#dr trails oc tag

[stagnatedunicorn]

Iceberg gets an assistant as per his promotion (laugh track plays)

(They’ve been colored by their hues, I swear iceberg isn’t just a mass of blue /lh -gears)

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE → THE GRISWOLD FAMILY CRISIS

summary: steve harrington x oc

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 3.5k || masterlist || ocs moodboard

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

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A mounting tension filled the air of Starcourt as the remaining members readied to split up. Sunshine along with Nancy, Jonathan, and the remaining kids gathered supplies to take to the P.I.’s safe house. Joyce had briefly explained to Sunshine that Murray was the only person they knew who spoke Russian, which was why he tagged along with her and Hopper. He had a house a state over that they could crash at until the Mind Flayer was no longer a threat and, hopefully, Hopper’s backup in the form of Dr. Owens and his team would show up eventually and solve their Russian problem. 

“My battery’s low,” El said to Hopper. She wore her usual tired determination while Hopper wore a certain look of softness that he reserved only for his kids and Joyce. “But it will recharge.”

“I know it will, kid.” 

El added, “I can fight.” 

“Better than any of us, but right now, I need you safe.” Hopper looked up at Sunshine and Luke, who stood around the two who were seated on a bench. “I need all of you safe. This thing isn’t after me.” 

Sunshine swallowed down the lump in her throat and looked down at her hands. Red marks circled her wrists from where they tied down in the base. She shuttered, thinking of Hopper and Joyce sneaking into that place. The adults brought a sense of comfort to all of them, taking some of the weight off of the older teens' shoulders. But she knew their plan was the best course of action. She still worried, though, that something would go wrong and put Hopper and or Joyce in danger. She wasn’t the only one worried. 

“Just be careful, please,” Luke said to Hopper. He looked pale and uneasy. 

“I will be.” Luke didn’t seem convinced. “We’ll be all right.” There was a glint behind Hopper’s eyes, a careful and caring one as he spoke to the son he never believed he’d have but found. By the look on Luke’s face, it was clear to see how much he wanted to believe Hopper. Luke was trying his best to understand what it meant to be taken care of and loved by an adult who didn’t want to hurt him, but who genuinely loved him and his sister.

“Hey.” Mike’s voice rang out as he approached the Hopper clan along with Max. “We should go.” 

El wrapped Hopper up in a quick hug before he was passed off into the arms of Mike and Max, who helped her limp along on her bad leg.

“Mike?” Hopper sighed. “Be careful.” The kid nodded, a truce built between a father and boyfriend. They both wanted El safe; that was all that mattered at the end of the day. 

Luke trailed behind them along with the rest of the kids. Sunshine moved to follow them, but she was stopped by Hopper. “Listen,” he began. “I know that all of that, all of this, is a lot. But I promise you, as soon as I get that Gate closed and end this for good, we will figure out exactly who has that file. I already called in Owens for a favor. If he shows up, I’ll get another one out of him, all right?” He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “I will take care of it.” If there was anyone in the world she trusted to ensure that she was safe and that her secret was safe from her mother and father, it was Hopper. He and Joyce were the first adults she met outside of the Lab who saw her as a kid, as a person. She trusted them with her life. 

“Okay,” she replied, letting some of her stress roll off of her shoulders as she plastered on a brave face. 

“Now,” he said. “Get out of here.” 

Exiting the mall, Sunshine took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. The air smelled like incoming rain, and the humanity clung to her bare arms and legs welcomingly. As she walked towards Nancy’s car, she glanced upwards and caught a few stars not yet overtaken by clouds, twinkling in the darkness. 

They all packed into the vehicle, squeezing to make enough room for everyone. Sunshine joined El, Max, and Mike in the very back, carefully making enough room for El to outstretch her leg to avoid irritating it any further. El curled into Sunshine’s side, muffling a pained groan. 

After they all were inside, Nancy jammed her keys into the ignition. The car sputtered but didn’t turn on. “You can’t be serious,” Nancy grumbled. She tried again, earning an awful groan from the vehicle, but it failed again. 

“Didn’t your mom just buy this car?” Will asked, squished in the middle seat between Lucas and Jonathan, who had given up the front seat for Luke in hopes of avoiding sending the kid into a fit visions. 

“Yes.” Nancy let out a sigh. “I’m sure it’s fine.” She tried again, and the car refused to come to life. 

“Did you leave the lights on?” asked Lucas. 

“No.” Nancy angrily jammed the keys in, turning them back and forth each time the sputtering died down. 

“Do we have gas?” Will questioned. 

“Yes!” Nancy slammed her hands against the wheel in frustration. “Gah! Come on!” 

Jonathan threw open the car door as he said, “Just stop, Nance. Pop the hood.” 

They both stepped out of the car to try to figure out what the issue was. Sunshine absentmindedly brushed her fingers through El’s knotted hair in a lame attempt to soothe the pain El was clearly in but tried to hide. 

The bright glare of distant headlights shot through the car windows. Sunshine peered out into the empty parking lot and found one singular car that she didn’t recall seeing a moment ago. As she stared into the lights, she was struck with the familiarity of the car. 

A hand beat against the window, startling everyone inside. Nancy knocked with ferocity as she yelled, “Out of the car! Now!” They all listened without question, scrambling out of the vehicle. Sunshine and Mike grabbed El and followed the group back inside Starcourt. She couldn’t escape that goddamn mall. 

Billy had found them, a possessed and puppeted Billy, which, according to the party, meant the Mind Flayer wouldn’t be far behind. Nancy’s car was out of commission, suspiciously so, which left them stuck like sitting ducks inside the mall. 

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” Max asked in the tense silence as Nancy loaded her gun. 

From what Sunshine had gathered, Billy was much farther gone than Will had been last fall. He was the Mind Flayer’s pawn, a piece it was using to build its physical form in Hawkins. 

“This is precautionary,” Nancy replied, but she wasn’t a very good liar. Max dipped her head and occupied herself by joining Lucas at one of the food court tables. 

Mike used his walkie-talkie to try to get ahold of Steve for an emergency rescue, grumbling into his radio and pacing back and forth with increasing speed. Everyone else could only wait. 

Sunshine found Luke seated farther away from the group, his eyes closed in concentration and fingers pressed against his forehead. “Luke?” He peeled his eyes open with a huff and slumped back into the bench he occupied. 

“I can’t reach Leia. Her mind’s too busy. She must be using her abilities on the radio.” He shook his head, eyes watery as he stared at the tiled floor. “I think something’s wrong with me.” 

“What’d you mean?” Sunshine asked, her voice laced with gentle concern. 

He hesitated for a moment. “The other night, I saw Will’s future. He was worried about all of this happening, about the Mind Flayer coming back. But I didn’t see anything that has happened or that I know will happen tonight in his future. I saw something else…something I don’t understand.” He paused, looking over at the group who surrounded the overturned car, talking about something that Sunshine was too far away to hear. Luke continued. “I didn’t just see his future. I think I saw his past too.” 

Sunshine couldn’t hide her surprise. “How is that possible?” She knew little about the inner workings of Luke’s abilities, but by the look on his face, he didn’t have an answer. 

“It’s not,” he said. “Or it shouldn’t be. It’s never happened before. But seeing it screwed something up inside my head. Now, in my dreams, I can’t tell who they belong to. They’re all jumbled together and I’m seeing scenes that don’t fit; things that don’t make sense keep appearing with no explanation.” 

Luke dug around in his jeans pocket and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper before handing it to Sunshine. She smoothed it out with the pad of her thumb, trying to work out the creases just enough to make sense of the picture on it. It was a scribbled drawing of a clock, one of those tall ones that older people kept in the corners of their living rooms, made of wood and chimed at the end of each hour. 

“Have you seen this before?” he asked, to which she shook her head in reply. 

Luke sighed. “I don’t know whose future it’s from or if it’s even from a future at all. There’s too much inside my head now.” He closed his eyes once more, screwing them together so tight it formed creases in the skin around his eyes. “What if I’ve seen things from the past but I’ve mistaken them for the future? What if my visions are scrambled up and I can’t tell the difference?” 

Sunshine wished, more than anything, that she had the answers for him. She wished she could pull all of the worries from his head and soothe his worry, but she couldn’t; she didn’t know how to. 

“Maybe what we can do, our abilities, can alter or change over time?” she said, unsure. There was no telling what the long-term side effects of their abilities would be years down the line, whether or not they would change and shift. The more she used her abilities, the stronger she grew and the longer she could use them. She learned, over time, how to preserve her energy, when she wasn’t using them in a panic. But she didn’t know how that would translate to Luke’s abilities; he was different from her, El, and Leia. 

“But why now?” 

“I don’t know-” 

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crash that startled the both of them. Sunshine whipped her head over her shoulder to see the group standing on top of one of the food court counters, having just flipped the car El used to knock out the Russian soldiers back to its upright position. 

They joined the rest of them, pausing their conversation until they couldn’t figure a way out of Starcourt. Once their night was over, she’d try to think of some explanation for Luke or at least help him work through his new-found abilities to see into people’s pasts. 

She stood beside Max, who anxiously picked at her polished fingernails with her brows pulled in concentration. “Are you okay?” she asked the redhead, bumping her shoulder against Max’s.

“I guess.” Max shrugged. “I just want this night to be over.” 

Sunshine cracked a small smile. “You and me both.” 

Max reached into her pocket and pulled out a slightly smushed granola bar. “I snagged two of these from Nancy’s purse in the car. You look like you need it.” Sunshine took it gratefully, not caring that the chocolate chips were slightly melted, and it smelled a little bit like the perfume Nancy always wore, which she kept in her purse. 

“Thanks,” Sunshine said with her mouth full. “It’s been a long day.” She couldn’t recall the last time she had eaten anything. The granola bar tasted like the greatest thing she had ever eaten at that moment. She wanted to savor it, but she didn’t know how long they had until either someone came to their rescue or Billy came stomping into Starcourt. 

“A long day with Russians and random co-workers of Steve’s?” Mike said, joining the two girls. 

“They weren’t exactly part of the plan.” Neither was getting stuck in the elevator or her nightmarish connection to Calum Miller’s father. 

Something off to the side caught Max’s eye. “What is she doing.” Sunshine followed her gaze to where El dug in one of the mall trash cans. She grabbed something from the trash but then moved behind one of the pillars, out of sight. Sunshine moved to see what her sister was up to, but she was stopped by Max’s hand grabbing a hold of her wrist. 

“Guys,” Max said, her gaze fixed upwards toward the ceiling. It took a moment, but the Sunshine heard it. The glass panels that made up the ceiling started to shake, rattling softly until it grew louder and louder. 

“Nancy!” Mike screamed, calling the attention of the others still gathered around the car. The footsteps on the roof were right over them, and a large shadow came into view just as the glass started to fracture under the shadow’s weight.

Sunshine grabbed a hold of Mike while Max kept her grip on Sunshine’s wrist. She pulled the kids towards El and together, all four of them sprinted as far as they could across the mall before the glass ceiling shattered, raining shards down in dangerous droplets that accompanied the arrival of the Mind Flayer. They dove behind a food court counter, their knees pulled to their chests and breathing erratically.

Sunshine’s heart lodged in her throat as an ear-splitting roar shook the entire building. 

☀☀☀

Steve didn’t consider himself the most patient person in the world, but after a year of becoming one of the go-to babysitters for a group of Hawkins's most sarcastic teenagers, he liked to think he had grown more patient. That being said, with one good eye, his collections of other injuries, an ever-increasing cloud of doom hanging over their heads, having to part ways with Sunshine, and no more Russian drugs in his system to mellow him out, Steve was nearly at his breaking point.

