking a blanket vaguely to your direction “Better clean yourself up,” He said, referencing his cum on your body. “Before you get Tommy killed.”

And you did, despite your disgust and tears, because you couldn’t make Tommy suffer because you had chosen to taunt Nick, bringing this on yourself…

When Joel came home and into your room, he was surprised by your reaction. You smile was forced, he could tell, but he figured you just had a long day without Tommy’s company. Were you lonely? He didn’t want you to me, but he couldn’t trust anyone but Tommy… maybe you needed some sunshine, he could take you outside again? He doubted you would make a run for it with him right there… “Found a few comics, thought you might like them.” And you can’t help but notice the uncertainty in his voice. When he took you as he always did, you were less engaged, distracted almost… but you clung to him, arms wrapped tightly around him as you buried your face in his shoulders.

“Fuck are you cryin?” Joel pulled back, he loved when you cried, says you ‘cry so pretty’, “God, look at you” He said, whipping a tear away from your crying face. “Hurts so good, doesn’t it?”

But you only pulled him close to you again, wanting him over you, wanting the protection of his body, even if it was under the sole purpose of fucking you.

“Can you cum for me, little girl?”

You shook your head.

“C’mon” Joel began to touch you, to kiss you where he could. “I want you to cum”

“Joel, I’m tired.” All you could think about was Nick calling you pathetic for cumming on your rapist's cock.

Joel wants to argue, wants to make you cum, he loves how you feel around him, how you sound, how you look… but something was wrong today, so he dropped it, cumming on you and following the routine of drawing you a bath, but when he came back… you were still crying… Joel was not a soft man. He lost all that when he lost Sarah… but something was just so painfully off today…

“Did I hurt you again?” He asked, afraid he accidentally did something.

“No. I’m just really tired. Didn’t sleep good last night.”

Joel accepted the answer well enough, carrying you to the bath and noting how harshly you clung to him, but did not shower him in kisses or cuddles… it seemed desperate, like clinging to a raft in a storm.

When he took you back in the room, he found himself more talkative than usual, as you were more quiet. You looked at the comic books, happy to have more to read but confused at what it was..

“I know you ain’t ever seen Star Wars, but, ya know, you’re smart, I’m sure you can figure it out right?”

You give him a small smile. You weren’t sure how you felt right now, everything was so fresh, so new, but you didn’t want to make Joel angry, you didn’t want to lose the small comforts you had… “Thank you, Joel”

The science in the room prompted him to keep talking. “I could… I could tell you about them, some time. The last movie came out right before everything…” Joel stopped himself. He’d seen the last three movies in theaters with Sarah… “I could tell you who everyone is, what the force is n’such.”

To his relief, you smile a bit more. “That’d be nice. I’m just, really tired right now, can we do it another time?” You felt bad turning down Joel actually talking to you, but you felt like you could just…. Fall asleep. 

He nodded, standing up. “Yeah, get some rest, little one.”

He left you alone. This continued for a week, neither Tommy nor Joel able to get much out of you, and finally Joel pulled Tommy aside. Their own separate relationships with you had been, generally, left out of conversation between the brothers, neither were thrilled with the other. Tommy hated what Joel did to you, Joel hated that Tommy could offer company where he couldn’t, but both put up with it. In the end, however, they were brothers, the last bit of their family and their ‘before’. 

“She say anything to you, recently?” Joel asked.

“That’s vague.”

He sighed. “I mean. She’s been acting strange. Real down, quiet”

Tommy couldn’t help roll his eyes “You keep her captive, Joel.”

Joel glared at his brother. “I’m aware of her position, Tommy, I just… She’s been distrant. Things were better, then she just…  she doesn’t talk to me when I bring her things, she doesn’t want me to make her-”

Tommy held up him hand. “I get it.” As much as yeah, it should be obvious as to why you were being cold toward Joel… he was right. Something was off. You didn’t talk to him much either… “I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks” Joel muttered guffly.

When Tommy opened the door, he saw you startle, something hadn’t seen for weeks, but had been happening this week. You were laying on your side, curled up, your curtains blocking the little bit of light allow in. “It’s dark in here” He spoke, and you gave a non committal response. “I’ll find you a lamp, okay? That way you can read longer.” another grunt, and Tommy sat on the mattress, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, what's going on? I know that’s kinda a dumb question, considering… but…”

You dare to look up at him, Tommy, your savior, so sweet and so kind and so obviously hurt by your apparent turn… He was so handsome, his eyes bright and soft and pleading for you to let him in… You didn’t want him hurt, you couldn’t stand if he was dead because of you… but you were so hurt, so sad, so violated… you wanted so badly for Tommy to know, for him to hold you, to make everything better…

He saw your eyes welling up, you lip quivering, “Oh honey, oh sweetheart come here” Tommy scooped you up, pulling you onto his lap and cradling your body as you began to cry, close to hysterics as he rocks you and held your head close to his chest. “It’s alright baby, I’m here, I won’t let nothing happen. You just let it all out, sweet girl.” He crooned, and by god, you did. You cried, and cried and crying until your head hurt and your throat ached… all the while Joel stood outside the door. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but he could hear your crying, and wanted to badly to be the one to hold you… but he knew you trusted Tommy more.

When you calmed down just a little, violent sobs settling into soft whimpers and shakes, Tommy touched some hair behind your ear. “Can you tell me what happen? What you need? I’m worried about you”

You knew you had to tell him eventually… maybe if you just told Tommy, he could take care of it, kill Nick before he had a chance to tell Joel… would Nick do it again? How long would he extort you before he told Joel anyway, ending both of you… Yeah, you’d tell Tommy.

It took a few minutes of choking on your words before you were able to choke it out. “N-Nick”

Tommy’s grip on you deepened, but he coaxed your face up to him, and you were once again struck by his soulful eyes. “What did he do, sweet girl? He threaten you again? He touch you?”

You crumple in to sobs again, just barely forcing out. “When you guys left, he-he raped m-me” you watched as Tommy’s face shifted to horror and anger. When he asked if Nick touched you, he had never assumed Nick would be this bold, surely he knew he was a deadman. “Jooooeeel!” Tommy shouted to hsi brother, not caring if Joel saw you in his lap and ignoring your please to stop. No doubt you were worried Joel would hurt you, but Tommy new, he could see it in the concern in Joel's eyes earlier; he wouldn’t do anything to you, not for this, anyway… 

Joel burst through the door, eyes wide and panicked in a way he rarely saw on the hardened man. All Tommy needed to say was one word, and it was over. “Nick” Joel’s face looked almost… hurt, pained. He raised an eyebrow, asking if it was what Joel thought it was, and when Tommy nodded, Joel was off, the look in his face assuring Nick would be dead soon.

“NO! No Joel come back!” You scream, trying to get out of Tommy’s grasp. You couldn’t let him get to Nick, you couldn’t let Nick tell Joel what you had begged Tommy to do. You turn to the younger man. “Tommy, Nick knows, he knows what we did and he’s gonna tell Joel!”

Tommy could feel the blood drain out, but there was no telling where Nick or Joel were now, no stopping it…. Tommy swore everything would be okay, He had to sit here and wait as you continued to thrash and cry in his arms, so filled with anguish and self hatred, until you fell asleep, the door wide open for Jack to walk by and see, but Tommy couldn’t care less anymore.

When Joel came inside the room again, you were fast asleep. “Hey” Tommy greeted his blood soaked brother. “It’s done?”

Joel nodded. “Yeah”

“He say anyth’n to you?” Tommy tried to ask inconspicuously. 

Shaking his head, Joel focus was on your sleeping form. “Didn’t get a chance to. Why?”

Tommy wanted to get ahead of things. “She said he told her if she told us, he’d make up lies about her.” 

“Nah. He tried to. Said he had something to tell me about her, but I din’t wanna hear it”

Joel sat down, trying to take your hand carefully… but Joel wasn’t good at careful. You woke up, gasping awake when you saw him, and Joel’s heart ached at the fear in your eyes. “Hey, it’s alright, it’s alright now. He’s dead.” 

You took up at Tommy, concerned, but Tommy reassures you. “He didn’t say anything. Didn’t get a chance to lie.”

Feeling a little childish, you scoot yourself off Tommy, onto the bed before Joel asks. “Can I talk to you alone, little one?”

You nod, whispering a small yes, and nodding at Tommy that it was okay. Tommy patted Joel on the back and looked you sympathetically before closing the door.

There was a moment that Joel just stared at you, a look on his face you didn’t recognize… he looked so much younger, softer, gentler…

Joel spoke first.“I’m sorry” He said, and you couldn’t quite comprehend that he had just apologized. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could tell me, but I promise, I’m not gonna hurt you, I don’t blame you” Was he… was he choking up?  “I’m fucking sorry but I made sure it’s not gonna happen again-”

“Is he dead?” You whisper, and Joel nods frantically.

“Not right away, that’s why it took so long. Made sure he suffered so everyone knows not to fucking touch you again”

You didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the fact you were so goddamn lonely this week and just craved it, maybe it was the fact you longed for Tommy, or maybe it was the fact Joel’s face and clothes were covered in the blood of the man that raped you… But you surge forward, kissing Joel, gifting him your first kiss. It was immediately hot and needy, you could taste Nick’s blood on his lips as your both wrapped your arms around each other.

“We don’t have to do this tonight, little one. We can rest today” He panted through heated, sloppy kisses.

“I want to.” And you did, you really fucking did for prehaps the first real time. Joel had known Nick for year, Nick was ranked right under Tommy, but none of that mattered, he believed you without a second question, and slaughtered him before he could even explain. “Tell me” You begin to fumble with belt and then push down his pant with your spread legs.

Joel’s hand slid under your pants, fingers quickly working you open and smirking at realizing how fucking fast you got wet at the slight of him covered in blood. “Tell you what, princesa, I’ll tell you anything you wanna hear.”

What he did not expect were your next words. “Tell me what you did you him, I want the detail.” You took off your pants while Joel took off your shirt

You could feel Joel smile against your skin. “Dirty girl, you wanna hear how I tortured him? Made him suffer for what he did to my precious girl?”

You finished taking off each others clothes quickly, desperate to get at each others skin. “Please”

“No need to beg.” Joel lined his cock up, and instead of violently thrusting in, it was slow. “I cut out his tongue first. Tried to tell me he had some secret about you, but his mouth wasn’t worthy to speak your name.”

