#causes an earthquake with my emotions about all of this

[frothingatthemaw]

STEVIE UR SO REAL FOR THAT RB. i think i generally just miss the Mutual Affection. like everything is a qpr to me but like. i miss knowing eachothers intricacies and staying up late just to talk to someone and calling and being fucking goofy together and and and :( yeah

:(( YEAH!!!!! i’ve become so weird with touch stuff lately and being verbally affectionate but like. i don’t like being this way!!!!!! i want to experience love and be able to give it, why am i bitter!!!!! i hate explaining myself over and over to someone and i hate being depressed and feeling like shit and feeling like no matter how much i explain anything, i’ll never Really be understood at all. and i miss staying up late with someone and losing sleep just to talk to them, it’s a shared thing that both of you do just to be with each other. it’s sacrifices on both ends JUST to be with each other a while longer. i wish i could call and be chill with someone instead of being deathly afraid of shit and masking for a million people. just AUGHHH!!!!!! i wanna go back to who i was before This. i miss all of it :((( i want to feel and experience again because fuckkk :((((

[hearts4werka]

NNN day 23 | Fractured Bonds

summary: you and Chris never got along, until your parents forced you to at least attempt to be civil with each other since you’ll be flying out for vacation soon to be on good terms, you were getting along pretty well until a truck comes crashing into you but Chris pushes you out of the way, causing the harsh injuries to himself, suffering a broken leg & two fingers and a slight concussion, making your good relationship crush and crumble, or did it?

warnings: FLUFF&ANGST, car crash, mild swearing, harsh injuries, bleeding, kissing & possibly more!

authors note: hii guys, this fic is inspired by that one episode of Icarly so if y’all think heard something like this than thats your answer, I’m not rlly sure what else to put here my brain is starting to just

Soft chatter mixed with the sweet scent of ice cream fill the air around us, somehow me and Chris managed to be at least civil with each other today and saw each other from a different perspective. Our time together would consist usually of hard banters, arguments and frequent fights between each other, I never had a specific reason on why I dislike Chris so much. It was rather a feeling of knowledge and he just built his whole person around that fact, our feet step and walk down the cement sidewalk in a visible rhythm, stepping their own way instead if trying to sabotage the others step.

“Never would I expect to see you acting like a normal person in front of me,” I conclude all of the thoughts swirling in my mind at once, I’ve learned to enjoy the present day and the things happening in the moment than to constantly worry about the past, a small smile spreads across my face as I look at the moment I’m spending with the person I once called my worst enemy. “Never thought I would see doing something else than trying to rip my hair out.” He jokes, pushing away the slight tense air that had accumulated in the single moment of silence between us before soft chuckles break through it.

I glance over at him, starting to see soft peaks of a side I’ve never thought my eyes would notice of him before which only intensifies my smile, he notices my gaze lingering for longer than it should be and a faint blush hints on his cheeks. “You’re not such a bad person after all, it’s actually pretty nice just talking to you like I would talk to any of my friends.” I confess, tasting my ice cream as the different flavors burst and spread across my taste buds, creating a sugarcoated layer of deliciousness on the outside of my tongue. “I can say the same about you, sweetheart” He teases as he takes a taste of his own ice cream, his expression becoming shadowed with empathy as well as the slightest hint of… attraction?

I couldn’t really tell all of the emotions apart no matter how hard I tried, my mind immediately went to dismiss the small detail as irrelevant and we continue to walk and chat among each other but the happy and safe space that surrounded us soon came to a tragic and sudden end, as we were crossing the street I noticed a pair of truck head lights coming towards me at a ungodly speed, my whole demeanor shifter dramatically from positive to instant feat for my life, just as I was accepting my faith and thought it was too late — a pair of strong arms pushed me out of the way of the truck — I fell on to the hard concrete and caused it to scratch my skin but my eyes look over at Chris who had pushed me out of the way as the reckless truck driver hit his body with full force, it crashing into a nearby ditch as Chris lays on the road like a pathetic roadkill.

My features flood with panic and horror, running over to his now unconscious body with my arms shaking like an earthquake as they spring to the bleeding parts of his body, trying to stop the blood from coming out of the wounds and keep him from bleeding out, “f-fuck! Chris! A-are you-?…” I cut myself off as Ireach into the pocket of my pants with shaky arms to retrieve my phone to call the ambulance or any kind of help I could reach in this moment. As I speak into the phone my voice trembling and slipping over words, the pain evident in my voice while the medical help attempt to calm me down through the phone when they notice how freaked out I am but their attempts don’t work, even though I once considered him as an enemy and we both wished upon our downfall but never actual death.

I wait for the ambulance to come as fast as they can while I try to keep Chris stabilized, heavy tears mixing with the bloody mess on my hands as I go wipe my tear stained cheeks, causing it to catch some of the blood off my hands and transfer onto my face. A quiet curse leaves my mouth as I put my hands over the more severe wounds until I hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance, paramedics rushing over to the scene and taking me and Chris both to the hospital.

- a week after Chris got discharged from the hospital

My eyes flutter open as I stirr awake, my body immediately becoming tense when I sit up on my bed, running a hand through my hair as I search around for my phone to check what time it currently is, the weekend has officially started and my mother has sent me to visit Chris today again. Ever since the accident happened, my mother has told me I need to go visit him as much as I can but every time I do, we just fight over who’s fault it was and other minor things and I would always leave with a slam of his door, it’s like the good relationship we slowly build and started to warm up to each other it just flew right out of our grasp after the accident, I blame myself entirely for it, it shouldn’t have been him who took the fall — it was supposed to be me and not him — and he blames himself for jumping in to save me and took the harsh injuries upon himself.

I get out of bed and slump over to the closet, getting dressed into more appropriate outside clothes before grabbing all of my stuff and walking downstairs to eat something for breakfast before I get going, my mom was already in the kitchen drinking a freshly brewed coffee to wake her up and a cooked breakfast infront of her m, she sees me and glances up from her dish. “You’re going to visit Chris today?” I nod my head, putting my bag down on the counter as I see some left over breakfast. “I left you some breakfast on the stove and eat it before you go.” She informs me and goes back to her own business. I grab a place at put the food on top of it, sitting down at the table I eat my breakfast and get going.

- one car ride later

After a long fifteen minutes of driving to Chris’s house, I finally make it into their driveway and turn off the engine, unbuckling my seatbelt and exiting the car, my feet drift over the stone path as I make my way to the front door and letting myself in. His mom was in the living room, her hands clutching the edges of the newspaper she was currently reading, I give her a welcome nod and she speaks. “There’s a bowl of soup in the kitchen for Chris and since you’re here, could you bring it to him? He can’t constantly walk down the stairs with his broken leg” “Of course I can, Ms. Sturniolo,” I state politely, walking into the kitchen and cradling the bowl in my hands while steadily making my way upstairs to Chris’s room. “Thank you sweetie” I faintly hear Ms. Sturniolo’s voice as I enter the room, Chris sitting up in his bed while reading a random book, a half-smoked cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth as he looks up at me.

“What are you doing here now?” He questions, his face shadowing with confusion and slight annoyance as he puts out the cigarette and drops it into the ashtray on his bedside table. “Are you here to fight with me again? Because if that’s the case then save it for yourself.” He states before putting his nose back into his book, ignoring my presence in the room. I roll my eyes at him, walking up to his bedside table and carefully place the bowl of soup his mom made down next to the other clutter on it, sitting down on the edge of his phone. “I’m not here to fight, can you acknowledge me for a minute or are you going to be stuck in that book forever?” My words make him look up at me, a visible mixture of annoyance with slight empathy in his eyes.

“Then why are you here?” He asks again, putting his book down onto his lap and turning his attention towards me. “I came to visit you, if you haven’t noticed yet” “Your mom forced you again?” “No, understand that I actually care for once.” I speak, the soft undertone of guilt hidden in my tone. “I never wanted this to happen, surely not when we were finally getting along with each other.” I state, fidgeting lightly with my fingers at the thought he did this for me, so I didn’t have to suffer how he is now, my heart aches each time with guilt as I think about what could have originally happened and he seems to notice my deep in thought state. “Can you stop blaming fucking yourself for this? It’s not your fault, I was the one who pushed you out of the way. If it’s anyone’s fault it should be mine,”

He grabs my hand into his to stop my fingers from fighting with each other, his eyes landing on mine and staring deeply into them. “But you shouldn’t have, I should have been the one who suffered, you didn’t deserve this.” The guilt starts to crack through into my voice, being now more evident. “We both blame ourselves for it at the end of the day, and there’s no agreement happening soon with this whatsoever so there’s no point in fighting about this longer.“ I spill out, my mind swirling with a million different thoughts all at once. He doesn’t agree, nor disagree with me, leaving us to just stare deeply into each other’s eyes, the tension becoming more tense by the minute until I decide to break it by capturing his lips into one simple kiss with a deeper, hidden meaning behind it.

I could feel his body freeze in place before he melts right into it, his arm coming to rest around my waist as I feel the soft cold metal on my skin of the embrace his fingers have been encased in, sending a slight shiver down my spine as our lips fight a small battle for who gets to be the best kisser. We pull away eventually and faint pants leave our mouths and mix together from how close we are to each other, “Are we good now?” “Yeah but I was the better kisser for sure” “Who said that?” “I did, and it’s true.” “I call bullshit, I was better” I stand my ground, knowing I was definitely better than him, he smirks and rolls his eyes playfully “Oh you wanna fight? Fine, I’ll give you a little fight” with that said, he pulls me back into now a more fierce and dominant kiss as we fall back on to his bed.

𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 🏷️ | @sturnsxplr-25 - @strnzzvsp - @luvvs4chriss - @sturniolosweetheart33 - @pussypie456 - @venusxsturnio - @bagsbyclair0 - @sturnstvs - @dykes4chris - @hoe4matt - @cayleeuhithinknott - @strnilolover - @marrykisskilled - @phone4pills - @emely9274 - @cupiidk1lls - @lily-strnlo - @nicksgirlfriend - @sturniolosiphone - @sophand4n4 - @zombiesturniolo - @luvleyangeldust - @owensbabygirl - @sturnina - @leoslaboratory |

[punkiesallie]

Father’s Day Uncle’s Day. | E.M

Characters: Eddie Munson, Wayne Munson.

Words: 945.

A/N: English isn’t my first language and I’m not that good of a writer. Feel free to correct me on my mistakes, but please be kind. Thank you, and enjoy. (Also, requests are open so don’t hesitate asking !)

masterlist ao3

1987. A whole year after Hawkins’ earthquake. A whole year after Vecna’s defeat in the Upside Down. A whole year of recovery for Eddie.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

After spending almost two weeks in the hospital — with visits, of course — he could go back home. This day, Wayne came to pick him up. He helped his nephew with his belongings because he was still a little weak. And since that day, Eddie had the feeling to rediscover what it was like to live. To really live.

When Eddie nearly died in Dustin's arms back in the Upside Down, he finally understood the importance of words, the importance of verbalizing his love to his relatives. But, this unconscious reluctance to express his feelings is not going to solve itself as if by magic.

He still struggles with this, and it bothers him. After all, with a dad that was always rejecting his love when he was younger, how can he express himself correctly ? And even more without being cringed ? It was Al’s fault for that. In fact, Al’s is often at fault when it comes to Eddie’s emotional wounds. He is feeling like he’s a kid again when he thinks of his dad. The hurt is still so vivid, the tears always pricking at the corner of his big doe eyes, discreetly.

That is exactly why he doesn’t talk about Al. And the rare times he evokes him, the hurt is always drown in a sea of sarcasm. But, drowning the hurt is useless: it knows how to swim. And it’s painful. Very painful.

But in his eyes, Wayne kind of erased Al’s behavior and it’s effect on him. Even though Wayne doesn’t know how to correctly verbalize his love for his nephew either. That’s when Eddie decided to make him a gift, Like a father’s day, but for his uncle. He’s still scared to have his gift rejected, like with Al when he was a kid. But this is different. Wayne is way different from his brother. Behind his tough and gruffy outside, he is a softie at heart. Just like Eddie.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

He knew exactly what he could gift to his uncle. Wayne was actively searching for a new truck since a year and a half. And right before the summer of 1987, while taking a drive in Indianapolis, a truck caught his eye. He asked the garage owner if it belonged to someone, and the answer was no. It was sold so the garagist could take the pieces to repair other vehicles. Eddie nearly lost it, the truck was in good state. It just needed some painting and little reparations he could do himself. The problem was the money. "Not enough money, like always." Thought Eddie. But, it would take so much more to get him to give up. He noticed the "Looking for a mechanic for the summer. Urgent." sign outside.

"Are you still searching for a mechanic ?" Asked Eddie.

The middle aged man scratched his chin.

"Yeah, kiddo. Why ?" Asked the garage owner.

"Then I have a suggestion. I work here for the summer, and I get the truck."

The man crossed his arms on his chest.

"Do you even know anything about mechanics ?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

The curly haired boy nodded quickly. "Yeah ! I mean, I didn’t study mechanics in school, but I know things about cars and trucks. Otherwise I wouldn’t try to suggest my services."

The oldest frowned his grey eyebrows, and took a cigarette. He lightened it. Finally, his face softened slightly.

"You have guts, kiddo. I like that." He nodded, taking a hit of his cigarette. "Work here this summer, and the truck is yours. It seems like this old thing caught your eye."

For once in his life, Eddie felt like he could thank his father for something. And at least, his knowledge about cars and trucks are used for the good cause. Everything was according to plan.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

And Eddie kept his promise. He worked at the garage, all summer long. Despite the heat, despite his PTSD from the Upside Down, he did it. He got the truck. Frank, the garage owner agreed to deliver the vehicle in the trailer park for Wayne’s birthday.

Eddie got up early to wait for Wayne to come home from work. After an hour, the soft purring of an engine can be heard. The young man recognized immediately the sound of his uncle’s old car. He got up from the stairs of the porch to meet Wayne halfway. The engine stopped, and Eddie’s uncle walked to his nephew.

"Hey, son. You’re up early." Says the middle aged man. He noticed the truck. "Whose truck this is ?" He asks.

Eddie smiles. "Oh this ? It’s yours."

Wayne’s eyes widened. "Mine ? This ?"

The metalhead nods. "Yeah. Yeah it is. For your birthday."

"How… Eddie, it must have been so expensive…"

"Remember the summer job I had ? At this garage in Indianapolis ?" Wayne nods. "Well, it was to buy this little beauty. I did the painting on it and stuff." He smiles.