“We are in the middle of something right now, in case you haven’t noticed!” Dustin snapped at Calum Miller as they stood atop a tall, grassy hill where Dustin’s super-radio was located. 

Calum had his fingers threaded through his hair and was breaking down in a way Steve had no time to deal with and no sympathy for. He knew better than anyone that no one was destined to become their father, but the second he saw the hurt in Sunshine’s eyes when she looked at the photo of Calum’s father, Steve also abandoned that belief. And when Calum had the nerve to call Sunshine a liar, he nearly found himself in another fight he’d probably lose. That didn’t matter to him, though. He’d lose a hundred more fights if that meant Sunshine wouldn’t have to keep fighting tooth and nail for a life she more than deserved. 

“I don’t understand!” Calum shouted, not at anyone in particular, as he paced back and forth in the overgrown grass. 

Tamera tried to calm him down, but she looked equally freaked out. “Clearly your mom was right all along. Your dad was mixed up in bad business.” 

“That doesn’t make him a bad person!” His voice was desperate, almost broken. But Steve felt his fingers curl into fists at his sides as he tried to shove down the anger that steadily rose in his chest. 

“Did you not see the look on her face?” Tamera asked, sounding on the verge of tears. He felt worse for her than Calum. Maybe it was because she wasn’t trying to justify what Calum’s dad had done to Sunshine and every other kid inside the Lab. And maybe a small part of it was Robin’s crush on Tamera. “Something obviously really terrible happened to her.” 

Calum stopped pacing. “Why are you taking their side?” 

“There are no sides!” Tamera yelled. “We got your answers. We got too many answers! God, I feel like my brain is melting!” Tears started to leak from her eyes, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away and she continued yelling at Calum. “I take back everything I said. I shouldn’t have told you we should look into that stupid file. I should have listened to my gut, and we should have stayed out of this.” 

A bitter cold laugh sounded from Calum. “Well, it’s a little too fucking late for that. You told me to open that file in the first place. You wanted to play detective with me. This is just as much your fault as it is mine! And now look where we are!” He waved his hands around wildly. “We still have no idea where my dad is and apparently everything we know about our world is utter bullshit! Monsters are real. Does anything fucking matter anymore?” 

Steve rubbed his forehead, trying to pull his headache out of his skull by sheer will. “Please, for the love of God, have your breakdown after we finish this,” he said. Maybe it was a little insensitive, but Steve didn’t give a shit. 

With a scoff, Calum turned his attention onto Steve, trying to look taller than he was. “You are your freaky group of children just told us everything we understood about our reality is wrong. We were chased by Russians through the fucking mall. It’s totally normal for people to have superpowers. And I was right from the very start of this whole thing when I said Danielle had something to do with my dad. So, I’m sorry for freaking out, but that’s a whole lot of fucking information to take in, asshole!”

“Seriously?” Steve shook his head. He tried to think back to that night at Jonathan’s when he discovered that monsters were real. He freaked out too. It wasn’t an easy thing to comprehend, but they had a job to do; they could freak out tomorrow. “Look, I get it. All of this is fucked. We’ve all been there. But you freaking out right now isn’t helping any-” 

“Steve!” Leia’s scream rang through the air like a gunshot. Everyone stopped talking and looked at the girl kneeling beside Dustin at the radio. A streak of blood fell from her nose. Steve rushed to her side immediately, abandoning his scolding of Calum. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling beside her. 

“It found them!” she cried, her voice strained and tears gathering in her wide eyes. “T-They’re still at the mall. It found them!” 

An icy fear crawled up Steve’s spine. He sprung up from the ground and rushed to the edge of the hillside that just barely overlooked the mall. 

“What are you talking about?” Robin asked from somewhere behind Steve. 

“Luke,” Leia hiccupped. “He’s scared. They’re all so scared.” 

They all gathered, aside from Dustin, beside Steve, peering over at the mall. The lights of the building blinked wildly, much like how they did that night at Jonathan’s, only on a much larger scale. It was no longer a single, slightly larger than the average human side monster and Christmas lights inside a home. It had become a thirty-foot melted flesh monster and the lights of the entire Starcourt Mall.

Cold fingers gripped Steve’s arm frantically, demanding his attention. Leia looked at him, shaking. “Steve, we have to do something. W-We have to…It’s going to kill them.” 

He was silent for a moment, stuck in his own fear as his brain moved too fast. It was going to kill them. The Mind Flayer was going to kill them, and they were stuck at that mall. 

“Griswold family, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Over.” Dustin called the group that was supposed to be on their way to Illinois. The only response was static. Steve’s chest tightened uncomfortably as he waited, silently praying for a response. Dustin tried again. “Griswold family, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop. Do you copy? Over.” A pause, then a response. No familiar voice cut through to tell them everyone was okay. Instead, a bone-chilling roar tore through the walkie’s speaker, echoing into the night.

“Shit,” Steve cursed under his breath. He snapped into action, harshly grabbing Calum by the shoulders. “Give me your keys.” 

“W-What?” Calum’s face had gone white, no doubt from the further confirmation that monsters existed. 

“Key!” Steve demanded and Calum put up no fight. He tossed his keys to Steve, too flustered and confused to say much of anything at all. 

Steve then started to dart toward Calum’s minivan that they abandoned halfway up the hill. 

Robin followed him. “Where are you going?” 

“To get them the hell out of there! Stay here and contact the others!” 

Robin chased after him, leaving behind the three kids in the care of Tamera. Together, they jumped into the minivan and hightailed it back to the mall. 

Tagged. @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @two-sides-samecoin

[beefromanoff]

Project Mockingbird Ch. 7

summary: Charlotte gets her "made up name", the Avengers have a competition, things are tense with one James Buchanan Barnes...

pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

author's note: a long chapter to make up for the wait! I hope you like! PS, I hope you guys know and appreciate how hard I scour Pinterest for the perfect visuals for every chapter LMAO

tag list: @bangtanxberm (let me know if you want to be added <3)

chapter list

_______________________________________

The hum of machinery filled the lab as Tony tinkered with a piece of new tech, his attention absorbed in the intricate details. Dr. Banner, occupied at another workstation, eyed the data scrolling on a hologram in front of him.

"Tony, come here for a sec," Bruce called, gesturing him over.

Tony strolled over, moderately annoyed at his focus being broken. "What's the scoop, Doc?"

Bruce pointed at the hologram displaying Charlotte's brain scan. "Take a look at this. It's Charlotte's brain activity."

"Yeah, and?"

Bruce traced a specific section. "See this? It's her neural regulation. Or the lack thereof."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Most people have a sort of built-in governor in their brains. It regulates physical functions, prevents overexertion, and keeps everything in check. But Charlotte…it's like she's missing that feature. Or…it was removed. Her brain doesn't have a 'stop' function."

"Wait, are you saying she can push herself to the point of exhaustion without feeling it?" His eyes narrowed.

Bruce nodded. "Or worse. To the point of exhaustion, then way past it. To the point of injury, or even…” He trailed off. “It's not that she's just enhanced physically; she was altered mentally beyond just the brainwashing. We didn’t see this with Bucky. It’s like they removed the part of her brain that’s supposed to limit her, keep her from hurting herself."

Tony whistled. "That's both incredible for their time and, I don't know, fucking terrifying. Do we want to speculate on motive?”

Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I mean…you could argue that they wanted a more efficient weapon. If they had issues with…prior experiments hitting their limits and stopping." He winced at his own words. “They removed any chance of her stopping before the job was done. Even if she tore herself apart in the process.” 

A moment of silence passed through the lab as his words hung in the air.

Tony pondered, tapping his fingers on the lab table. "So, do we tell her? She's been through a lot already. I don’t wanna freak the kid out."

"That's what I'm wrestling with. On one hand, it's her body, and she deserves to know. On the other, we risk opening old wounds. She's been through enough experiments, and without doing more, we don’t have any answers for her anyways."

Tony's gaze flickered to the screen. "You think you’d want to know?"

Bruce sighed. "Hard to say. I mean, I’ve been through some shit, but not like her…it could just get in her head. Hell, she might already know. We saw her records, she’d been hospitalized a dozen times for injuries consistent with not knowing when to quit."

Tony leaned against a nearby table. "Alright, Doc, so what's the plan? Do we keep this to ourselves, or do we ask her if she wants more testing?"

Bruce looked conflicted. "Let's give her the choice. I'll talk to her, explain what we found, and see how she wants to proceed. It's her body, her call."

Tony nodded. "Agreed. Just…let’s make sure we’re sure. Review her file, see if there’s anything we missed. Let’s at least give her everything we got when we hit her with this."

As Tony turned to head back to his workstation, the weight of the decision lingered in the air. The delicate balance between shielding Charlotte from more trauma and offering her autonomy over her own discovery rested in Bruce's hands. The uncertainty of the situation hovered over him, a reminder that even for the most brilliant minds, some answers brought more questions than solutions. 

“FRIDAY,” He called. “Give me everything we’ve got on Charlotte Rossi.” 

_________________________________

“How about CopyCat?”

“It’s gonna be really embarrassing for you to have gotten your ass kicked by someone named CopyCat.”

Peter flushed, laughing despite the teasing. Charlotte nudged him with her foot on the couch, making sure he knew she was kidding…kind of. 

The team was sprawled across the living room, lazily passing the evening after a long week of training. Peter, Charlotte, Wanda, and Nat lounged on the oversized sectional, limbs a tangled mess. All of the girls were comforted by physical touch, none of them wanting to outwardly address it, they had an unspoken habit of gathering together on the couch. Peter somehow always ended up in the middle, looking slightly uncomfortable but terrified of moving. Sam sat on the floor, back leaned up against the couch. Steve and Bucky sat on the hearth to the massive fireplace, tonight being one of the first nights chilly enough to warrant it. 

“Mimic?” Sam tossed out. 

All three women groaned in response. 

“Okay, okay,” Steve held his hands up. “Hear me out. How about Mockingbird?” The room went silent at the mention of her HYDRA project name. When no one spoke, he continued. “I’m just saying…it’s a part of your history. We can’t change that. Why not reclaim it?” 

Charlotte shifted her position on the couch to sit up straighter, considering. 

“Just…take it back. You aren’t HYDRA’s Project Mockingbird anymore…you’re Mockingbird. The survivor. Maybe one day, the Avenger. If you want.” 

“I got my name from the Red Room, a cold war initiative to train female assassins.” Natasha’s voice was soft. “They called us Widows. I just choose not to think of it as a shackle from them. I remember all the women I was honored to know through that program, the ones who survived and went on to live the lives they deserved. Being Black Widow…I think it allows me to move on. Remember that my past is dark, and complicated, and yet…it got me here. So I can’t hate it as much as I want to.” 

Natasha met Charlotte’s gaze, her eyes sympathetic. She was strong, relentless, powerful, deadly…but she loved this team, her family with everything in her. No one had to wonder if she’d endure it all again to end up with this team, on this couch. She’d allowed, invited Charlotte into their lives. She hoped one day she would love the team, love this life as much as Natasha did. She longed to have something that made her life feel like it wasn’t a string of disastrous circumstances, like it was all for something. All the suffering, the fear, the loss. All the lonely nights. All the nightmares. Like it was leading her to something, someone. Charlotte looked around the room at the earnest faces watching her, helping her reshape her identity. 

“Mockingbird it is.” 

