#choosing to run and hide is straight up my personal coping mechanism
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goldensunset · 6 months ago
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i should make a deal with my family that’s like ‘i can wash dishes and do other chores for you if you promise to PLEASEpleasevpleade please. not bother me’
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soupandsorcery · 2 months ago
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Today I am thinking about how there are a few times in the game where if you choose the funny dialogue option, a character will tell Rook that it's not the time for jokes or that they need to take things more seriously.
And my Rook Mags, who uses jokes as both his main method of communication and a coping mechanism, being so put off by someone telling him he's not taking things seriously.
He's usually a 'grin and bear it and bury the hurt where no one can see it' kind of person, but I think that would really get to him. Especially towards the latter half of the game where everything is on fire and he's running from one end of Northern Thedas to the other to try and help everyone he can. He's not sleeping, he's only really eating when Lucanis or Emmrich bring him a plate, or the whole team is eating together, and I think he just snaps at some point.
The smile drops from his face and he's just like, "How much more seriously do you want me to take it? I'm already doing everything I can. I go wherever anyone asks me to go. I'm putting out every fucking fire I get pointed at. I'm cleaning up messes I didn't make, talking to Solas at every opportunity, trying to be everywhere at once so this doesn't get worse than it already is. Is that not serious enough?"
Whoever said it is going to be speechless because Mags never goes off. And Mags is immediately embarrassed to have done so, so he's going to go hide out somewhere no one can find him. Probably in Solas' den where it's quiet. He's probably ashamed of being so upset, and that's largely because Magpie has never been encouraged to feel his feelings, even while he's telling other people it's okay to.
Emmrich will find him though. He knows his partner well enough to know where he'd go when he's upset. He'll come in quietly and sit down next to him.
Mags is just like, "I'm fine. We don't have to...do this. I'll go apologize once I get my head on straight."
"I'm not here to ask you to apologize. In fact, I do believe you were right, my dear."
Which surprises the hell out of Mags because he's used to being wrong. "What?"
Emmrich smiles and reaches for his hand. "You make every attempt to understand and support all of us, Magpie, and I am realizing that we do not do the same for you."
That hits like a slap to the face because Mags always insists there's not much to understand. He's a simple person, doesn't want to be a burden. But it is true. He's been doing everything he can for these people, and he knows they're grateful, but when was the last time someone asked him if he was alright? If he needed to talk? If he needed a goddamned break?
But there's a little smile for Emmrich because, "You do."
"Well, I do try. Still, everyone could do a better job of realizing how much pressure is on you. How much you carry on your own shoulders to make our burdens a bit lighter."
It ends with Mags' head in Emmrich's lap and Emmrich's long, careful fingers carding through Mags' hair. And people giving Mags less shit and being more aware of his well being after a stern lecture from a protective necromancer.
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suwya · 4 years ago
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Till the Stars Had Run Away - Prologue
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Summary:  Killian Jones was a voyager. Actually, he was many things, or at least he had been - a lieutenant, a brother, a loving boyfriend - until everything had turned upside down and his life had hit an all time low. So, he gave up. Aboard his spaceship he abandoned Arcadia, his planet, navigating the stars and other solar systems in search of... well, he still didn't know what he was searching for, but his rule was "never remain in the same place longer than necessary."
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Rating: M
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AO3
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A/N: I started to write this story two years ago, but I never found the courage to post it. Until something happened. 
I read some of the brilliant fanfics written by @thisonesatellite​, and commenting them with her, gave me the pleasure to getting to know this amazing person. She is the reason why this fic sees the light of the day. And she is also my beta: I will be forever thankful to her for all the help she gives me, I owe her so much!
Happy birthday Stephanie! I hope you’re having a wonderful day, because you deserve the best!
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Prologue.
And a softness came 
from the starlight 
and filled me full 
to the bone. 
(W. B. Yeats)
Fucking ice bitch is not so icy after all. Killian thought while he was crossing the Royal Palace's limits. And yes, he was probably drunk, but not enough to forget that he didn't want to stay on this ridiculous planet another day more than necessary. He needed to repair his ship and fly far, far away from here as soon as he could. He would be damned if he didn't. 
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***
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Eight full moons before.
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The room was too bright for his liking; it was big, neat and decorated with minimalist furniture, just a double bed with a couple of night stands. 
Killian shook his head; this was a mistake, a huge mistake, one that would pester his soul for the rest of his life. He knew better. Why am I even here? He thought. Oh, yes, because of the bloody money. If there was any chance to leave this damn place, this was it. He needed the money to repair his ship.  
Killian Jones was a voyager. Actually, he was many things, or at least he had been - a lieutenant, a brother, a loving boyfriend - until everything had turned upside down and his life had hit an all time low. So, he gave up. Aboard his spaceship he abandoned Arcadia, his planet, navigating the stars and other solar systems in search of... well, he still didn't know what he was searching for, but his rule was "never remain in the same place longer than necessary." 
When a rock had collided with his ship, Killian had made a forced landing. New Tolemac seemed a quiet place to lie low for a while, at least at the beginning. But, the ins and outs of the Royal Government of this planet weren't aligned with his philosophy. Long ago he had sworn to himself to serve no king and live by his own rules. 
There were only two things that stood between him and his next destination: A new gimbal block for the engine of his ship, and the money to purchase it. 
He stood at the end of the bed pondering over the best outfit for the occasion. He wasn't exactly attending a Royal Gala, this was a commercial trade... sort of. 
In the end, he stuck with his usual attire: a black vest over a dark grey long sleeved shirt, black jeans, and boots. He was in contrast to the place he was staying. Everything was white: the blankets, the walls, the pavement, even the door. 
He didn't flinch when that door suddenly opened. “Here we go.” He said to himself and tried to put on his best poker face. 
Through the door frame, he could spot three figures. Two of them were Royal Guards with black and maroon uniforms, helmets hiding their faces, and the characteristically rounded blades around their waists. Killian wished he had his automatic harpoon with him as well, but of course, no foreign arms were allowed inside the confines of the Royal Palace. 
The third person of the group was a lithe, young girl with straight blond hair tied in a complex braid. She was wearing an elegant but simple white dress with thin straps that was long enough to hide her feet. She was the only one who entered the room; the guards closed the door behind her. 
So this is the famous Princess Emma, Killian thought. Well, she was beautiful, indeed, and young, so very young. Nobody had ever seen the Princess in public, not the common people at least. Raised by the Royal Family in the utmost secrecy, she had never crossed the barriers of the Palace and its gardens. Protected like the most precious treasure in existence, she held the future of the entire planet in her hands.
And that was exactly why Killian was in that room with her.
She stopped a few steps in front of him, her chin raised and her arms crossed in front of her, in what Killian would have defined as the typical arrogant Royal attitude. 
"Let’s do it quickly. I have a pretty busy schedule today," she stated.
"Well, that's a shame, Princess, because I do like to take my time around a woman."
"We are not here because of what you like," she replied. "During the last few weeks, you have been thoroughly tested by a highly professional medical team, and you've been selected as the most capable for the role, and that is what matters to get the most satisfying result," she explained in an unsentimental tone.
"Capable sounds good, but it's probably not the adjective I would choose to describe myself." Killian tilted his head and hooked his right thumb in one of the loops of his belt, then made a step towards her invading her personal space. His flirty innuendos usually had a certain effect on women. "Regarding the satisfying results…"  He added in a low sultry voice "well, love, you don't have to worry about that."
"I'm not worried and I'm definitely not your love," she huffed impatiently and he immediately realized he had not impressed her. "Now, if we are finished with the preliminaries, I'd rather get to the point," she added, indicating the bed near them. "As I said before I have a busy schedule. Some people have responsibilities."  
"Believe me, Princess, I haven't even started with the preliminaries." He grinned, blinking at her.
"Mr. Jones..." she started what seemed to be a petulant comeback, but he lifted a hand to stop her. 
"Killian will do," he smiled. “Or Captain, if you prefer something more formal.”
"Whatever." She went on, "let me make this clear: you're expendable. You're here just because you were the first name on the list, but that doesn't mean that I can't discharge you and choose the second one."
Killian remembered who the ‘second one’ was. Some bloke full of bullshit named Cassidy, whom he had met while waiting for a test to run. The thought of that piece of work and this beautiful young lady in the same room sent an unexpected shiver down his spine. He suddenly felt like he had to protect her, but why? "Oh, but you won't, because Royals never settle for second best. Besides, you don't intimidate me, Princess. I believe you're the one who's going to lose here." Confidence had always been his most effective weapon.
"You're so full of yourself, but at the end of the day I will fulfill my duty. You, on the other hand, will end up with no reward at all. And I've heard the paycheck is quite alluring. Wasn't that why you applied in the first place?" Damn woman, he thought. She knew how to push his buttons. 
Something about the Princess captivated him but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He studied her. She was guarded, she clearly didn’t want him to look through her barriers. But it wasn’t all due to her status, it seemed more of a protective measure. 
He decided it was time to stop with his demeanor; he shouldn't have even started from the beginning. What was he thinking? Flirting with a girl so young. But innuendos and suggestive remarks had always been his coping mechanisms in a thorny situation.
A muscle clenched in his jaw and with a more serious tone of voice he asked, "How old are you?"
"Excuse me?" Her eyes widened for a brief moment. She looked him up and down as if she was wondering who he was exactly. 
The fleeting crack in her stance she had just shown him confirmed to Killian that there was much more behind those pompous Royal walls of hers. "You are way too young. How old are you?" He insisted.
"Not much younger than you are." The Princess put her hands on her hips and immediately stepped back. Her posture was rigid, her mouth set in a firm thin line, her eyes cold and challenging. 
"Appearances can be deceiving. I'm quite a lot older than you can imagine. I’m not from here, and I’ve been in many lands where time runs differently."
She seemed to consider his words for a few seconds. "I'm seventeen." She answered, but before he could react she went on to explain,“and tonight the three moons of New Tolemac will align with the northern star, which makes the best scenario for me to conceive a Royal Heir.” 
“This is the most preposterous nonsense I've ever heard.” Killian knew what he was supposed to do in that room, but this was insane. The girl was only seventeen years old, she had a whole life in front of her.
"I don't expect you to understand. As you said, you're from another planet. In this realm, we follow the rules. And my parents raised me to be a reliable part of the Royal Family, who in spite of my age can assume the responsibilities of a pregnancy, and consequently raise a child to be our future King."
"The same sweet dear parents that locked you up in a room to be fucked by the first random guy of the week, I presume?"
"It's not locked. I can go out whenever I want." She answered in the same pragmatic tone with which she had been speaking the whole time.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing, how could she agree to these methods? But maybe, if it was true that she had been raised for this purpose, the King and Queen had probably done everything in their power to not let her think otherwise. "But you won't." He stated as a matter of fact. 
"Of course, I won't. I'm here to fulfill my duties." She replied, and it didn't slip by him that it was the second time she had used the exact same words, as if they were a memorized speech. 
“Oh, come on, don't tell me you've never imagined a grandiloquent wedding.” He tried to tease her.
“I will marry a suitable candidate when the right time comes, but it's definitely not on my agenda at the moment.” She explained as if it was the most obvious thing in all the worlds. 
“A suitable candidate? No knight in shining armor who will rescue you from your miserable existence?”
“I'm no damsel in distress, Captain Jones.” She answered, emphasizing his rank, “I don't need to be rescued.”
“What about love?” He needed to probe her limits, to know what was behind her walls.
“Love is overrated. We are at war. There's no time for such trivialities.”
That surprised him. “I had no idea New Tolemac was at war.” 
“Maybe not right now, but the Lepka Industry is pushing forward, and we all know the consequences.”
Killian definitely knew something about those consequences. I've seen with my own eyes what that monster is capable of. He thought to himself. Invading a peaceful planet and depleting all the resources until it ends up imploding with no safe getaway for its inhabitants. It was a painful memory he had spent years trying to avoid and eventually forget. “I’m well aware of The Industry’s methods.” 
“Then, you of all people should understand the importance of some good defensive measures.”
“But The Industry is very far from here.” He wasn’t sure why the Government of this planet was so intimidated by a faraway menace.
“For now. But we have to be prepared for every possibility. And the population will need their rightful ruler when the time comes.” The Princess explained. “So, if everything is clear, I'd like to get started.” She added.
Killian stared at her. He was starting to understand. She seemed so young and somehow vulnerable, but behind that fragile appearance she was a tough lass, and he liked it. Still, he believed that this was a terrible mistake. “I'm not going to touch you.”
“What?” She asked outraged. “This is not what you've signed on for.” 
Killian shrugged. “I've changed my mind.”
“Why?” She inquired with wide open eyes, and he couldn’t decide if she was shocked by his refusal to follow an order, or if it was the rejection that was hurting her. 
He stepped forward, and now they were so close he could spot some golden flecks in her emerald eyes. “Because no woman in any land should be treated like this, no matter how noble the reasons are.” He almost whispered.
“I'm not being treated in any way.” She replied in the same low voice. “This is my choice and my duty. My planet needs an heir that will be able to lead it.” 
“You are the heir.” He stated and made a step back. Then, he lifted a hand to his head as if he was suddenly remembering something and added in a mocking way, “But oh, I forgot, you're a woman, which means that you can't govern because of some stupid rules.” 
“You don't understand.” She hissed through her teeth, now clearly annoyed. “This is the only chance I have to save my people.” 