"You didn’t had to, Eddie… Oh my…" Wayne is moved. He doesn’t even know what to say.

"I… I wanted you to get a big gift. You deserve it…" Says Eddie. "You’re the closest I have of a father. And uh… Yeah. I really wanted to gift you a truck. Happy birthday, old man." He smiles.

Wayne doesn’t say anything, and hugs his nephew. Eddie hugs him in return.

"Thank you so much. I love you, son."

Eddie feels his eyes welling up with tears of emotion. Screw Al. He has Wayne.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

2024 Era (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

alpaca (ao3) - ShiwiSins (IetjeSiobhan)

Summary: It’s just a joke, a bit of fun, this lack of explicit confirmation they have going on, except for the fact that right now, it feels less like a joke and more like he still has to flinch away from some of the touches he wants.

Or: They're in Sydney when they decide to come out.

Bear Mask (ao3) - VendettaWound

Summary: While Dan does think Phil's Freddy Fazbear costume is ridiculous, he also finds it very endearing.

breakfast (florida edition) (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan orders "grains and fresh fruit".

clay dog (ao3) - ShiwiSins (IetjeSiobhan)

Summary: “We could get married while we’re here,” he finds himself saying. “Australia would be a nice place for it. We could honeymoon in Iceland, after the tour.”

haircut (ao3) - ShiwiSins (IetjeSiobhan)

Summary: Dan gets a new haircut. Phil approves.

Holidays and Other Seismic Activities (ao3) - PyroStormIsBae

Summary: When Phil was unconscious Dan wanted to wrap him in his arms, tell him, I’ll be your blood flow, your diagnosis, I’ll be your hedonism. You are the greatest consequence to ever happen to me. But Phil didn’t happen to people. He didn’t inflict himself. He wouldn’t know how to cause damage if it ground itself into his ribs. Not like the earthquake that was Dan Howell.

Or: Daniel Howell never really learned how to relax. (Set during their vacation to Turkey)

Ineffable (ao3) - philsbignaturals

Summary: In which Phil gets real horny for Dan in the Howley outfit

make me feel (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan discovers a new use for his walk-in closet

Mine (ao3) - CloudyPhan

Summary: dan reminisces on his life so far in a quiet moment on the tour bus (mine by the 1975)

Mini Christmas (ao3) - cosmic_angel_writes

Summary: Dan and Phil’s mini Christmas

2024

moments of envy (ao3) - starlightphil (adreaminthedark)

Summary: Dan’s never wanted anything as badly as he’s wanted Phil, so of course he’s had his moments of envy over the years. A ficlet written for anonymous on Tumblr who asked: "Dan trying to deliberately make Phil jealous (for whatever reason) and then immediately regretting it?"

no but seriously imagine it (ao3) - natigail

Summary: It has been 15 years since Dan and Phil met. They wake up on the Terrible Influence tour bus in Las Vegas on their anniversary with plans to see My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy later that day.

no machine (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dip and pip return home after the american leg of the tit tour. just a soft, loving fluffy thing <3

room service (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Those tall British guys staying in room 304 are so strange. They seem to have decorated their whole hotel room for Halloween. And why is one of them now talking in a fake American accent?

(An outside POV from the perspective of the poor hotel staff member who has to deal with Dan and Phil while they’re filming Spooky Week videos.)

sappy (ai3) - imstillemO

Summary: they fuck on the tour bus. that is all it is, with hints of sentimentality.

somebody said you’re an owl (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Phil hears an owl outside the house. (Or does he?)

A fic about relaxing summer nights and birdwatching with the person you love.

Still With You (ao3) - singlelogbridges

Summary: On holiday, pent up emotions from Phil's recent hospital stay surface.

[wanderingsoul6261]

Gif credit goes to userbeaufort

IM SORRY-PART 2

Part 1 below

James Beaufort x Reader

I'm sorry! I meant to have this out sooner, but I got distracted. My anxiety had been an ass this week so just bear with me. I do have more fics with James to write, so do still continue to expect more!

Synopsis: part 2 to I'm Sorry. Reader talks to Lydia and apologizes to James for her actions.

Warnings: nothing other than a few swear words. Mostly the f- word

------

It had been weeks since Y/N had left James standing where she left him after they kissed underneath Maxton Hall. She had avoided him as if he had the plague and was going to get her sick. She had even gone as far as even being more distant with Lydia, and that hurt her much more than avoiding James. 

The few times she had brushed Lydia off had left her friend looking hurt and confused, wondering to herself what she could have possibly done to warrant Y/N's behavior towards her. It took Y/N all but a week before she came to her senses and apologized to Lydia, but when Lydia asked what happened and why she did it, she couldn’t explain. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, because she did, as it was all tearing her inside out, but she just didn’t know how to go about it. She wasn't sure if Lydia would hate her afterwards for kissing her brother. Y/N knew she could always confide in Lydia, and Lydia has made that plenty clear. However, with something like this, Y/N wasn't quite so sure as to how her friend would react. 

Did Y/N love James? Absolutely. Did she regret the kiss? No, absolutely not. If anything, she had enjoyed it and had hoped it had continued even longer than it had. She had actually thought about the kiss alot. And even if no words were spoken in the moment that James and Y/N had kissed, she knew that every single bit of feeling and emotions she had for James was poured into that kiss, and a part of her told her that it was likely the same for James. There was no way he didn't feel the same way as her, and yet, here she was, treating him as if she never met or knew him. Which also hurt her more than another could imagine, and yet she still continued to do it. 

Y/N continued to avoid James in the hall. She avoided eye contact and any and all other contact he had attempted to make. He sent text messages and made phone calls, leaving voice messages when she wouldn't answer. He had made attempts to stop her in the hallway to talk to her in which she had brushed off and walked away from him. Every single time he had stood in place, while many other students watched, wondering what to do, his heart breaking more and more each time. This went on for several weeks. 

And then he stopped, and it was like a switch had been flipped. 

James had turned cold towards her, reverting back to the way he was before he had started to like her, before he had fallen in love with her and had vowed to do anything and everything for her. Before she had become what his world revolved around. 

Y/N took notice, and she had undoubtedly and rightfully so, hated herself for it. James didn't deserve the treatment he had received from her. She should have confessed to Lydia about what had happened between her and James. 

He gave her the same treatment that she had been giving him and she couldn't even be mad or upset. It was her fault. 

James scowled at her, made remarks about her lack of money and everything she wouldn't ever have because of the lack thereof, and anything else that he knew would hit their mark. The angered and hurt looks he had given her could level an entire room, an earthquake that could cause so much devastation, but yet, the destruction was only centered on one single person. 

Her. 

He had acted like an asshole towards her and Y/N would be the first to admit that she deserved every last moment of it. She had evidently broken his heart, and now he was making her pay for it. 

The only person that didn't agree with anything Y/N received from James, was Lydia. It had often led to heavy and loud arguments between the twins, causing tension between the close siblings, but yet, Lydia still didn’t know what happened to make the two behave in the ways that they were. It was a mystery, and it was one that she had so desperately wanted to solve.

—-

“What happened?” Lydia asked. “Are you ever going to tell me?” Y/N was sitting a bench, a book in her hands when Lydia walked up to her. She spared a glance at her friend, growing nervous once again at the question Lydia was once again pestering her with. 

“What do you mean?” Y/N took the stupid route, her eyes back on the book. But she wasn't reading it. She couldn’t focus on it, her eyes reading the same paragraph over and over as she never fully grasped the content of it. It didn't matter that she read the words in her mind. Lydia also knew this, mostly at the fact that not once did Y/N turn the page. 

She was stuck on that page, meaning Lydia had gotten the cogs in Y/N's brain working and thinking about what had happened between her and James. Now if only she would talk to her about it. 

“You know what I mean, Y/N. You and James. One day you guys are talking and hanging out like you’ve known each other since childbirth, and the next day, you are treating each other like you’re puppy was kicked! ” Lydia made a daring move, hoping her friend would forgive her, and snatched the book out of her hand. Y/N didn't do anything though. She sat there, defeat showing in her posture. Y/N only knew that Lydia would continue to ask her what happened, which had meant that James never told her, not that he probably wanted to, and Y/N didn’t blame him. She broke his heart and made a fool out of him. It was best she finally said something, no matter if James would be mad at her or not. Y/N was tired of leaving her friend in the dark, and she was sure that Lydia was tired of being in the dark. 

Y/N picked at her fingernails, a sigh escaping her lips as her eyes flickered over the tiniest imperfections in the ground. Little divots from where the ground had been worn away. A bug scittering across the ground. Grass peeking up through the cracks. 

Lydia sat down next to her and Y/N still refused to make eye contact. Lydia put her book back into Y/N's hands, in order to keep her hands occupied and stop her from picking at her fingers. It was a nervous habit of Y/N’s that Lydia had picked up on not too long after they had become friends. 

“James' actions are warranted.” Lydia scoffed. 

“I highly doubt-”

“We kissed the night of the donation gala and then I left him standing underneath the hall and have been avoiding him ever since.” Y/N cut her friend off, still avoiding eye contact with her. Lydia went silent. 

Was this it? Did Lydia hate her now for what she did to her brother? Is this the end of their friendship? Y/N had turned slightly away from Lydia, ashamed of herself and what she had done. She truly hated herself for this. 

“Why?” The question had quite honestly caught Y/N off guard. She didn’t expect it. If anything, she had almost expected Lydia to leave her right then and there and understand why James was treating her in the way that he had been. 

Y/N sat in silence. She loved James, so it wasn’t as if she had not liked him or regretted the kiss. If anything, she knew that if she didn’t want to kiss him, James wouldn’t have done it. They both wanted to kiss each other, that much was true.

“I was scared. Terrified. Petrified. Any other synonyms of ‘scared’.” Y/N finally turned to look at her friend. Lydia was staying. She wasn’t going anywhere and Y/N had used this to soothe her worries. “You’re my friend, Lydia. He is your brother. I thought if you found out we did anything, no matter what it was, that you’d hate us. You’d hate me. Or maybe you would see it as something that would get in the way of me and you.” Y/N went over every single reason why she was scared. Anyone else probably would have told her to stop and tell her that it was okay and that they wouldn't have thought of anything in the way that she was. Lydia did do that, don’t get that part wrong, but she listened fully to what Y/N had to say. She wanted to understand Y/N and her thoughts so that she could better understand why she did what she did. When Y/N was finished, the two sat in silence and Y/N thought that maybe Lydia would take her chance to leave now. 

But she didn’t. She stayed, and after a few minutes of silence, she spoke. 

“I wouldn’t have hated you. If anything, I was wondering when it would happen. You guys looked at each other the way a young child looks at a puppy.” Y/N smiled at the poor analogy. She looked down at the book in her hands. Her smile turned into a frown. 

She got thinking about James and about how he might have felt, and she felt completely and utterly disgusted with herself. 

“How was James?” she asked, but she already knew the answer. 

“Honestly?” Lydia asked. They both knew that once Y/N heard what she had to say, it would only make Her feel even worse than she already did. Y/N nodded. 

“He didn't sleep or eat a lot. Often found him up pretty late. James was hurt, really hurt. I tried getting him to talked to me-” Y/N started to drown out Lydia. Not because she didn't want to listen, but because she went back to thinking about James. She wanted to, no, she needed to fix this. Y/N had to make this right with James. 

Y/N stood up abruptly. She hurried off to find James. 

She looked everywhere she could think of, Starting with the places where she knew for a fact that he would possibly be. Which was probably half a dozen places and so she had spent a good half hour trying to find him. 

Y/N was growing restless. She hoped that he didn't go home yet, but if he did, Y/N knew that she could always just text or call him. However, the likelihood of him even answering was slim to none, and she didn't blame him. 

But she found him, and kicked herself in the ass for not checking the lacrosse field sooner, because there he was, in all his James Beaufort glory, practicing with Alistair, Cyril, and the others. 

It definitely wasn't long before someone noticed her, and pointed her out to James. He had turned around, his eyes peering out from behind his helmet, the headwear masking any emotions that might have been present on his face. 

He had watched as she stood on the sidelines. Waiting. Watching. She nervously picked her fingernails, her eyes looking Slightly red from a distance, as if she had been crying, which she had been. 

After leaving Lydia to find James, tears flowed down her cheeks, as thoughts ran a hundred miles per hour in her mind. Memories, good and bad between the two of them, know how hurt James had bad, her guilt, and so much more. She was drowning in it all, barely breathing as James finally started to walk towards her. He pulled his helmet off, tossing it to the ground with his gloves once he was a few feet away from her. And as she watched him, he didn't look too pleased.

When he finally came to a stop in front of her, he opened his mouth to say something, but Y/N beat him to it. 

“I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I shouldn't have left you beneath the hall. It was a stupid thing for me to do because I like you but I was scared because I'm friends with Lydia-” She took a deep breath, her voice cracking as she continue to nervously pick at her fingers. “- and I wasn't sure if She would be happy if she found out we kissed. I shouldn't have treated you the way that I have been.” James listened as she rambled. A part of him couldn't be mad at her. Yea, he had hurt at her avoidance, always asking why she did what she did, and a part of him told him to continue to stay mad at her, but as he watched her now, nervous, guilt, her own form of hurting, he couldn't bring himself to do so. 

So he did the next best thing he could think of. 

He grabbed her hands to stop the picking, before she did it to the point where she drew blood. Then he pulled her close, his lips slamming against hers, shutting her up. She let out a surprised gasp as whistles and whoops and hollers could be heard behind them. 

Y/N leaned into the kiss, tasting the saltiness of her tears and when the two finally pulled away, James wiped away said tears. He searched her eyes, kissed her forehead, and then pulled her into a hug. 

“I get it.” He whispered. “It hurt, but I get it.” James pulled back to look into her eyes again. 

“It wasn't fair to you. And I feel guilty that I caused you to hurt because I was the stupid one.” 

“I don't blame you for your actions because of your emotions. You realized you’re mistake. We can put it behind us.” He said. His hands came up to her face, cupping her cheeks, and she leaned into him.

“How can you still love me after all of this?” She asked. 

James gave her a soft smile. 

“Oh sweetheart.” he pressed another soft and gentle kiss to her lips, one of his hands falling from her cheek to her waist, pulling her against him. When he pulled away from her again, so that their lips were barely brushing against each other, He whispered. “I never stopped loving you.” 