_________________________________

The Avengers Compound buzzed with activity as the team prepared for their annual benchmark testing. The expansive training grounds echoed with laughter and camaraderie, a stark contrast to the intensity of their missions. Off-duty SHIELD agents gathered around the designated testing area, eager for a glimpse of the Avengers’ in action. One would think working at the compound alongside them would take some of the novelty away, but it was rare for any of the team to even get close to using their full abilities. Which made benchmark testing everyone’s favorite day.

The early morning sun cast a warm glow over the compound. The Avengers, clad in their training gear, assembled near a row of obstacles and equipment at the front of the crowd. It had become an annual tradition over the past four years, every year garnering more attention from the spectating agents. What had originally been a way for the team to find their limits in a safe, controlled environment had become, as most things did, a competition. After several close calls with complete exhaustion, injury, or the rare case of a “web-block” - this was determined to be a necessary trial. Even Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had a limit. 

The setup had been arranged in what was ordinarily a shooting range, a wide open field behind the main building. The largest open space on the grounds was now occupied by things Charlotte didn’t fully comprehend the use for. A car, parked in the middle of the field? She figured someone would explain soon enough so she kept her questions to herself. 

The challenges were broken down into categories, testing each person on their specialty or enhancement. The two Super Soldiers would compete in a more physical manner, with an endurance run, strength competition, and then hand to hand combat. Clint would face a series of archery-related challenges, with targets that ranged from fifty feet to 500 yards away, some that moved, and some with obstacles (SHIELD agents as “hostages”) in the way. Peter and Wanda both faced similar strength related competitions, seeing how much weight their respective powers could hold. Everything from an iron bench to the cab of a semi-truck to a Quinjet was lined up for them to lift. Natasha, of course, would have yet another trial all of her own. An obstacle course of sorts, beginning with hacking her way into the small arena. Tony saw it as his personal challenge to make it increasingly more difficult every year, competing against himself as he was also the one to design each tool on her combat belt. Once she was in the arena, she’d face two waves of a dozen agents, using her training pistol to take them out and make it to the other side. Once she crossed the arena, there would be an additional challenge. In years’ past, it had been unscrambling an encrypted message, de-escalating a hostage situation (usually the same volunteer as Clint’s), or hotwiring various armored vehicles. 

Charlotte rolled her shoulders, jogging in place to loosen up. Since no one really knew what her abilities were, they’d agreed to let her participate in whichever tasks she chose. Everyone had been more than encouraging, some even making friendly wagers with her to see who would win what. The only two who seemed less than thrilled about it were Tony and Bruce, who’d exchanged a concerned glance when she announced she’d do it. 

Now, she stood in the bullpen alongside Natasha and Clint for the first event of the day. Their suits were similar, all black neoprene with some high-tech enhancement to make the surface nearly bulletproof. Apparently there had been an earlier prototype that was completely bulletproof, but Natasha claimed it was far too stiff for her to do what she needed to do. So they settled for nearly. 

“You ready for this?” Nat nudged her gently, tightening her wrist braces. 

“I don’t think I’m ever really ready for the shit I get myself into,” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I just do it.” 

“Fair enough.” She winked. “See you on the other side.” 

The three participants were escorted to the starting line, each of them having their own separate course to run, all parallel to one another. Charlotte stepped into the box, high plexiglass walls separating them from each other. She felt a little like a rat in a maze. Thanks to their vantage point on the hill, the agents had a view right down into the action. There were screens projecting the parts of the course impossible to see, but nothing compared to the real thing. Taking one last deep breath, Charlotte stole a glance through the clear barrier to Natasha on her right. A reassuring nod from her friend and she was bracing herself for action.

“On your marks,” Maria Hill’s voice sounded through a megaphone. “Get set…GO!” 

The starting pistol shot into the air and the gate in front of Charlotte dropped. She took off running blindly down a hallway, sprinting towards the door in front of her. It was a completely smooth surface aside from a small computer panel on the front. Heavily encrypted, probably behind several different layers of protection. Her stomach twisted. Hacking was never her strong suit. She slid her fingers all around the edges of the door, feeling for a groove or weak spot. Nothing. Heart beginning to race, Charlotte looked over to check the status of the others. To the far right, Clint had shot an arrow with some kind of live electric current directly into the panel, rendering it useless. He was now muscling it open, his face straining. Natasha, directly next to her, was punching away on the keypad. 

Immediately, Charlotte snapped into action. She dropped to her knees, assuming the same crouched stance as Natasha. Feeling the gears whir in her mind, she tracked each rapid movement of Nat’s fingers and replicated them. A half second behind, Charlotte’s eyes were locked on every movement she made. A muffled beep then click sounded from the other side of the glass as Nat cracked the code. She gripped the round handle and threw her weight into it, opening the iron door. Sure enough, the same beep and click sounded clearly in front of Charlotte as she punched in the last number she’d seen. Not wanting to waste a moment, she turned the handle and yanked the door open. 

This one led into a dark room, covered from above. Pausing, Charlotte listened to her surroundings. Rather than the patter of Natasha’s light footsteps, she heard an irregular beat of feet on the ground. It sounded like…she was tiptoeing around something. Reaching back, Charlotte ran her hands across the ground, gathering a small pile of loose dirt. With a deep breath, she blew it out of her palms into the air in front of her. Red beams illuminated the room in front of her, criss-crossing across her path. Piece of cake. 

After a split second committing the web of lasers to memory, she sprung into action. Leap, tuck, roll. Belly-crawl. Stand slowly. Don’t breathe. Back handspring, back handspring, drop and roll. Her movements were instinctive, her body completely taking over. A fact she was thankful for considering her momentum was too strong to slow down or think about what she was doing. 

Pulling herself to her feet, she reached the end of the hallway to a door that was, thankfully, not encrypted. She tugged it open only to hear a bullet whiz past her left ear. As she ducked, Charlotte heard a distant gasp from the spectators. She rolled to the left, gunfire peppering the wall only seconds behind where she was. An old filing cabinet stood two feet from her, one quick leap landed her behind it. Think. She closed her eyes and recalled the image of the room from the split second she saw it before the fire had opened. It was a mock office building, looking like a shootout had already occurred. Charlotte wondered if it was modeled after a real scenario they’d been in. She scanned the image in her mind as bullets peppered the back of the filing cabinet. Surely they aren’t real bullets…right? She didn’t give herself enough time to worry about it. Her assessment showed a dozen gunmen stalking around the room, guarding the door. Slowly, Charlotte turned, unlatching the bottom drawer of the cabinet and tugging it free of it’s hinges. When the integrity of the cabinet was just about to give in, she moved. Swinging the metal drawer directly at the head of the nearest gunman, it collided with the side of his face. When his neck snapped to the right, she kicked the opposite direction and knocked the assault rifle from his hands. Sliding after it, she ducked behind an old desk just as the others opened fire on her. One of her arms hadn’t quite made it behind the desk, being struck with a bullet. Hissing, Charlotte cradled her arm, checking for damage. It stung, but there was no more than a raw welt in its place. Rubber bullets. 

Steeling herself, she stood and aimed. Three shots each, one to each kneecap and one to the exposed hand on the trigger. As always, her aim was flawless. They dropped instantly. She debated dropping the gun and running, but realized she didn’t know what the next room would hold, so she maintained her grip and sprinted ahead. 

When she pulled the door open, her arm was yanked backwards by some invisible force, not allowing the guns through. Charlotte turned her head to investigate, brows furrowed, one foot already in the next room. What the - WHAM!

A fist collided with her newly healed nose, sending blood spilling into her mouth. Slowly, she turned to look at the agent, fists still raised. The bloodlust and anger in Charlotte’s eyes made the poor guy wish he hadn’t volunteered for this. Without looking back, she let go of the gun, letting it clatter to the floor in the previous room. In one smooth movement, Charlotte’s fist curled and swung straight from the doorway to the agent’s jaw. A gruesome crunch would have made her nauseous if she weren’t already so pissed. 

The agent dropped to the floor with a thud, giving Charlotte a split second to reset her nose as the rest of the mock assailants advanced on her. She cracked her neck to one side and then the other, finally feeling warmed up. This time, it was another dozen agents. No one seemed to have weapons, but judging by their stature, these were the best hand to hand fighters on the force. 

Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t change their mannerisms. One agent, standing near the front of the pack and advancing quickly, held his head at an odd tilt to the right side. A flash of an old training session tore through Charlotte’s mind. Agent Ellis, he can’t go left. She scanned the group, eyes raking over each agent in milliseconds. Agent Kolstad, always opens with a right hook. Agent Armstrong, hits hard but can’t dodge worth shit. One by one she recognized their tells, identified them, and recalled their weaknesses. 

She cleared the room in a new course record. 

Unbeknownst to Charlotte, she had a 30 second lead on Clint and was neck and neck with Natasha. The watching agents gaped as she ran to the next room, finding herself faced with a single female, standing in the doorway, not appearing to be armed. The woman spoke instantly, not moving. 

“One, seven, three, three, nine, twelve, eighteen, two, six, seventeen, twenty-one, nine, six, fourteen, sixty-three.” 

Cocking her head to the side, Charlotte opened her mouth to ask what the hell she meant with this string of numbers. Before the words fully formed on her lips, a sack was tugged down over her head and cinched at the neck. Panic threatened to take over and her heart raced. 

Breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly. Panic gets you killed. 

Chest heaving but breaths coming slower and slower, Charlotte stood in a defensive posture, unable to see or smell anything about the room. Feeling the cloth around her neck, she felt the familiar metal band of a nanotech lock, complete with fingerprint pad on the side. Something told her it wouldn’t be her thumbprint programmed in. Squeezing her eyes tight within the darkness of the hood, she willed herself to focus. The woman had stood right in the doorway, obstructing almost all of her view of the rest of the room. Conjuring the image of the woman up, Charlotte examined all the details she missed the first time. Instead of the agent’s severe slicked back bun, she looked behind her to a grid on the floor. A series of thin planks covered the floor in erratic patterns, ironically about the width of a balance beam. The floor everywhere else…was missing entirely. She’d have to cross the floor by memory, only she never actually got a chance to look at the floor. 

She took a steadying breath and ran through the maze on the floor one more time mentally, finding a route in the grid she’d seen over the agent’s right shoulder. Crouching, Charlotte, gingerly felt the floor to reconcile the first stretch of plank with the image she had in her head. Once she was certain it was the same one, she stood and began to cross the room. Instantly, instinctively, her mind calculated distances and adjusted her leaps accordingly. Her feet were featherlight, almost silent, as she danced across the room. Her eyes stayed shut beneath the hood, clinging to the memorized image. 

When she’d successfully crossed to the doorway on the other side of the room, nearly fifty yards across, she paused. Her body remained crouched in a defensive posture, ready for the next unseen obstacle. Sensing someone in her presence, Charlotte raised her fists.

“Friendly.” A familiar voice called - the woman from the other side of the room. Charlotte didn’t lower her fists, but didn’t fight the woman’s hand from approaching her. She felt delicate pressure on her neck, then a click as the lock around her neck opened. The woman was quick but gentle as she removed the hood, her face stoic but eyes slightly warmer than the beginning of the task. 

“Recite the number.” 

Charlotte blinked, eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. 

“The number from the beginning. Recite it.”

Sighing, Charlotte rubbed the throbbing spot on her arm from where the bullet had streaked across her flesh. “One, seven, three, three, nine, twelve, eighteen, two, six, seventeen, twenty-one, nine, six, fourteen, sixty-three.”