You release a breath, relaxing onto your mattress and spreading your arms out before wrapping them around Joel. He trusted you more than Nick. He cared about you, and fuck it, you cared about him.

“Shot both his legs so he couldn’t run, then I broke his arm over my knee. Didn’t need to do that, just wanted to feel him break”

Moaning in encouragement, you pull Joel’s hips closer to you, filling you up. “Did you hear the bone snap?”

“I absolutely did.” Joel began to fuck you, hard and fast as you kissed his neck and should, not caring about the blood. “Hung him by his wrists over a tree, nice’n tight, then stripped him down to his underwear while he hung there” 

“Did you castrate him?” 

You could hear Joel smiling, “No, I should’ve. You can, though. I made sure he suffered nice and good though, slow death.”

“What did you do?”

Sweat was beading at Joel’s forehead, but he was holding off. He wanted you to cum first, he could feel you were close, you always were when he fingered you open first.

“Took out my pocket knife and skinned him”

“JOEL!” You scream, cumming all around him.

“That’s it, cum on me baby, just like that, little girl.” 

You weren’t done yet. Joel was far stronger than you, that was obvious, but when you moved to roll over he helped, and for the first time… you were on top.

“Fuck, you’re fucking perfect.” Joel muttered, in awe of you.

“Keep talking, describe it. I’m gonna cum against and I want you to cum with me.” You began to assault his face with wet, sloppy kisses, tasting Nick’s stupid fucking blood. His blood was yours now, his life was taken in your name and he belong to you. You hadn’t really cum down from your first orgasm when the other was nearly there

“He bled so fucking much, princesa, I didn’t care if I hit veined, I just wanted it to hurt. He kept tryna pass out on me, but I’d slap him awake and start over, didn’t stop until I was sure he was done. My pocket knife is still in his heart, we can go out there tomorrow if you want, cut off his dick.”

“MMMMHM!” Your screams were muffled by your face in his neck, biting down on the tanned, rough flesh as he came inside you, filling you up with his cum.

Selfishly, Joel felt like you were his again.

You refused a bath, not tonight, wanting to remain with him as he held you close and played with your hair. 

“You’re never going through that again, little one. Not while I’m still here.” And you believed him.

You fell asleep with Joel half laying on top of you, his body weight warm and firm and comforting and all encompassing around you, and you knew you were safe.

Meanwhile, Tommy sat down the hall, around the corner… waiting for Joel to leave, waiting for you to call you him, waiting for you…

***********

Special thanks to @luc-k-y for letting me use her idea for Joel fucking her while telling her what he did to nick! I read it in her Jake fic, anything for you

PHHHHEEWWWWWWWWW!!!!

That might be the worst of like. The sexual and physical violence for this series tbh. Next chapter will have some violence but like. This is the big turning point. So if that was a lot, don't worry, it's not happening again.

Don't play with blood y'all, especially from men like Nick where you dont know whats in that blood...... but IG std's are the least of Little One's worries

LMK to be added or dropped fromt he tag list!

Reblogs help a lot, and comments are what keep me writing. Not just me, but that series you love reading? the more nice comments and asks you give, the more likely they are to keep writting!

Also yeah I added Tommy to the relationship thing at the beginning lololol I honestly did not origenally plan for this to happen but the first two chpters were written by the seat of my pants. NOW i have a plan

Some tags dont work, but I honestly dont personal post or reblog a whole lot here for if you click to get notifications it shouldnt be too annoying

@my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @howaboutcastiel @tidlewav3 @bunnnyy-dummy @slutfortimotheechalamet @foggymoonbanana @dinsbaby @miraclesabound @jenna-ortega @primosworld @marclovers @threeheadedlamb @secretwriterpp @the-fox-den

@bitchyglitterfox @0bsessedwithfictionalcharacters @alloftheboysivelovedbefore @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

[wizardbracket]

Round 1: Match 21 of 64

Why they deserve to be the ultimate wizard according to YOU:

Ged:

“The mix of pride and wounds. The gentleness and power. The greatness and the goats. I love my boy so much.”

“He is simply a little wizard guy who goes on little wizard adventures and journeys of self-discovery.”

“This man went to wizard school and beat up his own shadow”

Raistlin:

“Most powerful mage on Krynn, became Master of Past and Present, almost kids all the gods but stopped and instead kept the Queen of Darkness locked away. Continued cleaning up messes even after death.”

“Raistlin is THE wizard in the Dragonlance series. He's known for wearing a red cloak and a black one when he goes through his evil/emo phase and he's always carrying his staff and book of incantations with him. He studied a lot to become the powerful wizard he is, you know? like a nerd, and that turned his skin gold and his hair white. But everything comes with a price cause the magic he uses also makes him more physically weak than he already was and you can often see him coughing blood after using a big chunk of his powers :( He depends a lot on his twin brother Caramon cause he's the strong one and he carries him everywhere when he's too weak to move by himself and Raistlin resents him because of it. He's kind of an asshole but no one is on his level when it comes to his magical powers. All in all, he's a beloved character on the series and he also probably needs a ton of therapy. I love me a complex wizard with a tragic backstory.”

[stranger-fanfiction-n-things]

CHAPTER 1: THE VANISHING OF WILL BYERS

This is an Original Character fanfiction. All Stranger Things characters and content are owned by Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.

a/n: Love this subtle encounter. Slow burns FTW. I struggled with communicating my feelings in high school just like Diana does. I also really love how attentive Barb is to Diana.

Word Count: 2265

Masterlist

PROLOGUE || PART I || PART II || PART III || PART IV

HAWKINS HIGH 

My body feels like it’s vibrating. I can’t describe how I’m feeling. Angry? Embarrassed? Sad? Shocked? Overwhelmed? The truth is, I don’t know why I left. I finished my history paper last week. I don’t need to go to the library. Between Tommy H and Carol making fun of me with the jock table to Steve and now Nancy, I couldn’t stay in the cafeteria any longer. Steve helping Nancy study? I don’t think I’ve seen him with a book in hand. His intentions were clear as day and Nancy was falling in his trap. 

No. It’s unfair to Nancy to say that. Nancy is smart and autonomous. She knows what she’s doing…right? Nancy is the first between Barb and I to be in a romantic relationship with a boy. She is figuring it out as she goes along and we are following behind her. But Steve. He has a track record and their names are Laurie, Amy and Becky. He knows exactly what he’s doing and I am unsure of his intentions. That is what makes me suspicious. Did he really like Nancy or was she the latest conquest? What if—I collide with a body hard enough to drop my cardigan and book bag on the floor. My books, lunch and stationary fly across the hallway in different directions. 

“Hey, watch where you’re going, will ya?” 

“I’m so sorry!” 

My cheeks burn as I drop to my knees picking up my things. I don’t dare look up and reach for the crumpled paper bag carrying my lunch, shoving it in my book bag. The person is on the floor too, collecting my pencils, pens and erasers that scattered across the floor. My heart is beating so fast. I feel pairs of eyes watching me in the hallway and force myself to keep my head down and avoid eye contact. I want to get out of here as fast as I can. 

I stack my notebooks on top one another before shoving them in my bag. A large hand holding my stationary is in my line of vision and my breath hitches in my throat. I peer up beneath my bangs to see who it is and I see a pair of beautiful dark brown eyes looking at me. My jaw falls slack. I’ve seen him before in the parking lot with a girl who looks like his sister or cousin. They’re seniors at Hawkins High. The boy arches his brow and I blink realizing he’s waiting for me. I bite my lower lip taking the items from his hand. 

“T-Thank you,” I say softly. 

“No problem.” He says and my eyes drift to his lips. They are so full and pink. “Are you okay?” 

The corner of his mouth twitches and I swallow. 

“Yes! I’m fine.” I say quickly, shoving my stationary in my bag. I pick up my chemistry textbook while I stand to my feet. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and—I’m really sorry.” I cringe at how frantic I sound. He probably thinks I’m about to have a panic attack. 

The boy lifts his hands with caution and part of me thinks he’s going to run away or tell me to calm down. “I believe you, don’t worry.” 

“Miss Sinclair, are you okay?” 

I turn to Principal Higgins and wonder if he was here the whole time watching us. But he isn’t looking at me even though he asked me the question. Instead, Principal Higgins is glaring at the tall boy beside me. The corners of his lips pull up to a smile and my heart stutters in my chest at the dimples on his left and right cheek. I blink and nod my head, peeling my gaze off him. 

“Y-yes, Principal Higgins.” 

Principal Higgins finally looks at me, his glare is less intense but still holds its edge. 

“Are you sure?” he asks. 

I frown at the question. Why would I lie? 

“Yes. I fell and my things went flying everywhere and...” I explain, turning to the boy. I want to say his name and realize I never asked. 

“Eddie.” He says, standing tall and proud.  

“Eddie was the only one nice enough to help me pick them up.” 

Eddie grins now at Principal Higgins and I stare at his dimples again. They sunk deeper in his cheeks and he appears more boyish. He’s very attractive. Beautiful even. In a dishevelled kind of way. His pale skin is blemish free and his hair is curly and a little frizzy. I wonder what conditioner he uses or if he used conditioner. I press my chemistry textbook against my chest.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Principal Higgins says. Though he sounds anything but. “Have a good rest of your day Miss Sinclair.” 

He walks away without another word and I frown at how weird the interaction was. 

“Enjoy your day Principal Higgins!” Eddie says and Principal Higgins turns his head. The annoyance in his features is laid on thick.

I flinch, astonished by Principal Higgins visceral reaction to Eddie. Eddie waves at him, clearly for his own amusement and when Principal Higgins turns down the hall, he looks at me, smile fading a little. I open my mouth but quickly close it. What do I say now? 

“Thank you.” I say for the second time. 

There’s a glint of amusement in Eddie’s eyes and it both confuses me and pulls me in. “No problem.” 

Neither of us walk away and I am all too aware the stares of people in the hallway. We were just standing in the middle looking at each other. I feel Eddie’s gaze linger on my face and feel my heart beat fast. 

“Bye.” I say, quickly turning around and walk away from him before I implode. 

I can feel his stare at the back of my head and don’t dare turn around. 