----

taglist: @honethatty12 @lifeonawhim @ashamedtobewhitemanswhore27 @maryvibess @wheredidmyeyesgo @imasimptoowth @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @sillyfreakfanparty

[anna-mariadragon]

I adapted my Poppy Playtime OC Millicent Legrand to the Space Rider AU of @onyxonline

I plan on maybe doing a drawing of her friend Diana in the future, but first I'll move on to Aurora's other outfits before starting another drawing.

I'm not used to drawing anthropomorphic characters, so she might look a little strange (I think I looked at the drawing for too long because now something about it bothers me and I don't know what it is).

Full name: Millicent Colette Legrand

Preferred name: Aurora/Venus

Age: 20 - 25

Pronouns: Any

Gender: Female (Genderfluid)

Sexuality: Pansexual, ambiamory

Height: 165 cm (5'5") - 185 cm (6'1") (changing)

Species: Fennec Fox/Nymph

About Aurora:

Aurora is the crown princess of the planet Galatea. Her job is to ensure the safety of her planet and ensure that other planets' ecosystems can recover after a disaster.

Her mother, Queen Cybele, currently holds the title of “Mother Nature,” which is passed on to Aurora upon completion of her training and studies.

Although she is not a Rider fighting against the Cult of the Prototype, she cares deeply about other planets and will help them (and their ecosystem) recover after a major disaster.

Aurora might not be good with close Combat, but she has enough experience with magic that it makes up for it. (She does her best in hand-to-hand combat training, although she probably needs a few extra sessions.)

Aurora is a sweet pacifist that is willing to see the best in everyone. She is very respectful of other people and loves learning more about planets and their traditions.

While she behaves elegantly and gracefully towards her subjects or in her princely duties, in private she is very lively and cheerful. She loves taking care of the royal garden and even talks to the flowers when no one is looking.

She is currently doing her training on a spaceship while visiting other planets from time to time. She is very dutiful and tries to make a good impression when visiting other planets, as she is the representative of Galatea.

She doesn't like confrontation and tries to settle disputes rather than escalate things. But don't underestimate her because she doesn't hesitate to act when a fight breaks out.

When Aurora needs to fight, she much prefers to stay at a distance, as she is more suited to ranged attacks than close combat. When defense is needed, she creates a wall of thorny vines and heals her injured teammates.

She usually helps with the clean up after fights, such as capturing the cultists.

Power Capabilities:

Aurora is directly connected to the natural world and thus can communicate, influence, manipulate and control nature: all living beings and plants and natural phenomena, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. She can survive in any natural environment on different planets. She can control animals and plants and mimic their abilities and forms.

Because Aurora can communicate with nature, she becomes instantly familiar with her surroundings, the connection is so deep that the earth can respond to her emotions and desires (blossoming with flowers and calming weather when happy, making skies stormy or cause earthquakes when angry, shifting the landscape to gain the advantage in a fight, etc.)

Aurora can purify, heal and generally influence the health of nature, and considering the fact that they're helping the environment, plants and animals act favorably towards her. They have access to every living species of animal and can also draw strength from them and acquire their abilities. Nature obeys Aurora's every command and operate on a "hive mind", meaning Aurora can control an entire army of animals.

Power Limitations:

Control, discipline, and restraint are extremely important. Unconscious, emotion-influenced, impulsive, or reckless use of this power can be catastrophic.

Since the user's emotions affect nature directly, control is essential.

Distance, mass, precision, etc. depend upon of the knowledge, skill, and strength of the user, and their power's natural limits.

[popawritter12]

I loved your yandere rain! Would I be able to request a yandere havik with a male reader?

Author's Notes: Let's not say that I do not paid a lot of attention to Havik during my "stay" in MK1, but after digging a little into his lore, I was very attracted to this idea, I hope you like it!

Yandere! Havik x Male! Reader

Yandere character: Havik From the videogame/anime/manga/movie/serie: Mortal Kombat 1 Case: Kidnapping, chilhood friendship, agression to the reader. Warning: Mention of rape, SA and physical and mental abuse on the reader. Part:1 of 1 Finished:Yes

Where had he gone?

That question, short and simple, that could be answered in two or even a single paragraph, had run through your mind for so long that it seemed like it already knew where each nerve was, where your darkest sorrows were hidden, or where the heart lay. memory of that man whom you admired so much at the time.

Havik was his name; You still had the memory of when you saw him for the first time, someone quite tall, hair that gave off strands that barely followed an order, a stupid smile on his face - which, it should be noted, his lack of emotions when he walked away from you - and acting nervous when talking to you.

That's how he was, as stupid as a king in love, as kind as a vase when manipulating the stems of a flower, and as sweet in simple acts as company was on a fearful afternoon, or help in moments of crisis. .

It was because of that—or perhaps, because of the change of letters on each card—that, when you saw him again, with that mask covering his jaw, there was only one question running through your head.

Where had he gone? Who was this strange being that had the audacity to invade the body of your loved one? Of all the people in the world, why specifically him? And his face, fearful and even aggressive at the moment your hands appeared between his two cheeks, only showed a feature that you were lucky enough to see at the moment of his departure; the horror.

Whether it be to the unknown, or to how horrific the journey that he was forced to undertake was going to be when he left his hometown, or even to this moment, where the emotions have such an overwhelming size that it is frightening, that it causes such feeling in his heart—which seemed to have turned to stone after so many months away—that softens his soul, but that generates earthquakes in his mind.

He felt rotten, after so much time alone, after so much pain without being shared, and from such burns that it makes one believe that they would never heal, he felt as if throughout the trip, he had suffered a metamorphosis, one such that At this point, it caused everything to go to hell.

He never wanted to allow himself to love, but with you everything was different, with you it always had to be different, perhaps because the gods wanted it that way, or perhaps because fate, always cruel and cold, decided to condemn his soul to this torment. . The torment of seeing you from afar, of knowing that he had become a monster, a strange creature and that he had no place in his town, and, going even further, that he changed both his physical appearance and his soul, as well as his thinking. , like his belief that, even in the darkest moments, there was a way out.

But. that light never seemed to exist, or at least when that witch, so vile and deceitful, ruined all his hopes to nothing, submerged all his innocent thoughts of keeping you safe in an ocean of pain, from which there seemed to be no escape.

So ugly and cruel was the reality that he had to take days to accept that the path was the most difficult, however, that was never mentioned in the letters. The same ones, so sweet and tender they were, that it seemed like he was playing with your mind, that he was tricking your head, that he was writing a fairy tale so that you wouldn't escape from his grasp, much less from the reach of his arms.

However, Havik also learned to be cruel, so cruel that, more than one night, he happily fantasized about destroying those suitors who dared to touch what was his, longing to steal a heart that belonged to him, and seeking to generate in you a feeling of apathy for him.

But, in poetic words he was expert; so many days dedicated just to writing to you, so many spelling mistakes fixed, and so many papers thrown into the trash solely because they did not meet his expectations of expressing his growing and throbbing love in every drop of his blood for you.

Maybe it was his eccentricity to deceive you, or his professionalism when it came to expressing his affection for you in every letter that you fell into the trap of his arms, in the obsessive ties tied to his soul, and in the eccentric loves that decided to torment everyone. and each of your thoughts.

It was exceedingly painful for you to see how different it was when he saw you again; the look in his eyes when he simply saw your figure again in the darkness made you foolishly believe that he was the same as he was when he was gone. However, it was when his arms trapped you in an immovable grip that you noticed something was wrong.

He had that pleasure of wrapping his arms around you, of laying his head against your hair or simply allowing him, so desperate and eager to free people from him, to receive even a token of affection, a small sign that he was doing everything right, a piece of reality, which was that you were with him, that you were there to receive him with a hug, and that, above all, the relationship that for years was seen as tender, continued to lie. same love that they felt for each other, that affection still existed, that energy of showing love, that joy that generates in the heart of the other to be in the presence of the one whom they considered was the destiny of their life.

“They are going to be freed,” he had whispered to you, “finally, the bastards will be gone.” he assures you, as if it were a wish that had finally come true. And as he joyfully intoned and highlighted how far he had come to fulfill his goal of freedom, your happy grimace twisted, protesting and alert to each of his words.

“What bastards?” You asked him “Are you talking about the wizard you had helped or…?”, you tried to continue questioning, but your mind clicked quickly.

You weren't exactly known for being smart, let alone being able to fully understand Havik. Even with all the time of friendship, or all the years of affection and sweet moments that you shared between the two of you, there was something that you always tried to ignore; that black stain which seemed to expand with the passing of the years, that sign of corruption which was only a small sign that maybe, and just maybe, the thoughts that lay on his mind were not as sweet and kind as you. you believed for so many years of stubbornness and lies. And of course, when seeing the reality, it was already too late.

Your screams were heard only by him and by Rain, who was the direct cause of so much blood and corpses scattered across the well-built terrain of your city, your town, your people, your beloved people whose lives had been so important to you how to breathe and release the air from your lungs. Your sobs, useless and exasperating, were the cause of Havik's anger, who seemed not to understand your desperation and anger.

The screams turned to pushing, pulling, and too soon, hitting you to try to subdue you, and it was soon when you ripped the mask from his jaw. His burned face, his angry countenance that could only be noticed by the tilt and expression of his eyebrows and the color that formed around his eyelids, only provoked even more terror in your soul.

This wasn't Havik, you repeated over and over in your mind. This is not my man, you screamed at your heart as he punches you in anger. Each spank against your skin was like a direct stab to your feelings. “I did this for us!” he shouted at you, but you couldn't hear him clearly, your sobs of pain and desperate attempts to try to escape him were as useless as a lamb's attempt to escape from a hunting wolf.

Again and again, the blows and expressions extended to reality by his lips caused your soul to tremble in horror. Something had happened to your much-loved man, whom you called the love of your life, the man who you had so claimed that he was going to be yours for eternity, and that you would belong to him until the end of time.

Of course there was a reality in those words; You were going to belong to this cruel man, even with all the horror, the screams and the storm that hit the city and the corpses that lay beneath the depths of the magic-tinged water, along with the screams of horror of the people who were victims. During the dark night where no one could return to their bed and rest as they deserved, you were going to be an object, a small, manipulable and weak object, whose openings caused by so many blows had to be covered by countless bandages.

But before everything escalated, the tan-skinned man's magic forced him away from you with a crash.

Even with all the damage already caused, and all the deaths that occurred during the few minutes that your “punishment” lasted for the futile attempt to make that man understand the mistake he was making, he had quickly reached the state of repentance.

Even with your attempt to speak, it was difficult for the man whose name you didn't know to try to understand your speech, and only Havik's aggressive and understandable reaction reminded Rain how dangerous it was to try to prevent you from being hurt further. The fight, inevitable even at such a crucial moment in the people's “liberation” from the forcibly established order, spread, but it was obvious that it was already useless to try to reason at such an important moment.

It was the first and last time Havik forgave Rain for anything, and it even took him a few hours to realize how much he had gone too far when it came to hitting your face. But at that point, his mind, having the room of rottenness so normalized, just decided to “let it go.”

It was painful to remember that you were about to faint as buildings fell on your friends, where your family searched for you all over the city even on the brink of collapse and so close to death, and knowing that, even if you had tried, you wouldn't have managed to even move a hair on the man who looked so hurt by the experiences he gained after such a long trip, much less knocking down his companion.

The only memory you had after such savage blows was hearing his voice, that voice that had made you crazy with love for so long, and that now only caused terror in your heart.

Days passed until your eyes opened again, and the bed, the worn walls, the sheet that covered your skin and the bandages so poorly fitted that they seemed to have been hastily made were not part of your room, nor of your house, or anywhere in your house. And the rough footsteps in the distance reminded you of that man, no, that monster who had ruined what meant so much to you.

Disgusting, was what you thought when he treated you with all the kindness he could, and your serious expression demonstrated the obviousness of your anger, and even in your crude attempt to pretend that you were just looking to “get used” to your new life, there was only a look of anger on your face.

No, of course Havik was not easy to fool —or at least that was what you believed during your first days in your new home—, much less when he was able to weaken you and generate a trauma in your mind, one such that it could reduce your mind to nothing if he shown even a little cruelty.

It was horrible knowing that you had been deceived, so many hours, days, months dedicating yourself to knowing if he was alive, if he still loved you, if he still planned to return to your arms and whisper in your ear how much he loved you. All thrown down the drain the moment you realized his horrendous cruelty.

For countless nights you planned the escape of your life, but each attempt was worse than the last, and it was even more difficult when he seemed so calm when you simply didn't say anything or beg to be released. Of course, when something was wrong, he had to force himself on you through fear, and obviously, you were too manipulable for him at that point.

Without daily exercise in those four walls you lost your strength, there was no room for magic, much less a measly attempt to stab him. Everything was so useless at that point that it seemed impossible to escape.

But a ray of light crossed your life when the chains managed to soften his overwhelming grip after resisting your struggles for so long, and by then, you managed to escape during that time. Your feet against the twigs on the ground, and your gaze fixed on various animals that crossed your path as you hurriedly fled from that home of terror, everything was even like a fairy tale for you.

But reality hits much harder than it embraces, and in this case, it hit you with Havik's cruelty when he managed to find you. And of course, at the time of the encounter, his anger was so thunderous that he seemed to be unstoppable at this point. Every second in which you were dragged by his powerful arms along with threatening promises of how cruel he would be from now on was overwhelming.

The cries of pain still terrorize your mind during the first few nights he had the nerve to force himself on you again, but now in the worst way possible. You still tremble as you remember all the nights in which you were barely able to get a little rest; Whether it was because of how cruel he was to your poor, weak body, like the bite marks on your neck and neck, or the pain after the forced acts, or the crying that you were forced to suppress after so much agony, everything was so horrible that to this day is traumatic.

Day in which, even with the hope that those stormy nights were only generated by his temporary anger over your miserable escape, it was only a small beginning of what was to come in the rest of your life, the suffering that was going to twist your life. mind and shatter it only to cause a pleasurable twist in the mind of such a macabre man, and a minimal taste of the pain that awaited you until the end of your days, for the man you once called the love of your life.

[aceofwhump]

Can I ask what your favourite whump prompts are. I wanna write something (broadchurhc alec hardy) and I'm at a loss for what to write

Okay first of all if you write any Alec Hardy whump please please please let me know cause I am ALWAYS in need of more Hardy whump fics in my life. There is not enough of it. That sad sack of a man is so whumpy.