The woman smiled, stepping aside as the final door slid open. Thunderous applause spilled in as Charlotte stepped out of the soundproofed room and back into the open air. Natasha’s beaming face was waiting for her, Clint not far behind. His ragged breath told Charlotte he had just completed his run, while Nat seemed to have been done for a while. 

“That’s my girl!” Natasha ran over and gripped her shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. “You did amazing. Kicked major ass.” Turning to the crowd, she grabbed Charlotte’s hand and raised it, the cheers only intensifying. 

Her breathing slowing down, Charlotte scanned the crowd, recognizing a few agents she knew from training. Her gaze dropped to the bullpen area in front of the stands, floor level with them. All her friends - the rest of the team - stood and clapped for her. Steve’s eyes were crinkled with an almost father-like pride. Peter and Sam were the most hyped she’d ever seen them. Off to the side, clapping slowly, stood Bucky. A lopsided grin on his face. Charlotte ignored the blush she felt on her cheeks, ignored the face that his admiration meant more than anyone else’s. She held his gaze, shrugging. He did the same, still clapping for her. 

It was only when Tony walked up and clapped a hand on her back that she tore her eyes away. “Well, kiddo, that course is the result of our ten best defensive tactical strategists and four best engineers, so needless to say - someone’s getting fired. Good job.” 

“Thanks,” Charlotte grinned. “Although the bullets could have been softer.” 

“Just don’t get hit next time.” Nat winked. 

After the hours spun past, the sun was beginning to decline in the sky. The day had brought so much excitement that Charlotte’s cheeks hurt from smiling and her voice was beginning to get hoarse from cheering. After the chaos from their trials had subsided, the others took their turn. Peter, Wanda, and Sam all had their own versions of airborne obstacle courses. They went separately, each getting the whole sky as their arena. Charlotte caught herself clapping, jaw agape, more than once while she watched. She knew she herself was enhanced, but seeing the pure power emanating from Wanda’s fingertips, seeing Peter swing through the air like it was what he was born to do…it left her awestruck. 

Following the airborne spectacle, Steve, Bucky, Clint, Nat and Charlotte had entered a wide sparring ring. Each of them competing to be the last one standing. With a little shit-talking, Natasha claimed Clint as her first partner, promptly landing him on his back. Simultaneously, Steve and Bucky fell into a mesmerizing hand-to-hand battle, the force of their blows thundering through the crowd. Clint had gracefully accepted defeat, grumbling about being too old as he rolled through the sides of the ring. Slinking around the pair of Super Soldiers battling in the middle, Charlotte eyed Natasha. They circled, prowling for a few seconds, before Black Widow had struck. She used Steve’s shoulder as a base to leap over both men and flip towards her opponent. 

As always, Charlotte’s brain snapped into overdrive, cataloging each move, each tell from Natasha. The information filed into her brain next to every other miniscule observation she’d made from the second they met.

Rolling out of the way, Charlotte heard Nat’s soft landing on the ground, exactly where she’d been seconds before. They fought the same way, not just because Charlotte was adapting her fighting style as it unfolded. Both build for stealth over power, both not especially big or strong, but both of them knowing how to leverage their weaknesses into strengths. Where the Super Soldiers fought with pure strength and power, the women danced around, trying to catch the other one off guard, land a destabilizing blow when it was least expected. 

Most of Charlotte’s fights went the same way: she played defense for the first half, observing, defending, tracking, learning. As soon as she felt like she’d gathered enough information, whether it took her mere seconds or whole minutes, she would flip the script. Usually, the change from her defensive tactics to her more predatory fighting style would catch her opponent off guard enough to earn her the high ground. Then, her actual fighting would seal the deal. As was the case with Natasha. Their dance around the duo in the middle went on, and then Charlotte saw her moment. Bucky had used the momentum from Steve recoiling back to avoid a vibranium fist to the face, sweeping his legs out from under him and letting him thud to the mat. The noise and force of Cap hitting the mat caused Natasha to hesitate, ever so slightly, so briefly. She had been up on one foot, about to roundhouse kick, when the movement of the mat shook her balance. The tiniest hop to regain her footing, but it was her downfall. Charlotte shifted, in that moment, from defense to attack mode. She caught Nat’s foot and twisted, throwing her body into the movement the same way she’d seen her opponent do dozens of times. Nat caught herself as she was thrown to the floor, rolling away from Charlotte. Unfortunately for her, she’d let Charlotte watch one too many sparring matches, because she anticipated that too. From the leg twist, she’d immediately sprung into a back handspring, feet landing on the ground mere inches from Nat’s wrists. All it took was Charlotte to drop to her knees, pinning Nat’s arms down with her shins. A buzzer sounded from outside the ring, signaling Natasha’s end in the round. 

Charlotte heard her grumble, “Wonder where you learned that,” as she helped the redhead to her feet. 

Bucky. 

The only other one left standing. He stood, arms lazily raised in a defensive posture, watching her. Charlotte cracked her neck, striding up to him. 

“You know, I really thought the next time you choked me would be in a different setting.” 

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Those games might make Steve blush, but they won’t work on me.” 

“We’ll see.” Charlotte cartwheeled toward him, hooking her legs on his shoulders and bringing him down. He knew it was coming and rolled into it, trying to land on top as they tumbled across the mat. 

Their fight was by far the most intriguing of the day, every agent and Avenger in the stands locked on their every move. Their fight was somehow playful and lethal all at once. Their skills were even more perfectly matched than the two Super Soldiers or the two trained assassins had been. Even Steve’s brows knit together as he realized Bucky wasn’t pulling his punches. Knuckle prints littered the mat from where his left hand had narrowly missed Charlotte. 

After nearly ten minutes of combat, it looked like Bucky had her beat. He had a fistful of Charlotte’s hair, holding her in front of him while she thrashed. Both of her wrists were gripped tightly in metal fingers, rendering her somewhat immobile. All he had to do was drop her to the ground and pin her and he’d win. Charlotte paused, momentarily relaxing her body. Her features melted from fierce determination to watery shame. She spoke softly as she looked him dead in the eyes. 

“I guess they were right. I am a failed experiment after all.” 

Bucky’s mouth fell open. 

The second the pressure on her wrist slackened ever so slightly, Charlotte moved. Her brow furrowed, face twisted with focus. Her right shin pressed against Bucky’s chest, throwing her weight into him as her left foot planted behind his, sending him tumbling down. The thud of his back on the mat was the only sound in the air. Charlotte crouched atop his body, knees on his chest. Bucky stared up at her, eyes a swirling mix of pity, confusion, and frustration. Through her panting breaths, Charlotte grinned. 

“See? Games work on you too. You’re just more of a bleeding heart than a horndog.” She climbed off and held a hand out to him, which he ignored. 

“Cheater.” 

“Brute.” 

Their exchange was almost drowned out by the cheering of the crowd, going absolutely berzerk. It turned out that the agents were a lot more fond of Charlotte when she wasn’t competing against them. There was a lot less shame in losing to someone who’d also beat the Winter Soldier -- twice. 

Once they’d been cleaned up, various scrapes and bruises tended to, they all settled in to watch the Hulk in his strength competition. He lifted every object laid out for him, ranging from a Ford Explorer to an old model Quinjet. None of them seemed to cause him any strain at all. There was a little unexpected excitement as he threw the vehicle across the lake, sending Peter and Wanda soaring to retrieve it and safely deposit it back on the ground. 

Now, finally, the last challenge of the day awaited them. The endurance run. Charlotte stood between the two Super Solders, rolling her shoulders. Steve stretched, Bucky simply stood there, stealing agitated looks at Charlotte out the corner of his eye. 

“Don’t you need to warm up or something?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“No.” 

“Okay…noted. Sore loser.” 

Bucky scowled but didn’t respond to her. They were interrupted from further bickering by Agent Hill calling out a countdown. They were to run 25k (15.5 miles) through a trail in the woods - for time. The average time for agents to run it in was 2 hours and 15 or so minutes. Steve’s personal best? 53 minutes. Today he was trying to break 50. Bucky was always hot on his heels, though he had to labor a little more to accommodate for the weight of his left arm. Again, no one knew which events to put Charlotte in as no one knew the full extent of her abilities. She’d insisted on trying the run as well. She knew her endurance was above average, knew she could channel just about anyone just by watching them. Truth be told, she too was curious about how far her abilities stretched. 

Again, Bruce and Tony had been the only two who balked at her taking on a third event of the day. She’d brushed them off, stating that the first two challenges barely made her break a sweat. Though the bruise forming on her face from the first challenge said otherwise, they’d reluctantly agreed. What no one heard was their quiet agreement to monitor her extra closely and call the task off at any sign of her in trouble. 

The first few miles had been easy. Charlotte fell into step with the other two, staying within striking distance but letting them set the pace. Their strides were longer, but she focused on their exact path through the forest, each leap they took over errant roots, every perfectly placed step. She let them carve the route for her. Halfway through the race, sweat was dripping down her neck into the collar of her combat suit. She didn’t dare look away from their feet as the trio ran, but she assumed they were feeling the fatigue too. Super Soldier serum had made them enhanced, not invincible. They still got winded, still wore out. Just a lot slower than Charlotte, and a lot slower than the average person. Blood pounded in her ears as she copied Steve’s leap over a fallen tree. To her surprise, her knees buckled ever so slightly when she landed, causing her to stumble and lose ground. Bucky stole a glance over his shoulder. 

“You okay?”

“Fine,” Charlotte breathed out, still reeling. Her body almost never surprised her. Well, with the exception of trying to kill the man in front of her at first sight. 

They tore through the woods, the confusion of her misstep pushing Charlotte even harder to regain ground and catch back up. She felt Bucky’s eyes on her as she ran harder, ignoring a look that she couldn’t tell was concern or irritation. 

“Charlotte,” He hissed, grabbing her arm and skidding to a stop. 

“What?!” Charlotte’s voice was incredulous, chest heaving. “Let go!”

“Your nose is bleeding.” Bucky grit his teeth. “I think you should stop.” 

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, rolling her eyes. “If you’re afraid of getting beat twice, just say so.” Smirking through the blood running down her face, Charlotte took off running after Steve. 

Bucky scowled, following her into the woods. 

They were closing in on mile thirteen, on pace for Steve’s goal. Long strides caught Bucky up with Steve and Charlotte no problem. His focus, however, was no longer on the race. He let familiarity with the trails guide him, keeping half his attention on the woman running beside him. Blood had soaked the collar of her suit, the dark fabric gleaming with sweat and crimson. Her face showed only the barest traces of strain as she pushed on. 

He heard his heartbeat, sounding like it was going double time. Wait, that’s two heartbeats… 

Bucky focused his sharp hearing, trying to separate the sounds. He heard his heartbeat, quicker than usual, but within a safe range. Then he heard the other, Charlotte…Her heart was racing, dangerously high. It sounded like it was going to beat out of her chest. 

“Charlotte,” He spoke tightly. “You need to stop, you’re hurting yourself.” 

She threw a tense look his way, but didn’t waste her breath on a jab. Something is wrong. 

Steve grew further and further down the path from them as Charlotte began to fade, literally. Her steps slowed, knees became wobbly. Her skin had dulled, looking pale and almost gray. Her eyes met his between a few hazy blinks and he saw a flash of something like fear in them. Stopping on a dime, Bucky was by her side in two strides. Charlotte’s eyes rolled back in her head and she began to crumple. 