The sun shines in the sky but it is still cold. I shiver as a gust of wind blows pass me. I realize after the fact, I left my cardigan somewhere in the hallway. I don’t bother to turn back to retrieve it because what if Eddie is still there? I already embarrassed myself enough in front of him. There are very few people outside and I sit on a concrete ledge near the hedges, dropping my bag and textbook on the ground. Opening my book bag, I find my lunch at the bottom and pull it out. A groan leaves my lips at the state of it. It looks like an old crumpled up newspaper and some edges are ripped from shoving my books on top of it. 

I know my lunch is ruined before I open the bag. My sandwich is unrecognizable with cucumber and cream cheese oozing out from the saran wrap. My bag of pretzels is salvageable though most of the pieces are broken. It is still better than nothing. I chew on a couple of pretzels, revelling in the bursts of salt. I’m starving but won’t risk getting sick eating the cafeteria food. Today is not a good day. 

I think about Mr. Kaminsky’s chemistry test tomorrow. Chemistry is not my strongest subject and I was really looking forward to studying after school with Nancy and Barb. I stopped asking Mr. Kaminsky for help last month because he intimidates me and I left our session feeling more confused than before. I wasn’t failing. I had a B+, but I want to get an A on this test. 

Someone clears their throat beside me and I flinch, crushing a pretzel in my hand. I glance up and see Eddie looking down at me with a white cardigan in his hand. My cardigan. 

“This is yours, right?” 

I nod in response, dusting the pretzel and salt from my hands and stand up to take my cardigan from him. I immediately put it on, basking in its warmth. 

“Thank you…again.” I chuckle dryly. 

Eddie stands tall, towering over me by a foot at least, and slim with a long torso. I look at his clothes. It’s definitely different from what boys in town wear. A black leather jacket and a plain white t-shirt tucked into his pants with a black belt. A silver chain hangs from his belt, glinting under the sunlight. I notice how small his waist is and my cheeks are hot at the random observation. His denim jeans are tight fitting around his thighs and flare out from the knee to the worn, heavily scuffed black Chelsea boots. Eddie holds a black metal lunchbox in his hand that looks like it has been thrown against a wall one too many times. 

“You’re welcome…” he lingers, staring at me. 

“Diana.” I respond, breathless. 

“You’re welcome, Diana.”  

Eddie nods his head and walks away this time. I watch his frizzy curls blow in the wind. I wonder where he’s going as we still had fourth period and I glance over his shoulder. The girl I always see Eddie with is waiting for him. I notice she is taller than Eddie, but not by much. She says something to him with a smile, playfully poking Eddie in the side. Eddie easily averts her touch and this makes her smile widen to a grin. Her gaze shifts to me for a moment and I fear she’ll yell or frown at me for being nosy, but she does neither. Instead, she waves at me. I wave back shyly and she turns around catching up with Eddie, both of them walking to the parking lot. 

When I entered Mr. Kaminsky’s class, Barb is in her usual seat by herself. Nancy is nowhere to be seen. She’s probably with Steve again. I walk to my seat beside Barb and sit down, setting my chemistry textbook on my desk. 

“You’re pouting,” Barb tell me, resting her head in her hand. 

“I’m not pouting.” I say, pulling out my notebook and pencil. Eddie’s dark brown eyes flash in my mind and I shake my head. 

Barb sighs to herself, perking up in her chair. From the corner of my eye, Nancy walks into the classroom and sits in her seat behind me. I don’t move, opening my notebook to a fresh page. 

“Diana?” Nancy says. 

“Good afternoon, class,” Mr. Kaminsky begins. 

I pull my lower lip with my teeth silently thanking Kaminsky for interrupting Nancy. I’m not mad at her. My feelings towards Nancy has nothing to do with her and had everything to do with Steve Harrington and my insecurity. 

“As you all know, we have a test tomorrow which means today will be a test review. By now, I am sure you have all been told about the level of difficulty my tests are and I just want to let you know that if you pay attention in today’s class and ask questions, you will not fail. Now, let’s start from chapter one.” 

“How long are you going to not talk to me?” Nancy says. 

I look at Nancy, not understanding what she meant. Mr. Kaminsky’s class ended five minutes ago and my mind feels like it’s going to melt. The last thing on my mind is what happened in the cafeteria. Barb is unusually quiet beside me and I wonder if she feels the same way I feel after chemistry. Mentally exhausted. 

“Nance—” I sigh. 

“Let me explain,” Nancy urges, blue eyes wide and hopeful. Barb and I stop in the hallway waiting to hear what she has to say. 

“Steve and I were in the bathroom and he was trying to get me to let him help me study. I just got so caught up in the moment, I spoke without thinking.” Nancy looks between Barb and I. “I know I was the one who planned this study date with you two and I hate that you two feel like I’m ditching you. I promise, I’m not and I’m sorry for all of this.”   

Barb is the first to speak. “It’s okay, Nance. I understand. You like Steve and this is all new and exciting and I’m happy you’re happy.” 

Nancy nods her head and looks at me. I shift my weight from side to side. 

“I’m not mad at you, Nancy.” I say and Nancy’s eyebrows shoot up. “I was just…shocked and I didn’t know what to say or do so I just left and I shouldn’t have done that. Like Barb said, I’m happy you’re happy about Steve. This is new and exciting and I guess I’m still trying to process it all while also being in the moment with you.” 

I look at Barb who nods her head in encouragement. I take a deep breath, feeling her warm hand in mine. 

“I know you like Steve,” I continue. “Barb and I can see it, but we fear that the more you hang out with Steve and Tommy H and Carol…the more you’ll forget about us or not want us around as much.” 

“When you get popular,” Barb finishes. I squeeze her hand in appreciation. 

“I will never, ever forget about you guys or leave you guys for Steve Harrington. You two are my best friends. I could never ditch you for Tommy H and Carol Perkins.” she grimaces. Barb and I laugh. “I love you both too much to ever let that happen.” 

“Aw!” Barb squeals, pulling Nancy and I in for a hug. “We love you too Nancy.” 

My eyes burn with emotion and I close my eyes holding onto Nancy and Barb. 

“Always.” I add. 

NEXT -> PART IV

[bunnimew]

Lethal Company Circuit Bee Hive!

Metrocon was a blast! But we were working on our costumes up to the last second so it is only post-con that we can share what we were doing 😂 As soon as we decided to cosplay Lethal Company, we were coming up with which props to carry. I immediately latched on to the hive. 1) It's adorable 2) it has led to so many hilarious and despairing deaths that I can't help but think of it first. It's a perfect "Do it for the company!" kind of prop.

Behold the Bee hive!

I went full-tilt middle school prop for this thing. I believe paper mache is an underrated prop option. It costs almost nothing, it's sandable (not that I did much of that; what is time?), it's strong, it takes paint great, and you can build onto it easily if you want the outside to be something a little more refined. I have, in the past, fiberglassed and XTC'ed over a paper mache base. Both work. But I didn't do that for this hive.

Instead, I went to party city and bought the cheapest balloon pack I could find. In classic elementary fashion, I paper mached over a balloon (2 layers), then popped the thing so I had a sphere to work from. I did not cover the bottom of the balloon. There's a 6 inch diameter hole at the base so that it sits without rolling and so I can shove stuff inside. Because yeah, I did shove my flashlight in there a couple times. I only have so many hands.

I cut empty paper towel rolls in half and used an x-acto blade to cut slits in them, then hot glued them around the sphere to give it the comb shape from the game. I mached over the rolls, about 3 layers, then did a layer of wood filler and sanded to even things out just a smidge and fill gaps.

All of the paint were acrylics. I used 3 shades of yellow in awkward stripes to mimic the changing, uneven shades from the game. Then black with a tiny brush to make the combs. Absolutely no measuring went into this thing; it's all eyeing and vibing while listening to Adventure Zone 🤣

We bought two strings of bee lights to cover the outside. The battery packs went inside the hive with the switches toward the opening so I can easily switch the strings on and off while holding it normally. The bees were hot glued in place, of course.

And if you saw me between photos at the con, you know I was tossing this hive around and putting it down everywhere, including on top of my helmet. The thing was sturdy and balanced and everything I needed it to be to survive a day at the con.

Thanks to @therepo-man and @quintdophoto (On Insta) for the con photos! Ngl, I think it's the coolest shit when you can see the bees reflected in my helmet visor.

I spent so long balanced on one foot because you gotta grab the hive and book it or you're not doing Lethal Company right, right? 😂

[atinyjules]

please write a woonhak fic 😞 it would be so cute if it was like a first love/kiss thing

TEDDY BEAR FT. WOONHAK pt. 1

Oml suree! I have been waiting for ages for someone to request a Boynextdoor fic so I am so happy!

I'm kinda busy these days so I split the parts so this one is basically the confession part and I'll make the next part on the first date and first kiss🤧😭

🤧So without further a do! Here it is!🌠

"Because of you...I was able to come out of my shell and live life with no regrets."

Summary: Where Woonhak meets his first crush and best friend after 5 years of not seeing each other because of a teddy bear which played a key factor in creating the bond they have.

Genre: Childhood friends to lovers trope , romance, fluff, crack.

Pairings: Childhood friend!Woonhak x reader

Warnings: None

Woonhak had loved teddy bears for as long as he could remember. He got his first bear from his dad when he started kindergarten, he carried it everywhere he went and surprisingly still had it. Except, now it made it's home on top of Woonhak's shelf where it according to his mom watches over him now. Overtime it had become worn out but Woonhak still insisted to keep it not only cause it was his first bear but also because it was the reason he was able to meet you.

"Woonhak! I already told you five times this week to clean up your attic!" he groaned at the mention of the attic by his mom who then pulled his ear.

"Are you even listening?" she questioned making Woonhak wince in pain.

"Oww-ow-eomma it hurts!" he exclaimed as she let go.

"Clean your attic now or no lunch!" she exclaimed and left him as his stomach grumbled.

"I'll have to clean the attic now I guess." he mumbled and jumped up on his bed and clicked open the stairs to the attic and went in, immediately regretting doing a summersault and after climbing in which resulted in the dust flying everywhere.

He quickly opened the windpw and fanned himself as he let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close..." he said and coughed as he started cleaning the attic. Woonhak had been vacuuming the place when he caught sight of an all too familiar light blue coloured box, he smiled as he pulled the box out towards him.

"Woonhak's memory box." he read out the paper written and pasted on the box which 6 year old Woonhak had made. Opening the box he was taken by surprised at the contents of the box. Old toys, expired candies, drawings, photo albums, books, stickers, a hoodie and a teddy bear necklace.