“Well, then, do whatever you have to do, savior, but not with me.” Killian bowed to let her clear that the conversation was over from his point of view. “Sorry Princess, but as appealing as it may look, I'm not going to have sex with you.”
"You're wasting my time!” She didn’t raise her voice, but she definitely looked furious now. “Guards!” She shouted, and when the door opened she ordered: “escort this man outside the Palace's boundaries."
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***
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Eight full moons after.
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Taverns in New Tolemac were scarce, leisure activities were not banned, but not happily welcomed either. The Crimson Crown was probably the worst tavern Killian had set foot in, and he had been in many of them. A band was trying to lighten the atmosphere, but the music was awful and the acoustics even worse. Killian didn't mind; his gaze fixed on the bottle he was grabbing. The glass long forgotten, he was swirling the amber liquid inside, or what was left of it. His senses were with him: the cold crystal in his hand, the out of tune string in his ears, the sour taste in his mouth; but his mind, his mind was in a place very, very far from where he was sitting.
"In which galaxy are you right now?"
He had completely zoned out and forgotten he had company. "Come again?" He tried to focus on the presence beside him.
"What's bothering you? And don't tell me it's nothing, 'cause that look on your face speaks volumes." 
Robin was his best friend, his only friend would be more exact to say. He wasn't from around here either, but he had been living in New Tolemac for much longer than Killian. The two of them had known each other since Killian had landed on this damned planet. 
Two foreigners, two lonely souls with no attachments, maybe that's why they connected so easily. 
But Killian was in no mood for conversation, not tonight. He was going to finally leave this planet once and for all: he had bought the last piece he needed to fix the engine of his spaceship first thing in the morning. A couple of days more just to arrange everything and he would pack his things and fly away. 
He had asked Robin to go with him, to search for a better life in a more hospitable place, and his friend eagerly accepted the invitation. They had ended up in that tavern to celebrate it. Killian should have been euphoric. But his guts were clenching. Why wasn’t he so happy to leave as he was supposed to be?
Nine months had passed since his unfortunate landing. So many more than those he would have stayed if he had had the chance to leave. Eight months since the day he met the Princess.
No, no, no. He thought, shaking his head. Don't let your mind go down that path again. He warned himself.
Killian drew the bottle up his lips, but a hand stopped his movement. 
"Easy. Don't you think you've had enough for tonight?"
"There's no such a thing as enough alcohol." He grunted, but the hand didn't relent. "Fuck off, Robin!" He exclaimed. 
"Your enchanting behavior doesn't work with me." Robin retorted ironically. "Come on, let's get out of this place." He added tugging at Killian's arm. 
The air outside was thick and humid. "Bloody summer" Killian cursed while stumbling over a little rock. As he regained balance he realized that maybe his friend was right, and even if he could hold his rum, he might have had too many drinks. 
They walked silently side by side for a while, since one of the perks of having a best friend is that you don't need to entertain the other person all the time. So Killian's mind started meandering through a road he had tried to avoid just a few minutes before.  
"It's completely bad form." He exclaimed eventually. 
"What is?" Robin asked, probably taken a little aback at his abrupt words. 
"I just wanted to help her. Why didn't she accept my help?" Killian went on without many further explications. 
"Wha...?" Robin started to ask, but then realization clearly struck him. "After all these months why are you still thinking about her?"
"Fucking ice bitch." Killian cursed. 
"I beg your pardon?" Robin was having problems in following his friend's thoughts. 
"It's the moniker I chose for her, don't you think it's accurate?" The other said as if it was the most obvious thing.
Robin shook his head. "It's not like you to talk this way about a woman. You must be really wasted." And after a moment of silence, each of them lost in their own inner world, Robin asked: "Are you sure you can get home safely by yourself?"
Killian stopped and realized that they had arrived at a crossroad where their paths back home diverged. "I'm fine, mate." He replied with a little persuading smile. 
"I'll call you in the morning... or not. You tend to be a bit irritable when you're hungover." 
"Good night to you, too." Killian answered back ironically. And they went separate ways.
The night was still young, at least for Killian's standards, so he decided to walk a bit more, clear his mind, and his feet brought him near the water. The sound of the ocean waves crashing into the shore had always calmed him. 
He inhaled deeply the salted breeze and for a while he just stood there staring into the horizon that was clearly visible due to the bright light of the three full moons. After a while lost in his thoughts, he was almost ready to call it a night when he noticed a presence not far from where he was standing. 
Someone was sitting on a large rock in a meditative position with straight back and crossed legs, hands resting on the knees. It was the Princess, as if she had somehow materialized from his thoughts. But how could it possibly be?
Maybe he had already passed out and was now dreaming, he thought, or maybe he was simply hallucinating because of the high level of alcohol in his veins. Otherwise, he would never have trespassed the Palace's limits without being aware of it, which could only mean problems.
He should turn back home, he knew it. But as a moth is attracted by a flame, he was drawn by her. While approaching her silhouette, he could make out her closed eyes. 
He didn’t mean to startle her, so he cleared his throat to announce his presence. The Princess opened only one eye; if she was surprised to see him she didn’t show it. “I’m trying to concentrate.” She closed her eye again and went on with whatever she was doing.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” He asked nonchalantly, disregarding her statement.
“Do you need help finding your way back home, Mr. Jones? From the smell that precedes you, I assume you may not have realized that you entered a property where you’re not welcome.” She said without changing her position.
“You remember me! It’s always a pleasure to know I did a good impression!” He exclaimed cheerfully. “I mean, it’s quite some time we haven’t come across each other.” But after a deeper glimpse at her, he realized that the curves of her dress weren’t the result of the breeze. She was very much pregnant. "And you clearly let that bastard fuck you." The words left his mouth before he could even think about them. 
She didn’t move, didn’t even open her eyes. He hadn’t exactly approached her with the intention to start an argument, but now that the cards were already on the table, there was no point in going back on his words, so he went on. "Of course you couldn't disappoint mom and daddy. But let me tell you one thing, no mother or father would ever do something like that to their own daughter.”
She was making an effort ignoring him if the sudden increase in her breathing rhythm was a hint, but that was all he obtained from her. “Don't you see it?” Killian insisted. “They are not some loving parents, you're just a pawn in their hands. They don't have a legitimate heir to the throne, because, oh what a shame, you are a girl! So they raised you just to give them what they've ever wanted: a boy." 
He knew he was hurting her. She hadn't moved a muscle during his speech, but he saw her bottom lip trembling in spite of her efforts to remain untouched. Nevertheless, he couldn’t give a damn. He had nothing to lose at this point. At least she would listen to everything he had needed to tell her since the day he left the Palace eight months before.
"Do you really think they will let you take care of your child? Don't be so naive. They will probably discard you as soon as you give birth. They have locked you inside this prison for all your life, a shiny beautiful cage, that is, but still a prison. You don't have a life of your own. They didn’t let anyone near you. Nobody knows you, and nobody will care about you when you will be expendable."
At those words she finally opened her eyes and if looks could kill he would be instantly dead. She was angry, he could see that, probably furious with him, but there was more, her eyes had become a little watery and a turmoil of feelings was passing through them, he could read it. He held a hand up and didn't let her speak "No need to call the guards this time. I'm going to walk myself out of this miserable place with great pleasure." 
Fucking ice bitch is not so icy after all. He thought while crossing the Royal Palace's limits. And yes, he was probably drunk, but not enough to forget that he didn't want to stay on this ridiculous planet another day more than necessary. He needed to repair his ship and fly far, far away from here as soon as he could. He would be damned if he didn't. 
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raccdog · 5 years ago
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UNHEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS (PART 3)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4  | Part 5
(Quick notice: I’m not tagging as many people from now on as I was doing before because it takes so long -previously tagged will keep being tagged don’t worry,- if you want to keep up with the updates please just follow me or the tag #unhealthy coping mechanisms or #UCM. Just know that your support is super appreciated and motivates me a lot! I always try to check all notes so don’t be shy and leave a comment, critique, theory, or simply ask, my asks are open! Thank you again for all the support guys. Now onto the juice)
Fuck Hawkmoth. That was the only thing Chat Noir was able to chant inside his head. It was late in the evening and the sun had already come down, the Parisian lights having lit up hours ago.
Of course there had to be an akuma today, at this hour, just as he’d been in the middle of a date with Kagami. Well, not exactly a date date. Sure he found Kagami attractive -not because of her similarities with Ladybug, he didn’t have a type,- and wanted to spend more time with her. But he couldn’t bring himself to do datey stuff like kissing or embracing each other. He wasn’t ready. He was sure he’d get into it as time went on. That’s how it was for everyone right? They started dating and then developed feelings. At least that’s what he hoped for.
The date was probably ruined by now anyways, having had to ditch Kagami in the cinema’s cafe after the alarm had went off.
A flash of red in the corner of his eyes caught his attention, making his heart do somersault inside his chest. He hated how much power she hold over him. He hated how his emotions did pirouettes because of her. He hated his own traitorous heart the most, for he was trying, really trying hard to move on, but it seemed fruitless every time, a piece of him seemed like it would always belong to her.
He landed on a rooftop, facing the Louvre Museum’s plaza, where the akumatized villain seemed to be causing chaos. Ladybug landed next to him five seconds later.
“Hey Bug-” He bit his tongue. “Hey Ladybug,” he corrected himself. He had to constantly remind himself that pet names weren’t appropriate anymore.
“Hey Chat,” she answered softly. He turned to look at her in concern. Ladybug didn’t use that tone of voice normally. Her mask covered most of her face, but he could still make out the exhaustion in her eyes and pale cheeks.
“You ok Ladybug?” He questioned worriedly. “I’m fine Chat I’ve just been…busy.” She said dismissively. He couldn’t help but frown. He knew his lad- Ladybug like the palm of his hand. She was hiding something and not confiding in him, once again. Ladybug keeping secrets, what a surprise. So shocking. The thought came to him involuntarily, so quickly and full of bitterness he couldn’t stop himself. He needed a break. This week’s events had affected his humor too much. He shook his head, trying to dispel some of the sour mood he found himself in. He knew it was petty of him to think that way. Ladybug wasn’t at fault here, even if he’d like she’d rely more on him.
Another crash and more screams made both heroes focus in the akumatized victim again.
“Ready to kick some akuma butt Ladybug?” He smiled, hoping that his voice sounded more cheery than he felt. A loud boom as he went to stand up made him loose his balance, almost toppling over the side of the roof. He looked at Ladybug once again. She was pulling a weird face.
“I think we’ll need help for this fight.” She admitted.
“But who, Master Fu is MIA and he’s supposed to have the miraculous!”
“Not all of them,” Ladybug started running in the opposite direction. “Distract the akuma Chat, I’ll get help!”
“If it isn’t Dragon-girl!” Chat Noir called when he saw Ryuko landing behind Ladybug. He dodged a shot from the akuma and back-flipped until he was next to the other two superheroines “So what do we do now?” He asked, twirling his baton to repel another shot directed towards them.
“You two try to get closer and keep the akuma distracted,” Ladybug announced. “I’ll call my Lucky Charm from afar and then just follow my lead,” she commanded, zipping away with her yo-yo. Chat turned to see Ryuko, her eyes in complete focus. He had to contain a chuckle. Kagami was always so serious. He did felt bad for ditching her before, he’ll have to apologize. “Looks like it’s just us now Firecracker,” he joked, jumping to the side to evade an attack. Kagami whirled to look at him, surprise and shock written on her face. Shit, he had called her with a nickname. “Don’t call me that ever again,” she growled, narrowly dodging another beam. He couldn’t do it anymore. She was just so much fun to tease. “Sure thing Firecracker,” he smirked, looking at her directly.
“Chat look out!” Then suddenly everything was bright.
“What were you thinking you dumb cat!” Ladybug cried, dropping beside him, akuma purified and the Miraculous Cure performed. “What could possibly be so distracting that you don’t dodge a direct attack to the face?” She screeched, pulling lightly at her pigtails in rage.
He opened his mouth to defend himself but Ryuko spoke before he had the chance to say anything. “Apparently calling me Firecracker,” she growled, brows contorted in rage. Ladybug whipped her head around to look at the dragon hero. “He called you what now?” She asked incredulously. She then turned to glare at him, her eyes seething and grounding him against the concrete tiles on the floor.
“How can you be so irresponsible?” She reproached. “You could have been badly hurt! And for what? Just so you could flirt with someone?” She continued to berate him while pacing. “Also I’m pretty sure Ryuko doesn’t appreciate you calling her pet names just like I told you to stop before!” Chat Noir felt his own eye twitch at her, rage building quickly inside of him.
The heroes the noticed the growing crowd surrounding them. It wouldn’t be long before the press got here.
“Notre Dame in 5 minutes,” she growled to him before facing the other heroine. “Come on Ryuko, follow me,” she directed, whipping out her yo-yo as they both jumped away.
Chat Noir landed briskly on the church’s tower, his previous anger still flaring. When he saw the figure of Ladybug touch down he marched towards her. The look on her face told him he probably should be careful, that he was treading dangerous waters, but at that point he couldn’t care less. The pent up frustrations from the week too much for a hot-headed teenager. He stopped in front of her, so close he could feel her ragged breath on his face as he towered over her. He could tell she was angry too, but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care. He was angry too.
“What were you thinking,” she started, not moving even as he stood so close. She wasn’t one to back away after all.