______________________________

The crowd roared as Steve crossed the finish line, right as the clock showed 48:52. A five minute record. He was breathing heavily, but not like someone who’d just ran a half marathon in less than an hour should be. He nodded thanks and high fived a few teammates before his brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Where’s Buck? Charlotte?” He looked to Nat. “They weren’t that far behind me. They should have crossed by now.” 

She frowned, turning to Tony and Bruce, both equally pale. “FRIDAY, send drones through the path. I want visual on the trail, final two miles.” Two drones whipped past their heads, soaring down the path Steve had just exited. The formerly elated crowd had died down, picking up on the concern. 

Tony was intently scanning the screen in front of him when Bruce gripped his forearm, guilt all over his expression. “Tony.” 

They looked up to see Bucky Barnes carrying Charlotte’s limp body out of the woods.

[gwens-fiction]

Intro Post

Hi! I’m Gwen. I’m 26, she/her, have a masters in wildlife biology and conservation management, bachelors in biology with minors of English and environmental studies. I have two younger siblings, and 8 pets (5 dogs, 1 rabbit, and 2 cats). I write a lot of fanfiction for the Penguins of Madagascar fandom, but I also write several original things, too.

Genres I write tend to fall under: fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, horror, weird science, action comedy (with animal characters), mystery, poetry.

Feel free to ask to be on any tag list! WIPs below the cut.

Original WIPs

Hidden Earth Chronicles

Summary: Necromancer Vasco has just returned home to find his beloved wife missing. He and his brother-in-law set out to find her and along the way Vasco learns more about where he came from and his own abilities.

Tropical Storm

Summary: Martin along Evy and Diego, are newly moving into the San Diego Zoo. However, Martin’s life is unexpectedly rocked when a secret agent accidentally drops a piece of top secret spy equipment among his belongings. Now he’s been recruited by the local espionage squad. Together they keep the zoo safe from assorted enemies, as well as face international threats.

Also planning: Patagonia Penguins which takes place long before this but is connected via being about Martin's parents.

My Baby’s a Werewolf

Summary: Single Dad, Sebastian’s, toddler daughter, Amber, gets bitten by a “big dog” one evening and becomes a little werepup. Now her dad is handling the pressures of being a single dad as well as trying to get his daughter back to normal.

Obscure Science

Summary: Rejected scientist Dr. Darwin Rose finds new employment with an off-the-record agency that focuses on well…obscure and bizarre occurrences, whether they be paranormal, supernatural, fantastical, or seem like something from science fiction, this agency investigates it all. Darwin is paired up with another scientist, Dr. Cassidy Blue, and together they have some crazy escapades.

Shady Acres

Summary: Sydney, freshly graduated from high school, goes to spend the summer with her older brother Ryan at his cabin. They set up trail cameras for fun but soon get unexpected photos that introduce them to whole new oddities that the woods can offer.

Title Under Construction

Summary: A small town has become plagued by a mysterious creature that keeps eating the inhabitants.

Fanfic WIPs

A Scientific Romance Series

A series of Penguins of Madagascar fics about Kowalski the penguin and his invention unexpectedly pairing him up with the penguins' arch nemesis: Dr Blowhole and how they’re making this relationship work.

Spin Offs:

Scientist Overboard

Summary: Francis and Kowalski have been dating for over a year when Kowalski and the others go on a mission out at sea. Kowalski finds himself washed overboard during a bad storm, waking up without any memory on an island. He and his spirit guide then attempt to return to New York while the others try to find him.

Haunted Mansion

Summary: Blowhole, Kowalski, and their children decide to go on a family vacation, but get sidetracked by a haunted mansion's advertisement that Blowhole couldn't pass up. Will include 2 guest OCs of my friend @insert-meaningful-username. A Franski fic with bonus fankids.

Collaborative WIPs with @insert-meaningful-username

Mallory Manor (Title Under Construction)

Summary: Rose sneaks into the sketchy old Mallory Manor at the end of the street and discovers far more than she bargained for.

Clandestine Affairs

Summary: During the biggest heist they’ll ever pull off, infamous criminal duo Show Biz planned on robbing one of the richest and highly valuable connections to have, Julien Prince. However, they’ve finally been caught by their rivals. With the heroes winning this battle, surely things will now be brought to justice...until, the charges are read. Sentence to death for...murdering the Senator of Delaware?!? NOW, our heroes must team up with the baddies to end this confusion, solving the mystery of the true mastermind before the crooks are falsely put to death for the only crime they didn’t commit.

Caretaker of Madagascar (Penguins of Madagascar series)

Summary: Some believe misfortune can bring people together. Others believe that destiny has the power to interconnect lives, whether those lives wanted to or not. Call it a coincidence. Call it fate. Call it a despicable force of nature. Either way, nothing could've stopped the fact that Bridget Ailith, a cantankerous new zookeeper, found herself forced to team up with the Penguins to undo a machine's disastrous effects. Doesn't help that those penguins are now—

Do You Read Me, 00FU? (Subnautica / Neebs Gaming inspired series)

Summary: Hired aboard Alterra’s prestigious and pristine spaceship, The Aurora, space engineer rookie Appsro finally gets his opportunity to voyage across the galaxy… Until it fucking crashes onto an uncharted pelagic planet. Alone and stranded on quarantined 4546B, all Appsro has in his survival skill set is his ingenuity, some tools, stubbornness, and the aid of a few (debatable if helpful or not) Alterra HQ Operators. Can he prevail and escape the treacherous deep waters, enormous aquatic monsters, and the lethal thousand-year-old bacteria that feast upon the planet? Probably not. He’s fucked.

[neonshrike]

✍ WIP Wednesday ✍

Tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton and tagging @captastra @carlosoliveiraa @marivenah @the-laridian @the-lastcall @corvosattano @nightbloodbix @perpetuagf @shellibisshe and anyone else who would like to share!

Not OC writing! This is from a much later chapter in I Used To Float, Now I Just Fall Down, where Carol invites Bruce to dinner with the Khans. It's pretty light on The Marvels spoilers.

They stepped out of the ship once Carol landed it in her usual spot by the house, with Carol holding his arm. She looked down at the inhibitor Bruce was wearing, then back up at him. “I hope you don’t feel like you need to hide yourself, they’re pretty cool with everything,” she said and he just shook his head. “I just didn’t want to break anything in the house,” he responded with a light chuckle as they walked up to the porch. Carol let go of him and opened the door for him, and they walked through. Bruce wasn’t even finished taking off his shoes when he heard quiet gasps of surprise. Kamala greeted them first, cringing slightly as the rest of her family stood behind her in disbelief. “I kind of didn’t mention it was you that was coming over,” she admitted, her sentence trailing off. Her parents, brother, and sister-in-law tried but failed to look as nonchalant as possible as Carol walked down the hall and Bruce awkwardly waved and followed her. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you all. This is a very nice home,” he complimented. “Well, don’t just stand there, Yusuf,” Muneeba spoke to her husband in Urdu as she turned back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. “Greet our guest.” “Mr. Khan,” Bruce greeted, nodding his head politely. He still felt awkward being here, being invited to dinner by a family he hardly knew, but wanted to be there for Carol and Kamala. Yusuf nodded and came to the hallway and smiled brightly, holding his hand out. “Oh, please! Just Yusuf is fine. It is truly an honor to meet you, Dr. Banner,” he introduced. Bruce just smiled back, a little stunned by their reaction and the tight grip of the handshake he was given. “It’s an honor to meet you as well, all of you,” he said as Carol and Kamala led him to the living room where everyone else joined in. Kamala remained standing and introduced everyone else to him. Muneeba looked over at him and then back to Aamir and whispered in Urdu. “He’s a little shorter than I thought he would be.” Bruce couldn’t help but laugh quietly at their comment and she had a mortified yet curious look on her face at the fact that he could understand that. He smiled and thanked her as she handed him a cup of tea. “Don’t worry, I get it. I’m usually much taller,” he joked, surprising everyone that he could also speak the language. He quickly explained that he picked it up during his time on the run, not wanting too much attention on him. He asked about everyone and how they were adjusting to their new home here, especially after hearing that they were attacked by aliens and were even sent to space. “We’re doing just fine, thanks to Carol,” Muneeba smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You know, we are such fans of you,” Yusuf explained, pulling out his phone to show them the Hulk costumes they were going to wear to AvengerCon. Kamala immediately knew what he was trying to do and started to take the phone from him as quickly as possible. “Abbu, please,” she sighed. “Not in front of the Avengers.”

[prettylittlewrites]

Time Aligns

TASM!Peter Parker x OC

Returning back to his universe after leaving his new found brothers Peter was hopeful. But nothing changed. Gwen was still gone, Harry was still in custody, the bad guys hadn’t been fixed. Nothing had changed. But what if time was finally aligning in his universe to match the other Peters?

It had been a week since Peter had returned home from the other universe. It had been a week since he left the other Peter’s at the Statue of Liberty after curing all of the villains. Peter had come back with the hope that it would be different now that Maxx and Dr. Connors had been cured and maybe Gwen was alive and waiting for him in his little one-bedroom apartment in Queens.

But that wasn’t the case. Everything and everyone was exactly how he left them. The only difference was he didn’t feel the weight on his chest anymore. The crushing pressure since he lost Gwen, was lighter.

It wasn’t fully gone. It never would be. Losing your first love, feeling, and hearing their heart stop, he would always carry that with him.

But he felt lighter, he had been able to save MJ. His little brother's first love. He had been able to save her in a way he hadn’t been able to save his own. He felt like he could finally move on. He finally felt closure after 8 years.

He went back to patrolling the streets. Pulling his punches as he put away criminals, his wit had come back full force and he was back to having a skip in his step whenever something good happened. He was beginning to feel normal again.

It was around 2 am when Peter stumbled into a 24/7 coffee shop. His jaw a bruising red and his knuckles slightly raw from stopping a burglary just up the street but they would heal in an hour or two.

The coffee shop was deserted besides one girl behind the bar and a cook in the back. The soft jazz music played in the background and the yellow stained lights gave the quiet shop a warm, cozy feeling. One that Peter desperately needed, as the winter storm raged on outside.

The girl behind the counter looked up, her eyes drifted to him from the textbook on the counter. Peter nodded his head as he strolled up to the cash register as the girl slid behind it on the other side.

Peter took a second to run his eyes over the girl. She was younger than him, at least by a couple of years. She was on the shorter and curvier side. She had brown almost black hair that stopped at her shoulders and bright blue eyes. She was cute, and her friendly smile caused him to smile back despite the aching of his jaw.

“Hey Honey, what can I get ya.” Her slight southern accent startled him, he was used to the distinct accent of New York and New Jersey so hearing the draw of a southerner had him blinking at the girl for a split second.

“Uh, just a, just a cup of coffee, please. Black.” Peter stuttered as he nodded his head and tapped his fingers on the counter.

“Okay. That’ll be $3.48. Can I get a” The girl trailed off abruptly. Almost like she was about to say something she shouldn’t have. Peter smiled slightly nodding his head and pulled out a crumpled $5 from the front pocket of his backpack.

“Peter” he gave her a knowing look and her cut off of her memorized check out script. “and ah, Keep the change.” His eyes flew to the name tag on her apron. “Maddison.” The girl smiled brightly at him in thanks for not making her muscle memory awkward, as she got to work on his coffee. Peter took a step back and let his eyes run over the quaint place.

The booths looked slightly lumpy but there were outlets stationed at every table, and posters for Columbia, Empire State, NYU, FIT, Juilliard, and just about every college in the state of New York hung on the walls. The coffee bar wasn’t far from NYU so Peter assumed it was a popular study spot.