Okay here's some prompts I love just in general:

Emotional: panic attacks, nightmares, insecurities, fear, grief, flashbacks, flinching, emotional breakdowns full of sobbing, scar reveals, anxiety, self hatred

Environmental: accidents, natural disasters like earthquakes or storms, hit by a car, collapsed building, falling through ice, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, falls, burns, infected wounds from lack of medical equipment, sickness, being unable to breathe, drowning

Small moments: limping, feeling weak and seeking support breathing through the pain, moving wrong in a way that aggravates the pain, and the sudden seizing of his body, shaking hands, pressing the heel of his hand against his temple because of a headache, taking a moment to close his eyes because he’s light headed/exhausted/has such a bad headache

Sci-fi: space illness, oxygen deprivation, isolation, being locked in the brig, hull of the ship getting damaged, alien attacks

Injuries: broken bones, gunshot wounds, hidden injuries, bruises, beaten, concussions, collapsed lung, slings, casts, crutches, knocked unconscious, blood loss

Torture/Captivity: Being hung by their wrists from the ceiling, drugged, chains, caged, tied to a chain, handcuffed to a pole, interrogated,

Comfort/Caretaking: hugging, “Are you okay?”, “You’re safe now”, “I’ve got you”, hand holding, helping to walk, ice packs, covering someone with a blanket, a cool cloth on their forehead to help with a fever, a fever check,

Magic: magical healing that causes pain, draining of powers, powers that are painful to use, curses

And some that I love that just so happen might be things I'd love to see applied to Alec Hardy:

Anything related to his heart issues. Feeling sick, collapsing at work, having a heart attack in front of people, needing to go to the hospital. What about focusing on his recovery after his pacemaker surgery? I'd love to see the towns reaction to it. See Ellie take care of him.

A previous case comes back to bite him and he gets kidnapped by someone wanting revenge. Could be Sandbrook related and have Lee be the one to kidnap and torture him or some other case he worked on before he came to Broadchurch

Sick fics. Literally never get enough of sick fics. And Alec Hardy is begging to be stricken with an illness and get taken care of.

Accidental injuries are fun. Falling down the stairs, twisting an ankle, concussions, breaking a bone.

[happilyfeatherafter]

Happilyfeatherafter’s ficrec Fridays

Happy Dean Winchester's 45th birthday week, and happy Friday! I was absolutely blown away by everyone's incredible posts for Dean this week, you guys. It made me all emotional.

Back with my fourth week of fics I've read and loved recently. If you missed last week’s you can find my previous rec lists here for more!

26 January 2024

american oracle by @handsliketruth and whiskeyjuniper (@satinsolace) I spent all last Sunday reading this one and it was such an immersive experience! An earthquake shakes something loose in the bunker, seemingly trapping Dean, Cas and Sam inside with it as they attempt to fix what's gone wrong, only the bunker isn't going to make it easy for them! Super creepy, twisty, reality bending and really beautifully, unsettlingly written. Whatever's happened is messing with their minds, and the creeping horror of real or not real persists, but even through that the Dean and Cas of it are really fascinating in how they navigate their intense feelings for each other. I was also incredibly impressed with how the effects of canon wrapping up were woven into the plot in such a powerfully potent way, exploring fate, free will, and the future. Really a stand out (and I know a lot of you have been reading it because I found this fic open in no less than three separate tabs in my bookmarks when I came to read it myself. So adding one more rec to the pile!)

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by @norahastuff (art by @logsdrawsthings) is a brilliant and seamlessly written missing conversations DCBB fic set in seasons 4 and 5. The dialogue is so on point for that era Dean and Cas, at times I had to remind myself what came from the show and what was brand new. As they navigate their way towards the apocalypse, and Cas watches over Dean in reality and in dreams, it seems hard to find solace. But in getting to know one another better, they both question their parts in the grand plan, and also find peace, connection, and company in their deepening bond.

A Fic About Dean’s 45th Birthday by @scoobydoodean both does exactly what it says on the tin AND made me cry lol. After Mrs Butters plants the seed in his head that he's too old to celebrate his birthday, Dean gets a little upset, but he doesn't let on to anyone. The poor man just wants to be appreciated and celebrated on his birthday! But he feels guilty about causing a fuss, and anyway, he can still show his love through making sure everyone else's days are marked for the occasion. But on his 45th, his family is acting a little suspicious, and they seem to want him to stay away. Angsty, sweet, give that man his krispy treats!!!! Check out Dean with Scoobies.

found it here in your love by nevernevergirl (@yorkesteins) is another Dean's birthday ficlet, but taking a 180 spin on it. Cas has plans. LOTS of plans. Dean deserves to be celebrated. But some pesky snow has derailed Cas' thoughtfulness, and despite his best intentions he's awfully upset about letting Dean down. "In which learning to live your life after nearly two decades of saving the actual world is a process. They're doing it together, though." Sweet, domestic, heartwarming love (even when there's a tantrum involved.)

Plus shout out to @angelsdean's I spy Dean's birthday game, @dean-isms's birthday party watchlist, and ALL of the incredible fic, art, AMVs and edits you made. TALENT.

[actual-changeling]

hello and welcome back to angst time with alex, the series where i, alex, (hopefully) cause everyone severe emotional pain for funsies!

have a pre-arcadia ficlet because "you're making this personal" has been bouncing around my brain like a screensaver all day.

tagging @today-in-fic

———

You're making this personal.

Did she make it personal? Did she really? Even more than three weeks later, she still cannot answer her own question.

It had been personal, that much she knows for certain, no matter how much Mulder might try to deny it; the past is not what is spinning a web in her mind. 'Making' implies it hadn't been personal before, and Scully thinks about love confessions surrounded by chlorine and disinfectant, high school reunions, and a Christmas filled with ghosts.

If none of that had been personal, if all of it had been, what, professional? The mere idea feels like nails scratching on a chalkboard, fundamentally wrong and against everything she knows—everything she thought she knew, anyway. Doubts are infecting her heart and festering within her blood, a poison that can only be purged the same way it was injected.

Fault lines are tearing apart the ground underneath her feet, and in the aftermath of the earthquakes they lived through, she is still waiting for new tremors to appear. Meanwhile, Mulder is flipping through their newly assigned Arcadia files and cracking sunflower seeds between his teeth.

Every discarded shell is another foot of earth breaking away, another inch of dark nothingness added to the ever-growing chasm separating them.

You're making this personal.

Maybe she did, just like he did in the hallway right outside his apartment, and her skin itches with the need to get up to try to run away and away and away. 

Simply to see if he will let her disappear this time. If he will grab her wrist and make it personal again. If he will force her to listen to a door slam shut behind her back as she questions the last six years of their partnership.

Another sunflower seed cracks open, another imperceptible flinch runs through her fingertips.

A matching set of rings is glinting between them on the desk, fitted to their hands, and, somehow, she knows Mulder will make it more than personal. He never not made it personal, not when he started all the way back in Bellefleur, not almost a month ago, surrounded by the Lone Gunmen and despair.

Scully feels the weight of his gaze and resists the urge to snap at him; she can practically hear him attempt to profile her. She doubts he will get it right any time soon.

"How about Rob and Laura?"

A day of fake names and faker marriage stories flung across the office, a day of heavy silence and jokes she left hanging in the air. She considers throwing the file in his face and going home. She considers starting a fight and pushing his buttons until he gets angry enough to be mean to her. Again. Until one of them slips up and speaks the name that's dangling above them like the blade of their personal guillotine.

Until he tries to make it personal, because it isn't—not anymore, not the way it was, and they both know it.

Instead, she flips to the next page and crosses her legs; she is wearing too much black and hasn't touched a skirt in two weeks. Familiar armour made of fabric and shadows, of heels, frantic sidesteps to avoid his touch, and the refusal to meet his eyes.

Mulder jokes and pushes because that's who he is. Scully lets him because the ghost of them refuses to dissipate, lingering in the corners of every room they're in.

Because the true lie of personal interest is all they have left.

"Sure, fine." Her voice sounds faint and hollow, and another sunflower seed shell hits the desk like a gunshot. "Whatever."

[billcipherisntreal]

WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL!

IT TOOK THEM A SHOCKINGLY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME TO BREAK UNDER MY ANTICS! BUT NO MATTER, THEY WERE OF LITTLE USE TO ME, AND UGH, THE MUSIC THAT CRETIN LISTENED TO! ABHORRENT! DISGUSTING! IT MAKES MY ORAL LUNGS BLEED JUST THINKING ABOUT IT! WHAT KIND OF LOWLIFE DEGENERATE DECIDES TO TORTURE THEMSELVES BY LISTENING TO HATSUNE MIKU? I RETCH AT THE THOUGHT.

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THEM, LET’S TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITE SUBJECT IN THE MUTILATED MULTIVERSE:

ME!

BILL CIPHER IS NOW OPEN FOR QUESTIONING!

WANNA KNOW HOW YOU DIE? EVER GET CURIOUS ABOUT HOW MANY FINGERNAILS YOU’D NEED TO CREATE THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF ATLANTIS FROM SCRATCH? WHAT EXACTLY WAS YOUR UPSTAIRS NEIGHBOR DOING THE NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 24TH 1971?

ALL OF THAT AND MORE WILL BE ANSWERED IF YOU, YES YOU! DECIDE TO SLIDE INTO THE ASK BOX OF THIS VERY ACCOUNT! DON’T WAIT, SUBMIT YOUR INQUIRIES TODAY BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! TOO LATE FOR WHAT, YOU ASK? FIND OUT!

Bill Cipher is not liable for any nightmares, nightmares squared, mental anguish, physical turmoil, emotional distress, pain, suffering, agony, Deja vu, unwanted summoned entities, bad memories, future bad memories, Deja vu, eviscerations, mastications, castrations, felony charges, murders, weight loss, weight gain, weight displacement, clavicle deletion, thyroid sickness, bone duplications, alien abductions, unwanted thoughts, wanted thoughts, unknown thoughts, intrusive thoughts, politely overstaying their welcome thoughts, mucus detonations, facial reconstruction, Deja vu, locating the Beyond of Bed Bath And, being late for dinner, being early for dinner, removing dinner from existence, removing you from existence, copulating with your mom, causing your parent’s divorce, causing your Batman origin story, influencing your friends to only speak backwards, malfunctioning mirrors, Deja vu, breaking My Chemical Romance up again, theft, crime, hooliganism, roughhousing, squid parties, inverting mountains, causing your immune system to become aware of your eyeballs, spinal dysfunction, ending the great emu war, starting the second great emu war, putting cement where it shouldn’t be, spontaneous sinkholes, scheduled earthquakes, permanent removal of a random protein sequence in your DNA, gifting you the gift of too many chromosomes, killing Santa Claus, preventing baby Hitler from being murked by time travelers, giving Donald Trump plot armor, framing you for time crimes, giving the muppet joker a new kin, Deja vu, rigging the World Series, eternal bad luck, stealing all your Tupperware lids, replacing your spaghetti with snakeskin, toggling gravity off, turning off the sun, evaporating all water on earth, spinning the solar system backwards, reversing the irreversible, adding 13 to all clocks, giving giraffes sentience, making chimpanzees invincible, making mosquitoes invisible, overconsumption of battery acid, brain bleeding, soul molding, mind breaking, and cancer. Bill Cipher and his associates hold no responsibility for any and all disasters listed here. By submitting an ask you forfeit your mind body and soul to be used in the future as Bill chooses.

DSJ MB DEOUT TGB SUPBR SBARBT KHCBKONF LBDK OCCBR!

[hallucinateonpaperspines]

Crack shipping in Once upon a time:

June x Unicron

Hear me out, this crack pairing has the potential of becoming dramatic, like a Mexican soap opera or like one of those Greek mythology’s, since there would be conflict between a god and a demi-god so let’s get cooking:

In various mythologies, not just Greek, there are warnings that catching the attention of a god is considered bad luck, since Gods become extremely possessive on the objects or people they consider as theirs and will cause calamities on the interlopers or to the people they’re possessive of. June is basically his emotional support human and the envoy he depends on the most (95% of the time). In this case, Unicron spends most of his time with her and June’s presence helps eases his mind, whether their relationship is platonic or romantic, it doesn’t matter since Unicron would consider June his.

On the other hand, Unicron gave June a purpose to continue living along new “abilities” that would help her(June has become a leader/pillar of support to other neo-humans. She wouldn’t bring herself to join Jack in the afterlife since so many people depend on her). With June’s new purpose in mind and burden, Unicron ends up becoming her pillar of support from better or worse. In addition, as an envoy, she’s connected to Unicron’s anti-spark, so any emotions she feels will be transferred and vice versa.

Those emotions are going to flare when two problems (Megatron and Optimus) arrive on their doorstep.

June has plenty of reasons to despise Megatron with her entire being (I.e. destroying her life). Unicron would definitely feel and probably be affected by it.

When Megatron arrives on Earth

Unicron: *looks concerned* June, do you want me to avenge your son? I have a lightening bolt with his name on it.

June: *Sees Javier clinging to Megatron’s leg* Not yet.

Unicron: How about we make him suffer in the meantime 😈

June: … I’m listening.

In the show I wasn’t sure if June had a crush on Optimus or if it was just admiration, but if she did those feelings she once had would turn into a resentment even worse than the hate she feels for Megatron. After all the worse feeling of betrayal never comes from an enemy, but from a person you admired since you never saw it coming. The juicy drama will start once Optimus arrives on Earth. June’s resentment for Optimus would only amplify Unicron’s distaste for him.

Meanwhile, Unicron originally didn’t hate Optimus as much as Megatron. Optimus only crime at the time was being a Prime, while Megatron committed a worse crime, stealing *HIS* blood. After the cyberforming of Earth, those feelings are going to switch.

For you see, Unicron would never share anything with anyone, even with Primus, despite his brother being his equal. He would especially never share if it was with a Prime, someone he considered a lesser. So how dare this puny Prime tries to take something that doesn’t belong to him (June’s attention, thoughts, and emotions). Optimus accomplished something no other Primes have achieved, becoming someone he wants nothing more to destroy even more than his brother.

*Unicron sensing Optimus on Earth*

Immediately sends lightning, snowstorms, a hurricane, and an earthquake for good measure to make sure he’s dead in that area of the world away from civilization.

June: *Sensing immense hate and doesn’t know what going on* Unicron, is something wrong? 😰

Unicron: Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry about it 😇

I love this so much you have no idea. I’ve been struggling with figuring out where to pick up this universe, and you have handed me genius on a silver platter. My brain is swooning.