“What’s the matter Ladybug,” he sniped. “Jealous?” He saw with satisfaction as her nostrils opened and her eyes narrowed. “You know that’s not what I-”
“I can call her or any girl whatever I want!” He interrupted. “No you can’t if it’s gonna affect your concentration!” She exclaimed. She shoved a red-clad finger in his chest. “Besides, Ryuko already has someone she’s romantically involved with, you shouldn’t even-”
“Does she now,” He cut once again, knowing it drove her up the walls whenever he did so. “Why should I believe you? To me it seems like you are jealous and making things up,” He accused with snide. He was lying through his teeth, he knew. After all, the person Ryuko was involved with was himself. But he couldn’t help it. The satisfaction he found in causing her to react was too great. He knew he’ll probably feel guilty in a few hours after the rage haze had dissipated and he’ll cry himself to sleep but at this point in time he couldn’t think straight.
“I am not! Goddammit Chat I’ve told you time and time again to stop calling me nicknames-”
“Oh I’m stopping alright!” He sneered “I’m not calling you anything other than Ladybug ever again!” He chuckled humorlessly as he hissed right in her face. “You aren’t special anymore, Ladybug.”
He realized he may have acted too cruelly when he saw her flinch, stepping away from him as if he’d electrocuted her. The rapid movement made him catch a whiff of a strange smell coming from her, but he didn’t ponder on it too much as he looked directly at her. Her expression was unreadable and Chat Noir couldn’t decide if that was better or worse. He wanted to apologize but the stubborn pride inside him rebelled at the idea. The sensible part in him knew he had gone too far and wanted to rush to her side, retract what he’d said and hug her.
He didn’t have time to choose on what to do, because she turned around and neared the edge, ready to go, yo-yo in her hand.
“Get some rest, minou,” was the only thing she said, softly, before she zoomed away, leaving him alone on the tower’s roof, her voice weighing as heavily as his heart felt.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4  | Part 5
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coffee-writher · 4 years ago
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“How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?”
- Yana Layno
Going back, you might wonder how will we ever really get out of this labyrinth of suffering. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to get out of it, but we can survive it everyday. It is by learning to forgive people and ourselves, “we need to forgive in order to survive the labyrinth.”We need to forgive ourselves for the things we didn’t become, for the people we hurt and have hurt us, the things we regret not doing and the things we regret doing as well. Stop beating yourself up for elements of your life that are outside of your control such as death. Forgive yourself and others for the unfortunate things that happen in life and accept what is. We have to accept that certain things are out of hand, and we need to continue forgiving ourselves for the things we are not in control of. 
If you’re an avid reader of John Green, I assume that the title is very familiar to you and you know who’s question came from. Well for some who have no idea, these lines were from the book “Looking for Alaska” published in 2005 by John Green. To be honest, at first I didn’t see this movie/books as interesting as it is. But the moment I started watching it, it easily caught my attention. The beginning of the movie is cliche but I like how the story runs. It gave me butterflies and the minor sexual content of the movie somehow gave me deprivation, especially that I watched it during ECQ/GCQ months. But let’s get to the topic straight, to be honest I’ve been seeking answers on how we can ever get out of suffering, and no matter how many ideas and words of encouragement that people throw at me, still, it is not enough to ease what I’m dealing inside. Maybe that’s one of the factors why this book/movie caught my attention very well. 
Based on the movie/book, one of the cast “Alaska” who’s known as a young, wild, moody, unpredictable and enigmatic girl who suffers from severe depression due to her PTSD when she witnessed how her mother end herself when she was a kid, and her father blamed her for this and that’s one factor that gave her guilt in herself. While “Miles Halter” is the novel's main character and narrator, who has an unusual passion in learning famous people's last words and is seeking his great perhaps as well. 
Alaska used to ask “When will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” Based on the story, that question was from Alaska’s favorite author “Simon Bolivar.” She’s not asking it just because she read it from one of her favorite books but for me, it was what exactly she’s seeking for answers. She hides her pain with those peaceful smiles and graceful laughter, with those beautiful hazel eyes and mysterious personality but in reality, she’s seeking for ways and answers on how she will ever get out of the sufferings she’s dealing with for a long period of time. 
Her friends were not aware of what she’s hiding inside for a long time until she can’t contain it anymore and let it out. And by this, it made me realize that a lot of dark thoughts can be hidden within a smile, laughter, and energetic vibes. That sometimes suicidal thoughts are present in the most brightest and calming hour of the day. 
For me, this question was one of the most enigmatic questions to answer. And perhaps, a lot of people tend to seek answers on how we will ever get out of these sufferings and even I have failed to seek answers for this as well. Some say that, “Happiness is a choice, so choose it.” but in reality and for me, choosing happiness is easy to fake. We can fake our smile, laughter, our opinions towards other people just for them to see us happy. Or for some, this is just their coping or defense mechanism to survive and forget the sufferings but for me, if we keep on faking it, these sufferings will just repeatedly haunt us. 
Looking back when I was a little younger, I used to plan ahead of time and  want everything to be polished, but life wasn’t as easy as it was. I made a lot of mistakes and I became a coward to face those, to the point where a lot of bad memories were being stored at my hippocampus. However, no matter how hard we try to forget things that made us feel bad about ourselves, these memories will keep on haunting us for as long as we don’t face it and accept it. Honestly speaking, I’m still sorry for the things that I didn’t become. Goals that seem impossible and hard to reach now but, I am learning to accept everything and forgive myself everyday. 
After two years of circumstances, I can say that those tears I shed, walls I built within myself and those sleepless nights I missed due to school works were all worth it. I remember every time our professors ask me why I took Journalism as my program, and my answer will forever be this “I want my passion to be my profession.”Perhaps, one of the reason why my professors didn’t gave up on me, my parents somehow didn’t gave up one me, but the most proudest thing I did was not giving up on myself. 
I realized that, there is no ladder to success nor a straight smooth path on achieving those, I am lucky to be one of the people who encountered hardships along the way. I believed that “when you know and look back at those tears and hardships you’ve encountered, you will never give up on your dreams easily.” So here I am, still reaching for that goal. “Baby steps are still considered a step” and I am proud of those steps I’m taking. 
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thorne93 · 5 years ago
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Unforeseen Chasm (Part 59)
Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.
Word Count:4275
Warnings: Language, bad coping mechanisms, grief, depression, lack of motivation, feelings revealed, relationships at stake, tension is high, start of endgame movie, losing hope, hope is brought back, Song for this part:  I’ll never love again- Lady Gaga Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.
Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, before dawn, you were out of bed. You started a new simulation to try and find Thanos. While the simulation ran, you went outside to practice. Shannon was right, even if you did find Thanos, what then? You needed to practice, to train. So that’s what you did. 
Your powers were like Wanda’s and Remy’s combined. You were born with the ability as an Asgardian goddess to charge potential energy and launch it. The mind stone had given you electrical dark energy that you could launch from yourself as a bolt of energy, or use it as an extended limb, like Wanda. Using the dark energy, you could fly. Using the electric part of your energy, you could electrocute things, like Thor. You learned illusions and trickery from Loki. By all stretches of the imagination, you should be the most powerful one in the room at all times, save for Shannon who could absorb any power, not to mention her natural healing power. 
But being powerful meant nothing if you didn’t know how to use it well. So for the next twelve hours straight that day, you practiced. You learned how to create a shield around yourself using your purple energy. You learned how to send shockwaves through the ground like Thor. You practiced charging objects and throwing them, as well as creating powerful energy shots and launching them. You practiced flying. You hadn’t done much of it since the New York attack and you wanted to be sure that you felt comfortable doing it. 
Shannon left you to it, knowing that you wouldn’t want to be bothered, but Steve checked on you. He asked what you were doing and if you needed help. You explained you were gearing up to fight Thanos and you didn’t want Steve to get hurt. He didn’t say much but nodded and left you alone. Natasha watched you and she wanted to say something, offer something, but she didn’t know how. You two weren’t close at all. You liked Natasha, by all means, but she didn’t know how to comfort you in something like this, so she let you grieve the way you needed to. Bruce felt sorry for you. He desperately wanted to help you. He felt he could take anything you threw at him, but his concern was with Shannon and finding Tony. Bruce and you were a bit closer, and he understood better than most the healing factors isolation and being alone could have. Thor… well you and Thor could hardly stand to look at each other. You’d lost the same thing, and you both felt responsible. You didn’t blame him, and you hoped he didn’t blame you.
You didn’t fault any of them for not coming to see you. You knew they all had their own grief they were dealing with, their own personal missions. This was yours.
This became your new routine. Rising at early hours, running tests to see where Thanos might be, running scanners for him using the stones again, then you’d set out to practice your powers until late at night. You were at least sleeping now and eating at least one meal a day. It wasn’t ideal, but it was an improvement. You logically knew you couldn’t fight Thanos if you were malnourished and tired. 
------------------------------
A few days after Shannon had visited you that night, she didn't feel like being at another one of those meetings with the faces of the vanished and seeing Tony’s and Parker’s faces. There’s only so much she could take. So here she was in bed hiding under the covers with Lucky being the little spoon. When there had been a few light knocks, she hoped they would leave her alone.
“Hey,” Bruce said softly as he poked his head in. “I know you probably want to be left alone, but I think we should all be together at a time like this. I also brought you something to help calm your nerves.” He held up a small tray with two cups of tea. “It always keeps me calm.” 
“Thanks, Bruce, but I think I'd rather stay here in bed with Lucky.” She came out from under the covers. “There’s no way I’m going in there and see Tony’s or Parker’s face.” She shook her head.
He nodded as he sat the tray down. He rubbed his hands nervously before stuffing them in his cardigan pockets. “Yeah, yeah, I get that. It’s hard to see his face. I told them to take their faces down because we don’t know if--” He stopped himself, choosing his next words carefully to not upset you further. “Well we don’t know what’s happened to them, if anything. Hell, you know Tony. He could be on his way here, right now. He might’ve just wound up a place a little bit away from here.” He tried to add cheer to his voice. 
“Bruce, thanks for trying but I can feel how uncertain things are until we find out more.” She took the cup of tea from the tray. 
“Well isn’t that just it? Things are uncertain, so don’t lose hope, okay? If you lose hope, all we have is Cap. I mean his motivational speeches are great and all, don’t get me wrong, but we need you… I need you.” 
“But what can I do? I’m not Tony or Steve. They both have things I cannot be or give so what now?” She put the cup back. “I just need someone to take over and be the one in charge for once”
Bruce nodded. “I don’t know how or if that’s gonna happen, sweetheart. Nat might. You know they all look up to you. It isn’t to pressure you. You don’t need to be anyone but you. Your optimism and quick thinking is what gets us through. You’re the glue of this team, don’t forget it. But… I understand if you need a break. Steve, Nat, and I can take over for a bit. At least until we hear something on Tony or Peter…”
 “That would be great, really, I don’t know what I would do without you, Bruce.” She touched his hand and she became so overcome with his emotions that she shed a tear. “I’m so sorry, Bruce. I didn't mean to get in tune with your emotions, that power has been really strong since that day.”
“Hey, first off, don’t apologize to me, ever. Secondly, of course it has been. You’ve lost a lot and you have no idea what happened to Tony. Your power of emotion is bound to go haywire. Besides, I don’t mind you having a peek at my emotions every now and then,” he stated, almost sheepishly. 
“Is that a hint of a blush I see?” Shannon joked, putting her hand on his cheek feeling how warm it got and was getting hotter by the second. “I don’t mean to pry but I felt a few things when I touched your hand, mind telling what they were about?” She looked at him seriously.
“Shannon,” he started uneasily, “you already know what it is you feel,” he said softly. 
“It’s one thing for me to feel a person’s emotions, it’s another thing to know what or who they are directed to,” she calmly explained. “If this is making you uneasy we could change the subject,” she suggested. She partially knew but she wanted him to confirm her suspicions.
He rubbed his neck, feeling more nervous and awkward by the second. “Damn, I never wanted to do this. Let alone while Tony’s...well... missing but...Ah, damn. Shannon… I’m in love with you. Alright? I know the timing is terrible. I know you’re married. I should’ve said something before, but you’re so happy with Tony, and he’s my best friend and I didn’t want to ruin any of that. I can’t hide it anymore though. With the way the world is now… I think it’s now or never, you know?” He peered at her, guilt, hope, worry, and relief all rolled into one. 
“Umm… wow, I... I don’t know what to say Bruce—” She got quiet for a bit processing what her friend had told her all that time ago at the mansion about Banner having feelings for her. She didn’t think that it was true. “I’m flattered that you feel this way about me, Bruce...and I know we’re in a spot that’s between a rock and a hard place but until I can know for certain what’s happened with Tony, I don’t think I can act on this.” She placed her hand on his, feeling his emotions and tried to not let them confuse her. She knew she had always had a soft spot for the man but she married Tony and she couldn’t betray him like this. What if he comes back… no, she needed to stop thinking. 
“You’re right. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I never wanted you to know. I never wanted to put you in any position of choosing him or me. Just… with things the way they are…” He shook his head. “Just think on it? I’m not saying we need to do anything now or anything soon at all. Just… give it some thought.” 
“This is my fault. If I hadn’t felt your hand we wouldn’t be in this situation but you’re right we ca—” Just as Shannon was about to answer the man, you walked into the bedroom, making the two jump apart and causing the dog to look up.
“Shan, I want--Oh, I’m sorry,” you said quickly as you watched your best friend and Banner break apart rapidly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back later,” you offered, already making your way toward the door.
“No! No, that’s fine, Y/N you can come in. Bruce was just trying to convince me to go to the meeting, which by the way you're late to.” She waved you in and then pointed to the time on the clock. “You know Steve is probably looking for you, you better go.”