Wait...a teddy bear necklace?!

"It was here all along?! I thought I lost it forever..." he trailed, voice going quiet at the end of the sentence as he put on the precious jewellery over his head.

Woonhak's

"God, I miss her..." I mumbled grazing my fingers over the bear.

I then picked up the photo album and smiled at the first picture of the album. It was me holding my beloved bear next to a pink adorned y/n who smiled at me. As I flipped the page a pink envelop fell from the book making me furrow my eyebrows as I picked it up.

"What's this...To my dearest Woonie...from your bestest friend y/n...what in the world-" I stopped mid sentence at the first line of the letter.

I know I've probably already moved by the time you read this letter.

I thought it'd be better to tell you since we might not meet again.

"You idiot...why am I like this?!" I exclaimed and slapped myself for not finding this letter sooner, I continued reading the letter.

Back in kindergarten I was really quiet and was often picked on by our classmates and one day you came and rescued me...I haven't forgotten it even though I insisted I did. It's a memory I'll never forget.

I'm sorry I kept that secret from you...I was scared you'd say no if I confessed my feelings so since I'm leaving I thought I'd tell you now...hehe.

If we meet in the future...I hope you can maybe accept my feeling even though I doubt you will.

"Woonhak...IDIOT!" I exclaimed as I fell to the ground and let out a frustrated sigh when I heard mom call for me downstairs. I made my way down quickly since mom sounded really hurried but froze mid-way down the stairs once I caught sight of said girl who was currently in my mind.

"Woonhak! Remember Y/n and Jaehyun?" mom said as she looked at me and smiled.

"Hi, Woonhak...long time no see!" she exclaimed as Jaehyun waved at me. Mom proceeded to drag my surprised figure down, right infront of her.

"You didn't forget her already did you?" mom asked as I shook my head.

"Y/n...h-how are you?!" I exclaimed as she chuckled.

"I'm great, you seem to be doing well!" she said as I felt a wave of emotions attack me making my eyes water as I hugged her tightly.

"I missed you..." I mumbled as she hugged me back.

"I missed you too.." she trailed as Jaehyun and mom looked at us fondly.

"Sooo, what have you been up to?" she asked as I awkwardly rubbed the back of my nape.

After having lunch the both of us retreated to my room to talk.

"Nothing much really." I said as she smiled.

"Oh...is that the bear from kindergarten?" She asked after catching sight of it.

"Oh yeah! Wanna see?" I asked and stood up to bring it down from the shelf and gave it to her.

"I'm sorry it's really worn out and dusty." I said as she shook her head.

"No, no! It's completely fine." She said and proceeded to pat the dust away from the bear's head.

Y/n's

I felt nostalgic as I held the now worn out teddy bear in my hands, thoughts going back to kindergarten.

"Leave me alone..." I cried as the bullies laughed and pushed me to the ground.

"Why? Is y/n gonna cry?" one of them spoke up and pulled my hair making me break into a sob when a voice caught their attention.

"Yah!" I looked up to see Woonhak approaching us with shakey legs, holding his bear."What do you want you wimp?" the bully asked as he puffed up his chest and stood infront of him.

"Leave her alone!" he said making them laugh as he huffed.

"What can someone as tiny as you do?"

"You-Yahhh!!" Woonhak exclaimed and started hitting him with the teddy bear making the bully wince.

"Yah! Stop it!" he exclaimed as Woonhak continued attacking the bullies with his bear, chasing them away.

"That's what you get for making Y/n cry!!" he exclaimed and raised his teddy bear in victory.

"Y/n you okay?" he asked as I smiled and wiped my tears, nodding.

"I am now...thanks for saving me Woonie." I said and hugged him causing a bright red tint to graze his features as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"No problem!"

"Woonhak...thanks for saving me back then..." I trailed as he widened his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't thank me! I did what I had to do...to protect you..." he said making me chuckle as I hugged the bear and looked at him with a smile.

"Because of you...I was able to come out of my shell and live life with no regrets." I said and blused as Woonhak chuckled awkwardly and looked down trying to avoid me from seeing him burn up.

"I-I...uh...I'm happy that I could help you live life cheerfully...cause...you were the reason that made school...amazing..." He trailed making me look at him with wide eyes as he finally gained enough confidence to look at me.

"I...uh...I like you a lot." he said making me turn red as he cleared his throat and gulped.

"Woonhak...I...I like you a lot too...even more I guess!" I exclaimed andlooked away as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh then...would you...I mean...we should...I mean...uh...we should go out for lunch and stuff sometimes..." he mumbled when Jaehyun poked his head inside the room.

"Y/n...time to go." he said as I stood up and gave him the bear.

"2pm at Saturday?" she said making me look up at her with wide eyes.

"S-Sure! I mean-YOU BET!" he exclaimed making me chuckle as I smiled at him and retreated to my hotel.

_______________________

I am so sorry it's so short! I'll try to post part two as quickly as possible! But I hope you guys enjoyed this enough to wait for part 2? ♥

Well thanks for reading! ☁🌠

Likes and Reblogs would be appreciated🌠

[embyrinitalics]

Hi 😍

Hap hap new year!

How is the novel going? Are you enjoying the process?

This is so sweet! Thank you for asking!

Since this is the first original novel I'm actually approaching seriously and my process is totally different from normal, I'm going to use this ask as an excuse to journal about it. So, fair warning, you're probably about to get way more info than you bargained for. 😁 ONWARD!

I think first and foremost the process has been weird because I don't KNOW these characters. I've been writing Link and Zelda for 20+ years and even when I throw them into alternate universes or give them personality transplants I still can just dive right in. Starting this from scratch has been a lot of world building and a lot of taking my characters out on "dates" which aren't so much dates as they are writing excursions into the emotionally tormented unknown to see how they react. 😂

I jot down all the ideas that randomly strike me in this handy dandy notebook that I carry around everywhere just in case:

And that's a bit of a funny story. I love having notebooks to write stuff down in, but I recently discovered thanks to the course I took that I place very low value on my writing (and by extension myself in general I guess oops) so I never bought myself a nice notebook just for story notes because that would've been a waste of 5 dollars.

But between Emma Dhesi's course pushing me to assign appropriate value to myself and Ellen Brock's Intuitive Pantser video assuring me that my urges to compile all my notes into a notebook was good for my brain and not just a waste of time and paper, I eventually went out and spent that 5 bucks (actually $20—three notebooks for future endeavors!). And I LOVE MY NOTEBOOK! 🥰

Another thing I wouldn't have spent the money on in the past but took the plunge on is the Atticus program.

It's a project organizer, word processor, and book formatting software. I'm really enjoying it! It has a toggle window on the side where you can see how your book will look on various devices or in print, and easy buttons for things like writing sprints, word count goals, deadlines, and the like. It also makes me feel fancier than google docs ever did, so there's that. 😎

Emma Dhesi is also a big proponent of Goal Anchors—small things you accomplish and surround yourself with that cyclically trains your brain to believe that your dream is possible, and you are in the process of achieving it. (It also gives you goals you can do that move you closer to finishing your book that isn't actual writing, in case that feels intimidating.)

So I made an image of the title page the background on my phone, to remind myself that it's real and it's happening. I decluttered my writing room and started finding items to make it a comfortable creative space for myself. I went to the store for the express purpose of purchasing a special tea to drink while I write. I spent time making a playlist of songs with just the right vibes.

I also found the best candle scent ever, only wear these super comfy slippers in there, and just got myself this slammin t-shirt from Gideon's Bakehouse to wear. (Her name is Poppy. She's on a new path of self-discovery and adventure, just like me.)

But most of all, Emma insists that confidence comes from doing, and that the best way to write a book is to make a routine of it. She suggested starting with 20 minutes three times a week. I was up to between 1-2 hours a day starting at 7am, 5-6 days a week before I went on vacation and upended everything. 😂

So I guess that means I'm enjoying it! It's still scary and frustrating and directionless sometimes but more than anything it's just happening, which is the coolest thing ever.

[verfound]

WIP Wednesday: 04.24.2024

So. So. About that Six Sentence Sunday...

Before you click the cut, I need y'all to remember two things: 1) I've already shared the first scene of Ch1. Y'all know who the real soulmates are. 2) It is always Lukanette Endgame 'round these parts. You guys trust me, right? Even when my Irish flares up? 😇 (...er. My Joss flares up?)

That being said...

“Excuse…oh my gosh, Luka???”

He looked up at the voice, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to place the voice. There was something familiar about it he couldn’t quite grasp, and when he partially closed his locker door to get a better look at the girl who had spoken seeing her didn’t help. She was pretty, sure, if you liked the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, preppy look. She also had a familiar face, but again that last degree of connection escaped him. Her eyes were wide and sparkling as she stared at him, though, and her hands were clasped over her chest. Her mouth had also dropped open.

“Oh my gosh, it is you!” she gasped, her mouth curling into a pearly-toothed smile. It was a celebrity smile, one he recognized all too well. One he was seeing more and more of his classmates settle into the longer they studied at the prestigious Saint-Saëns. “I didn’t realize you applied here!”

“Do…I know you?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he searched for a connection — any connection — to the girl in the blue dress beside him. Her smile slipped a…lot, actually. Her entire presence seemed to deflate with his question.

“…no, I suppose you wouldn’t,” she said, her voice soft and sad. “We went to Dupont together. Different homerooms, but we had some classes together. I…kind of had a huge crush on you. Actually…”

She looked around the locker room nervously before leaning in. She glanced up at him with hopeful eyes that had him instinctively leaning back.

“Can we talk? Alone?” she whispered.

“Uh…” he started, but then her smile was back and she was grabbing his arm.

“Great!” she said, and the next thing he knew she had hauled him out of the locker room, down the hall, and into one of the empty practice rooms. She turned back to him with another wide, toothy smile, and the next thing he knew she was sticking her arm out at him. “I’ve been dying to show you this for ages.”

Dark blue words — a dark blue word, one single, solitary word — was stamped across her otherwise bare forearm.

Here.

And he’d thought his words were nondescript…

The longer he stood there, staring at her arm, the more her smile fell.

“You…don’t remember, do you?” she asked.  He looked up in shock, his eyebrows lifting, and she sighed as she brought her arm back to herself.  “It was…it was your first day at school.  Mlle. Mendeleieev handed out those worksheets, and you turned to pass the stack to me, and you said…”

“…here,” he whispered, and her eyes closed as a shiver raced through her.  She nodded, a warm smile on her face.