The character study I could do with this thing! Not just Unicron, but for Optimus, oh my word.

June would definitely be a "favorite" Envoy of Unicron's, even if she isn't the strongest or particularly chaotic. Maybe she reminds him of Primus before they permanently separated and became enemies. Perhaps it's simply that her mind does contain some familiar memories to latch on to. Or maybe June does have a secret dark side that's more in line with Unicron's own spark than anyone might suspect.

Regardless that's his human now.

I think as their relationship develops, it will eventually exist in this weird limbo/cross between platonic and romantic. They'd never actually enter into a romantic entanglement, not on purpose, but there is something so intimate about sharing a mind (even partially) that certain things naturally transfer over.

Sharing each other's emotions, passing on sensations of contentment, calm, or rage to convey their own feelings or influence the others'. That in itself is so similar to a conjux sparkbond that a few more perspective individuals do mistake June as Unicron's Bride.

June doesn't particularly care. If the title that she's faintly aware of makes others more inclined to listen or pay attention to her demands, she is all for it. No confirmation nor denial. She has bigger issues to deal with.

Unicron is surprisingly pleased. There's an acknowledgment of him in the rumor. That June is his. She is not free for the taking or collection of others. Semantics mean nothing.

Possessive behavior, obviously, Unicron has issues with any Prime entering into June's space (especially one that brings emotional baggage like Optimus). However, June also finds herself having a strange level of disgust and revulsion to any Cybertronain that dabbles with Dark Energon. Megatron and Starscream are no exception.

There is something so grating about it to her. Disgraceful how Unicron is being used like nothing more than an object. She comes down harder on non-earthen users. Those not born, who have not been given that connection by circumstances beyond them but took it for themselves.

There's a distinction between the two. And if her soul sings alongside the anti-spark, a wellspring of fondness and belonging for those who have been crafted into this bloodline... well, only Unicron will know.

And he does know.

Sharing a dreamscape is a new thing. It should be offputting for both, so used to silence and standing alone, for a new consciousness to manifest within a place so private. And yet...

To touch is a new sensation, even in the first days, when his body hadn't been shut down, disconnected from him, and decaying before it was reformed into the Earth, Unicron had never felt the need or experienced something so simple. Space was a wide, vast place. His time was spent exploring, consuming, and reaching out to interact with destructive purpose. Affection is as foreign as touch is, but in the shadow of dreams, June provides both. A pat on the shoulder. Leaning into his frame. Tracing the pieces of his servos. It's innocent. Mindless.

He finds he doesn't mind it.

It's nice to have a confidant. Someone who can explain what these.... egh, feelings are when concerning Earth's spawn. An anchor in a new influx of sensations and emotions. Unicron has never been parental. Has never been confronted with life raw, unfiltered, and screaming at him. June has. As a mother with a child. As a nurse in the ER. As a leader of her people. That familiarity, what was at first a way to silence the storm of voices, becomes a translator of sorts.

June is used to a small world, a life made up of her and her son, but is not used to the concept of war. She knows of it. She can recognize violence, but she's never had to threaten it and mean it. She's spent her life preserving the welfare of others, and now she's doing the opposite. Ruining. Destroying. Killing. Not just one person but an entire civilization is marked as the enemy. It may not be all-encompassing; it may be entirely justified, but a part of her, the healer in her, is just as mournful at her part in this as she is over the kids' fate. Unicron is not a stranger to death. He is not innocent of the concept of wrath. To unmaking and betrayal and cruelty.

Unicron is not a good person. Just as June draws him out into a new side of being, hurting remade into possessive-care, so too does Unicron's apathetic dismantling draw out her protective-wrath.

They are not family. Not lovers. Not friends. Not master nor apprentice. Really, if asked to define their relationship, the answer would depend on which side is asked and what day the question is voiced. For now, they just are. Drawn together by forces beyond comprehension, a moon in a sea of asteroids all circling the same planet. June is favored, elevated, and some might call it love. Unicron is trusted, humored, indulged, and listened to as if they were equals.

June Darby is still mortal, different through that lifespan may be, and even if Unicron grows attached to the concept of having a companion, if he chooses others to replace that void or disappears into the shadows of Earth's core, there will always be a space within his mind reserved for her presence. Empty or not.

They have become entwined, he is one of two again, and Unicron would rather devour her than let her go.

[dandelion-blues]

Bittersweet Blood

About:

What if Loki was Sally Jackson? Thus, Percy is born a half-blood of two gods from differing patheons. It's time Loki and Percy took the Marvel Universe by storm.

First - Previous - Next Chapter

Chapter 2, Part 3: The Sea Protects

To say that Triton and Amphitrite were shocked would be an understatement.

The first new god was due to be born in a millenia, and their death was set when they were only 16!

Triton seems to disassociate, thinking about his own daughter Pallas. She was born a naiad and was almost secured in her divinity, when Zeus distracted his daughter during a sparring match and Athena killed her, her spear piercing through Pallas’ chest, just because Pallas was winning.

He saw his daughter's pained youthful face looking towards her friend her lover Athena, her golden hair soaked with blood, the pearls in her hair cascading to the sea floor, and then her breaths stilled and she fell limp. Pallas’ face fell towards Triton, and her once beautiful sparkling blue eyes were dead. There was no longer any light in her eyes.

Triton screamed in anguish and fury. The oceans raged like never before when the prince of the peaceful seas grew violent. He was held back by his mother from doing anything rash, but still Athena, his daughter a goddess he was tasked to care for by Zeus, was forever banished from the seas, from her first home, from her foster father. And no gods born from the sky were ever allowed into the sea again.

He couldn't do this again. He couldn’t see another young face like Pallas lose their light.

He abruptly straightened up and cried, "I can't do this again," and swam away, lost in his sorrows.

"Triton," Amphitrite and Poseidon yell after their son, but he is already gone.

"I'm sorry, he's probably just remembering some bad memories," Amphitrite sighs and looks softly into Loki's eyes, "We all are."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is everyone remembering?" Loki asks hesitantly.

Amphitrite takes a deep, shaky breath, and Poseidon goes over to squeeze his wife’s hand assuringly, “I-It’s just our granddaughter, Triton’s first and only child, Pallas. Triton crafted her through his very essence, but she needed time to be secured in her divinity. She was taken much before her time, and with your baby having a death sentence over their head, it likely brought up bad memories for Triton. Another child who will never make it to adulthood.” Amphitrite started crying, and Poseidon held her tightly in his arms.

Poseidon's eyes started to grow wet, but he stubbornly refused to cry.

“Poseidon,” Loki says softly, “It’s alright to cry, and I’m sure Amphitrite doesn’t mind either. Norns knows how much I cried when I heard that prophecy.” Loki will do what he can to support his love. He knows that like the sea, Poseidon loves fiercely and vastly, and he needs the support from Loki and Amphitrite both.

Amphitrite takes a shuddering breath and looks into Poseidon’ turbulent eyes, like the froshing grays before a storm, “Husband, Loki is right. We both still grieve our granddaughter, and it is alright to express that.” Then she turns and gives a watery smile at Loki, “I’m glad my husband found another who can support and love him. Thank you, Loki.”

Loki takes a shuddering breath, surprised and happy that Amphitrite accepts him, and nods at Amphitrite. He also realizes that he never needed to be jealous of their open relationship because Poseidon gets to receive love from multiple people, and Loki finds himself oddly alright with that, and is sure Amphitrite feels the same way.

“I don’t know if I can, my loves,” Poseidon says heartbrokenly after their speeches, “I’m so used to being strong, I don’t know if I can be weak. W-what if I hurt our people? My emotions cause turbulent tides and storms and earthquakes, and if I start, I fear I won’t be able to hold back. I don’t want to go back to my old self that caused so much destruction.”

“Dear,” Ampitrite says sadly to Poseidon, “I’ll be here to weather your storm, as I’ll be here to comfort you through your rains. I’m the calming sea to your turbulent sea, and I will always be. You don’t have to hold back, as I’ll always be there to balance you out. You’ve changed for the better, and I don’t believe it possible that this loving man in front of me could ever go back to his old self.”

“I know what it's like to cause destruction in your wake,” Loki starts and heads to sit next to Poseidon and wraps his arms around him as Amphitrite does, “But what’s most important is finding those who can support you through it, and I’ve found that having those people near always settle the storm. I’m here Poseidon, and Amphitrite is here to support you, we’ll calm your storm and be here through everything.”

“I-I,” Poseidon says, shaking as tears escape his cloudy eyes, “Thank you.” And he starts sobbing in his lover's arms. The seas darken and grow dangerous, and storms and hurricanes start to form. However, Amphitrite, true to her word, even as her eyes are wet, calms her lover's destruction in non-fatal storms, hurricanes, and seas.

After they grieve, Poseidon says softly, “Pallas, was our beautiful and creative and troublemaking granddaughter. She always had ways to make us laugh, and she loved all life around her. She somehow though always found new ways to get into trouble. One day, when one of her pets, sorry friends,” Poseidon laughs wetly, remembering his granddaughter’s correction.

Poseidon then continues, “One of her friends died, and she created her first storm in her grief, and she was terrified of all the destruction she caused. She ended up destroying the ship that killed her friend, but even still, she never killed any of the people on board. They all managed to get safely to shore. A young man, though, who was part of that ship’s crew, saw her grieving over the dead fish, and proceeded to dedicate the rest of his life to saving marine life and giving his respects to Pallas. Then, his descendants after him, and so on, and today they own one of the largest marine life conservations and rehabilitations in the world called Pallas’ Ocean Rehabilitation. I’ve forgotten that Pallas blessed his family and still that blessing holds onto his descendants for all long as they do have good in their hearts, and that in her first destruction she paved the way for life to continue flourishing. I’ve forgotten the lesson that Pallas taught me that day, that destruction isn’t always bad.”

“I miss my granddaughter greatly, but I’ve forgotten her life in the tragedy of her death, and I think Triton needs to hear this, to remember those silly and fun and loving times with Pallas, so he can celebrate her life and start to move on from her death.” Poseidon states and stands up to go find his son.

Loki is in awe of Pallas and her beautiful story, and hopes to hear more about her, and hopes that Triton will be alright.

“I think Triton needs to hear that,” Amphitrite smiles and tells Poseidon before he leaves to go find their son, “I think we’ve all just been ignoring our grief, and forgotten how Pallas brought us together as a family, and how what we really needed was to stay together and not pull apart in our grief.”

“I agree,” Poseidon says and goes to find Triton.

“Pallas sounds like an amazing person, and I’m sad that I’ll never get to meet her,” Loki says sincerely to Amphitrite once Poseidon leaves.

“She was.” Amphitrite reminisces.

They sit in comfortable silence for a bit, and Loki thinks about Pallas both her tragedy and her impact on those around her. She was amazing and seemed to be full of life. Loki gently holds his flat stomach. Even if his child doesn’t have much time, he’ll be sure to enjoy every moment. Every life, every stumble, even every destruction. Even though the prophecy calls for the savior or the destroyer of Olympus, Loki will never turn his back on his child. Perhaps, even as a destroyer, the child will instead be like Pallas and pave the way for a brighter future.

Loki smiles, his destroyer, he likes the sound of that. Loki shakes his head, that’s in the future, and Loki knows whatever the child chooses he’ll stand behind them until the end.

Note:

Destroyer, huh, wonder what name that will lead to 😋

Also, I had to add Pallas. She really underrated in mythology and needed her mentioned somehow.

First - Previous - Next Chaper

[shimmeringweeds]

EDIT: this is a outdated mid S2 analysis. It’s not a terrible read but - my thoughts are always evolving with new info and greater understanding. So if you’ve finished S2, I’ve got a better take :)

Cheng Xiaoshi always dives blind.

He knows his instructions: deliver the message, find the secret, change nothing. He may even have a rough time frame for when the information can be found. Still, Cheng Xiaoshi never knows what's coming.

But Lu Guang knows. (Spoilers through s2 ep 9 + ep 10 preview)

Buckle up. Long post. This knowledge has pestered me for two years. Since Emma. I've found ways to chalk it up. Lu Guang just scans the photos, and doesn't see details until they happen; or Lu Guang thinks this will ensure past remains untouched; or Lu Guang is doing this to protect Cheng Xiaoshi.

I've also chalked it up, predominately, to story telling. What fun would there be if Cheng Xiaoshi knew what was going to happen? There would be no surprises! Boooooriiiiiing.

I'm not satisfied with that.

You know, each time Lu Guang withholds information, I find a way to forgive him. That is to say, I feel distrust; a need to forgive him that Cheng Xiaoshi never seems to let linger because of his unyielding faith in Lu Guang.

There are many moments where, if Lu Guang had just told Cheng Xiaoshi what was coming, he could have prevented discomfort and pain.

Exhibit A: Emma.

Instead of telling Cheng Xiaoshi that the situation is going to be okay, that nothing will happen, that her mom is going to call and interrupt. Lu Guang tells him to basically get on with it and then proceeds to lecture him in typical fashion.

"What a great personality," we think sarcastically, having known him for all of 5 minutes.

The scene is played off comically, because what else can Cheng Xiaoshi do? But he's visibly flustered on rescue, and I don't think that has to do with feeling Emma's emotions.

Okay, you say that this is how the writers are narrating the rules. Driving into our heads that the past cannot be changed. Yeah. You're right. How convenient for the writers.

That is not the only moment in this episode where Lu Guang essentially just tells Cheng Xiaoshi to be patient or ignore it instead of giving him the information he needs, but this post will be long enough. And again, we can chalk all those moments up to Lu Guang thinking he knows best (and being wrong).

Episodes 2 and 3 are tame. There are no surprises in the narrative except Cheng Xiaoshi's own mistakes, which cause Lu Guang to be sightless. Nothing to hide until episode 4.

The Earthquake:

Lu Guang makes the call to not tell Cheng Xiaoshi about the earthquake. Gods, I wouldn't either, spare him that pain. But that kindness backfires spectacularly, and the pain dealt is greater than the pain spared.

Does Lu Guang learn a lesson here? He's so careful with Xiaoshi, keeping his distance and not pushing him to do anything he doesn't want.