Peter quickly pulled out his cracked phone from his back pocket and sent off a quick message to Aunt May letting her know he was done with his route for the night and would be back in his apartment soon.

“Peter, Your coffee is ready” Maddison called out softly pushing a red paper cup on the counter towards him. Peter quickly grabbed the cup and took a seat on one of the many bar stools that overlooked where they made the coffee. Maddison whipped up the counter before pulling her textbook over to where she was standing in front of Peter.

“What are you studying?” Peter asked as his eyes caught sight of a color-coded diagram of the human brain.

“Oh, well this is for my Child Developmental class. But I’m Majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Criminal Justice. I’m a senior at NYU.” Maddison responded, tapping her blue highlighter against her book. Secretly relieved for an excuse to not study. Peter felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“Well, I think you are in the right city for criminal justice,” Peter muttered as he took a sip of his coffee, allowing the scalding liquid to burn his tongue and throat.

Maddison chuckled lightly and opened up her mouth to respond when the sound of a bang startled both Peter and Maddison. Both heads whipped towards the front door and as it burst open and a baby-faced boy walked in.

“Maddison!” the boy yelled with a wide smile on his face.

“Thomas,” Maddison called back, significantly less excited. As the boy made his way over to the kitchen door disappeared, scoffing and rolling his eyes dramatically as he went.

Peter gave Maddison a look but she just rolled her eyes and shook her head. There was a loud clatter from the back followed by yelled cursing.

“Ignore him. He likes the attention, the more you give him the worse he gets. He’s a bit of a drama queen.” Maddison looked at Peter with a small smile on her lips. Peter smirked in return hearing the boy's dramatic gasp from the back before bursting through the doors.

“How dare you call me a drama Queen! I react a perfectly fine amount of drama!” He declared with an appalled look on his face. “And I’ve told you before, I don’t like my government name MJ.” He popped back into the back before sticking his head out again. “Also I’m covering for Luke btw little Addy’s first day of daycare is today.” Thomas disappeared back into the back again for good. Clocking in and beginning to work on breakfast prep.

The nickname MJ rang loud in Peter’s ears. His mind flashes back to the Younger and Older Peter. Both of them had an MJ. Was this his MJ?

“Sorry about him.” Maddison blushed slightly, looking apologetic before turning back to her book.

“MJ?” Peter finally gained the courage to question the brunette, his face had gone pale and his words sounded choked up.

“Yeah. It’s my nickname. There were like 5 Maddisons in my kindergarten class. My middle name is June. Being one of the last letters in the alphabet all the other girls got to pick the cute nicknames. I didn’t wanna be called June or my last name Walker so my teacher suggested MJ. And it’s stuck ever since then.” She explained, her eyes distant as she reminisced on her younger years. But Peter couldn’t stop his mind from running into overdrive.

Was this supposed to be his version of MJ? Or was it just a coincidence? Was he meant to be with her, all the other Peters were in love with their MJs. But there also wasn’t a 4 or 5 year age gap with them.

Peter began to feel panic at the thought of being in another relationship. Sure it had been 8 years and he’s had a couple flings, but nothing serious. Besides Aunt May and the other Peter’s he really didn’t have anyone. Not even a best friend anymore. Not after Harry at least. He couldn’t afford to trust people like that anymore. The panic caused him to convince himself to leave abruptly.

“I like it. MJ is cool.” Peter half-smiled at the girl chugging the rest of his lukewarm coffee before standing up. “It was nice meeting you MJ. But I gotta get home. Have a nice night.”

“You too Peter!” MJ waved goodbye at the slightly older man and cleared his cup from the counter. Peter waved goodbye before stepping out into the freezing New York air. His mind stuck only on Maddison and her infamous nickname.

[rosenongrata]

solitary solidarity – i

Summary: A selection of writings that explore the early days of the odd relationship between Doctor Veritas Ratio and Missus Kagome Ikeda.

A/N: need a break from the chapter 2 smut, so i'm writing this a bit here and there >.< enjoy?? idk anyway, Dr. Ratio be a massive bitch fr

c.w/s: varies on what part, but i'll make sure to mark each addition with the proper tags in the a/n. OC-insert.

w.c: ~700

“Ah, it’s you, the…” A semi-muffled yet deep voice rings behind the tall woman – who had been minding her business, walking down the long hall with a stack of papers in hand, “…Copycat, is it?”

She only stopped in her tracks for a mere moment before resuming her initial task – which is approaching her office door, shuffling for her keys, and then promptly dropping them onto the floor. She finds herself on the verge of sighing as she stares down at her keys for a long, quiet moment – but she snatches the chain of one too many keys before the person behind her can say anything.

“We have not met before now – so, allow me, Mrs. Kagome Ikeda,” The man resumes – he refuses to let the alleged fellow prodigy in front of him get away so quickly, “I am Doctor Veritas Ratio, I am a—”

“I know…” The woman mutters, “…I already looked at the entire list of staff members from across all schools.” She still hasn’t given him a single glance – even after she pops open her office door and flips on the light.

She steps inside, setting her stack of papers upon papers on her well-organized desk. His eye twitches underneath the plaster sculpture on his head – maybe it’s a good thing she hasn’t looked at him yet.

“Well, it is nice to know that you do your research.” He nearly grumbles, feigning a pleasant demeanor for now. “I have a query.” He adds.

And she silently wishes he’d go away already – does she have to chase him with a broom to get him to leave?

When she finally turns to him, he nearly sighs in relief to capture her full attention. But the next words out of her mouth immediately mute that desire of his to sigh,

“I do too.” She blinks, her eyes painted with exhaustion – the dark circles surrounding her silverine gaze left uncovered despite the makeup on her face elsewhere. “What’s with…” She trails off, threatening to spill her thoughts about how ridiculous and stupid it looks, but she barely refrains, “What’s with the plaster head?”

“Hardly important—”

“I beg to differ.”

“Oh? Do elaborate.”

“If you are going to speak to me, I would enjoy at least an ounce of respect from one of my new coworkers.” She answers, but her tired, dull expression gives no sway to any emotion she might be feeling. “Or are you just…shy?” She inquires emotionlessly.

“I am not shy.” He hisses, “I will take it off should you answer my question.” He firmly crosses his arms.

“Okay.” She shrugs.

(She’s bored already? Hmph.) He ponders briefly, “Why are you called the “Copycat”, exactly?” He presses.

She looks away, staring out the nearby window instead and staying silent.

“…How disappointing.” He scoffs, “I’ll have you know that should you plagiarize–”

“I’m not called that because of plagiarism.” She sighs, glancing over at him, “It’s…too difficult to explain to someone who doesn’t have enough knowledge about my homeworld… That’s all.” She shakes her head.

“Is that so?” He hums, “Where are you from, then? I will gladly do the research myself.”

“…Don’t bother. I looked to see if there’s any records of my homeworld here, there aren’t.” She toys with her gloved fingers, picking at fabric and rubbing the tops of her hands.

“Why is that—”

“You’ve asked your maximum amount of questions for the day. Please come back tomorrow.” She says robotically, turning away from him to begin pulling out a shelf to her filing cabinet, “And close the door all the way when you leave, please. Thank you for dropping by.”

“Tsk,” He scowls underneath the plaster, “…If you have any problems with settling in,” He turns away, one hand on the knob of the door, “Find someone else to help you.” He doesn’t leave quite yet, wanting to hear her final response.

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind, Doctor.”

His eye twitches again before shutting the door behind him and striding away from the office. His fists clench at his sides and his teeth grit, he’s less than satisfied with that interaction – which isn’t particularly unusual for him, but… Something is different about her – maybe it’s because she’s branded as a prodigy of some sort or because of the mysterious “Copycat” moniker. He’s not sure which, but either way – it’s frustrating him.

(She’d make an awful professor – having a “max amount of questions per day”. What kind of ridiculous rule is that!?)

[choicesfanaf]

Unexpected Encounters

For Bisexual Awareness Week hosted by @choicesficwriterscreations

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Arundhati Kulkarni)

Characters: Ethan Ramsey, Arundhati Kulkarni, Mridula Patel (f! OC)

Word Count: 1684 words

Rating: General

Summary: Aru encouters her ex girlfriend in Donahues, which leads to her coming out.

Category: Fluff

Tagging: @openheartfanfics

Perma: @jamespotterthefirst, @quixoticdreamer16

Ethan x Arundhati: @rookiemartin

At the end of her long and tiring shift, Arundhati went to meet Ethan eagerly, anticipating a chance to unwind and relax.

As she entered his office, she heard Ethan ask his assistant to check if any other work was left for the day.

As Arundhati peeked inside, she noticed Ethan's face light up with a smile, filling the room with warm and welcoming energy.

His assistant noticed his smile and looked at the door, already knowing who it was.

They bid goodnight to the staff on their shifts and headed to Donahues to unwind.

They ordered their usual drinks and went to get seats to enjoy their time together.

While getting to her seat, Aru bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I hope you didn't get hurt......, "Aru trailed as she recognized the person she bumped into.

"Mridula......" Aru paused for a while and felt her throat become dry. 

"Hi Aru, how are you? I didn't expect to see you here. It's been so long since we last met!"

"Hey, Mridula..." Aru managed to say after a few seconds, which felt like a lifetime to her. 

Fortunately, the drinks she had ordered earlier came to her rescue, and she took a few sips to calm down.

At that point, Ethan's phone rang and displayed a call from his dad.

"Excuse me please, ladies, I'll be back in a moment. I have a call to attend," Ethan mentioned. 

"Aru, it's from my dad. I'll speak to him and come back as soon as possible," he said as he went outside to attend his call, away from the songs being played loudly.

"Sure, love, no problem," Aru replied before she continued her conversation with Mridula, "I'm good, thanks. Yeah, I know, it's been way too long. By the way, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"I was in the area to meet a client, and our meeting ended early, so I decided to come here to wind down."

"That's great, how's your business going?"

"It's going great, thanks, Aru. How about you? How's everything? Do you get along with the leader of the Diagnostic Team?"

"Well, I'm doing great. I have been promoted to the leader of the Diagnostic Team."

"Wow, that's great news! When did it happen?"

"About a year ago, the chief retired, and he appointed Dr. Ethan Ramsey as the chief. Dr. Ramsey then appointed me as the leader of the Diagnostic Team."

"That's great! Congratulations, Aru!"

"Thanks a lot. Why don't you sit down?"

"Sure, so how are you finding the leadership of the DT?"

"Oh, it's been nice, a bit stressful, but I enjoy it as it challenges me and helps me improve."

"That's really cool. I wish you all the success in life."

"Thanks a lot, Mridula, that's extremely kind of you."

"Can I ask a question floating in my mind?"

"Yeah," Aru replied as she sipped her drink.

At that exact moment, Ethan entered inside, searching for Aru, reflecting on his chat with his dad. He heard a question as he made his way through the bar back to Aru.

"Are you dating Dr Ramsey?"

"Yeah, we have been dating for a few months now."

"That's so cute! I remember when you were dying to meet him."

"Yeah, I remember that was a long time ago."

"You had poured over all of his books so many times! You had learned every word of his books. I'm completely sure that you still remember all of it. Does he know this about you?"

"Do I know what about her, miss?" Ethan asked Mridula as he approached the table.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce you to each other. Mridula, this is Dr. Ethan Ramsey, chief of Edenbrook. Ethan, this is Mridula, a wedding planner and a good friend."