“Right,” you agreed uneasily. The energy in the room felt off. “Yeah I think we should go, don’t you, Bruce?”
“Huh? Uh. Yeah. We should get down there.” 
You eyed him for one more moment before you and he walked down for the meeting, leaving Shannon to think in her room. 
———————
You knew Steve, Nat, and Shannon had been watching the pager that Fury left behind. It was constantly paging something or someone and they wanted to find out who. You had to give it to them. They never stopped. Steve and Nat, no matter how broken they were or devastated, they stuck to the mission, the cause -- to get back what we’d lost. 
But you couldn’t do it. You just didn’t have it in you anymore. The fight was gone. All you had was finding Thanos, and you had no idea how long that would take. Each passing second you didn’t find him chipped away at your soul, but this was all you had. It was your only hope, your one shot at maybe getting Loki back, getting everyone back, so you had to do it. 
Thor...he was beyond pissed. He felt that it was his fault. For the first few hours after it happened, he just kept muttering, “What have I done?” “It’s all my fault”. Some tiny part of you wanted to believe that. You wanted to blame this all on Thor for not aiming for his head. Or blame Wanda for leaving Vision. Or blame Shannon for not fighting harder. Blame anyone, everyone. Someone had to be at fault, right?
But the fact of the matter was, it was your fault. Wanda fought like hell to get to Vision. According to Steve, she held back Thanos (with five of the stones on his hand) with one hand and killed Vision with the other hand. Wanda was only human, her power forged from the mind stone and she was nearly all powerful. 
But you? You were a goddess of Asgard. You had the physical strength of Thor, the born powers of bio-kinetic energy, and your purple electric energy was granted by the mind stone. There probably weren’t many out there stronger than you -- but you couldn’t get to Thanos -- at least that’s what you kept telling yourself. 
This was your fault. If anyone should’ve been able to kill him, it was you. Wanda, with even less power than you, was able to hold him back successfully. Thor with his new axe could battle the stones and kill him with brute force. There wasn’t one reason in the world you couldn’t kill him. 
You should’ve let Nat and Okoye take care of Proxima. You should’ve abandoned the battlefield and waited for Thanos. You should’ve been by Vision’s side and not Wanda. 
If any one of those small things had changed, maybe this all would’ve been different. 
You heard footsteps approaching and you tensed. You didn’t want to speak to anyone. You hardly ever did. It was almost as if talking would break you. You were lying in bed after a day of training just wishing for some good news. 
“Y/N?” Shannon’s soft voice filled your room and you slightly relaxed. “Someone is here. A Carol Danvers? She may be able to help.”
You furrowed your brow before rolling over to get up. You padded down barefoot in your pajamas, your hair unbrushed, but you frankly didn’t give a damn. 
Thor, Steve, Nat, Bruce, and Shannon surrounded a blonde woman you’d never seen. Or they faced her at least. 
“Y/N, this is Carol. She’s…” Shannon started to explain then it seemed words failed her. 
“Long story short, I’m here to help and I’m a friend of Nick Fury’s,” she spoke, filling in the gap. 
“So what are you doing here?” you asked, all animation gone from your voice except for a slight wonder. Your hands were stuffed in your hoodie pockets.
“We think she can help find Tony and the rest of them,” Steve stated. 
“So you guys said he was in a spaceship? What’d it look like? I can try to track it.” 
“Titan… He was going to Titan,” you interjected.
“You’re sure about this?” Steve questioned. 
You nodded. “When I was his slave, he talked of his home quite a bit. If Ebony Maw took him and Strange… And he sent Proxima and Corvus to Earth then chances are he wanted them to meet him back on Titan.” 
“He told them that,” Thor concurred. “Just before he blew me up with the power stone. He told everyone to meet him on Titan.” 
“Alright. I’ve got a starting point,” Carol said with determination before she started to walk away. 
Shannon stepped in front of her. “Please, bring Tony back to me. He… I…” But that’s all she could get out before she started to sob. You took a step closer to her and wrapped her in your arms. You gave a look to Carol that granted her permission to leave. 
With that, it seemed as if a tinge of hope filled the atmosphere, at least for the rest of the Avengers. Not so much you… well, not you at all. 
You walked Shannon back to her room and now it was her turn to grieve. She’d been holding it in for so long, you thought that maybe the idea of hope now was maybe sending her over the edge. If she hoped for Tony and Carol didn’t find him, or worse, found him dead or one of the vanished then she would be crushed. But if she didn’t hope then she felt like she was letting Tony down. 
“What if she doesn’t find him?” she asked as she got into bed and you pulled the cover up around her. 
“Don’t talk like that,” you gently ordered. “We can take some solace that at least someone out there is looking for him.” 
 ------------------------------------
It’d been two weeks since Carol showed up and there was still no word back if she’d found Tony or not. Shannon had taken to going outside to look for signs of a ship or refreshing her texts to find out anything. She’s on the verge of giving up. She knew she shouldn’t but this feeling of being useless was getting to her. She’d been seen walking around in Tony”s unwashed shirts and hoodies and some shorts around the compound. No one had the heart to tell her anything. She knew they all pitied the situation. 
From her phone she heard Tadashi. “There’s still no signal reaching the transponder, Mrs. Stark.”
“Thank you, Tadashi, please keep searching.”
“Will do, Mrs. Stark.”
While she sat on top of the compound, on the roof, a door shut behind her suddenly. She was going to turn to see who it was, but he spoke quickly, letting her know who it was.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea you were out here,” he apologized. “I can leave you alone if…” he let the offer hang in the air. 
“Hey there, big guy, there’s no need. I”ve been out here alone for too long, keep me company?” She looked up at the man. “Unless you came out here to be alone then I’ll go somewhere else—” She started getting up.
“No. Hey, I interrupted you. Sit,” he gently ordered. He came over and sat beside her. “I thought I’d come out and see… well see if there was any sign of… you know. Had to get some air from trying to find Thanos.” 
Shannon flinched at the sound of that name. She didn’t know if she would ever be okay from all of this. “Yeah it’s been heavy with everything lately. Had to leave that building or else I knew I’d end up fighting someone.” She leaned on him taking in his scent of herbal tea and mint. “It’s nice out here, helps clear the mind.”
“That it does,” he agreed looking at the sky. He then dropped his gaze to the rooftop. “Shan… I know I said I’d let you think on this. But.... It’s been two weeks now and… I don’t know. I thought maybe… I just wondered if we don’t hear anything about Tony… in four months, would you want to try a date? If I’m right, I think you feel similarly to how I feel about you. It’s a compromise. I can’t go on wondering, and you shouldn’t go on feeling guilty or wondering if or when you should move on.”
Shannon hid her face inside the hoodie she was sporting and took a deep breath thinking of Tony in that moment. “Well you’ve never been wrong about anything before, I do love you too, Bruce, but I’m still married to Tony…” She looked up at the man. “But if in four months there’s no news from Carol about...you know… then yes I will try going out on a date with you but you have to promise me that I’ll get time to mourn.” She had looked down at her hands fiddling with her ring. 
It felt wrong to even be talking about Tony as if he was already gone, as if there was no hope, but Shannon could see with some clarity that these were dark times. Times where every moment was precious and she couldn’t spend it always wondering and holding out hope that may be wasted. While she adored Tony and loved him with every fiber of her being, she also knew she loved Bruce, and had for quite some time. She didn’t see a reason or purpose to rob herself or Bruce of a potential future in a world where futures seemed rather bleak.
“Of course,” he assured. “I’m not trying to get rid of Tony or gloss over your love for him. I know you love him, I know you love him more than me. I just… I don’t want to waste any more time, for either of us, if we can be together. I’ll give you all the time you need. I just needed to know that there was even a chance for us or if… well if I needed to move on.” 
“Oh, Bruce, I’m sorry for putting you through all of this.” She had moved to face him properly. “Thank you for being so understanding of this. You’ve been such a stability for me these past two weeks.” 
“Of course,” he vowed as he held her tightly in a hug.
---------------------
You were still searching, running calculations, practicing, strengthening... You showered at least, and Shannon forced some soup down you a few times. She said she couldn’t have you dying along with everyone else. You didn’t want to break her heart any further so you ate it, and again, you remembered nutrition was important to your mission.
No news had come from Tony or anyone he might have been with so you dwelled on your anguish. Much to your surprise but not Shannon’s, Steve stopped in to see you. He asked how you were but all you did was start crying - you couldn’t help it. You hated it, you hated him seeing you like this, but at this point, what did it matter? 
When you finally gathered yourself, and Steve was rubbing your back soothingly as you leaned over your lab desk, you finally turned your head slightly to face him. 
“Steve… I’m so sorry for Bucky and Sam. I hope you don’t hold yourself accountable. You did everything you could. Hell you did more than most.”
He bobbed his head, as if he were wagering whether or not he really did. “I appreciate that. I’m sorry about Loki and Strange.” 
You nodded, not wanting to verbally acknowledge them. You knew you couldn’t without bawling, so you just nodded. “And I haven’t said it before, but I’m sorry about New York,” you emphatically said, changing the subject slightly. It’s something you’d wanted to say for a long time. 
He waved it off with that all American smile at first but you shook your head. 
“No, I’m serious. I’ve never apologized about New York to you and I want you to know it’s something that has haunted me every day. I hope you know that you, Shannon, all of the Avengers… you’re all my friends, you know? Loki… Loki and I, we were brainwashed and if I could take all of it back, believe me, I’d give about anything.”
He nodded, his smile more sincere and sweet as he slowly closed his eyes, his hand still on your back. 
“I know, Y/N. I know,” he assured. “I forgave you a long time ago. Both of you. Speaking of things we’ve never said. I don’t think anyone has ever made you an official member of the Avengers, but I’d like you to know I consider you one. You’ve been one since Ultron.”
Your gaze softened on him before you pulled him into an embrace. “Thank you,” you breathed. 
------------------------------
Shannon had entered your room. It was late, which meant most of the Avengers had gone their separate ways for the evening. It seemed the only time you two could speak was late into the night, probably because you were both obsessed with searching during the day and they were precious hours. 
“Y/N/N,” she started solemnly, softly as she sat on the edge of your bed, her eyes on her hands. “It’s been twenty days since… since Thanos… And Tony, Carol… They aren’t…” 
“Shannon, you can’t--” You swallowed. “You can’t give up hope. If you give up then I have nothing, okay? Do you hear me? Nothing.”
“I know, but it’s getting so hard since--”
Just then, a rumbling cut her off. The two of you looked at each other as it got closer and louder. After a few seconds, you two realized it might be Carol, so you threw the covers off yourself and you two began running outside. Once you looked up, it was easy to see what had made all that ruckus. A rather large spacecraft was being brought in by Carol. As soon as the craft was sat down, the hatch opened, exposing a very weak Tony leaning on a blue woman. Steve rushed forward, going to Tony’s aid. 
You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. You finally felt some semblance of happiness. Tony was alive. Thanos didn’t kill him. He didn’t vanish. He was okay… That could mean that… 
But you stopped yourself before you let the thoughts run too wild.
Shannon ran forward to greet him. The two fell into each other’s arms, embracing, kissing briefly. The image sent a surge of warmth through you as well as seething jealousy. Of course you were happy for them. You were thrilled, honestly. But it was hard to be happy for her when you’d lost everything. 
Everyone was concerned with Tony’s return, as they should’ve been. Bruce got him hooked up on fluids, Shannon had given him a shower, Steve helped find him some clothes. Everyone agreed that he needed to rest, as did Carol and Nebula before anything was discussed. 
None of this was said to you though, because as soon as Tony arrived, your emotions ran wild, forcing you into your room. As soon as the door closed behind you, you broke down. You knew Shannon wouldn’t leave Tony, not tonight, not for you, and she shouldn’t have to.
But you couldn’t help it. This was too painful and somehow… somehow you were bitter and resentful over it all. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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mrs-dragneel-stark-solo · 5 years ago
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Unforseen Chasm (Part 59)
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Part 59 of Unforseen Chasm
Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together. Word Count: 4275 Warnings: Language, bad coping mechanisms, grief, depression, lack of motivation, feelings revealed, relationships at stake, tension is high, start of endgame movie, losing hope, hope is brought back, Song for this part: I’ll never love again- Lady Gaga Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my other fic series). first major Collab with my best friend @thorne93 what was first a simple “what if” moment turned into a two year writing session and I’ve never been more prouder of myself than when i started my first series. goes through most of the MCU plots there are some changes to accommodate for what we wanted and there is a bit of a crossover between the MCU and other characters. I hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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The next morning, before dawn, you were out of bed. You started a new simulation to try and find Thanos. While the simulation ran, you went outside to practice. Shannon was right, even if you did find Thanos, what then? You needed to practice, to train. So that’s what you did. 
Your powers were like Wanda’s and Remy’s combined. You were born with the ability as an Asgardian goddess to charge potential energy and launch it. The mind stone had given you electrical dark energy that you could launch from yourself as a bolt of energy, or use it as an extended limb, like Wanda. Using the dark energy, you could fly. Using the electric part of your energy, you could electrocute things, like Thor. You learned illusions and trickery from Loki. By all stretches of the imagination, you should be the most powerful one in the room at all times, save for Shannon who could absorb any power, not to mention her natural healing power. 