“And I said thank you,” she said, and he wasn’t sure if that same blissful euphoria — the acknowledgment of it’s you, finally — also washed through him or if that chill was just shock.  “I didn’t notice it at first.  I was auditioning for the weather girl competition back then, so I was in costume all the time.  I wore my raincoat everywhere, since not all of our teachers let me carry the umbrella indoors.  So I didn’t notice it at first, and then I wasn’t sure, but…I know it’s you, Luka.”

“…h-how?” he asked, like an idiot, but really.  How had she known for so long and said…nothing?  How could she be so sure?

“I just…I felt so drawn to you, and that moment is so clear in my memory,” she sighed.

It wasn’t in his.

He barely remembered the girl who had been sitting behind him, or the words muttered to each other.  Not like he had always so clearly remembered other aspects of that day, like libraries and books and a deeper set of blue eyes and…

…but she knew his words.

Nobody knew his words.

Well…nobody except his sister.  And Rose.  And his parents.  And Marinette.

He didn’t make a habit of advertising them.

“So…you’re saying we’re…” he started, his mouth suddenly dry.  She took his hand, but there were no sparks racing up his arm.  No calm reassurance that yes, it’s you, I’ve found you, finally.  Shouldn’t he be feeling…something?

He just felt numb.

“Soulmates,” she sighed dreamily.  He felt himself nod.

“Ok.  Cool.  You’re my soulmate, er…” he looked up, frowning, and she giggled as she flashed another one of those screen-ready smiles at him.

“Aurore,” she said, holding her hand out by his face, like she expected him to kiss it or something.  He took her fingers in his hand and brought it down to shake, nodding.  Her smile slipped at that.

“Right,” he said.  “Aurore.”

[hairstevington]

Freaky Friday (Steddie's Version) - chapter 3!

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Steve goes to Hawkins High as Eddie, and Eddie goes to Family Video as Steve. Neither really goes as planned. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Link to Ao3

Word Count: 3.8K, more chapters to come

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, slow burn, canon universe (more or less) set before season 4, me adding in lore than the show didn't touch on such as Eddie/Steve interactions pre-season 4, body swap, they are idiots, ANGST, revenge (attempted), POV switching

A/N: This is becoming one of my fav fics to write! Thanks to all who are following along and supporting me on Ao3! If any of you were on the Tumblr taglist then moved to Ao3, feel free to let me know. This goes for anybody who ever wants to be removed from the taglist lol, no hard feelings!

Steve woke up to the sound of an alarm at 6am on Friday morning. He couldn’t remember why at first, and reached over to hit the snooze button. When it went off again at 6:15, he groaned and rolled over to unplug the damn thing. 

The previous night came back to him in a flash when he reached out a hand that didn’t belong to him. Oh. Right.

For a moment as he desperately clung to consciousness, he thought that the worst part of all of this might be having to wake up so early. Well, that and the crippling fear of what Eddie was going to do. 

He got out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror. Yup. I’m still Munson. He fixed Eddie’s frizzy hair to the best of his ability, and wondered how it would look if he actually used the right products on it. He put on an outfit that mildly resembled Eddie’s usual style. Steve hoped that if he followed the rules and didn’t stir up trouble, Eddie would do the same. 

He didn’t have a backpack or books or anything, but it didn’t really matter. Eddie never seemed to bring anything around school except his stupid black lunchbox. 

He laughed to himself at the thought of that big, clunky thing Eddie carried around. Steve had seen the inside contents firsthand, and he was always shocked at how cavalier Eddie was about carrying drugs around with him all day. Like, the dude just took a whole lot of weed everywhere he went, sold it right outside of school property, and nobody really questioned it.

Most of the time, anyway. As Steve walked downstairs and grabbed a protein bar on his way out the door, he thought about the one time he’d been involved in Eddie’s dealing. Steve’s Junior year, not too long before he started seeing Nancy. Eddie’s Senior year - the first one, anyway.

“Where’s Tommy?” Eddie had asked when they met up at the picnic table. “He’s usually the one that meets me here.”

“Tommy’s out sick,” Steve responded. “You’re stuck with me today.” Eddie sighed as he sat down, putting the infamous giant metal lunchbox on the table and opening it to reveal quite literally the most marijuana Steve had ever seen in one place. His eyes went wide. “Jesus Christ, man. That’s, like -”

“Whaddya want, Harrington?” Eddie asked, his smile pained but pleasant. “Pick your poison.”

“Just give me whatever Tommy usually gets,” Steve answered. Eddie nodded and dug through his contraband as Steve took out a few bills and threw them on the table. Eddie caught a glimpse of the money and smirked. Steve had expected Eddie to give him change, but it was pretty evident that would not be happening the moment they’d started this interaction. “You’re being careful, right?”

“What the hell are you on about?” Eddie asked as he handed Steve the bag. 

“I just mean, like. With selling. Couldn’t you go to jail or something?”

“Why the hell do you care?” he replied, growing agitated. “People don’t tell on me because if they did, they wouldn’t have anywhere else to buy this shit. So unless you’re going to run to the police, I think I’ll be okay.”

“Jesus, man. I’m just looking out for you,” Steve responded as he stood up. 

“Since fucking when?” Eddie retorted. “You’ve never cared before.”

“I never bought from you before,” Steve replied. Eddie’s harsh words and combative nature hardly fazed Steve. It wasn’t too far off from how Tommy talked to him, and he’d gotten used to that years ago. 

“I know what I’m doing,” Eddie insisted. “Rick and my dad have taught me well regarding the life of crime.” Steve responded without thinking - a habit that he was still trying to break. 

“Isn’t your dad, like, in prison, though?” He regretted it as soon as he’d said it. He wished he could chase the words in the air and crush them, but they were already out and into the ether. 

“We’re done here,” Eddie responded. He sounded tired and disappointed as opposed to angry. That was far worse.

So, Steve got what he needed and he left. Usually, that’s the full extent of what happens during a drug deal, but unfortunately Steve wasn’t so lucky that time. 

He was taken out of his memory when the fresh air hit his face and went into his lungs. He really, really wanted a cigarette. He climbed into his car and for a moment wished it were Eddie’s, because there certainly would have been something to smoke in there. Steve’s car, however, was kept neat and drug-free. It was part of the agreement he had with his father about paying his car insurance. If Mr. Harrington caught so much as a hint of smoke in the car he’d so nicely provided his son, Steve lost all car privileges. And if Steve didn’t have a car, he pretty much didn’t have a life. 

He had many reasons to quit smoking, and he’d finally gotten over the horrible cravings, and now here he was, fighting them yet again. 

Fuck you, Munson.

He didn’t realize how weird it would feel to pull into the Hawkins High parking lot. Only a year prior was he in this parking lot with Nancy, thinking about college essays and graduation. 

Seemed like forever ago. Steve hardly felt like the same person he was then. 

Although, at the current moment, he was literally a different person, but that’s another story. 

He sighed and headed into the school. It was still pretty early, but kids roamed the halls anyway. Steve stopped one of them - he didn’t recognize her, but she looked kind enough. 

“Hey, so uh -” Her eyes widened at him in confusion with a hint of fear. At first he assumed it must have been the height difference. “If I needed another copy of my schedule, where would I go?”

“You don’t know your schedule yet?” she asked, still hesitant. “Did your brain finally melt from all the drugs?” Steve raised his eyebrows, shocked at the way she had casually insulted him. 

“No, I just -” Steve paused. He had no other explanation for why he’d need a new schedule, so he let it go. “Do you know where I should go, or not?”

“Main office, bonehead.” She spun around and walked away, leaving Steve stunned. 

Okay, so she wasn’t so kind after all. Steve was kind of shit at reading people.

He managed to get a copy of Eddie’s schedule (the woman at the front desk seemed equally as judgmental and suspicious, so Steve lied and said it was to give to his girlfriend. She didn’t seem to believe that either), and then headed to his first class before the bell rang. So far so good, he figured. 

But then class started, and Steve remembered how much he hated school. He sat and pretended to listen to the teacher until the forty minutes were up. 

There was a quiz in math next period, but thankfully Steve actually knew what he was doing. Math was something he understood relatively well. It was easier for him than the other subjects, at least. Plus, since he’d started hanging out with Dustin, he’d gotten a lot more booksmart just through, like, osmosis or something. For example, he knew the word osmosis.

Nobody really talked to him in class, but maybe that was for the best. Steve wasn’t really much of an actor, and he didn’t know Eddie well enough to accurately impersonate him. Plus, when people did interact with him, they were usually just calling him a freak or whatever, even though Steve wasn’t doing anything. People shit on Eddie just for existing.

The day went by swiftly and with relatively little issue - that was, until lunch. 

At least Steve knew Eddie enough to remember where he sat - the Hellfire table, with the other freaks. Eddie was walking on tables and making a scene like twice a week, talking about the same shit over and over to his little sheep who always listened intently to his ramblings. 

Steve always wondered why the people at the table seemed to encourage his behavior. Mostly they ignored it, but there were always a few who seemed impressed. The young kids. 

Steve couldn’t believe Dustin had become one of the sheep. 

He loved Dustin, obviously. He’d do anything for Dustin, and yet - Dustin was in a new phase of his life. High school. Damn. Those were prime identity years for Steve. He wasn’t sure how much Dustin would change, or which clique he’d be adopted into. When he heard that Hellfire had adopted him after Day 1, Steve was kind of disappointed, just because he never saw the appeal of that club or the people in it. Especially Eddie. 

And now, Eddie was leaving his own mark on Dustin, and Steve couldn’t do anything about it but watch from afar. 

Until now, he guessed. 

Steve went to the Hellfire table and sat down at the head of it - that’s where Eddie always sat. Various people were gathered around already, most of whom he didn’t recognize. Mike was there, but they didn’t really look at each other. He still didn’t like Steve that much, but he was a kid - Steve didn’t take it too personally. Dustin joined them a few minutes later, actively avoiding eye contact as well. That was far more personal, and Steve wasn’t gonna stand by and let it happen. 

“Dustin, you doing alright, man?” he asked. Dustin looked over at Steve (Eddie) and nodded.

“Yeah,” he responded. He seemed…embarrassed? “I’m sorry for yelling at you guys yesterday.”

Oh. So Dustin wasn’t angry at him anymore, he was angry at himself. Does he know Eddie and I went back to the plant yet??