The next photograph is for DouDou. It's a surveillance footage and Lu Guang's knowledge is limited. Nothing can be done about the mess up. But the next dive is into Doudou. Cheng Xiaoshi smells the ball and looses consciousness. At the start of the photograph, Lu Guang says. "But the whole time, I was unable to get a good look at the human trafficker's face, as well as how she took DouDou away." He warns Cheng Xiaoshi to be careful, and when the ball rolls he declares, "It's here!" before falling silent. He doesn't warn Cheng Xiaoshi about the ball until it's already too late.

Chalk it up. After all we don't know what exactly it is Lu Guang can see in the photograph. Just that he can see 12 hours into it. Maybe he couldn't deduce sniffing the ball would lead to DouDou's abduction? That's reasonable. But how could he miss the ball entirely? Why not warn Cheng Xiaoshi in more detail? Even if Doudou needs to be taken, doesn't Lu Guang trust Cheng Xiaoshi to act? I'm left scratching my head.

For the rest of the season, the lead is predominately taken by Cheng Xiaoshi. Lu Guang is there, but he lets Cheng Xiaoshi have this. He trusts. And for the first time before diving, he warns. Before diving, he warns that Xu Shanshan may not be alive. But he doesn't know the future. And the decision to dive is Cheng Xiaoshi's to make.

Li Tianxi's photo.

Lu Guang hides the photo. He say's he can't see all the details due to his condition. I'll believe that. Flash back to Lu Guang looking at his phone, like he's trying his power on other, familiar, photographs (before deleting them, I guess, but.....didn't they already do that? Is he trying photos of the present?)

Of course he doesn't tell anyone about the photo. He wants to protect Cheng Xiaoshi. He can't see what it is they'd be diving into.

Of course this is no big deal to Cheng Xiaoshi, because Lu Guang himself has ensured that Cheng Xiaoshi will be a pro at diving blind.

Cheng Xiaoshi makes the call and, by god, if Lu Guang doesn't look exhausted when he agrees.

Lu Guang doesn't even warn him that Li Tianxi is mute. Right out of the gate. Is that really how little he could see? Okay. So we operate with the assumption that, right now, Lu Guang cannot see far in advance. Cheng Xiaoshi stresses, did he mess up? Isn't this a big deal? Lu Guang assures him that he can still see where the are going. Doesn't say where. Okay. That just means the future isn't dark. Lu Guang really can't see ahead right now. That's reasonable. And so we let the rest of the dive go... watching in horror at the events that unfold. Lu Guang apologizing to Cheng Xiaoshi in the photo. That if he could have seen, he wouldn't have let him dive.

Here's the thing. Two(?) nights prior, Lu Guang shows off a pretty bad ass skill. He sees into the security footage of the WHOLE DAMN HOSPITAL. How is that easier, soon after surgery mind you, than quickly scanning the photograph for even a hint of what might happen? (Or maybe Lu Guang can only scan the photograph once, before diving in. And he really couldn't see in that moment with a freshly opened stab wound. Apparently that's my new "chalk it up" theory, as of just now.) Remember, Cheng Xiaoshi doesn't know Lu Guang did that. He thinks Lu Guang was guiding them using live security footage, not becoming the eyes of the whole damn hospital.

When it comes to any present moment between them, Lu Guang is quick to give advice, nagging after Cheng Xiaoshi's behavior like a mother hen. But giving advice about the future? He doesn't do that. Maybe he can't do that.

Maybe no matter how badly Lu Guang wants to shout the future loud and clear, he is being prevented. Maybe it's a rule bound to his power. Maybe it's a rule bound to this "game."

Episode 10 preview. We want answers. We suspect Lu Guang has them. But guess what?

His lips are sealed. Literally.

[firestorm09890]

Something of a sequel to the big Nobody headcanon post but this one’s less sciency and philosophical and more “it’s not canon but it’d be sick as hell if it was.” that being said I think it’d be sick as hell if all the human-looking Nobodies had strange passive effects relating to their elements that happen when they’re in the vicinity

Xemnas - Nothingness - a deep, deep sense that something is wrong. no elaboration

Xigbar - Space - enclosed spaces seem a bit too cramped, and open spaces seem a bit too open. the intense pressure of claustrophobia, and the vertigo of acrophobia. no matter what, you’re always acutely aware that there’s an awkward distance between you and anything else around

Xaldin - Wind - there’s a draft in the area and you’re never gonna find where it’s coming from

Vexen - Ice - very chilly hands. why am I cold it’s not a cold day today

Lexaeus - Earth - he takes a step. the earth seems to tremor just a little. is it an earthquake? does anyone else feel that??? pull out the seismometer. nothing. huh

Zexion - Illusion - something’s wrong with the lights in the room... feels a little too dark. like when you go inside after being in bright sunlight outdoors and your vision hasn’t adjusted, but it doesn’t ever adjust. He himself is always an inch or two away from where he appears to be, and is generally hard to focus your eyes on. It’s worth noting this is intentionally the only visual effect

Saïx - Moon - looking in his eyes causes a sense of nausea and instability that gets worse the longer the eye contact lasts. your sanity might be slipping. this was blatantly ripped off of Reisen from Touhou. he also radiates power when in the moonlight

Axel - Fire - why am I warm it’s not a warm day today

Demyx - Water - okay please i can’t come up with anything other than “damn it feels humid today” and that’s gross so if anyone can come up with anything better please-

Luxord - Time - time seems to move either too quickly or too slowly. what do you mean it’s already been an hour? what do you mean only 2 minutes have passed? this one goes out to my homies with time blindness who get to experience this one already

Marluxia - Flowers - huh. allergies seem to be acting up. don’t have seasonal allergies? you do now, apparently. why does it smell like flowers everywhere

Larxene - Lightning - everything seems to have a static aura to it, but the shock never comes. contact with her directly does give a shock, though

Roxas - Light - y’know, for some reason, this kid seems, like, really trustworthy? I don’t know what it is but he seems like a good kid :)

Naminé - Memory - being around her... there’s something in the corner of your mind. an old memory you’d forgotten about. this all reminds you of something but you can’t grasp what it is

--

Each of these effects lies in perception and emotion alone. They’d be completely impossible to measure, even if it seems like they should be measurable. There are no temperature differences, in reality. No time dilatation. There is no light breeze blowing through the room there are no allergens in the air there’s nothing wrong with the lights there’s nothing. It all just seems that way. Just like Nobodies, and just like The World That Never Was. They seem human-- very convincingly. But there’s something missing. It seems like a city, but though the lights are on, no one lives in those buildings. It’s all for the sake of seeming. Feels real enough, and can have an impact, but there’s no true substance behind it.

Also only kinda related but I think if you look in the eyes of any Nobody you get a sense of wrongness. It’s different for all of them-- might be a manic look, might be a glimpse into unknowably dark depths, etc-- but ultimately you look in the eyes of a Nobody and go “oh there is something wrong with this person”. The eyes are the window to the soul (or the heart), after all. Following that logic, the more a Nobody’s heart grows, the more that effect goes away. The main elemental one doesn’t though. stay uncomfortably warm around Axel forever

And while I’m here

Xemnas, Saïx, and Xigbar all have somewhat catlike eyes. It’s most obvious with Xigbar. This includes the reflective eyes in the dark

those three also have pointy ears but so does Xaldin??? I don’t know why? it’s just.... a thing??? so in a similar vein, I think all the norts + a couple others should get sharp teeth. no there’s not a pattern. but it has to be characters who can actually pull off the look, for the rule of cool

Ienzo always had keen senses but becoming a Nobody sharpened them even more. ALL of them. Everything’s a little too much all the time. it sharpened everyone’s senses but it was worst for him

I think it’s a given that Vexen Lexaeus and Zexion had Nobodies of a specific class based on them and we just never got to see it but I think Naminé deserves to have special guys too. Though I bet if she did, Marluxia and Larxene wouldn’t have let her do anything with them and then DiZ would’ve been like “get those things out of my sight” :(

thinking about the greater Nobodies having physical traits that link them to their respective lessers but I don’t actually have any ideas, I just think the concept would be neat

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter 24: Hell Comes To Hawkins

Season One | Season Two | Season Three | Season Four

Word Count: 7170 words of i'm writing through blurry eyes cause i just realised this is the last chapter

Warnings: swearing, trauma, mentions of death, visions, guns, mentions of scars, lots of tears

[A/N: We did it. This is the last chapter of RH4... My mind is racing with a million grateful words. I just can't believe we've completed this series. I hope this chapter is somewhat satisfying and enough to possibly continue our story in the future <;3 ]

My Masterlist

Hell Comes To Hawkins

Two days later…

Taking a breath, you look down at the boxes you had packed, the sight almost identical to where you were last year. Except this time, you weren’t leaving.

There was so much unfinished business left in the town. Even if the news had claimed it was just an ‘earthquake’, that wouldn’t put an end to Vecna’s plan. You needed to be ready.

“Stop worrying so much.”

You turn back to where Max was shuffling through tapes, her smile bright as she sets them down and leans against the wall.

“I have every right to be worried.” You sigh, fussing with the jacket on a teddy bear you had long forgotten. “It isn’t over.”

“Maybe not.” Max shrugs, pursing her lips before an idea strikes her mind, eyes light. She straightens her posture, looking down at the boxes. “So… what if we just leave?”

“What?” You set down the soft toy in your hands and face her properly.

“It’s not like I’m going back to school any time soon.” Max continues, wandering around the room and making her way to the window, peering out. “We could just… go. You know, travel. Maybe start in LA or something.”

You take a deep breath, watching as your sister tenderly brushed her fingers against the glass before glancing back at you with a genuine smile.

“That sounds perfect.” You smile at the idea, fiddling with the ring on your hand.

“Yeah!” She nods, coming closer to you, “We wouldn’t be gone that long, just like a vacation or something. I mean, we deserve it, right?”

“Yeah…” Your voice trails as your smile begins to falter, but Max is oblivious to your emotional change, shaking her head in glee.

“We could go to Europe!” She suggests before frowning. “No, that’s too far. Maybe we just stick with America and don’t go too crazy.”

“Max.” You say softly and she turns to you, eyes wide in anticipation. You sigh, slumping your shoulders. “We can’t.”

“If you’re worried about leaving everyone, don’t.” Max steps forward, looking up to you in admiration. “You literally just risked your life- died- for all of them. If you think for another second you still owe them something then you are genuinely crazy.”

“I guess I gave them hell, huh?” You attempt a joke, but your heart was far from in it. Max chuckles at your words, nodding.

“Yeah, you did.” She grins, before suddenly raising her eyebrows. “So… vacation? And don’t claim we have no money because I’ve been keeping those jars safe for you for almost a year and they’re heavy.”

“Max…”

“No, we need this.” She states, frowning, “We need to get out of this town and just let go of the past. After everything we’ve been through, we deserve to be together for once. A family.”

“I want that more than anything.” You assure, teary eyed. Your hand wanders to stroke her hair before you let it fall back by your side. “But we can’t.”

Max’s brows furrow as she stares up at you with her blue eyes, searching your face for some kind of answer. “Why not?”

A tear slips down your cheek as you close your eyes, heart wrenching.

“Because you’re not real.”

Once you open your eyes again, you’re left standing in the middle of your room. Alone.

Wiping away your tear with a shaky breath, you stack a few light boxes and make your way out of your room and down the stairs.

Even your hallucination of Max was right. You needed to stop holding on to the past before it shattered you completely.

As you slide another box into your trunk, you let out a sigh, mindlessly fiddling with the ring on your right hand. Anything to distract yourself.

There was a slight tremor in your fingers, but you noted that as an effect of sleep deprivation.

You and Lucas had been at the hospital, taking shifts whenever the nurses kicked you out for staying too long. Neither of you wanted Max to be alone.

You didn’t know how, but she had survived. Even knowing her heart was still beating, it still broke you to look at her so fragile, covered in casts. Whenever you weren’t by her side, your brain had mustered up some kind of illusion of her to cope with the pain. It wasn’t healthy, not by a long shot, and you hadn’t told anyone about it. You just wanted your sister back.

They don’t even know if she can wake up from the coma.

But it was a second chance. And you would find a way to bring her back. No matter how many times you had to will the Mind Flayer’s presence to you and plead it to bring Max back the way it did you and Eddie. You weren’t giving up.

“Someone order pizza?” Karen asks, but you pay no mind. You slot another box into the trunk before there’s a tap on your shoulder.

You turn, frowning in confusion when Nancy points to the van approaching in the distance.

Squinting your eyes, you notice the pizza sign, eyes widening.

They had finally returned from California.

You all gather in the driveway, eagerly waiting for the vehicle to stop. When everyone steps out of the van, you can’t help the grin that spreads onto on your face.

El immediately catches sight of you and you move towards her, catching her in a hug.

Everyone celebrates in embraces around you, the reunion long overdue. You all deserved this; to be together again. You needed this.

You kiss El’s forehead, overcome with joy as she tenderly touches your face.

“Hey.” You laugh and she giggles.

“Hi.” She beams at you and you hold her again.

It had been so long since you had seen El, much less heard her voice, that it brought a tear to your eye. When you and the others lost communication to California, your mind constantly brought up the worst scenarios. You were just grateful she was okay.

“I’m so sorry.” She mumbles into your hair and you frown, stepping back.

“For what?” You ask, before focusing on her, holding her back at arm’s length. “Wait, what happened to your hair?”

Her eyes fall to your chest, noticing the scar lines that begun just above your shirt. “What happened to you?”

“Vecna.” You say and she frowns. “Oh, right. Uh… Henry Creel. One?”

Her face drops before crashing back into you, arms wrapped around your torso. “He killed Max.”

It was barely a whisper but you heard it, letting out a shaky breath. “She’s alive.”

El looks up at you with teary eyes.

“She’s at the hospital.” You nod and she looks over to Will. “You should go see her.”

“Are you coming?” She asks and you tighten your lips, glancing over to where Steve and Robin stood.

“I have to drop of some boxes in my car.” You say with a sigh, stroking her hair. “But I can come get you later?”

She nods, “I want to go to the cabin.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at the hospital, yeah?” You promise and she smiles.

El catches Dustin waiting and runs over to him, pulling the slightly injured boy into a hug.

You watch as everyone talks, the teary greetings and happiness. You wished it wasn’t because you were all imagining the worst had happened to eachother.

“Y/n?”

You turn to the voice before your eyes widen in glee, immediately jumping at the boy as he laughs, catching you and spinning you around.

“Shit!” You grin, pushing his shoulder. “Couldn’t pick up a damn phone?”

“Couldn’t stay out of trouble?” Jonathan retorts and you raise your hands in surrender. He laughs before his face slowly falls, struggling to hide an expression you knew as sympathy.