But being powerful meant nothing if you didn’t know how to use it well. So for the next twelve hours straight that day, you practiced. You learned how to create a shield around yourself using your purple energy. You learned how to send shockwaves through the ground like Thor. You practiced charging objects and throwing them, as well as creating powerful energy shots and launching them. You practiced flying. You hadn’t done much of it since the New York attack and you wanted to be sure that you felt comfortable doing it. 
Shannon left you to it, knowing that you wouldn’t want to be bothered, but Steve checked on you. He asked what you were doing and if you needed help. You explained you were gearing up to fight Thanos and you didn’t want Steve to get hurt. He didn’t say much but nodded and left you alone. Natasha watched you and she wanted to say something, offer something, but she didn’t know how. You two weren’t close at all. You liked Natasha, by all means, but she didn’t know how to comfort you in something like this, so she let you grieve the way you needed to. Bruce felt sorry for you. He desperately wanted to help you. He felt he could take anything you threw at him, but his concern was with Shannon and finding Tony. Bruce and you were a bit closer, and he understood better than most the healing factors isolation and being alone could have. Thor… well you and Thor could hardly stand to look at each other. You’d lost the same thing, and you both felt responsible. You didn’t blame him, and you hoped he didn’t blame you. 
You didn’t fault any of them for not coming to see you. You knew they all had their own grief they were dealing with, their own personal missions. This was yours.
This became your new routine. Rising at early hours, running tests to see where Thanos might be, running scanners for him using the stones again, then you’d set out to practice your powers until late at night. You were at least sleeping now and eating at least one meal a day. It wasn’t ideal, but it was an improvement. You logically knew you couldn’t fight Thanos if you were malnourished and tired. 
------------------------------
A few days after Shannon had visited you that night, she didn't feel like being at another one of those meetings with the faces of the vanished and seeing Tony’s and Parker’s faces. There’s only so much she could take. So here she was in bed hiding under the covers with Lucky being the little spoon. When there had been a few light knocks, she hoped they would leave her alone.
“Hey,” Bruce said softly as he poked his head in. “I know you probably want to be left alone, but I think we should all be together at a time like this. I also brought you something to help calm your nerves.” He held up a small tray with two cups of tea. “It always keeps me calm.” 
“Thanks, Bruce, but I think I'd rather stay here in bed with Lucky.” She came out from under the covers. “There’s no way I’m going in there and see Tony’s or Parker’s face.” She shook her head.
He nodded as he sat the tray down. He rubbed his hands nervously before stuffing them in his cardigan pockets. “Yeah, yeah, I get that. It’s hard to see his face. I told them to take their faces down because we don’t know if--” He stopped himself, choosing his next words carefully to not upset you further. “Well we don’t know what’s happened to them, if anything. Hell, you know Tony. He could be on his way here, right now. He might’ve just wound up a place a little bit away from here.” He tried to add cheer to his voice. 
“Bruce, thanks for trying but I can feel how uncertain things are until we find out more.” She took the cup of tea from the tray. 
“Well isn’t that just it? Things are uncertain, so don’t lose hope, okay? If you lose hope, all we have is Cap. I mean his motivational speeches are great and all, don’t get me wrong, but we need you… I need you.” 
“But what can I do? I’m not Tony or Steve. They both have things I cannot be or give so what now?” She put the cup back. “I just need someone to take over and be the one in charge for once”
Bruce nodded. “I don’t know how or if that’s gonna happen, sweetheart. Nat might. You know they all look up to you. It isn’t to pressure you. You don’t need to be anyone but you. Your optimism and quick thinking is what gets us through. You’re the glue of this team, don’t forget it. But… I understand if you need a break. Steve, Nat, and I can take over for a bit. At least until we hear something on Tony or Peter…”
 “That would be great, really, I don’t know what I would do without you, Bruce.” She touched his hand and she became so overcome with his emotions that she shed a tear. “I’m so sorry, Bruce. I didn't mean to get in tune with your emotions, that power has been really strong since that day.”
“Hey, first off, don’t apologize to me, ever. Secondly, of course it has been. You’ve lost a lot and you have no idea what happened to Tony. Your power of emotion is bound to go haywire. Besides, I don’t mind you having a peek at my emotions every now and then,” he stated, almost sheepishly. 
“Is that a hint of a blush I see?” Shannon joked, putting her hand on his cheek feeling how warm it got and was getting hotter by the second. “I don’t mean to pry but I felt a few things when I touched your hand, mind telling what they were about?” She looked at him seriously.
“Shannon,” he started uneasily, “you already know what it is you feel,” he said softly. 
“It’s one thing for me to feel a person’s emotions, it’s another thing to know what or who they are directed to,” she calmly explained. “If this is making you uneasy we could change the subject,” she suggested. She partially knew but she wanted him to confirm her suspicions.
He rubbed his neck, feeling more nervous and awkward by the second. “Damn, I never wanted to do this. Let alone while Tony’s...well... missing but...Ah, damn. Shannon… I’m in love with you. Alright? I know the timing is terrible. I know you’re married. I should’ve said something before, but you’re so happy with Tony, and he’s my best friend and I didn’t want to ruin any of that. I can’t hide it anymore though. With the way the world is now… I think it’s now or never, you know?” He peered at her, guilt, hope, worry, and relief all rolled into one. 
“Umm… wow, I... I don’t know what to say Bruce—” She got quiet for a bit processing what her friend had told her all that time ago at the mansion about Banner having feelings for her. She didn’t think that it was true. “I’m flattered that you feel this way about me, Bruce...and I know we’re in a spot that’s between a rock and a hard place but until I can know for certain what’s happened with Tony, I don’t think I can act on this.” She placed her hand on his, feeling his emotions and tried to not let them confuse her. She knew she had always had a soft spot for the man but she married Tony and she couldn’t betray him like this. What if he comes back… no, she needed to stop thinking. 
“You’re right. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I never wanted you to know. I never wanted to put you in any position of choosing him or me. Just… with things the way they are…” He shook his head. “Just think on it? I’m not saying we need to do anything now or anything soon at all. Just… give it some thought.” 
“This is my fault. If I hadn’t felt your hand we wouldn’t be in this situation but you’re right we ca—” Just as Shannon was about to answer the man, you walked into the bedroom, making the two jump apart and causing the dog to look up.
“Shan, I want--Oh, I’m sorry,” you said quickly as you watched your best friend and Banner break apart rapidly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back later,” you offered, already making your way toward the door.
“No! No, that’s fine, Y/N you can come in. Bruce was just trying to convince me to go to the meeting, which by the way you're late to.” She waved you in and then pointed to the time on the clock. “You know Steve is probably looking for you, you better go.”
“Right,” you agreed uneasily. The energy in the room felt off. “Yeah I think we should go, don’t you, Bruce?”
“Huh? Uh. Yeah. We should get down there.” 
You eyed him for one more moment before you and he walked down for the meeting, leaving Shannon to think in her room. 
———————
You knew Steve, Nat, and Shannon had been watching the pager that Fury left behind. It was constantly paging something or someone and they wanted to find out who. You had to give it to them. They never stopped. Steve and Nat, no matter how broken they were or devastated, they stuck to the mission, the cause -- to get back what we’d lost. 
But you couldn’t do it. You just didn’t have it in you anymore. The fight was gone. All you had was finding Thanos, and you had no idea how long that would take. Each passing second you didn’t find him chipped away at your soul, but this was all you had. It was your only hope, your one shot at maybe getting Loki back, getting everyone back, so you had to do it. 
Thor...he was beyond pissed. He felt that it was his fault. For the first few hours after it happened, he just kept muttering, “What have I done?” “It’s all my fault”. Some tiny part of you wanted to believe that. You wanted to blame this all on Thor for not aiming for his head. Or blame Wanda for leaving Vision. Or blame Shannon for not fighting harder. Blame anyone, everyone. Someone had to be at fault, right?
But the fact of the matter was, it was your fault. Wanda fought like hell to get to Vision. According to Steve, she held back Thanos (with five of the stones on his hand) with one hand and killed Vision with the other hand. Wanda was only human, her power forged from the mind stone and she was nearly all powerful. 
But you? You were a goddess of Asgard. You had the physical strength of Thor, the born powers of bio-kinetic energy, and your purple electric energy was granted by the mind stone. There probably weren’t many out there stronger than you -- but you couldn’t get to Thanos -- at least that’s what you kept telling yourself. 
This was your fault. If anyone should’ve been able to kill him, it was you. Wanda, with even less power than you, was able to hold him back successfully. Thor with his new axe could battle the stones and kill him with brute force. There wasn’t one reason in the world you couldn’t kill him. 
You should’ve let Nat and Okoye take care of Proxima. You should’ve abandoned the battlefield and waited for Thanos. You should’ve been by Vision’s side and not Wanda. 
If any one of those small things had changed, maybe this all would’ve been different. 
You heard footsteps approaching and you tensed. You didn’t want to speak to anyone. You hardly ever did. It was almost as if talking would break you. You were lying in bed after a day of training just wishing for some good news. 
“Y/N?” Shannon’s soft voice filled your room and you slightly relaxed. “Someone is here. A Carol Danvers? She may be able to help.”
You furrowed your brow before rolling over to get up. You padded down barefoot in your pajamas, your hair unbrushed, but you frankly didn’t give a damn. 
Thor, Steve, Nat, Bruce, and Shannon surrounded a blonde woman you’d never seen. Or they faced her at least. 
“Y/N, this is Carol. She’s…” Shannon started to explain then it seemed words failed her. 
“Long story short, I’m here to help and I’m a friend of Nick Fury’s,” she spoke, filling in the gap. 
“So what are you doing here?” you asked, all animation gone from your voice except for a slight wonder. Your hands were stuffed in your hoodie pockets.
“We think she can help find Tony and the rest of them,” Steve stated. 
“So you guys said he was in a spaceship? What’d it look like? I can try to track it.” 
“Titan… He was going to Titan,” you interjected.
“You’re sure about this?” Steve questioned. 
You nodded. “When I was his slave, he talked of his home quite a bit. If Ebony Maw took him and Strange… And he sent Proxima and Corvus to Earth then chances are he wanted them to meet him back on Titan.” 
“He told them that,” Thor concurred. “Just before he blew me up with the power stone. He told everyone to meet him on Titan.” 
“Alright. I’ve got a starting point,” Carol said with determination before she started to walk away. 
Shannon stepped in front of her. “Please, bring Tony back to me. He… I…” But that’s all she could get out before she started to sob. You took a step closer to her and wrapped her in your arms. You gave a look to Carol that granted her permission to leave. 
With that, it seemed as if a tinge of hope filled the atmosphere, at least for the rest of the Avengers. Not so much you… well, not you at all. 
You walked Shannon back to her room and now it was her turn to grieve. She’d been holding it in for so long, you thought that maybe the idea of hope now was maybe sending her over the edge. If she hoped for Tony and Carol didn’t find him, or worse, found him dead or one of the vanished then she would be crushed. But if she didn’t hope then she felt like she was letting Tony down. 
“What if she doesn’t find him?” she asked as she got into bed and you pulled the cover up around her. 
“Don’t talk like that,” you gently ordered. “We can take some solace that at least someone out there is looking for him.” 
 ------------------------------------
It’d been two weeks since Carol showed up and there was still no word back if she’d found Tony or not. Shannon had taken to going outside to look for signs of a ship or refreshing her texts to find out anything. She’s on the verge of giving up. She knew she shouldn’t but this feeling of being useless was getting to her. She’d been seen walking around in Tony”s unwashed shirts and hoodies and some shorts around the compound. No one had the heart to tell her anything. She knew they all pitied the situation. 
From her phone she heard Tadashi. “There’s still no signal reaching the transponder, Mrs. Stark.”
“Thank you, Tadashi, please keep searching.”
“Will do, Mrs. Stark.”
While she sat on top of the compound, on the roof, a door shut behind her suddenly. She was going to turn to see who it was, but he spoke quickly, letting her know who it was.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea you were out here,” he apologized. “I can leave you alone if…” he let the offer hang in the air. 
“Hey there, big guy, there’s no need. I”ve been out here alone for too long, keep me company?” She looked up at the man. “Unless you came out here to be alone then I’ll go somewhere else—” She started getting up.
“No. Hey, I interrupted you. Sit,” he gently ordered. He came over and sat beside her. “I thought I’d come out and see… well see if there was any sign of… you know. Had to get some air from trying to find Thanos.” 
Shannon flinched at the sound of that name. She didn’t know if she would ever be okay from all of this. “Yeah it’s been heavy with everything lately. Had to leave that building or else I knew I’d end up fighting someone.” She leaned on him taking in his scent of herbal tea and mint. “It’s nice out here, helps clear the mind.”
“That it does,” he agreed looking at the sky. He then dropped his gaze to the rooftop. “Shan… I know I said I’d let you think on this. But.... It’s been two weeks now and… I don’t know. I thought maybe… I just wondered if we don’t hear anything about Tony… in four months, would you want to try a date? If I’m right, I think you feel similarly to how I feel about you. It’s a compromise. I can’t go on wondering, and you shouldn’t go on feeling guilty or wondering if or when you should move on.”
Shannon hid her face inside the hoodie she was sporting and took a deep breath thinking of Tony in that moment. “Well you’ve never been wrong about anything before, I do love you too, Bruce, but I’m still married to Tony…” She looked up at the man. “But if in four months there’s no news from Carol about...you know… then yes I will try going out on a date with you but you have to promise me that I’ll get time to mourn.” She had looked down at her hands fiddling with her ring. 