"Nice to meet you, Mridula," Ethan replied as he shook her hand.

"Aru, come on, girl. I have to get going."

"No, no, please sit down for a bit more. I want to catch up with you. Please, Mridula", Aru said while holding her elbow to stop her from leaving.

"Fine, if you say so." 

"Aru, you can chat with your friend. I'll get going."

"No, Ethan, please, stay here for some while," Aru said while pouting at him, which she knew he couldn't refuse.

Aru continued her conversation with Mridula while Ethan sat down.

"Mri, what happened to the couple that only got married because their parents found out about them?"

"They stayed married only for about three years. You won't believe it, but they quarrelled so much that their parents had to beg them to get divorced", she giggled while slurping her drink.

"So, Mridula, how do you know Aru?"

"Ethan, I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Aru said as she thought of escaping from the problem for a while. Aru started hyperventilating because she dreaded what would happen once Ethan knew about her. 

"I should go to the restroom and leave from the back door," Aru thought as she got up.

"Come back soon, my love," Ethan replied.

"We dated for four years when Aru was in medical school and broke up a few weeks after she got into Edenbrook," Mridula continued.

"Oh. It's good to see that you are such good friends even now."

"Yeah, you could say that...," replied Mridula. 

"You know, Aru was so obsessed with reading your books that I started feeling jealous of you," Mridula said, trying to change the topic.

Meanwhile, Aru was in the toilet pacing nervously, worried about how Ethan would react. She knew Mridula very well and knew that she would tell Ethan about their relationship. She hadn't come out to him yet and was afraid of his reaction and thoughts about her and their relationship.

However, no matter how she felt about the situation, she knew she couldn't break Ethan's trust by leaving him alone and vanishing.

So, she returned to join them despite the anxiety and discomfort she felt with each step she took toward Ethan.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Mridula were chatting pleasantly, and Aru felt a sense of relief when she saw Ethan as she made her way to him. Seeing him made her feel calm and reduced her anxiety, and she knew that he would support her no matter what.

"Aru, it was fun catching up with you after a long time, but I have to get going now. I have a meeting with a client early tomorrow."

"See you soon, Mridula. I hope we get to meet again soon enough," Aru said, trying her best not to burst into tears.

"Yeah, it was good to meet you," Ethan replied.

Aru tried her best to control her emotions, worried about their relationship and what Ethan would think about her.

When they reached their place, Aru ignored Ethan and went straight to the bathroom to clean up. Despite her best efforts, she started sobbing quite loudly, which caught Ethan's attention.

"Love, what happened, why are you crying?" he asked, to which he got no response.

Concerned about her silence, he asked again, "Aru, can I come inside, please?"

To Ethan's relief, she opened the door, letting him in. His heart sank when he saw her, teary-eyed and trembling.

"Aru, is everything alri-?"

Before Ethan could finish what he was saying, Aru left the bathroom, trying to distance herself from Ethan as much as possible.

"Aru, please, don't do this! Please talk to me. Did I do something wrong, Aru? Are you upset with me? Please, love, I can't see you like this", he begged, not understanding the sudden shift in her behaviour.

At that moment, she realised what a grave mistake she was making. She then let Ethan in, prepared for anything that Ethan had to say.

Ethan rushed to comfort her, unable to understand why her behaviour changed so drastically in such a short amount of time. 

"Cry all you want, Aru, but please don't estrange me from you. You know how much it hurts me."

Arundhati, unable to speak, just nodded and hugged Ethan tighter.

After a few minutes of comforting Aru, Ethan decided to make a cup of coffee for her, hoping it would help her relax.

"Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened?"

"E.... Ethan..please promise me you won't leave me."

"Why do you think I would do that?"

"Did Mridula tell you we were dating?"

"Yes, she did...... wait a minute...Aru, did you think I would leave you because of your sexuality?"

"Y.....yes. I didn't know how you would react, Ethan."

"So, you assumed that I would break up with you? You know me well, don't you?"

"Yes...I do. I'm sorry for assuming so, Ethan. Is this going to cause a problem between us?" she whispered, afraid of what was to come.

"Not at all, love. I intend to marry you, you know. Nothing you say would deter me."

"Not even that I'm already married?" she smiled weakly.

"Not even that", he joked back. "In all seriousness, Aru, I love you just the way you are, for who you are and what you do. So, no, your sexuality won't cause a problem between us. You don't have to come out until you feel comfortable," he said before kissing her forehead gently.

Arundhati breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad. Thanks, Ethan. But I do want to come out to you."

Arundhati took a deep breath to calm her nerves and proclaimed, "I, Arundhati Kulkarni, am bisexual."

She burst into happy tears, realising she could finally stop worrying about not revealing her true self to Ethan.

"I'm glad you feel much better now. Come on, let's get some sleep. You have an early shift tomorrow."

"I'll just clean up and be back."

While cleaning up, Aru could only think about how better the world would be for queer people if everyone was as understanding as Ethan.

As she sunk into her bed, hugged Ethan, and closed her eyes, she silently thanked the universe for Ethan being such a supportive partner.

[can-of-pringles]

Similarities - Chapter 9: Another Perspective

Rating: Teen and up audience

Warnings: Angst, death, the same stuff in Similarities' past chapters but from a different pov.

Word Count: 7k

Note: Finally the next chapter's finished!

Also Read On AO3

Tag list: @nebulousfishgills , @my-horror-slasher-ocs , @noahspector , @cuethemulti , @dark-dimare

1959.

The girl sat propped up against the wall, feeling like the wind was knocked out of her. She tried to take a few breaths, but they came out shaky. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing, causing her to cover her ears with her hands. Her whole body felt as if it was vibrating.

She opened her eyes, and her vision was spinning until she focused them. She was greeted with destruction, some type of explosion, perhaps? The wallpapers were peeling and darkened, and it scattered the furniture about. She glanced down at her hands and clothes, seeing them covered with a dark powdery substance. The smell of smoke stung her nose with its bitter scent.

Her eyes scanned the area and landed on the sight of her parents laying on the floor, unmoving.

She braced herself against the wall as she struggled to stand. Despite the ache in her body, she forced herself to run; but it was a rather weak attempt. She could barely move, feeling like her bones were rattling inside.

The girl fell to her knees once she was close enough to them. Her eyes welled up with tears and she stuttered out sobbing words; they turned into whimpering.

Both of her parents lay still, eyes open and unmoving. Their clothes were covered with a similar black substance and dark, thick blood. She noticed a trail of blood leaking from her mother’s mouth and trailing down the rest of her face.

The girl began to sob even louder, slightly rocking back and forth in a useless attempt to soothe herself. Her lungs burned as her crying went on. She held onto her parents, continuously begging and wailing for them to wake up; even though she knew it was pointless.

“Wake up!” She cried as she huddled near their bodies.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,”

The girl looked up at hearing the unfamiliar voice and instinctively jumped back once she saw a stranger.

He was wearing a grey suit and dress shoes, had brown hair, and spoke with a vaguely unusual rhythm; sounding eerily calm, given what was going on around them.

Where did he come from? What’s going on?

She tried to speak, but it only came out as stammers; her mind still processing what was happening.

“Come with me, I’m here to help,” he reached out his hand.

Not feeling like she had a choice, she reluctantly took it and he helped her up.

“Who—Who are—”

“My name is Dr. Martin Brenner. I came here to help because I heard you were in trouble,” Brenner explained as he led her out of the ruins.

“But... what about my mother and father?” She sniffled. The tear lines on her face were still fresh.

“Gone. I’m sorry, you were all being targeted, and they got your parents. You’re lucky to be alive.” He said.

She didn’t feel like it.

The girl assumed he meant bad people of sorts, like the ones you hear in fiction. She hadn’t realized they were real.

Her heart ached in her chest as she looked back at her parents, probably for the last time in her life. They were all fine hours ago; those final happy memories replayed in her mind.

“Where are we going?” She asked, her voice hoarse from crying.

“To my facility where you’ll be safe. It’s not scary as it sounds, I promise,” Dr. Brenner clarified when her eyes widened.

“I still don’t understand...” She frowned.

“I’ll explain more once we get there. What’s your name, and are you hurt?”

“Carina... Shepherd, and no... don’t think so,” Carina murmured and fidgeted with her hands.

He nodded. “Hmm... you’ll need a new name for protection, a new identity,” he suggested.

She didn’t argue, more curious than anything. Maybe it was like a witness protection program?

“I’m thinking... Beatrice, yes, it fits you,” he added.

“Beatrice...” She said, seeing how it sounded in her voice.

They walked out of the house and were greeted by a few armed guards and a car, causing Beatrice to shrink back.

“Don’t be afraid, they’re with me,” he assured. “Beatrice Maddison has been found, everyone,”

“Maddison?” She thought, not realizing that she was leaving behind a whole identity and life.

Dr. Brenner helped Beatrice into the car and closed her door, telling her he’ll be getting in the car after her. He stepped away from the car and pulled out a walkie-talkie.

“It was successful. The girl is in the car,” he said in a hushed tone. “She was the only survivor, as planned.”

After the conversation, Brenner put his walkie away and got in the car.

Beatrice glanced down at her feet in the floorboards, feeling strangely numb; like she used up all of her expressive grief. However, her whole body was still slightly shaking, and she could feel her heart racing. She stared behind at her childhood home, seeing the house become smaller and smaller as they drove away. It was a burned shell of her former home. Beatrice didn’t know what would happen to it. What would happen to her parents?

Her head pounded still, and her breath was unsteady. Everything was spinning out of control, and it frightened her to her core. As she watched, she placed her hand against the window; wondering what was going to happen next. Her guess was as good as anyone’s. --- Beatrice’s once brightly colored clothes, now coated with ash and blood, heavily contrasted the artificial fluorescent light-covered tiles of the walls and floor.

“This is your... building?” She asked.

“Yes, Hawkins’ lab, to be more specific,”

“We’re in Hawkins?” The girl wondered.

“What do you do here?” She decided to ask a different question than the one on her mind.

“Create tests, do experiments, make discoveries,” Dr. Brenner said with a sense of pride.

“You’re a scientist?” Beatrice asked.

“Almost everyone who works here is,”

She followed Dr. Brenner down a hallway and stopped at a particular room. He opened the door and flipped on a light switch, revealing a similarly white room with a bench to the side as well as another door to the left.

“With the state of your clothes and such, I figured you’d appreciate the chance to tidy up. There are clean clothes about your size folded over on that bench, and that other door leads to a shower with everything you need inside.” He explained.

She looked closely at the mess on her clothes as well as on her skin. Her face heat up with embarrassment.

“Once you’re finished, I’ll be waiting to continue explaining how things work here, okay?” He said as he gently pushed her into the room and closed the door.

Beatrice turned around right as the door closed.

“Oh... okay.” She stood and fidgeted with her hands, feeling a slight suffocating sense as the same white walls surrounded her. --- “Feel better?” Dr. Brenner asked.

She shrugged. For someone who had just had her parents killed and lost her home, she was barely functioning; just trying to keep going. Maybe she was still in shock.

They were walking down yet another hallway, making Beatrice believe the place was ninety percent hallways.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

“To a place called the rainbow room,” he replied.

Beatrice’s eyes widened, mostly with intrigue. With a name like that, she hoped it was pleasant like it sounded.

“You’re not the only kid here. In fact, there’s a boy around your age. He’s called One,”

“That’s a weird name...” She thought.

“What’s he doing here?”