“I’m guessing Nancy told you?” You ask quietly and he nods, pulling you into a hug.

“I’m so sorry.” He says and you nod, willing the tears away.

“What happened with you?” You question, glancing around. “And where’s Joyce?”

“I…” He takes a breath before frowning. “I have no idea. She went on a business trip and I’ve been calling her but... no answer.”

“I’m sure she’s okay.” You comfort, rubbing his shoulder. “I mean, it’s Joyce. She’s pretty badass.”

“Yeah.” Jonathan chuckles before noticing something behind you. “Oh hey, man, come meet Y/n.”

You raise an eyebrow, turning around to see a boy stood there shyly. His long hair fell on top of brightly coloured clothing, sporting a pizza chain shirt and you smile.

“You must be Argyle.” You greet and he smiles, nodding. “Jonathan talked about you a lot on the phone.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t have any other friends.” Argyle chuckles, extending his hand and you take it with a small laugh, “Jonathan talked about you a lot. Oh, and Nancy. Like, a lot, dude.”

“Oh, yeah, did he do that thing where he pretends it’s the end of the world when in reality all he needed to do was talk to her?”

You send your friend a knowing look and Argyle laughs, nodding.

“Yeah, dudette, he’s so stressed it’s stressing me out.”

“Same! And she’s not even my girlfriend.” You comment and his eyes widen in happy surprise, elbowing Jonathan.

When you shrug, Argyle steps next to you, hand on your shoulder. “I like your sober friend, here.”

“And I like your mellowed out friend.” You nod approvingly.

“Okay, okay.” Jonathan intercepts, pushing you both apart. “I thought this was a good idea but it looks like you’re gonna bond and use it against me.”

“How’d you know?” Argyle widens his eyes and you smile. “Hey, if you ever want some palm tree delight, you just gotta come find me.”

“Noted.” You grin as he walks away, stepping back into his van. “I think I just met my new best friend.”

Jonathan playfully shoves your shoulder. “Hey, get your own.”

“I seriously missed you.” You smile, “I feel like it’s been years since we got to just... hang out, together.”

“I missed you, too.” Jonathan sighs, running a hand through his hair. “But we’re here now, right? To stay?”

“I haven’t got anywhere else to be.” You reassure and he lets out a relieved sigh, ruffling your hair as you laugh.

“Good.”

“Uh, can you take the kids to the hospital?” You ask and when his eyes widen, you sigh. “I’ll meet up with you guys later, I just- I need to get these boxes to the high school but I promised El I’d drive her up to Hopper’s cabin.”

“We’ll meet you there.” He agrees.

Steve and Robin call you over and you take a breath, moving to your packed car and slipping into the driver’s side, Dustin already waiting in the passenger seat.

You stayed and volunteered with the others, thinking you could at least do some good while waiting to pick up El from the hospital.

Setting down a kid’s shirt, you raise your head to see Robin chatting away with a girl across the room, making quick work of spreading bread. The way she was smiling, her eyes lighting up… you knew the ginger girl next to her had to be Vickie, her smile just as wide.

Beside you, you notice the proud look Steve bore as he shook his head with delight.

“That’s adorable.” You comment and he looks at you, smirking.

“Yeah, well, she deserves it.” Steve says, folding up a shirt.

As you place another item of clothing on the folded pile, you found yourself disassociating, everything feeling off. Around you, people were reeling from the ‘earthquake’, some homeless, others volunteering, not a single one of them knowing the truth behind the disaster. Why were you stood here folding clothes when Vecna was plotting his next attack? How many more scars would you obtain next time? What nightmare will keep you awake again and again until the next-

“Hello?” Steve waves his hand in front of your eyes and you snap back into reality, a nervous chuckle on his lips. “You okay? Just, uh, just lost you there.”

“Hm?” You inhale a breath, shaking your head. The flicker of a burning memory fades from your mind, images of Vecna’s claws covered in your blood vanished. “Oh, right, yeah, I’m fine.”

Steve sends you a sceptical look and you laugh, gently nudging his arm.

“Seriously, I’m fine.” You offer him a quick smile before leaning over the table and snatching clothing from the messy pile in front of him. “Now come on, clothes don’t fold themselves.”

“Jesus, could you imagine having to do this every day of your life?” Steve chuckles, the neatly folded t-shirt between his hands set down beside him. You could tell he was only trying to make you feel comfortable, but you enjoyed the distraction. “Surely no one can have this many clothes.”

You raise your eyebrow with a smirk. “Aren’t you the guy that wants, like, a dozen kids?”

“How do you know that?” Steve frowns, pausing his hands, “And no, not a dozen.”

“You told me years ago.” You explain with a smile. “Yeah, I remember we were out at Skull Rock and this couple goes by with a kid- you ended up complaining that they were ‘tarnishing’ your hard work or something like that- then you said something else about wanting kids and when I asked for a number, you said 12.”

You finish with a little nod of content and, when Steve doesn’t reply, you glance over at him to see he’s looking at you with an expression that made your heart melt.

“What?” You giggle, sorting out clothes. You figured you should at least separate them from shirts and pants.

“I just… I can’t believe you remembered that.” Steve shook his head, returning back to the task at hand with a smile on his face.

“I have a great memory.” You comment with a shrug, noticing a baby-grow in the pile. You tentatively reach out and hold it out in front of you. You remembered when Max was that small.

“What about you?” Steve questions, clearing his throat when you raise your eyebrow. “Kids, I mean. Do you think you’d ever have kids?”

“Someday.” You smile, gently stroking the fabric. “You know, after getting a house and a job. I… I always wanted a big family.”

Steve’s focus on separating clothes had vanished now, solely focused on you. “Really?”

“Yeah. I just hate the idea of being in an empty house, you know?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Steve smiles, holding your gaze. For a moment, everything felt like it was falling into place, pieces of a puzzle that for so long you thought never fit.

When you realise the silence, you turn back to the table, clearing your throat. “But, uh, that’s gotta wait until I’ve wasted all my money on travelling.”

“Still the plan, huh?” Steve chuckles knowingly, returning to the task but glancing over at you with creased eyes.

“Yeah, absolutely. I want to go everywhere.” You laugh, folding up the grow and placing it on the table next to you. “The entire world if I can. Max and I always said…”

Your voice drifts, the white shirt striped with colours paused between your hands.

“We always said that we’d build our own home somewhere new, no matter how far.” You finish, your voice barely a whisper as a sob is caught in your throat.

“I-” Steve starts but you clear your throat.

“It’s fine.” You dismiss, letting out a breathy laugh, “Here I am talking about kids and travelling when I can barely take care of the six I already got.”

He sets down a blue shirt and looks to you, startled. “That’s not true.”

“Why are we pretending, Steve?” You suddenly ask, brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?” He frowns, lowering his voice to a whisper, aware of the residents currently wandering around him.

“Why are we all pretending that it’s all fine?” You start, controlling the tears threatening to spill.

“Vecna won. Max is in a coma. Eddie-” You take a breath, gnawing at your bottom lip. “And- and what? We’re meant to just carry on and pretend like it was all an earthquake? It’s been two days.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Steve grabs your shoulders, rubbing the space of your upper arm. “Look at me. We all know it’s not okay. We know. We- we’re just trying to get through it.”

“By ignoring it?” You stare up at him, brows furrowed. “Look at the past four years of our life, Steve. Where has ignoring it ever gotten us before?”

As Steve searches for an answer, your eyes drift to the clock on the wall, the minutes ticked by so quickly that you realised you had other plans.

“I need to get to the hospital.” You suddenly announce, quickly shuffling around clothes and grabbing your keys from your pocket. “I’m meant to be taking El up to the cabin and meeting everyone which will probably end up being too late because Hop’s cabin must be in shambles right now, and I don’t want to be there too late ‘cause it’s my shift at the hospital next and I really-”

“Woah, okay, okay.” Steve interrupts you and you take a breath, running a hand through your hair. He dips his head down to meet your eyes, catching your hands. “You need company?”

You smile at his offer, to know that he never wanted you to feel like you had to do anything alone. And, just as you automatically went to blurt out a ‘no’, you stopped yourself.

You didn’t have to be alone anymore.

Because you were never alone.

“Could you…” You begin, pushing away the part of you that made you feel like a burden. “Maybe come with me to the hospital later? To see Max.”

Steve raises your hands in his to his lips, gently kissing them before releasing you and nodding. “Of course.”

“Thanks.” You smile, sighing. “Don’t have too much fun sorting clothes without me.”

“Couldn’t possibly have fun without you here.” He retorts with a grin, watching as you walked towards the entrance, keys in hand.

As the doors come into view, something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye. A man was pinning a ‘missing’ poster to the bulletin board, a worried frown on his face. Your breath hitches.

A hand rests on your shoulder and you jump slightly, meeting Dustin’s tired eyes. “Hey. Sorry.”

“No, no. I’m just… on edge.” You admit, smiling down at him. He notices who you were looking at, your fingers mindlessly twiddling the ring on your right hand.

“I’ve got this.” Dustin says, nodding towards him.

“You don’t have to-”

“I want to.” He assures and you let a breath out, planting a kiss on his head.

“Okay.” You nod slowly, “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later.”

Dustin simply smiles before walking over to the bulletin board, his limp still prominent in his stride. It had gotten worse the more tired he got. Max wasn’t the only person you were visiting in the hospital.

Eddie was kept under observation after his wounds were checked out. The doctors had stated that there wasn’t an infection, but something was effecting his blood pressure. You and Dustin had been visiting ever since then, bringing different games and magazines to help him cope with staying in bed. You didn’t want to admit it, but you had noticed how his complexion had been paler each time you saw him. The doctors ensured everything was fine, but you felt like they weren’t telling you something.

And, when they deemed him fit to leave after those two nights, they hadn’t officially released him. No, you had to beg and cry as you watched men escort him from the building, almost ending up detained from your efforts.

And, in the total chaos and despair you were feeling, no one had the chance to track down Wayne and tell him where his nephew was, much less inform him that the kid he raised was under arrest for murder and he wouldn’t be able to see him ever again. Part of you was just grateful Dustin would be the one to explain; you weren’t sure you could bear that look on Wayne’s face when it was your fault Eddie was ever involved to begin with.

Especially since you weren’t at all convinced Eddie was arrested for murder.

Hours before...

“Knock, knock.”

You poke your head around the door with a smile, Eddie’s amused face staring back.

“You know, there’s this crazy thing where if you tap the door, it’ll make that sound for you.” He chuckles and you enter the room.

“I had no hands, dumbass.” You laugh with him, collapsing the stacks of entertainment on the table beside him. “Anyone who says that out of pure delight and not convenience scares me.”

“Agreed.” Eddie nods with a smile. You notice his pale skin hadn’t changed, bags under his eyes a little worrying. But he was up, and he was smiling.

“How are you feeling?” You ask, perching on the side of his hospital bed. The white sheets had been bunched up to allow his bandaged legs to be free from the suffocation of the material.

“Like I’m never gonna find a better drug than this thing.” He laughs, tapping the morphine drip beside him. “But other than that, I’m ready to go.”

“And your legs?” You pester further, just to be safe.

“Well…” Eddie sighs, leaning into you and tightening his lips. “They say I may never dance again, coach.”

“Shut up.” You roll your eyes, unable to resist a smile.

“Nah, I’m fine.” Eddie finally assures, shrugging. “I’m not gonna be ready for bikini season anytime soon but I’ll live.”

“Good.” You say and he smiles. You let out a brief laugh. “No one should have to see you in a bikini.”

“Asshole.” Eddie shoves your shoulder lightly just as another head pokes around the corner of his hospital room.

“Knock, knock.” Dustin grins before entering the room, clapping his hands.

Turning your head, you see Eddie is stifling a laugh, ultimately releasing it once he caught your eye. Dustin giggles, walking up to the bed while shaking his head.

“Why are we laughing?” He asks, still giggling along nervously.

“Don’t worry about it.” Eddie dismisses, waving his hand.

Dustin shifts his gaze between you both before rolling his eyes and suddenly shimmying his shoulders, wagging his eyebrows. It was a recent replacement from his excited little hops he would always do, his ankle temporarily unfit for the movement.

Eddie sends you a look before stretching his arms. “Let me guess… you know something.”

“I do.” Dustin grins, continuing his little dance.

“Is it good?” Eddie raises an eyebrow, Dustin nodding enthusiastically.

“Really good.”

“Please for the love of god, spit it out.” You pinch the bridge of your nose, shaking your head.

“Okay.” Dustin carefully drags the chair behind him until it’s almost touching the bed, leaning close. “You didn’t hear it from me, but I overheard some doctors talking and…”

“And?” Eddie pesters impatiently when Dustin’s voice trails off.

“You may or may not be getting released today.” Dustin spits out quickly, almost squealing in delight.

Eddie’s eyes widen, a smile teasing his lips. “Well.”

“Well?” Dustin frowns, “That’s your reaction. Well?”

“Sorry if I don’t do a little song and dance about it.” Eddie makes a face similar to one a sibling would do when mocking the other.

“Yeah, his coach won’t allow it.” You laugh, earning an eye roll, and you stand from the bed to place your hands on your hips. “Damn, so I brought those comics over for nothing.”

“Gra-” Both boys start but you let out a groan.

“Graphic novels, sorry.” You correct just as a woman dressed in a long white coat enters the room, smiling.

“Hey, guys.” She nods to you both, hands in pockets, before she stands at the foot of Eddie’s bed. “Eddie, how we feeling?”

“Pretty god damn great.” Eddie nods.

“Wonderful.��� The woman grins, sending both you and Dustin another excited smile.

For a moment, an unsettling feeling buries a home in your stomach. Of all the doctors you had met and talked with over the past two days, you didn’t remember any quite as cheerful as her.

“We need to do one last test but…” She holds for dramatic effect before leaning back slightly. “You’ll be free to go in a matter of minutes!”

Eddie tries his hardest to seem surprised, smiling something forced. “Great.”

“Huh.” The woman tilts her head. “I would have thought you’d be happier.”

“Oh, believe me, I am. I just, uh…” Eddie fiddled with the sheets between his fingers. “May have overheard, that’s all.”

“Well, darn.” She laughs, her voice reminding you of the way teachers would talk to kindergarten children. “What matters is that you’re all better.”

“Are you sure?” You blurt before you could stop yourself and Eddie looks to you.