It felt wrong to even be talking about Tony as if he was already gone, as if there was no hope, but Shannon could see with some clarity that these were dark times. Times where every moment was precious and she couldn’t spend it always wondering and holding out hope that may be wasted. While she adored Tony and loved him with every fiber of her being, she also knew she loved Bruce, and had for quite some time. She didn’t see a reason or purpose to rob herself or Bruce of a potential future in a world where futures seemed rather bleak.
“Of course,” he assured. “I’m not trying to get rid of Tony or gloss over your love for him. I know you love him, I know you love him more than me. I just… I don’t want to waste any more time, for either of us, if we can be together. I’ll give you all the time you need. I just needed to know that there was even a chance for us or if… well if I needed to move on.” 
“Oh, Bruce, I’m sorry for putting you through all of this.” She had moved to face him properly. “Thank you for being so understanding of this. You’ve been such a stability for me these past two weeks.” 
“Of course,” he vowed as he held her tightly in a hug.
---------------------
You were still searching, running calculations, practicing, strengthening... You showered at least, and Shannon forced some soup down you a few times. She said she couldn’t have you dying along with everyone else. You didn’t want to break her heart any further so you ate it, and again, you remembered nutrition was important to your mission.
No news had come from Tony or anyone he might have been with so you dwelled on your anguish. Much to your surprise but not Shannon’s, Steve stopped in to see you. He asked how you were but all you did was start crying - you couldn’t help it. You hated it, you hated him seeing you like this, but at this point, what did it matter? 
When you finally gathered yourself, and Steve was rubbing your back soothingly as you leaned over your lab desk, you finally turned your head slightly to face him. 
“Steve… I’m so sorry for Bucky and Sam. I hope you don’t hold yourself accountable. You did everything you could. Hell you did more than most.”
He bobbed his head, as if he were wagering whether or not he really did. “I appreciate that. I’m sorry about Loki and Strange.” 
You nodded, not wanting to verbally acknowledge them. You knew you couldn’t without bawling, so you just nodded. “And I haven’t said it before, but I’m sorry about New York,” you emphatically said, changing the subject slightly. It’s something you’d wanted to say for a long time. 
He waved it off with that all American smile at first but you shook your head. 
“No, I’m serious. I’ve never apologized about New York to you and I want you to know it’s something that has haunted me every day. I hope you know that you, Shannon, all of the Avengers… you’re all my friends, you know? Loki… Loki and I, we were brainwashed and if I could take all of it back, believe me, I’d give about anything.”
He nodded, his smile more sincere and sweet as he slowly closed his eyes, his hand still on your back. 
“I know, Y/N. I know,” he assured. “I forgave you a long time ago. Both of you. Speaking of things we’ve never said. I don’t think anyone has ever made you an official member of the Avengers, but I’d like you to know I consider you one. You’ve been one since Ultron.”
Your gaze softened on him before you pulled him into an embrace. “Thank you,” you breathed. 
------------------------------
Shannon had entered your room. It was late, which meant most of the Avengers had gone their separate ways for the evening. It seemed the only time you two could speak was late into the night, probably because you were both obsessed with searching during the day and they were precious hours. 
“Y/N/N,” she started solemnly, softly as she sat on the edge of your bed, her eyes on her hands. “It’s been twenty days since… since Thanos… And Tony, Carol… They aren’t…” 
“Shannon, you can’t--” You swallowed. “You can’t give up hope. If you give up then I have nothing, okay? Do you hear me? Nothing.”
“I know, but it’s getting so hard since--”
Just then, a rumbling cut her off. The two of you looked at each other as it got closer and louder. After a few seconds, you two realized it might be Carol, so you threw the covers off yourself and you two began running outside. Once you looked up, it was easy to see what had made all that ruckus. A rather large spacecraft was being brought in by Carol. As soon as the craft was sat down, the hatch opened, exposing a very weak Tony leaning on a blue woman. Steve rushed forward, going to Tony’s aid. 
You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. You finally felt some semblance of happiness. Tony was alive. Thanos didn’t kill him. He didn’t vanish. He was okay… That could mean that… 
But you stopped yourself before you let the thoughts run too wild.
Shannon ran forward to greet him. The two fell into each other’s arms, embracing, kissing briefly. The image sent a surge of warmth through you as well as seething jealousy. Of course you were happy for them. You were thrilled, honestly. But it was hard to be happy for her when you’d lost everything. 
Everyone was concerned with Tony’s return, as they should’ve been. Bruce got him hooked up on fluids, Shannon had given him a shower, Steve helped find him some clothes. Everyone agreed that he needed to rest, as did Carol and Nebula before anything was discussed. 
None of this was said to you though, because as soon as Tony arrived, your emotions ran wild, forcing you into your room. As soon as the door closed behind you, you broke down. You knew Shannon wouldn’t leave Tony, not tonight, not for you, and she shouldn’t have to.
But you couldn’t help it. This was too painful and somehow… somehow you were bitter and resentful over it all. 
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Unforseen Chasm Tag list- @reigningqueenofwords @oldfreakything @adefectivedetective @dontbetooobvious
Tag list- @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you @winchester-writes @winchesterenthusiast @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog   @sammysbuttcheek @misz-adrii @sandlee44 @womanxofletters @natsuccs @childishhoebinoo​ @expecteddifferent​ @girl-next-door-writes​ @fanaticfanfiction​ @dakotapaigelove​ @sassy-spn-knight-of-hell​ @reigningqueenofwords​ @oldfreakything​
Marvel: @reigningqueenofwords​ @flowerbunbunny​ @zelda2248​ @misz-adrii​
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catsitta · 5 years ago
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Handle With Care - Post Mortem
When I first started writing Handle with Care, it was going to be 100 chapters long and there were a few key differences in the plot. These changes occurred generally slowly as I gained a better understanding of my world and characters, while some shifted dramatically due to my feeling they were thematically inappropriate for the story I wanted to tell. So with the conclusion of the main fic and its various continuations, I decided to detail a little more in how I approached a 100 word daily drabble fic, and why certain events occurred or why certain characters played certain roles. This post is mostly for the folks out there who like all the nitpicky background information that goes around in the author’s head while writing.
100 WORDS A DAY
In choosing to write 100 words a day, I gave myself both a goal and a challenge. 100 words is often little more than a paragraph. Maybe two. I often found myself writing on my commute into work or during lunch on my phone, because while 1000 might feel overwhelming, 100 is not. Right? Yet some days I found just enough time to type up 100 words between work and other commitments (October was interesting, since I did Inktober and well as Promptober, on top of my usual working schedule). But the most challenging part was not writing 100 words. Writing 100 words was easy. Writing ONLY 100 words was where things became tricky.
In my original intentions for this fic, scenes were not supposed to span over multiple chapters. Each drabble was to be a self contained snapshot of time. But as the story became more emotionally centered, I shifted away from that idea and focused more on making each drabble exist as a chapter. Chapters can have cliffhangers. But they need to communicate a thought. An idea. A feeling. With 100 words a day, my objective became: Progress the story in a meaningful way or communicate some important information to the audience. With 100 words, there was often little room for getting lost in details.
Now one my ask again, why 100?
100 is the number of words in the definition of a drabble. 100, again, is an easy minimum to reach. But when you are used to writing 2-3k word chapters, flexibility is minimal and you have to decide what needs to be said, and what you were saying to fill space. And I found it a wonderful learning experience and valuable exercise as a writer. I’ve attempted to start drabble fics in the past, but rarely did they ever get past a couple chapters before I would get frustrated by the limitations. Because let’s be honest. Writing a 25,000 word story, 100 words at a time, is a test of one’s patience as much as anything else.
THE STORY
Handle with Care was originally supposed to be pure romantic comedy with just a splash of darker undertones in the background for color. But as much as I love fluffy comedies, as I wrote, there were conflicts that I didn’t feel should be glossed over. As some of my long term readers and commenters will know, I’m terribly fond of bitter with my sweet. Angst with my fluff. The bad things in life make the good all the brighter. And conflict drives a story forward.
So what changed?
There were many different variations on how Sans ended up raising Papyrus alone. Some took our overbearing science dad, Gaster, and outright cast him in the role of a villain as opposed to a mid story antagonist. Straight into, why aren’t you in jail, territory. Others barely featured Gaster at all, as he was disconnected from Sans after his son didn’t end up pursuing a ‘productive’ career in the sciences. There were even a couple considered drafts where Papyrus and Edge did have another parent and the reason Sans was distrusting and cagey was because of a broken Soulbond. (And for those of you who were Web/Sans theorists, well, there was a version where you weren’t wrong! Sans started an affair off with Web after the LOADs began as a sort of ‘regain control of his life’ thing.)
What may interest folks is that the story was originally not supposed to end with a wedding and a house in the planning. The happy ending was going to be less sugar and more height of the moment drama. Around the time Frisk intimidates Red into silence, she was going to instead start him on the path to discovering answers. No confessions from Sans. No journals. Instead Red goes on the hunt for clues and gets fragments of the story from different people, especially Gaster and Frisk. It was all quite emotional, but the pacing felt off, and I felt it would be more rewarding if Sans grew as a character and he was the one to confess all his secrets.
Another altered thread was Red being only Web’s son. Early, early on, Red was the product of Web and some other monster. I even considered that monster having died in birth with Edge. But I scrapped that quickly, and decided that instead, Edge was Pap’s twin, and that the grim mood Web was in, was because of what he saw as well as what he remembered from past timelines. He almost watched his friend and coworker dust in his arms. Properly traumatic, eh?
There is a completely cut scene that I may write in the spin off that goes more into detail about Red’s similarities to Gaster, and Sans’ to Web, and how people often choose partners that are like their parental figures. You may ask. Wait. What do you mean? Well, Webdings didn’t smoke. He drank. Red, despite having dabbled with the stuff, is never shown to drink recreationally or get drunk in the fic, for more reasons than being underage to do so. However, it is very lightly implied that Sans’ coping method of choice is alcohol, though Red quickly quashes this habit after the drunkenness incident. Now, who else smokes? Gaster. Sans doesn’t like that Red smokes (for obvious reasons it reminds him of his father and Red does try to quit in the fic, though ends up falling back on it when stressed.) There are other similarities if you look close. It’s one of the reasons that Gaster and Red don’t get along. They’re both strong personalities, and can be pretty quick to pass judgement on someone.
THE CHARACTERS
As many folks picked up on, Handle with Care, has multiple meanings. It is a moving pun based on the CAUTION: FRAGILE | Handle with Care, labels on the sides of some boxes. It is also one of the main themes of the fic itself. Everyone in the story is a person with their own pasts and pains, which makes them fragile in different ways. And some of them even represent different types of relationships and people we encounter in our lives.
Red - Our protagonist. He’s a young man picking up the pieces of his life after his father’s apparent suicide, left to raise his baby brother when he was only sixteen. He’s the child of an alcoholic and forced to take on an adult role too young. As a result, he has a few unhealthy coping mechanisms, struggles with his temper and his sense of self worth. But he’s the one that got out. That put his life on the straight-and-narrow.
Sans - The love interest. Grew up young from the sheer expectations in his life. He was never without, but when the LOADs happened, he cracked under a lifetime’s worth of pressure. He broke down. Stopped trusting anyone, including himself. And very likely only kept himself from Falling because of Papyrus. Much of his struggles is based on the single mothers who would say that their child is what saved them or got them through those darkest time by just existing. He is also the individual who was groomed for success that ended up with absoluting no proper coping skills because of his rigid upbringing.
Papyrus - The optimist. He stays positive through everything. Everything and everyone can do better, and he sees the best in all situations. But he also has a responsible streak with an urge to organize everything (clean/cook/no desserts before dinner). His relationship with Sans could have very well ended up problematic, with Paps taking on a parental role for his parent early on in his life.
Edge - The pessimist. Edge is the other side of the coin from Papyrus. While his world view is often just as rigid, he is emotional. While it is implied he was always a fussy baby, he’s very sensitive to change, and shows that children are capable of picking up on things that the adults in their lives try to hide. His abandonment issues run deep, and will cause him to lash out until he is older and learns better self control and comes to terms with his father’s death. It is not uncommon for children of single parent homes to become resentful, if not at their present parent, but at the one that is gone. It is difficult for Edge to separate his father’s death, and Red’s fights with Sans, away from himself, and his self-centric view of the world.
Gaster - The (sympathetic?) antagonist. There are points where you love to hate him, and other times, you have to step back. He’s the authoritarian parent that dictated most of his child’s life up until that child literally vanished and became a hermit for a while. It isn’t through callousness or unkindness that he acts this way, but in what he believes is the opposite. He struggles with emotions, especially showing them, an example of how often older generations, especially males, often don’t/can’t/won’t show emotional vulnerability. He wants the best for Sans and those he cares about, even if he often fails to show it properly.
Web - The dead dad. Red’s relationship with Web is complicated. He remembers when Web was a brilliant man, even if not the most fatherly of fathers. But he also laid witness to his fall from grace as well, his drinking habit the most evident. His role is ambiguous much of the story, though he’s left behind hole. His death is the catalyst to a number of the story’s events, and Red’s struggle with him in death is to show the complicated feelings people may have when they lose a loved one who may have not been the best person. Sans’ relationship with him was more to highlight how far he’d actually fallen in the end from where he used to be.
Toriel - The mother. She is a maternal presence in many character’s lives. Her mothering is revealed to be related to her inability to conceive a child. Infertility is a common problem for women. She goes on to foster, babysit and even adopt after Asriel is born. She also an example of the powerful bonds we form with others and how sometimes families are found. Toriel was as much of a mother to Sans as she was Asriel.