“It’s all good, I get it. I’m sorry, too.”

“For what?” Dustin asked, confused. 

“For, uh - overstepping, I guess,” Steve answered. 

“Munson, did you just apologize for something?” another person at the table asked. Steve turned to see someone he thought he knew, but couldn't place his name. “This is a first.”

Shit. Wait, does Eddie really never apologize? Figures -

“He’s always had a soft spot for Henderson,” another student added. 

“You weren’t overstepping, Eddie,” Dustin continued, ignoring the comments from the others. “I just wanted -”

“We don’t have to harp on it,” Steve interrupted. Hey, at least I’m crushing the thing Eddie does where he never lets people finish a thought. “Let’s just forget it.”

“Thanks,” Dustin said. “And it seems like you survived the night despite having to be civil with Steve for ten minutes.” Yeah, ten minutes. If only.

“I wasn’t sure for a minute there, but yeah. We made it through.”

Steve kept to himself the rest of lunch, occasionally chatting with Dustin or Gareth - that was the one dude’s name. Apparently, there was band practice on Saturday. Steve had no idea Corroded Coffin was still together. 

He thought he was doing alright, all things considered. He almost believed he’d make it through the whole day undetected. 

How foolish of him. 

___________________________________

Dustin was first clued in that something was wrong when he heard that Eddie had showed up in a car other than his infamous van. Since Dustin was always one to ride the curiosity voyage, he’d gone out to the parking lot between periods to see for himself. 

Eddie’s van wasn’t there. A totally different, unrecognizable car was parked in his place. That was weird in itself - Eddie always took that spot, and he didn’t have access to any other cars. Dustin shrugged and started walking back to the school, and that’s when he noticed something even weirder. 

Steve’s car. 

Dustin rationalized it as best as he could. Maybe Steve lent Robin the car, even though she didn’t have her license yet. Seemed improbable, but possible. Eddie could have stolen Steve’s car for the day. That one was more likely, but then why wasn't it in the right parking spot?

Lunch gave him even more information. 

Eddie was nice to Dustin, sure. But he wasn’t that nice. He still teased Dustin in a way that made him feel praised, somehow. Like - way to go, buddy. You’re a weirdo like me. And Gareth was right, Eddie never apologized. 

But Dustin knew someone who did. 

At lunch, Eddie didn’t seem to know anything about Dungeons and Dragons, and he was quiet. Like, way too quiet. Mike talked about Lucas joining the basketball team, and Eddie didn’t give his usual tirade about how sports teams are poisoning the school. Instead, he was supportive. He also didn’t remember that band practice was the next day, and Corroded Coffin had band practice every Saturday without fail. 

Dustin thought at first that maybe, Eddie had just been crazy high off something. Something that Dustin hadn’t seen him on before. In any case, there was definitely something he was keeping secret about the night prior with Steve. Dustin just had no idea what. 

The mystery continued to unfold right after the final bell of the day, when the stupid bullies approached Dustin yet again. He rolled his eyes at their arrival. 

“What now, you imbeciles?” Dustin asked, passively. He’d tried several ways to fight back in the past, and nothing really worked, but he knew that the best way to get a bully to lose interest is to pretend he didn’t care. 

“Look who’s all tough,” Chad grinned devilishly. “Are you waiting on your guardians to show up and save you again?” 

“What?” Dustin didn’t know how they knew about that. 

“Harrington and the Freak,” Chad answered. “They tried to give us a good scare last night.”

“They did?” Dustin asked, his heart sinking. 

“What, like you didn’t ask them to?”

“Actually, I specifically asked them not to,” Dustin sighed. Those idiots. Chad and his buddies circled around Dustin, trapping him against the wall with no escape in sight. One of them looked in the distance and rolled his eyes. 

“Speak of the devil,” he said. The group all turned towards his gaze to see Eddie strolling straight towards them, a somehow casual fury in his eyes. Eddie’s anger was usually a lot more intense and frazzled. This was more like a guy who’d had enough. A guy who’d seen some shit far worse than bullying and was now unfazed by high school drama.

Eddie approached the circle and wiggled his way in until he was face to face with Chad.

“What do you want, Munson?” he asked. 

“I told you. Leave the kid alone, or else,” he replied.

“Or else, what? Are you gonna curse me or something?” The group laughed. Everyone thought they were so smart, making the same jokes about Eddie. Angry, unhinged Eddie who Dustin had seen carefully and quietly work on campaigns on multiple occasions. He only acted crazy when he had an audience. 

“If that’s what it takes,” Eddie shrugged. “Or I could, you know, tell everyone about the time you threw up all over Stacy Williams at the New Years party.” Chad’s eyes widened. 

“How do you even know about that?” Eddie smirked, then continued. 

“Right place, right time I guess. I mean, I was at least in a better place than Stacy Williams that night -”

“Okay fine, I’ll leave him alone,” Chad said. Eddie let go of the guy and took a step back, triumphant. Chad recovered, then delivered one final, unoriginal blow. “Freak.” Spit flew out of his mouth as he said the word. Chad was the worst, and nobody liked him anyway. He walked off with his minions, pathetically defeated. 

“Sorry, Dustin. I know you didn’t want me to -”

“It’s okay. Thanks,” Dustin replied. “I think he might actually lay off now.”

“Cool,” his friend said with a smile. He turned to leave, but Dustin only let him get a step or two before calling out to him. 

Dustin had heard the story about Chad and Stacy before, and he knew who had told it to him. 

“Steve?”

“Yeah?” His friend turned back to Dustin nonchalantly, before his eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

“I knew it. Tell me everything.”

______________________________________

Eddie slept in until noon, a luxury he usually didn’t have on Fridays. Well, he used to sleep in until noon on Fridays a lot, but then he didn’t graduate. 

This time, however, he could sleep guilt-free, knowing that Steve’s shift wasn’t until 12:30. With a full night’s rest under his belt, he felt a bit more at peace about the whole situation, somehow. 

Maybe it was because, out of the two of them, Eddie had a much better deal than Steve. 

He wondered how school was going, and if Steve had gotten a taste of his own medicine. Maybe having to experience constant bullying would make him understand how much of an asshole he’d been. One could only hope. 

Eddie climbed out of bed, chose the least offensive outfit he owned (plain black t-shirt and black jeans), put the green vest on (he far preferred his Dio one), and headed out the door. He hadn’t even looked in the mirror or anything. He avoided it on purpose. But, alas, he caught his reflection in the rearview mirror of his van as he backed out of Forest Hills, and that’s when he realized he’d left Steve’s hair a fucking mess. 

Seriously, not once had Steve’s hair ever looked like this. Eddie didn’t even know it could look like this. It was…really bad??? How much time did Steve invest in making this shit look good every day? What the hell??

Eddie started to realize why Steve had been so upset the night before about the conditioner thing. 

Even though it wasn’t his hair, technically, and any embarrassment Eddie faced today would have zero consequences, he took a minute to make it look somewhat decent. He wanted to screw Harrington over, of course, but he also wanted to see what a normal day was like for someone like Steve. 

He’d cause chaos in other ways, he promised himself. 

He pulled into Family Video, feeling relatively confident as he walked in. How hard could it be, right? It was just movies. Eddie watched a lot of movies. He’d make sure Steve kept his job - that was the deal. He didn’t want to keep up his end of the bargain, but he was scared of what Steve would do in retaliation. 

School and job must stay intact. Non-negotiable. But everything else was fair game. 

“You’re late, Harrington,” Keith said as Eddie walked in. He looked at his watch - it was 12:31.

“Barely,” he responded before regretting it. Fuck. I’m bad at this.

“Watch it,” Keith warned. Eddie quickly backed off and headed behind the counter. He wasn’t sure what else there was to do other than handle customers. He figured if Keith wanted him to do something else, he’d say something. 

Nobody came in for the first half hour. Eddie was bored. He thought about asking Keith if he could watch one of the movies, then shut that thought down before it left his lips. He wished he’d brought a book. How the hell did Harrington survive this job when it was so dull?? He wondered if having Robin around made it more bearable. She was due to show up after school around 3pm.

He felt a major reprieve when Keith asked him to put the returns back to their rightful spots on the shelves. It gave him something to do, and he was so excited to be doing something that he got it done in record-breaking time, apparently. 

“All set,” Eddie had said once he’d put the last tape on the shelf. Keith eyed him suspiciously. 

“Really?” he asked. Eddie nodded. “That was fast. Did you just put them all in random spots again?” Jesus Christ. I’m surprised Harrington hasn’t lost this job all by himself. 

“No, they’re all in the right place. You can check if you want.” Eddie knew they were all correct, because he’d been in this store so many damn times. He probably knew it better than Steve. No, he definitely knew it better than Steve. 

Keith double checked a few rows before he believed Eddie’s words. He nodded, clearly impressed. 

Then, a customer came in - someone he knew. Rick. 

“Hey, man!” Eddie greeted him without thinking about it. 

Rick, or “Reefer Rick,” was the guy that got Eddie into the whole dealing thing. He was Eddie’s supplier, and he was a good friend. Well, he was a friend anyway. 

“Hey…” Rick responded, confused at “Steve’s” enthusiasm. 

“Cheech and Chong, right?” Eddie asked, knowing that was Rick’s usual. “We just got it back so it’s actually right here.” Rick looked impressed that an employee remembered him, but Eddie knew for a fact he was a regular here, and his appearance was kind of hard to forget. 

He rang him out. He probably did it wrong on the computer, but whatever. 

“Have a good day, man,” Rick said as he left. 

A woman came in after that, looking for something to watch with her boyfriend. Eddie rambled on about a few titles, asking her about the boyfriend and what he liked, then what she liked, before providing multiple recommendations and his reasoning behind them. She chose one, rented it, and left the store. 

Damn. I’m actually really good at this shit. Eddie wondered if he’d found his calling. He deserved this job way more than Harrington. 

“Steve,” Keith called from the back room, where he’d been doing paperwork and rewinding tapes. “What’s gotten into you today?”

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked. 

“I mean,” Keith continued. “You’re staying busy instead of slacking off. You’re remembering customers, and you didn’t hit on that girl at all like you usually would. You even gave her a really good recommendation. I thought you didn’t know anything about Star Wars?” 

Seriously, how the hell has Harrington not been fired yet? Eddie also took note of Steve not knowing about Star Wars, which may have been his worst offense yet, in Eddie’s eyes. 