“Come on, I’m like this close to freedom.” He whispers loudly to you.

“Well,” The woman barely glances at you before refocusing on Eddie. “Like I said, just one more test and we can confirm. I’ll need you to sign some release forms if everything comes back clear, which I know it will, and you can finally leave.”

On cue, the sound of squeaky wheels turn their way into the area, operated by a man in a matching coat. The woman turns with a smile, nodding to where the cart should be placed. If you weren’t staring so intently, you wouldn’t have caught on to the way her expression changed for a split second, or how she slipped her hands from her pockets and brought them behind her.

“Oh, we’re doing these now?” Eddie questions, sitting up straight. He clocks the needle laying on the metal tray now beside him, gulping. He hated needles.

“If you want to be out of here quick.” The woman winks kindly, nodding. Her eyes wander to Dustin still perched by Eddie’s bed. “I’m afraid we don’t allow any visitors while we run tests.”

“We’ve been allowed to sit through the others.” You say when Dustin’s face fell, stepping forward. She turns to you, still smiling softly.

“It makes it easier for us if we don’t have any distractions.” She explains with a shrug. This close, you can see how her eyes don’t have the same calming effect as her voice.

“We’ll be as quiet as a mouse.” You challenge, keeping your own voice sweet in its inflections.

“Uh…” Eddie’s eyes shift between you both, a look of curiosity at the way you were acting. But he trusted you. “I would feel better to have them here. Especially if we’re checking the old blood pressure again, that shi- uh, stuff’s gonna be nice and calm with them around.”

A single twitch in the woman’s eye before she lowered her head. Your eyes flicker to Dustin, his face warped in confusion as he sends a look back. The woman had closed her eyes taking a deep breath, the man behind the cart still and posture straight, like he was awaiting orders. The whole situation sent a chill down your spine, goosebumps along your skin. Your stomach dropped.

Ever since you made that final connection to the Mind Flayer, it had somehow heightened your senses of danger. It wasn’t just when there was a gate nearby, or when Vecna was practically breathing down your neck. No, it alerted you to everyday danger that didn’t even include alternate dimension monsters.

And right now, it was screaming bloody murder at you.

“Can you just do the test later?” You quickly ask, and the woman perks her head in interest. “You see, Eddie’s pretty tired and was just telling us how he needed more rest.”

There was a tone in your voice that had Eddie nodding. “Yeah, she’s right. Feeling like a nap, so… reschedule?”

A deep breath inhaled through her lips as she raised her head fully, glancing at the man in the white coat.

“I’m afraid that’s just not possible.”

In one swift motion, the man plunged a needle into Eddie’s neck, the boy crying out before falling flat against his pillow.

Dustin jumped from his seat, wincing when he landed heavy on his ankle, and began yelling out questions. His startled eyes find yours before his whole body stills in fear.

Because there was a gun pointed directly at your head.

“Stay calm, no one has to get hurt.” A low voice announced as a man in uniform steps from behind the door, several other men flanking him.

“You just stuck a needle in Eddie.” Dustin points out and the man clears his throat.

“My name is Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan. I am here to ensure the safety of Hawkins and to reprimand those a threat.” He says, removing his sunglasses and handing them to another uniformed officer behind him. He glances over at you, and then to your hand. “I suggest you drop your weapon, Miss Mayfield.”

Your heart jumps. How did he know your name?

After a moment of consideration- there were too many men for you to successfully fight your way out of here- you slowly extend your arm and drop the scalpel back on the metal tray, the contact echoing a shrill clatter.

“What do you want?” You spit out, eyeing the gun by your head. Sullivan gives a quick nod and the cool pressure of the handgun is released from you.

“We’re here for Mr Munson.” He briefly says before motioning his officers to the boy led unconscious. They start to move towards him.

“Woah, hey!” Dustin protests, feeling helpless.

“You’re not taking him anywhere!” You block their path, but one of them simply grabs you from behind and locks your arms against your back.

You bring your head back, fast, and manage to make contact with a nose, a shatter of bone crunching behind you. The hold is released and you’re reaching for the scalpel again. You don’t make it very far.

“Make one more move, Miss Mayfield, and I will be forced to make a very unnecessary command.” Sullivan states calmly.

All guns were pointed at you and you had no choice but to freeze. You weren’t any good to Eddie if you were dead.

“How do you know my name?” You question finally, still the target of unreleased bullets.

“We know everything about you, Miss Mayfield.” Sullivan’s voice barely held any kind of emotion, but there was something in his eye that told you he knew more than he was letting on. “November of '79, in particular.”

You gulped, avoiding his eyes. Dustin sent an inquisitive look but remained silent. Some things were better left unsaid.

“You can’t take him.” You whisper, eyes misting over. “We already talked with the police, they’re reinvestigating-”

“We are aware.” Sullivan interrupts, stepping closer. “But we also aren’t asking permission. Mr Munson is coming with us to deal with his crimes.”

“He didn’t do anything!” You cry as officers release the wheel brakes on Eddie’s bed and start to pull him away. “Tell me where you’re taking him!”

Just before Sullivan turned to follow his men out of the room, he collects his glasses and places them back on his face. “That’s classified.”

One by one, the men threatening you lower their guns and follow their Lt. Colonel, ensuring you didn’t follow. They left you and Dustin alone in the room, still trying to understand what had occurred in a matter of seconds.

“What the fuck just happened?” Dustin stumbles forward, shaking his head. He looks up at you. “Y/n, what happened?”

“I don’t…” You furrow your brows, instinctively reaching for the ring on your right hand. You stare down at it. You were meant to have returned it when he was released. And now that would never happen.

“What do we do?!” Dustin cries and you bite your cheek. “Y/n, what-”

“I don’t know!” You yell in a sob, dropping your hands and pacing. “Okay, Dustin, I don’t- I’m sorry, I just…”

You take a deep breath and Dustin is already catching you in his arms. You reach out until you’re both enveloped in a hug, holding eachother.

The first time you lost Eddie, you had mourned his death and sacrificed your energy to try and make things right.

The second time you lost Eddie, you had held Dustin in the empty hospital room until Steve eventually found you both, escorting you out and asking enough questions to make your brain hurt.

But not before you and Dustin had an hour to vow that you weren’t losing Eddie a second time.

Just as you pull up to the hospital, you see the others patiently waiting outside.

Jonathan and Nancy were resting against his car, chatting away, until he clocked your car heading towards them, giving a quick wave and motioning to El that you had arrived.

She smiles at you when opening the door, sitting in the passenger seat and opening her mouth to speak just as the back doors open, cutting her off just as Mike and Will slip in behind you.

Your frown is met with a simple look from Mike.

“We were with our siblings for ten minutes and almost went insane.” He explains and you chuckle, turning the ignition.

You knew that wasn’t why. After seeing Max, and finding out about Eddie’s disappearance, they must have known how you would be feeling. Because that’s the thing about this family that you found… you looked out for eachother.

“So... what happened in California?” You ask, filling the silence, and you notice the exchange of glances in the mirror.

“Don’t freak out like Jonathan and Nancy did.” Will pleads and you raise your eyebrows, clearing your throat while turning a corner, trying not to look at the vine covered buildings.

“I promise.” You say and he sighs.

“Uh, well…” His eyes drift to El and you see he is struggling on where to start.

El gives a nod of confirmation before shifting her body to you.

“I hit my bully with a roller blade and was arrested.”

You almost swerve the car in surprise, regaining control. You were sure Nancy and Jonathan would be knowingly nodding to themselves behind you.

“Um…” You glance at her. “Okay.”

“Are you mad?” She asks and you immediately shake your head.

“What? No, of course not.” You assure, reaching over and taking her hand in yours for a moment, other hand on the wheel. “I was just surprised. If anything… I’m proud of you.”

“You are?” Her voice was filled with disbelief and you let out a breathy laugh.

“Are you kidding me?” You smile, reminiscing on past experiences, “I’ve lost count of the amount of bullies I’ve fought.”

“But it was wrong.” El frowns and you sigh.

“Yeah. But we’re human.” You shrug, finally reaching the tree line. “We get angry. And sometimes we’ll just snap when it all gets too much. And who knows, maybe this bully will finally learn their lesson and actually get a life.”

“She was an asshole.” Will mumbles, earning surprised glances, “What? She was.”

El erupts into giggles and Mike smiles, bumping Will’s shoulder.

“So what was jail like?” You ask, driving up the long path to the cabin, far from the usual roads of Hawkins now.

“I didn’t get there.” El explains. “Papa found me.”

“Pap- wait, Brenner?” You risk another glance, a worried frown. “Is that where you got your new haircut?”

“Hm.” She fiddles with the bottom of her top, “I got my powers back. He died. But I am okay.”

You slowly nod, squeezing her hand before returning it to the wheel.

“Good.” You mutter beneath your breath and you look into the mirror to the boys in the backseat. “What about you two? Anything crazy you wanna share?”

“Um.” Will looks to Mike who purses his lips, raising his hand as if summoning something from the air.

“Well… because Joyce wasn’t there we were being babysat by these cops. They wouldn’t let us leave so Jonathan came up with a plan to get Argyle to break us out.” Mike starts and you nod for him to continue. “Yeah, then there was a shoot-out and they died.”

“Wow.” You breathe. “Just… wow.”

“Yep.” Mike nods. “My mom has banned me from vacations.”

“I hope my mom is around here.” Will mumbles and you smile.

“I have no doubt in my mind that she’s okay.” You assure and he sends you a grateful smile.

“What about you?” El suddenly questions as you notice the cabin just ahead. “How was your… crazy?”

“Uh…” You pull the car to a stop, turning off the ignition and shifting to face her.

There was so much you undoubtedly had to say. How you had been cursed for four long years, how the monster that controlled your nightmares had plunged his claws into your chest, leaving you to die alone on the cold wooden floor. How you had unexpectedly connected with the Mind Flayer and brought yourself back to life and would have to carry that trauma with you forever.

So much to say, but not enough heart to say it.

“How about we get to all of that another time, yeah?”

As everyone steps out of the car, air is sucked in between your teeth. Hopper Cabin was a little worse for wear from the earthquake, something you had all expected. When Jonathan and Nancy eventually pull up, everyone gets to work cleaning up.

It was almost therapeutic to be able to actually control something. As you swept the floors for remains of debris, depositing them on the porch for Argyle to happily stuff into a trash bag, you felt somewhat calm knowing that you found a mess you could actually clean up.

After a while, El disappears to her room, gently setting the door so there was still a gap. Mike and Will sat on the couch, having a heart to heart, so you resigned from your broom to venture outside.

Jonathan and Nancy were nailing boards onto the windows when you walk past, exchanging smiles. You send Argyle a little wave as he inspects a mushroom, getting a sloppy grin in return.

Then, as you take a deep breath, you notice a vehicle approaching in the distance.

You send a glance back to your friends, Nancy’s frown matching your own. The car stopped just a few feet in front of you, but you weren’t afraid.

You had already caught a sight of the mother in the front seat.

“Joyce?” You call out when she steps into the open, her smile spreading. You quickly move towards her, motioning back to the house, “Everyone is helping clear up Hop-”

Your words come to a halt when another man steps out of the vehicle, sporting a cap and a sincere smile.

“Hopper?”

You couldn’t believe it when he made his way over to you, pulling you into a hug. His light chuckles vibrated through his chest, a sound you hadn’t heard since the late nights you would spend waiting for Jack at the station.

“What- how?” You stammer out questions, pulling away with a smile.

“It’s, uh…” He glances at Joyce who just tightens her lips with a shrug, “It’s a long story.”

His eyes frown at the scars starting just below your neck.

“What happened to you?”

“It’s a long story.” You sigh, looking back to the cabin. “But I think you should probably go see your daughter, right?”

An array of emotions flashed across his eyes when he nods, parting from your with a ruffle of your hair and heading inside. Joyce lets out a satisfied sigh of joy as she reaches her arms out to you, pulling you into a hug.

“I'm so glad you're okay, hun.” She whispers into your ear, a kiss placed on your cheek before greeting her children, pulling them into tight hugs.

You smile as they all reunite, as a family.

Even though you were stood on the outside, looking at that display of love, you didn’t feel envious like you would have a year ago. If anything, you felt a little sad that you couldn’t hold Max like that right now.

Y/n

Spinning around, you feel goosebumps trail along your skin, quickening your breath. Something appeared in the corner of your eye, someone stood beside you, and you look over to see Will sporting your same feared expression.

Exchanging glances, your eyes tear away and drift to the sky, noticing the little flakes that fell.

No one needed to move to know exactly what the white particles were, what they brought. After all, the Upside Down had already leaked into your town, spreading amongst the buildings and forcing people out of their homes.

You all start to walk towards the source, curiosity high. But before you would even see it, the chill down your spine told you all you needed to know.

Hell had come to Hawkins.

Standing high on the hill, a curse had spread amongst the fields, burning away the light and joy within the nature. You and El had stepped forward first, the younger girl examining a flower that had wilted away. You stood a few feet from her, the others behind you and close to another for comfort. Your eyes were glued to the cloud of smoke pouring into the sky, bleeding the dark world into your own, military surrounding the areas like they had a chance of containing everything within it.

Four years of your life was given to protecting your town, your friends, your family, from this. You had battled monsters you hadn’t known existed, risked your life for people that cared for you just as much as you cared for them.

You hunted a Demogorgon, taking justice for Barb, and succeeded, finding a whole world of danger that threatened Hawkins. You saved Will from the Mind Flayer, protecting the kids and reuniting with your best friend, a vow to protect eachother always. You fought a disease that took so many people away from you, survived the efforts of the men living beneath Starcourt, and found yourself to be more powerful than you ever realised.

You suffered losses, and lost focus, but you did it with your friends. You all worked together to take down the greatest evil you had ever faced, and you had failed. But that failure brought something to make you fight.

You learnt and accepted that you will never be alone.

You had no idea what would happen next, what could possibly be the biggest battle of your lives. All you knew was that you hadn’t fought, bled, died, for this to be the result. This wasn’t the end of your story.

This was just the beginning.

[A/N: *wipes tears away* So... I guess this is the final chapter to Raining Hellfire 4. I cannot thank everyone enough for the indescribable feeling I have knowing that you have loved and supported this story. So much has happened, and we've come so far, that this genuinely felt like our journey to this end. I'm getting really emotional so I will end this by just saying thank you again. Will I return for RH5? Possibly. I want to. I hope we'll all be ready to reunite again soon.

love, Angel <3]

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