The Fallen Humans - The catalyst. If Frisk didn’t exist, there wouldn’t be a story. After all, she was the child that climbed the mountain, starting the events of Undertale. Frisk and Chara both are implied to have troubled pasts, which lead them to being vulnerable to that idea of absolute power corrupts absolutely. The meddle. They are often selfish and don’t consider the consequences of their actions, and when they do, there is a sense of it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters when you can manipulate reality itself. But where Frisk possess a sense of guilt for what happened with Sans, Chara does not, and even outright tells Red that he is willing to do anything to accomplish his goals (even if that means hurting everyone else). Kris is a ‘dreamer’, and while he has more control over tweaking the events that play out, he is far less calloused by RESETS and LOADS. He just wants to be close to his brother Asriel, as well as help his ‘siblings’ find a sense of belonging.
Undyne - The Protagonist’s parallel. A child of divorce, which for monsters often leads to trauma and death, she is left to be raised by Gerson. She’s angry, resentful and prone to get in fights. Red often compares her to Edge, but can also empathise deeply with her troubles. At fourteen she is old enough to understand the reality of the situation, but also young enough to be deeply affected by the changes. Given the rarity of divorce, it is implied that her home life was unstable before the events of the story. Red tries to help her as he never got help himself.
Asriel - The miracle child. Mostly a background character. Asriel’s main connections are to Kris and the Dreemurs. He was the child that a couple struggling with fertility finally conceived. His being born, however, resulted Gaster creating Red for Webdings.
Asgore - The powerful person. Gaster and Toriel both have names that are impactful in the community, but Asgore is the founder of Dreemur Medical and Biotech. He was the King of Monsters. Despite his passive role, he influences many of the character’s choices and actions but simply EXISTING as a person of importance. Gaster tries to literally create viable monster cloning/fertility enhancement methods for him which lead to Sans and Red being born. His inviting Web to work with determination led to the creation of the Machine.
Gerson - The substitute parent. His main role in the story is as a family friend of Undyne’s and in the end, her new parental figure. She resents him and he takes care of her. He cannot replace what she’s lost, but he tries to provide her a future. A hard role to fill in a child’s life.
Grillby - The old friend. Grillby plays are far more subtle part. He’s survived a broken Soulbond, he’s friends with Sans, and through every up-and-down, he’s remained open to Sans when he comes back around. Sometimes as children we form friendships with adults that are just as strong as those we form with our peers. This is true for Sans.
There are a few more characters that show up mostly for color and world building but don’t play a significant part in pushing the themes of the story.
CONCLUSION
Would I do this again? Yes. I am planning on continuing the 100 word trend in the Pre-Sequel This Way Up. It may be truer to the spirit of drabbles since we will have a lot more ground to cover since it will be telling Sans’ history. We’ll get to learn more about Gaster, Webdings, the Dreemurs, Grillby and the Fallen Humans. And for those of you who want to know more about the HwC boys as they are? Moving Day will fill in the blanks. And I also promised a sequel. Bubblewrap Blues will take place significantly in the future and center around a certain aptly named skeleton and the edgy boy that likes to get coffee in his cafe.
I’m pleased with how the story turned out.
I never expected the reaction and the feedback. To those of you who commented and kudosed. Thank you. And to those who quite literally followed me from the start, reading and commenting near every day if not every day? You’re extra amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much.
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How would the RFA + Minor Trio react if they found MC's suicide note, read it and then finds MC just as she is about to attempt suicide? This not because of them, but because of her, as she has been depressed and suicidal for a really long time, due to her past and family events. But she never told them about this because she always kept up this happy facade infront of them? Also, could it have a happy ending please?
***Intensity level 1000. This is gonna be quite the ask. Obviously this entire thing is a trigger warning, I don’t think I can make that any more clear than the ask itself. ~Let’s Connect! FFC***
If you are suicidal- Please seek professional help. There are lots of call centers and other resources to help you out there. Remember you are valuable~
Characterbreakdown: Good Ending Original Route Characters, Secret Ending 02 Saeran, VGood Ending, my version of Vanderwood as seen in my VanderwoodBackstory Fanfiction 
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Vanderwood:
He’s so perceptive that he has always suspected there was something wrong, but upon finding the note his brain is in overdrive.
Vanderwood actually has to completely shut himself down mentally in order to function, because he has to work logically or there’s no way his tracking skills are going to do him any good.
Full on agent mode, it takes him only a few minutes to find you in the attic with one of his weapons.
“Baby, hey…” His voice almost spooked you, especially since it’s a bit choked with tears, agent mode wearing off so fast it’s almost unbelievable.
Vanderwood talks you into handing over the weapon and then wraps you up in his arms, insisting on taking you to the hospital where you’ll get the professional care you need.
He’s with you constantly through your inpatient treatment, sleeping in the chair in your room, because no way is he letting you out of his sight.
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Jumin:
His immediate reaction is to call his bodyguards to search the entire building of the penthouse. It’s a big place and there’s lots of area to hide in.
When he gets the call that you’ve been found on the roof, he is there immediately, already on the phone with the hospital to have you admitted for urgent care.
You’re cowering away from the guards, almost ready to jump when Jumin arrives, and he just holds his hand out to you with this pained look on his face. ‘Come with me, MC…please don’t do this.’
Unfortunately, the shock and stress is too much, but a guard manages to grab you before you pass out.
When you wake up in the hospital, your shoulder is dislocated, but you’re alive.
Jumin is sitting at the edge of your bed, hands folded under his mouth before he wakes up upon you shifting in the bed. ‘MC!’
It’s unusual to see him with so much worry and tension plainly visible on his face.
The man will not stop stroking your hair, and no expense is spared in getting you the best professionals to treat you.
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Yoosung:
He spends at least a solid minute staring at the note in his hands before it fully processes in his head.
He’s going to lose the person who means the most to him again.
Yoosung starts running frantically through the house, opening doors like a madman before he finds you and just runs at you pulling you into his arms.
Unfortunately for him, that means he ends up getting a little bit acidentally stabbed, which makes you start freaking out because that was not part of the plan.
Sweet Yoobby just winces and keeps holding you as you’re dialing for emergency services. 'It’s okay, precious girl; as long as you’re okay.’
You’re both gonna be in the hospital for a bit, but on the bright side he managed to save you and he calls the scar he earns his 'badge of love.’
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V:
Not again. Rika had never made good on her threats, but this note…
V found you in the bedroom with a menagerie of bottles which he hoped the contents of had yet to be consumed.
'Darling…come for a walk with me.’ He knew better now than to try to convince you that everything was fine or you’d feel better in the morning or that, 'Our love can defeat anything.’
He managed to convince you to come along, but the walk you took was a walk to the hospital where he enlisted his childhood friend Jumin’s help in getting you the best of care.
V was careful in his presence, being near to you and supporting you, but trying not to get poetic or artistic about your pain and speaking very little so as to let your doctors do their work without much interference.
This way you could get the help you truly deserved and not his regurgitated poetry.
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Jaehee:
This couldn’t possibly be real, just earlier you had been laughing with the customers, but Jaehee was learned in a number of subjects thanks to the many research projects she’d been involved with at C&R and she knew better than to treat the note on her desk flippantly.
Thankfully, she was in good shape, casting off her shoes so that she could run along the streets to find you not far from the motorway.
Jaehee is a lot stronger than she looks judo queen, and she grabs you and just will not let go no matter how you struggle as tears are streaming down both of your faces.
'I won’t let you do this, MC!’
Once you seem to have worn yourself out, she immediately takes you to a hospital, pleading her former boss to assist her, which he does 'for the good of the RFA.’despite the grudge he’d built up.
It’s a blow to her ego, but that doesn’t really matter, considering the circumstances, she’s just happy you’re getting the care you need
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Zen:
Thank God he reads quickly, because it gave him the precious time he needed to find you already bleeding in the bathroom, immediately calling emergency from his phone and then holding you.
‘C'mon, princess, let’s escape from the dragon and make our way back to our kingdom.’
He’s started mumbling sweet romantic nothings to you at this point, not just to comfort you as you meekly cry, but also to comfort himself because he doesn’t know what else to do.
Zen will blame himself for always being away from the apartment working on his career and takes a leave of absence from the stage to help you in your recovery, even though it’s hard on him with the call of the stage embedded in his mind.
He will eventually rejoin the stage and you will rejoin society after the hospital releases you much healthier than when you went in.
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Seven:
Our tomato boy had always thought your joking around was just a facet of your personality, perhaps in denial that it was a similar coping mechanism to his own, but it was blatantly obvious now.
Seven yelled out the command to shut down the robo dog’s attack command, having no idea how you’d gotten a hold of that remote in the first place or why you would choose such a method.
He can’t help himself from making a joke about burnt toast and overcooked meat thanks to his own coping method, as tactless as it is, as he wraps you up in his arms with this look of extreme pain on his face that you’d only seen on his face when his brother had been in recovery.
Thankfully, Seven doesn’t try to be your doctor the way he did with his brother.
He brings a multitude of toys and gadgets though, making so many jokes and trying so hard to make your time there not seem so bleak that you eventually have to be the one to tell him to relax and let up before he drives himself into some joke induced coma.
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Saeran:
Reading thoughts similar to what had been his own once upon a time is like looking into the worst possible mirror. How could he not have noticed?
Saeran tries to push himself into that head-space that he’d long ago left behind, despite the tremendous headache it’s giving him.
It helps him think through where you could be and what you could be doing, bringing down the list of potential hiding places in his brother’s massive bunker significantly.
His headache is almost causing his vision to blur by the time he finds you, which causes his vision to blur from tears as he tries his best to hold you up so that the rope doesn’t constrict your airway.
It’s Seven who finds you, that strange and odd connection he has to his twin leading him straight to you in his own panic and calling the emergency services.
The fortunate news is Saeran got to you quickly enough and you hadn’t snapped anything when you stepped off the chair.
It doesn’t take long for doctors to realize that Saeran is in need of increasing his own therapy visits again with the way he paces around and holds his head, muttering to himself in your hospital room as you sleep.
Thankfully, the RFA has such good access to professional resources so that you’re able to go through recovery together.
Even if you have to be separated for a time, it’s for the best, in order to be the best self you can be to keep from causing relapses in behavior back and forth in a vicious cycle between the two of you.
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keiraknighted · 8 years ago
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on the verge (part 3)
anon asked for a follow up where clarke runs into finn or something and basically gets antsy about being cheated on and then bellamy (probably self-loathingly) reassures her that he would never do that
AO3 // ff.net
Things are going good with Bellamy. Clarke trusts him, even if she doesn’t entirely forgive him yet. She knows deep down he never wanted to hurt her, and he knows what he did was wrong, and she thinks he probably doesn’t ever expect to be forgiven, which helps somehow. She knows she’ll forgive him eventually, but these things take time and it’s only been a few weeks.
Things with Roan are better too, he seems to have forgiven her, or at least he’s too busy to remind her what a shitty thing she did, keeping his wife’s affair from him. He seems to have thrown himself even further into his work in the wake of Echo’s betrayal and departure, and Clarke knows it’s just a coping mechanism, but at least he’s not wallowing and moping over someone who clearly didn’t care that much about him.
In any case, Roan has his hands full with making progress on the Paris Hotel, and Clarke is left to pick up the slack around the home office. There’s a function on in the main ballroom tonight, a wedding reception, and Clarke is freaking out about it slightly. Not only because there doesn’t seem to be enough chairs for the amount of guests there are, but also because one of the brides is Raven Reyes, the woman who had turned out to be dating Finn Collins a year and a half ago, at the same time as Clarke.
Of course, Clarke and Raven hadn’t blamed each other, and had made their peace. It was Finn who was the scumbag. But Clarke hasn’t seen the woman since and she doesn’t even know if Raven knows that Clarke is involved with the wedding. She’s been dealing with the other bride, Gina Martin. Gina claims she’s very laid back normally, but Clarke is yet to see that side of her. Weddings tend to bring out the manic side of people. Clarke is determined that if she ever gets married it’s going to be a pool party with a barbecue and a grocery store mud cake.
Finally she manages to get some more chairs rounded up, and just in time as the first of the guests start to arrive. She’s pleased with herself that it all came together so nicely and she hopes the brides are just as pleased.
Clarke doesn’t pay much attention to the guests that walk into the ballroom, figuring she isn’t likely to know any of them. She just stands out of the way keeping an eye on things, making sure the kitchen staff and bar staff are ready to go. So she’s taken completely unawares when a ghost from her past comes up to her, giving her that lopsided grin that used to make her knees go weak.
“Hey, Princess,” he says, and even his voice makes her sick to her stomach. She’d never liked that nickname, although she’d let him call her that while they were dating. It seemed sweet at the time, but now it’s like a punch to the stomach.
“Finn,” she says flatly. “What are you doing here?”
“Raven invited me,” he says, as if it’s obvious. “We’re friends now.” Clarke can’t imagine ever being friends with someone who cheated on her, but Raven has always been a better person than Clarke. She knows Roan would sooner stab himself in the eye than be friends with Echo again. Though he might invite her to his wedding if he ever got married again, just to spit in her face.
“Okay, well I’d love to chat,” she lies. “But I’m working. Maybe you should go and find your seat.”
“Alright,” Finn winks and Clarke wants to slap his stupid smirk off his smarmy face. “I’ll find you later.” Clarke sincerely hopes he does not.