“Yeah, well. I’m really trying,” Eddie responded. He wasn’t, really. This job was stupid easy. But also, he was doing it, because that was the deal. 

“Keep up the good work,” Keith said. “If you do, I’ll start letting you pick your shifts.”

Eddie’s eyes widened. He loved praise. He loved being told he was doing well, it just didn’t happen much outside of Hellfire. 

“Noted. Thanks,” he replied. 

And then it hit him - Eddie had set out to ruin Steve’s life, and instead he got him a promotion. Fuck. I’m really bad at this whole revenge thing.

(next chapter)

______________________________________

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[oddnry-silent]

• Memories.

>Y/N and Daryl wondered at the woods and saw Y/N's pre-apocalypse tree house. They played one of the mixtapes Y/N had and it bring back Memories, and they ended up sharing memories and flashbacks to each other.

☆: this is requested! I accidentally deleted the request, I'm sorry! but if you saw this anon, here's your req! ♡

Daryl Dixon x Male Reader

Taken in S9

Pronouns: He/Him

Fluff and Angst (☆: Let's cry people <3)

TW: Languange, Abuse, Trauma, Mention of Scars, Blood. Kissing.

Color text : Y/N Daryl

"Hey.." Daryl caught up to Y/N and Dog as they all walking to the woods, hunting for food or something new.

"Yeah?" Y/N looked at Daryl and tilted his head, "You've mentioned before that ya have a treehouse before shit happened, was it in here?"

"Oh yeah, do you want to go?" Y/N suggested as Daryl nodded, "I'm curious.." Daryl mumbled as Y/N chuckled.

"I'm curious too. I came back from there since that explosion happened.." Daryl let out a hum as Dog barked, signaling 2 walkers coming their way.

Both male got their crossbow up, "Dibs at the long-sleeved man!" Y/N said as they shoot both walkers down.

"They have a bag.." Daryl walked to the walkers as he got the bag, he opened it and it was stuffed with water and some food.

"Jackpot!" Y/N giggled as Daryl closed the bag looking at Y/N smiling made his stomach do flips, "I'll carry it." Y/N held the strip as Daryl denied.

"No, I'll carry-" "Look at you." Daryl examined his body, carrying a heavy bagpack and his crossbow.

"Just shut up and I'll carry it. We're both close from the treehouse so don't argue with me." Y/N snatched the bag and carried it to his back, Daryl shrugged as they kept moving.

Daryl saw the treehouse figure in a distance, Y/N signaled Daryl to stop as well with Dog, he got 2 sticks that has a hook in both ends and got the invisible threads to hold in place.

He went in first and assisted Daryl by holding his hand along with Dog jumped through it. "I've caught walkers with these threads, it's sharp enough to slash their heads." Daryl nodded as he followed Y/N to the thick tree branch.

Y/N held a rope that's lying down at the tree, he pulled it as a rope ladder went down. Y/N signaled Daryl to go first while he put Dog to an empty backpack he bring with him.

They both went upstairs to see Daryl looked through the woods with admiration. "Ya can see everywhere 'ere.." Daryl hold the railings as they can feel the cold wind to them.

The outside of the treehouse is wide, 1 person can walk to each sides that they can see every direction. Y/N opened the door as he put Dog down and he jumped to the beanbag.

It was wide. There's a kitchen, a bunk bed with a couch below, a bookshelf full of books and comics, a coffee table, drawers and cabinets, and a beanbag where Dog is snuggling to.

"Feel free to explore." Y/N smiled as he organized the contents of the bag they found to the kitchen.

Daryl went to the bookshelf, most of it are comic books. He opened the cabinet below, revealing a stack of mixtapes and records. He grabbed one and it was label with a smiley face.

"Ya play these?" Daryl was about to look at the kitchen but Y/N is beside him, causing him to startle. Y/N nodded as his lips form a thin line.

"Want to listen?" Daryl nodded, "Haven't heard music after I left Alexandria." Y/N nodded as he stood up, he was about to walk to the table but Daryl grabbed his hand.

"You okay?" Y/N nodded with a sad smile, "Why wouldn't I..?" He went to the table and inserted the mixtape.

<Now playing:

Y/N grabbed 2 beanbags and placed it through the corner of the room with Dog jumped to his lap. He signaled Daryl to join as he went to sit.

Close your eyes.

"You know.." Y/N broke the silence, "I was at the hospital because my mom got confined.. Malnutrition. Then the shit happened."

Have no fear.

"I have an abusive father, he came home late reeking alcohol every single day. He hurt my mom everytime but when he was about to hurt my three siblings, I can’t afford to get them hurt so I volunteered."

The monster's gone,

"He locked both of us up in my room that was really dark, the windows got shut with wood so not even a single light pierced through. We cant even see his face while doing all that torture to us not knowing what is his expression by hurting us is so confusing and shit."

He's on the run and your mommy's here.

"My mom became skinny from time to time, and we’re both covered in bruises." Y/N sniffles as he got his sweater off, revealing a body full of bruises. Sadness crept up to Daryl as he examined his body.

"Her replies became short and her voice is dry from dehydration. He don’t give us food but instead he let us ate his anger."

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.

"My siblings started to give us food and water but I gave it all to my mom because she needed it more than me. But then one day, they started not giving food. Me and my mom heard yells and thumps from outside, realized that he founded out that they are giving us food."

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.

"So for days turn into weeks, we haven’t ate anything. We haven’t heard anything outside, just the dark room and silence. The torture became our daily routine and it sucks."

Before you go to sleep,

"I just prayed that this nightmare came into the end, but it came true. A pair of police officers barged into the room, the light lit up the room. It was the first time we’ve saw the light again."

Say a little prayer.

"Other police officers caught my dad and arrested him for what he did to us. As soon as we got out from that nightmare, my mom collapsed. The ambulance came and they treated my mom well, that leads her to the hospital. Confined."

Everyday in every way.

"They interviewed me and the proof was enough to arrest him easily. They found out we’re poor so they payed my mom’s hospital bills."

It's getting better and better.

"Us siblings got different jobs and we started to heal. Founding out that time they stopped giving us food because my dad dropped them off to my aunt and they never came back, not until they saved us that day."

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.

"Always after work, I visit my mom at the hospital. Buying her food to eat and talk to her that can go for ages. She began to heal, her bones are no longer showing, she was eating regularly, and that was enough for me to be happy. Not until that shit happened."

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.

"She was singing me this song, we’re both happy and smiling not until the explosions happened. But to my suprise, she kept singing. She held my hand as explosions spread to the city."

Out on the ocean, sailing away.

"She was a singer back then. She perform at many places like parties, charities, many competitions, and just recording her own musics she wrote. "

I can hardly wait,

"She is a strong woman even when she was abused by my father. But that continued for ages that made her weak and depressed. But when she’s alive right now, she will be the baddest woman I ever met."

To see you come of age.

"She continued singing. With her angelic voice came back, it flew my mind away and didn’t care about what’s happening. All I care about was my mom, not until the ceiling fell."

But I guess we'll both just have to be patient.

"I woke up with silence surrounded the world, the explosions and screams are gone. After I look at my surroundings, I just realized that my hand got stuck at the debris with my mom holding it."

'Cause it's a long way to go

"Blood gushing through my hand as I felt the pain pierced through my body. I quickly got all of my strength just to get that debris away from me. But every movement I made, blood is dripping down everywhere. But then I realized, it all came from my mom. I can’t do anything at all, it fell straight into her, so I just go on and save my hand."

A hard road to hoe.

"Thank God I found a first aid kit near me. But while I treated my hand, I heard growling. I looked at the other side of the bed and I saw my mom’s head in half, her eyes are in different color but the growling came from her. She tried to bite me but she was stuck, so I left her there."

Yes it's a long way to go

"I continued to move on without meeting people, I don’t trust them. I just found out that you need to shoot the brain and I went here to survive."

But in the meantime.

A tear went down from Daryl's eye as he looked at the male crying. Anger and sadness filled Daryl's heart as he stare at the ground.

Before you cross the street,

"You don' deserved that, I don' know if I deserve like a father like that either." Y/N's eyes widened with his eyebrows frowned. He quickly went up to Daryl and hugged him.

Take my hand.

Daryl cried, he can't take it anymore. He snuggled at Y/N's neck as the other male felt tears to his skin. Y/N caressed Daryl's head while making circles into his back as he also felt strong arms surrounding his waist.

Life is what happens to you,

Y/N leaned back as his hands on Daryl's shoulders. They looked into each other's eyes as Y/N leaned in, connecting their lips. Tears fell into their eyes as Daryl melted into the kiss. Knowing Y/N felt the same way he did made him happier than ever.

While you're busy making other plans.

Y/N leaned back and pressed his forehead onto Daryl's. "You don't deserve it, ever. Everything will be alright Dar, it's all just the past. But we can't just forget it, I know. Scars are permanent, they can't fade just like the past." Y/N smiled as he stopped crying.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.

"I-I.. didn't expect you felt the same way as I do about you, Y/N.." Daryl smiled as Y/N wiped off Daryl's tears from his cheeks, "Neither do I, Dixon." Y/N laughed as he leaned in for another kiss.

Y/N leaned away as he cupped Daryl's cheeks as he chuckled.

"My beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.."

[mrs-sharp]

The Eyes of Graphorns

Chapter 4 of my Aesop Sharp x Professor mc fanfiction.

Read part 1-3 here

tw: angst, mention of pain and death

(but also a little fluff towards the end - I guess)

Summary: MC tells Sharp she has uncovered a black market for goblin artefacts in Scarborough. And there's another secret she reveals to him.

Chapter 4 - The Renegades

The next day, Aesop Sharp stood outside the office in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. After climbing the last step, he raised his hand and paused. Should he really be here? Was it appropriate to visit his former student so late on her first day? He had a good reason, yes, but now that he was standing in front of her door, doubts crept in. But then he shook his head vigorously and decided to knock. On the other side of the wooden door, Elaine looked up from her desk. The sun had already set, and she had lost track of time while preparing for the lessons for the next few days. She ignited a fire in the fireplace with her wand and called out, "Yes?"

The door opened, and suddenly Aesop Sharp was in her office. It was strange to see him in a different office than his own.

"Good evening," he greeted her politely, looking around. The room looked different from Dinah Hecat's time. Shelves lined the walls filled with books, potions, and ingredients. Some shelves were stacked with loose papers, inkwells, and feathers from birds he didn't recognize. Between the shelves, strings were stretched, hanging herbs and roots for drying. Everywhere he looked, he discovered items and objects he had never seen before, some apparently from distant lands, including masks, maps, amulets, clay vessels, and other curiosities he couldn't name.

"Professor Sharp, what can I do for you?" she asked, although she knew the reason for his late visit. Elaine stood up to greet him.

"Well, I wanted to ask how your first day of school went."

"Oh, well, it went quite well, I think. Today I discussed Boggarts with the third years."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

"Well, the reason I'm actually here-"

"Why don't you sit down?" Elaine offered, conjuring a second chair to her desk with a flick of her wand, on which a candle holder illuminated a stack of books and parchments.

"Thank you. We didn't talk about it yesterday, as we were so abruptly interrupted, but you mentioned that you were in Scarborough?"

Elaine noticed him shudder at the name of the place where he had carried out his last assignment for the Ministry. She had also noticed yesterday that the name caused him discomfort. She wanted to address it, but at that moment, Professor Black had inexplicably appeared and stated that he could not tolerate his teachers still being in the corridors at such a late hour, with classes scheduled for the next day.

Elaine nodded and decided to get straight to the point. "I uncovered a secret black market for Goblin artefacts."

Elaine paused briefly before continuing, "We found a hidden storage room in Scarborough full of Goblin artefacts and an empty repository, similar to the one under Hogwarts. The artefacts were partially enchanted with dark magic. They are mainly used as weapons, as Ranrok did. The storage room must have been in use for some time. I..." Elaine paused briefly before hesitantly reaching into her coat pocket. She placed an Auror badge on her desk and slid it over to Sharp. He recognized it immediately. It was the badge of his deceased partner.

"I found this in their hideout..."

"But, what? That can't be. You mean... the smugglers in Scarborough?"

Elaine nodded.

"They didn't just smuggle shrunken heads. That was just what the Ministry was supposed to believe. I persuaded the Ministry to reopen the case. Ranrok had already gathered followers long before he pursued me. The smugglers from Scarborough worked with Goblins, who had turned away from Ranrok. They are an organized group and call themselves 'The Renegades.' They abducted or killed Ranrok's followers to obtain the artefacts and then sell them. They also smuggled metal from the mines to make their own repository. After Ranrok was defeated, they continued until today. And now they are after me again. They believe that through me, they can obtain more dark magic to fill the new repository and produce new artifacts. That's why the Ministry wanted me to go into hiding. Then, this summer, I happened to meet Professor Hecat, and when she told me that she wanted to resign from her position... I took the opportunity."

Aesop Sharp was lost in thought for a while.

"But how? Why do the Renegades believe that they can obtain dark magic through you? Just because you can see traces of ancient magic doesn't mean you practice dark magic."

Elaine ran a hand through her short hair and thought.

"Come. I think I need to show you something."

She got up, walked past Sharp, and stepped into a corner of the room behind him. It was only now that Sharp noticed a Pensieve standing there. He followed her and watched as she drew a silvery thread from her temple with her wand and let it slide into the basin. Her appearance had something graceful and dignified, momentarily causing Sharp to forget why he was here. The melancholy in her gaze, the scars on her face, the short hair, all gave her a unique beauty that overwhelmed him.

"Please," Elaine said, gesturing towards the Pensieve. Sharp approached it and lowered his head into the cool liquid.

-

Sharp saw Fig and Elaine standing in Fig's office, talking.

"Rookwood is working with Ranrok," he heard Elaine say, "and they want... me."

"Then they want what we found in Gringotts," Fig replied.

Then he saw Elaine and Fig standing in front of the four large picture frames he had seen below Hogwarts when he entered the underground caves with Elaine, but this time they were not empty. In one of the portraits, an older wizard was visible.

"You must pass four trials…"

The scene changed, and he could see Elaine and Fig observing Ranrok and Rookwood.

"Bring me the child…"

Then back to the room with the portraits, this time with more frames filled. Elaine asks, "What did Isidora extract from her father's chest?"

"Pain…"

The last scene seemed to be the day of the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Did Isidora absorb the pain? I don't understand, how could she derive power from it?"

"I wonder that you ask about your power?“

“There is a powerful Goblin who wants to use this power for himself…"

Finally, Sharp hears the woman's voice again: "Just because you can dispel the darkness doesn't mean you should always do it..."

-

Sharp was brought back to the present and looked at Elaine.

"I don't quite understand, what does this mean? Who is Isidora?" Sharp asked puzzled. He couldn't believe what he had just seen.

"Isidora Morgenach. She was a professor at Hogwarts. She could also see and use traces of ancient magic like me. She had the repositories built and filled with ancient, dark magic. That's why the Renegades want to find me. They believe they can force me to produce this dark magic for them so they can create new weapons."

Elaine pressed her lips together briefly. After a short pause, which Sharp also noticed, she continued, "I don't know exactly how they make these artefacts and what powers the dark magic has, but... whoever survives their attack must live with a curse forever. And... with the chronic pain it causes."

She looked at Sharp's leg and avoided his gaze. Elaine swallowed. She felt Sharp's thoughts racing as he looked at her. Gathering all her courage, she looked up at him: He had an equally sharp and alert as well as hopeless look in his eyes.

"You... You mean to tell me that you knew all along what kind of magic cursed me and you didn’t say anything?" Sharp seemed tense. It was as if something in him was breaking that he didn't know was there. As if a connection between Elaine and him has been destroyed that had never existed. Elaine remained silent. She had feared this moment since she knew she would return to Hogwarts.

"So you do possess ancient magic, like Isidora. You share her abilities... If she could extract pain, then..." he began hopefully. Elaine looked at her trembling hands. The right time to tell him the truth had long passed, but she had to do it eventually – preferably before she got too used to his presence, in case he decided to turn away from her permanently.

"I know what you're getting at. I won't do it," she interrupted him curtly but firmly. Sharp jumped up and slammed his fist on the table. Elaine didn't flinch. She had already anticipated what would happen. Sharp was about to lose control. Elaine couldn't bear to look at him anymore. She ran her fingers over the notches in the wooden table they were sitting at. The pendulum of the grandfather clock ticked heavily through the silence.

"You don't know what it's like," he retorted, his voice trembling, "to wake up every day and realise what happened in the past is still paralysing you. Not knowing what you're worth to the wizarding world and then the pain..."

What was he talking about? She had been back at Hogwarts for a day, and he behaved like a whiny, bitter man dependent on the pity of others. He had never talked to anyone about it in his entire career, and now he was making a fool of himself. Elaine looked away so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes.

"Look at me!" he suddenly shouted. He couldn't hold himself together anymore, not after what Elaine triggered in him. "You knew all along, you know the cure, and you said nothing? Do you even care at all what I have to endure day after day?" Now Elaine was slowly losing patience.

"Do you really think that I don’t know what you're going through?" she snapped at him. Sharp fell silent. In the three years he had taught her, he had never witnessed her losing control. With her left hand, she unbuttoned her shirt sleeve, pushing up the fabric and revealing her right arm – it was covered with burnt skin, forming a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, shimmering reddishly. Sharp recognized it immediately. He has carried the same scar on his leg for years. So that was the reason why she had changed so much. On her first day, he had already noticed that something couldn't be right, that she was in pain, and that she avoided his gaze. He fell silent, his face taking on a sad expression as Elaine's words poured out. She no longer bothered to hide her tears:

"Do you really think I wouldn't know what it feels like? I've been travelling the world to find a cure for you! Because I couldn't bear to see you suffer even back then. I didn't want to return to Hogwarts until I had found at least something. That's why I didn't write to you. That's why I was afraid to come back. After a year, when I still hadn't found anything, I became an auror, to at least bring down your attacker, and I would have succeeded if there hadn't been a spy who betrayed us. That's why I didn't want you to know about my return. I came back with the same pain you suffer everyday and with the knowledge of having failed."

At the last sentence, she turned away from him and wiped her face with her left sleeve. Elaine took her coat from the chair, threw it over her shoulders, and stormed out. Sharp stood frozen in the room, feeling lost. He waited for the second door in the classroom to close, but the sound didn't come. Sharp slowly walked into the room where Defense Against the Dark Arts was taught. Hecat's dragon skeleton still hung from the ceiling and looked even more menacing in the torch-lit room than it already did in the daylight.

He found Elaine at the front of the room. She stood motionless in front of an old wooden cupboard that Sharp had seen before. He knew what was inside. Sharp approached Elaine and stood behind her. She didn't turn around, but he knew she felt his presence. She always did. With a trembling hand, Elaine silently opened the cupboard door. At first, nothing happened. Then Elaine broke the frosty silence. There was an insecurity in her voice that Sharp had never heard before, not even after Fig's death: "I didn't know what form he would take. Back then, I always saw Fig's corpse, but today..."

Elaine stopped herself as a tall figure emerged from the cupboard and staggered towards her. Sharp took a moment to realize that it was himself approaching Elaine. Was he the thing she feared the most? She had mentioned being afraid to write to him, but...

However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that the second Sharp had a strangely absent expression. His lips were twisted into a grotesque smile, and his eyes... They were empty. They weren't sad or desperate; they lacked any emotion, and a white mist in them seemed to stare directly into his soul, trying to extinguish all life from within. Elaine turned to face Sharp, looking at him. Her reddened eyes and the fear in her gaze weighed heavily on Sharp. Elaine now spoke a little calmer, but still sobbing: "Isidora didn't just free people from their pain, but from any emotions. They all turned into soulless shells."

Elaine paused briefly before silently and without turning around, transforming the Boggart into a few colourful streamers and sending it back into the cupboard.

After a moment of silence, she took a step towards Sharp and looked deep into his eyes. The blue of her eyes overwhelmed him, and although he had just been angry with her, he now felt an unusual attraction emanating from the fragile hint of trust in her gaze. They just stood there in silence for a while, and then, Elaine did something he hadn't expected: she touched his hand. Sharp breathed in briefly and barely audibly. Her touch tore him apart internally – it was the most gentle and tender touch he had felt in decades. Yet it felt like a farewell. Elaine continued softly: "I can't take the risk. You mean too much to me."

Then, she turned around, left her classroom, and disappeared into the darkness of the castle.

Chapter 5 - Elaine's Laughter