Clarke tries to forget she ever saw Finn by keeping busy, but honestly once the reception is underway there isn’t all that much for her to do except yell at the kitchen staff, and the head chef seems to have that under control.
She retreats to the reception desk, figuring she’ll just be in the way if she hangs around the ballroom. She’s only required to stay another hour anyway, and then it’s someone else’s problem.
She’s only got fifteen minutes left when Finn ambushes her. He saunters out into the lobby, looking around, obviously for Clarke. She wants to hide, but she knows that’s not the mature thing to do. Not that Finn deserves her maturity.
“There you are!” he says when he spots her, and he makes a beeline toward her. “Thought maybe you’d run out on me,” he jokes. Clarke doesn’t even crack a smile. The sick feeling has returned and there’s nothing less appealing than having to stand here and be polite to the guy who lied to her and used her and cheated on her, and then had the nerve to act like she’d hurt him by breaking up with him.
“Just have work to do,” she says, a clear dismissal. Finn doesn’t take the hint.
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” Finn says.
“Oh?” Clarke says, feigning interest, feeling the seconds drag on.
“I thought maybe we could catch up,” he suggests and Clarke can’t hide the look of disgusted incredulity that passes over her face. “What?” Finn says, noticing her expression. She can’t entirely blame him for being clueless. She never did get to say all the things she wanted to say to him. And he always was under the delusional impression that he was the good guy.
“Look Finn, just because Raven has forgiven you doesn’t mean I have,” she says firmly.
“Aw, come on, Clarke, don’t be like that,” Finn pouts. Clarke can’t believe she ever found him attractive.
“Be like that?” Clarke huffs. “You broke my heart, Finn. You made me think I meant something to you when all the time you were stringing me along, making me the other woman. How am I supposed to forgive you for that?” Her hands are shaking and her heart is in her throat, but somehow she manages to get the words out.
“I apologised for that,” Finn reminds her.
“You were only sorry that you got caught,” Clarke spits and Finn flinches, but he doesn’t deny it. Clarke glances at the time on her computer screen. She’s still supposed to stay another ten minutes, but she can’t bear to be there a second longer. “I’m out of here,” she says, grabbing her handbag from underneath the desk. “Don’t bother calling me, Finn.” She doesn’t look back as she strides out of the hotel, even when Finn calls out her name pathetically. She’s still shaking, partly from anger, partly from the anxiety of having to face Finn. She really never thought she’d have to see him again.
The car is waiting for her when she walks out of the hotel, although Miller is twenty metres away having a cigarette.
“You’re early,” he says as he throws it on the ground and grinds it into the cement with his foot.
“You’re not supposed to smoke here,” Clarke snaps at him as he opens the door for her.
“You okay?” he asks. Clarke just nods as she gets into the car. She’s not, obviously, but even if she wanted to tell Miller how she’s feeling, she wouldn’t know where to start. She’s a mess of emotions.
Seeing Finn again brought back old feelings, none of them good. Nothing like the love and affection she once felt for him. Just the gut wrenching feeling of betrayal, the paranoia that comes with having the trust she put in someone pulled out from beneath her. It makes her think of Bellamy, and how he’s lied to her. And she doesn’t want to connect Finn and Bellamy in anyway, because she knows Bellamy isn’t Finn. She knows how sorry he is that he lied, that he made her part of his lies. He wouldn’t cheat on her.
And yet, the niggling feeling that he could eats away at her even as Miller is driving her to her apartment, where she knows Bellamy is waiting for her.
“Miller?” Clarke says quietly, needing to say something just to ease her mind. “Do you think you can ever truly trust someone?” she asks. Miller is quiet for a moment or two.
“You have to,” he says finally. “What they choose to do with that trust is on them.” Clarke knows he’s right. It’s not her fault Finn broke her trust, and it won’t be her fault if Bellamy chooses to do the same. But it doesn’t make it any easier.
Miller drops her off out the front of her apartment building and she makes her way up, trying to decide what she’s going to say to Bellamy. He’ll know straight away something’s up, it’s just a matter of how much she tells him. Is it fair of her to put her insecurities on him?
He’s making dinner when she walks in; he must have known she wouldn’t eat at the hotel. Clarke makes her way to the kitchen and stands in the entrance, leaning against the wall.
“Hey,” Bellamy says, looking up. “What’s wrong?” he says immediately. Clarke takes a deep breath.
“I saw Finn today,” she says and Bellamy’s eyes widen and he puts down the spoon he’s holding. He looks like he wants to comfort her, but he seems to sense there’s something else. “He said Raven had forgiven him. He wanted to catch up.” Bellamy just watches her cautiously, waiting for her to go on. Clarke wills herself not to burst into tears. “It just reminded me of what it felt like when I found out about Raven. How I felt so stupid because I should’ve known. How betrayed I felt. I just--,” she swallows. “I can’t go through that again.”
“Clarke,” Bellamy says, tilting his head, finally understanding what she’s trying to say. “Fuck.” He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry,” he says gently, and that’s when the dam breaks and Clarke can’t hold back the tears any longer. Clarke knows it takes all Bellamy’s willpower not to reach for her and pull her into his arms.
“I swear I’ll never do that to you,” he says, his eyes full of remorse. “I know—I know my word doesn’t mean much. I know you can never forgive me for what I did, but I promise you I will never cheat on you.
What I did with Echo, I convinced myself that it wasn’t so bad because I wasn’t the one cheating but I realise now how wrong I was, how awful it was of me to ask you to help me, how shitty it was to lie to you all that time. I don’t blame you for not trusting me. But I love you, Clarke and I want to be with only you and I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life proving that to you.” His voice cracks and Clarke wipes away a tear from her cheek. “Just please, please don’t leave me. You’re it for me.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Clarke promises him, her voice shaky from crying. “I believe you,” she says honestly. “I trust you.” Her doubts seem almost fickle now, she knows Bellamy would never do that to her. She just needed to hear him say it. But she hates that he thinks so little of himself, the self loathing in his voice is evident. She knows it’s not because of her, but she’d like to help him overcome it. “And I forgive you,” she says firmly.
“You don’t have to say that,” Bellamy shakes his head.
“I mean it,” Clarke says, fiercely this time. “You’re forgiven. Now come and hold your girlfriend, she’s had a rough day.” Bellamy manages a half smile as he reaches for her, takes her in his arms. Clarke buries her head into his neck and he kisses the top of her head.
“I love you,” he tells her softly.
“I know,” she murmurs against into his shirt. “I love you too.”
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Coping Addictions
I want to reach out to you if you fall under this pattern. To start, it’s okay to admit it. Life is shitty a lot and sometimes we fall into patterns we know aren’t good for us and we become addicted. Addiction is often parrelled to disease. People like to say that addiction is just as disease is, but in reality it is not.
Addiction is all mental while disease is physical. I’m not going to explain disease, if you’re reading this I’m sure you understand it well. Addiction however is voodoo in society and often misunderstood.
Addiction being taboo means we become ashamed and our willingness and strength to fight it off wants to hide. Why would we want to struggle against something seen as wicked? In all the stories addiction has won??? But it doesn’t have to.
Rehab is often required by law, but a common statistic is that once out alcoholics and drug addicts usually go back to their ways. Some people don’t understand why so I will explain in one quick sentence: Quitting must be an active and personal decision, not forced.
You have to chose to stop. It’s why addiction is so difficult. It’s also why rehabilitation programs help and are offered. Because choosing to quit is difficult on its own, but staying loyal to that decision is one of the hardest things to do. Especially if your on your own. Quitting is hard, especially when the feeling of whatever it is is euphoric. Starvation, cutting, drugs, alcohol, scratching, purging, all these things induce a reaction in the brain that is addicting because we trick ourselves overtime that it feels good... and so it does.
People form escapes for themselves and addiction becomes one of those escapes, one of the coping mechanisms. Why would we ever stop the things that help us cope??? Why should we??? They HELP US!!! But they don’t... not really.
I’m friends with a girl who scratched as a coping mechanism. When she fell into her depressive and anxiety states she scratched so hard she would bleed. It would be so strange because she would show up to school a couple days later and there would be giant scaps up her arm and people would be like “what happened” and she had an excuse. “I fell down the concrete steps in front of my house.” Or “I fell off my longboard” And people believed her. It was the only way she started to cope with things. When she broke up with her significant other (they were non-bionary) she would scratch because it had become the only way for her to cope with things.
Addiction isn’t the way our brains were naturally wired. You have to rewire your brain to become addicted... which means there’s only one way to stop being addicted. Unfortunately nobody can rewire your brain for you. One of the only things I ever learned when I was in high school was that we can wire our brains to work however we want (basically) if we work hard enough. If you wanna be good at studying, you can wire your brain to help you. You will struggle and you will be tempted into relapse, but it’s all about setting your path and staying on it no matter how steep it gets even when you’re wearing shoes too small for your feet.
So how are we supposed to break our addictions if we 1) know that it’s going to be incredibly difficult 2) have to work through constant tempstation 3) have to do it on our own and 4) when our addictions are also our coping mechanisms and put our brains on temporary highs???
The truth is, it’s going to be hard. But if you are willing and ready to accept change, then you can and will do it, but it HAS to be your choice. This is also where my advice is slightly limited.
Before I go into ways to get out of the addiction and how to rewire your brain, I want to share how I know so much. To start, I grew up with very alcoholic parents and had to watch them go through rehab all of my years growing up. I watched them get better for a couple months, and then just fall back into their own patterns because they didn’t CHOSE to change. They were told to. When I was in high school I self harmed and starved myself often, usually getting that euphoric feeling that made me feel good and it took work to get away from those habits and recognize them for what they really were- lifestyle killers.
So, our of my own experience there are several ways to go about it and a million internet resources to aid and provide information and find support.
1) Therapy: Therapy is NOT A BAD THING. It’s the only reason my friend stopped scratching, but if you’re anything like me you can’t afford it. I never got the chance to have a therapist growing up because my family saw it as rediculius taboo and now I simply can’t afford it. But, if you have a source for it do use it. Therapists are trained in the human mind and can guide you through what’s going on and how to step back and really see it. I know a lot of people have this stereotype of therapists, but they don’t just judge you’re feelings, they go into what you’re willing to share with them and form a genuine alliance with you on working towards a goal that you both see as better for yourself. It’s not always easy but it’s important.
2) Accountability Partner: If you have someone you can trust with your very personal addiction and life then this is a really good option. I have a friend who was cutting and starving for over a year and a half and her friend suddenly just said “I’m going to help you cope with something else” and she struggled for years but having that constant reassurance and encouragement and advice was really really good for her. He wasn’t like her therapist, she wasn’t relying on him for everything but she would help remind him to workout and he would help her to eat a bit. They would video chat and eat over the phone together, workout together, and they would send each other testimonies and inspiration on different ways to cope.
3) Finding a Healthy Distraction: This is what I personally had to do. It’s hard at first but distractions (as any procrastinator would know) can be very helpful. A lot of people can delve into art and exercise but that stuff just aggravated me and made me want to use my bad coping mechanisms more. It took some trial and error but I eventually found writing cramping poetry, writing short stories, running, and music were really good distractions from me. I had to still actively achknowledge and work on my addictions. I had to positively reassure myself that I was making the right decision and I had to encourage myself with positivity which I was really bad at. I couldn’t believe myself because I didn’t find those good things I was telling myself to be true... but it was just saying it. I didn’t have to believe it while heartedly, I just had to say it. And it did take a year, but eventually with the distractions and building my mental positivity I started to believe it. I did have relapse episodes which did extend the length it took me to recover from my addictions, but I had to remind myself of my goal and push myself back up again and yeah... it did feel like starting all over again and I didn’t want to have to start from square one, but it got easier... it just took getting through the hard part first. Some of the distractions I can suggest are walking, visiting new places, art, reading, writing, music (ie: writing music, singing, instruments, finding new music, composing, etc), exercise, making videos, surrounding yourself with people. There’s a lot more and it will take some trial and error but eventually you’ll find something.
There’s so many other ways that I’m not educated on. Almost every school has a councilor and all are equipped with helping you. It’s not always easy to go to them, I understand. Please don’t fear them though. School councilors are trained specifically for working with the students and do that job (unlike some other kinds of school staff) because they genuinely care and cherish every single student. That’s hard to believe but it’s true. Most teachers are also good sources. Go to someone you trust if you want to reach out. If you aren’t in school go to a friend or find someone to work with you, help each other.
I recommend working with someone, a family member, a friend, maybe a stranger online. It’s hard to quit on your own. Addiction is a real thing, a thing a LOT of people struggle with. You genuinely are not struggling alone no matter how much it feels like it. It’s not easy to want to change the things that make you feel better, but addiction isn’t a good thing. It’s not easy to understand but obsessions and addiction are scientifically BAD for your body and your mental body. I don’t know the specifics but addiction itself, unspecified, hurts the brain and the body in it’s own way. Please look into it, please just think about it. I never wanted to change my ways, but now after all the years of struggling work and hard times I’ve never been so proud and happy if a decision ever. I eventually found friends to help me out and it got better. Life will always be up and down but I’ve learned you have to pretend those hills are straight roads, and you have to make what’s best out of each ride and fall and that’s hard. And it’s okay to be unhappy sometimes and pissed sometimes and hurt sometimes, and it’s also okay to be vulnerable. It’s hard, but it’s okay. Please try to do what’s actually best for you!
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