“He’s special like you, has certain abilities that we’re interested in,” Dr. Brenner said.

Beatrice felt a deep pit feeling in her stomach. Though by now it had become her usual feeling.

How does he know?

“Beatrice, do you know why you were in danger?”

She shook her head.

“It’s because they knew about your abilities, especially with teleportation,” he added.

Now she fidgeted with her new clothes, a gown similar to one found in a hospital, but she didn’t ask about it.

“It’s okay. My people at the lab had been watching closely because we knew they were after you and your powers,” Dr. Brenner partially lied, like he had been this whole time.

Her shoulders un-tensed a little.

“You’re protected here. No one is coming after you.” he placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Okay...” She gave him a weak smile.

“We’ll help you hone your abilities soon, but for now, you’re still settling in.”

Beatrice was about to ask what he meant by that, but they had already reached the rainbow room. Dr. Brenner opened the door for her and she slowly stepped in. She glanced all around, noticing the bright rainbow painted on the walls, as well as several toys and desks. If there were only two children, then why so much stuff?

Beatrice’s eyes landed on the only other kid in the room. He stared at her with a blank expression on his face before looking away again. She slightly raised an eyebrow, feeling curious about him.

He looked small, despite Beatrice guessing that he was around eleven or twelve based on what Dr. Brenner told her. And rather lonely, the mostly white walls with bits of rainbows gave off a weird sense of isolation. Though everywhere she’d seen so far in this place had a similar effect.

Dr. Brenner led her over to the boy. “One, this is Beatrice. She’ll be staying here with us from now on,” he introduced.

“Hi,” she spoke, feeling nervous.

Dr. Brenner gave him a look until he gave a response.

“Hi...” One muttered before focusing on the book he was reading again.

“I’ll leave you to get acquainted with each other,” Dr. Brenner said.

“But—I’m not sure—” Beatrice stammered.

“You’ll be fine. I’ll see you later,” he added before leaving.

She stood uncomfortably still yet again. Noticing a shelf with games and puzzles, Beatrice went to look through it; pulling out a box with puzzle pieces inside. She carried it to one of the tables and emptied the pieces out in a pile. The girl began to try to put it together.

While she worked on the puzzle, memories of doing puzzles with her family, her mother especially, entered her mind. Her eyes began watering, and she sniffled before wiping her eyes. Wanting to distract from these feelings, she convinced herself to ask the other kid a question.

“What are you reading?”

One held back a sigh. “It’s about spiders.”

She could tell he’d probably read it a lot, given how worn the pages looked.

“Do you like them?” She asked.

“Yes...” He waited for instant rejection.

“Sorry if I’m bothering you,” Beatrice muttered before starting back on her puzzle.

That surprised him. Not outwardly arachnophobic, but also so shy and polite it was practically painful.

“You aren’t... much.” Maybe if he was on extra good behavior, Brenner would reward him, plus it had been strange being the only kid in the lab for so long.

And, maybe with time, he could turn her into an ally against the man that imprisoned them. Though he had to be cautious and remain realistic.

Beatrice looked down at the puzzle, getting those sad feelings again. She just wanted a distraction, to pretend that she was okay.

“Could I... sit at your table? I promise I won’t make noise.” She knew she was probably asking a lot, but the worst he could say was no, right?

To her surprise, she heard him say yes.

Beatrice quietly walked to his table and took a seat opposite of him. She wiped her teary eyes one last time, preferring that he didn’t see.

“Why were you crying?” He said it more like a statement, only asking because he knew it was what Brenner probably wanted. He hated the man but didn’t want to get punished again.

“I miss my parents...” She admitted.

He couldn’t relate.

“Did they send you here?”

“People send their kids here?“ Beatrice thought.

“No, they, um, died. They were killed in an explosion... I think.” Her voice was quiet and just above a whisper. “The doctor, Mister Brenner, found me.”

To say what happened, out loud, made her throat burn from holding back tears. She fidgeted with her hair.

One considered her words, curious about how an explosion happened, as well as how Brenner found her, but didn’t ask.

“Were they kind to you?” He ended up saying.

Beatrice looked slightly taken aback. “Yes... almost always.”

He almost felt a bit of jealousy at hearing her response.

“I’m sorry then.” He spoke, knowing Brenner would be pleased.

Plus, if she was telling the truth, then it really had been a shame that she lost them and ended up here. A waste. He wondered if Brenner had been involved with their deaths after all.

“Thank you,” Beatrice muttered before going silent as she’d promised.

Henry didn’t mind humans too much as long as they listened to him. So far, Beatrice had been pretty respectful to him. He thought about how long it would take for Brenner to turn her against him. Everyone betrayed him eventually. --- Later that evening, Beatrice found herself alone in a plain white room; curled up on a white bed and crying herself to sleep. She was utterly exhausted, but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing as her mind ran through her mourning thoughts.

No more getting tucked in by her parents at her bedtime, no more bedtime stories or lullabies; no more goodnight kisses on the head. She wouldn’t ever be woken up by the sound of her mother’s voice, or the smell of her father cooking breakfast. No more goodbye hugs as she went to school. It was all gone, simply memories she desperately clung onto. She tried to remember their voices, hoping they’d comfort her as they did while they were still alive. What was the last thing they said to her?

Beatrice cried harder when she struggled to remember what the words were. She hugged her pillow and buried her face in it; dampened by her tears. At some point, she eventually fell unconscious. --- They gave Beatrice a bit of time to adjust to the lab and her new home. For now, her new routine was spending time in the rainbow room; playing games and puzzles, reading whatever books they had available. She was even getting used to One the more they spent time in the same room. Brenner decided to hold off on testing her abilities just until she was a bit stronger, more stable. He figured he’d get better results if he didn’t rush it. Besides, taking his time would probably help him gain more of her trust. He had made mistakes in gaining Henry’s trust and didn’t want to repeat them. During this time, he’d talk to her about what all they did at the lab (at least a semi-filtered version) and they’d discuss her powers and abilities. He sometimes would even bring her along to watch One complete tests with his powers. It made Beatrice feel better about not being the only one with odd abilities. After watching One practice, Beatrice was confident to talk to him while they were in the rainbow room. Despite him being a kid like she was, there was something about him that intimidated her. But she often tried pushing those feelings aside. Maybe he was just shy like her. “I think you did good today. Your powers are neat.” Beatrice politely smiled. One remained silent as he studied her, wondering if Papa had put her up to this. “Thank you...” He finally spoke. “Maybe I’ll join you soon,” she continued. The girl could’ve sworn she noticed one of his brows raise slightly. This especially stuck out to her after she quickly learned that he usually wasn’t too emotive. For a kid, it sure was difficult to read him. “I have powers too, like yours, except not exactly... I haven’t practiced them much, and right now, doctor Brenner is waiting for me to... feel better, before testing happens,” Beatrice clarified. One wasn’t sure if he should feel annoyed with her rambling or pity that she hadn’t realized what was happening yet. That this was part of Papa’s plan, like everything else was in this prison of a lab. “What can you do that’s different?” He asked instead, genuinely curious. “Well, for one, I can tele...port?”

“Teleport, yeah, that’s what it’s called,” she muttered under her breath. “But I haven’t really done it a lot, and it makes me tired quickly,” she added. She remembered being younger and accidentally discovering she could teleport. As she thought about going to the kitchen for a snack, she simply appeared there without having to walk. She remembered how scared she was, crying in front of her shocked parents. She was also afraid that they’d be scared of her, but they never acted like it. They comforted her and promised they’d help her with whatever was happening to her. She’d always been grateful for the acceptance. Beatrice wondered if there had been others in her family that were like her. “Can you do it now?” One asked though it ended up sounding more like a command. Beatrice fidgeted with her hands, feeling anxious about being put on the spot. She hadn’t really ever done it in front of an audience before, intentionally. Though there was a time for everything, she supposed. “Yes... sure,” she spoke and shrugged. One simply stood and stared while she concentrated. Beatrice closed her eyes and breathed in and out. Feeling enough energy buildup, the girl disappeared and ended up standing next to one of the tables near the corner. She opened her eyes again and breathed, already feeling the effects of tiredness. She held out a thumbs up. “There you go... now you know,” One nodded in acknowledgment. “Fascinating,” Beatrice smiled. She usually struggled to get reactions out of him, especially positive ones. She took note. Meanwhile, Henry thought about how convenient it would be to have a teleporter on his side. Perhaps she could help him and they could help each other eventually get out of this place. For now, only daydreaming about freedom would have to do.

Days turned into weeks and then into a month. Beatrice was well enough into practicing. Brenner made her feel proud of how much she’d improved. She’d gotten better at competing against One. One started to feel even more out of place, something he hadn’t realized was possible. Even in the prison of a facility, he was no longer getting all the attention. It was a hard adjustment, even without thinking about it. --- One landed with a thud against the wall. He breathed in and out while wiping the blood from his nose; looking up at the person who defeated him.

Beatrice.

Perfect little Beatrice, who could do no wrong and loved to suck up to their jailer.

He felt his blood boil when he saw her smiling and Brenner giving her a pat on the shoulder.

“Alright, you two, practice is over. Beatrice, since you won, you get extra time in the rainbow room,” Brenner announced.

One held back a scowl when she grinned.

“As for you, One, you’ll be escorted,”

He knew what that meant. Back to his cell of a room for however long. Sometimes it sped by while other times it felt like it dragged on, agonizingly slow. At least he could sleep through it.

One snapped back to reality when Beatrice stood over him, reaching a hand out to him to help him up off the floor. She gave him a look that screamed ‘better luck next time!’ But mockingly, no matter if she was trying to be genuine. That was what he saw.

Instead of taking her hand, One smacked it away and walked away all the way to his room. He knew the orderlies were following him to make sure he really was going. There was no point in escaping right then.

Beatrice held her hand carefully, frowning at his response. She thought they were making progress. Dr. Brenner appeared behind her, causing her to jump.

“He’s just jealous,”

“Jealous?” She turned her head at him.

Dr. Brenner nodded. “Jealous that you’re clearly stronger than him, better than him like you need to be.”

Beatrice bit her lip, unsure how she felt about it. She didn’t feel better than him, but the doctor wouldn’t lie to her. She knew he was her friend. He had even told her on occasion that she could call him ‘Papa’ if she felt like it. Though so far she hadn’t.

“Okay,” the girl murmured quietly, barely above a whisper.

He led her out of the training room to her reward. All the while, she thought about One and if he really didn’t like her anymore. She frowned slightly. Winning was supposed to feel good, so why did she feel bad?

Beatrice sat all alone in the rainbow room, drawing and coloring on some blank pieces of paper. As she started to draw her parents, she could feel a lump in her throat. She tried to ignore it, remembering that Dr. Brenner told her that crying should be saved for things that mattered.

He had implied this wasn’t one of them.

After she calmed down somewhat, she started drawing on a new page. It was more people. She began to write their names above their heads.

“Maybe he’ll feel better if I show him this.” She thought.

The finished drawing was stick figures of her, Dr. Brenner, and One. This could be her way of making him feel better. She quickly stuffed the drawings into her cubby in the rainbow room, hoping no one would find them, especially the one of her parents. --- Henry laid down on his cot, trying to fall asleep. He sighed when he realized it wasn’t going to happen as soon as he wanted. It didn’t help that his body ached from practice and a bit of punishment for the fit he threw earlier.

“This is all her fault!“ He thought. At least thought at first. He knew it was more complicated than that.

She was a little kid compared to him. He still couldn’t believe that a ten-year-old beat him, and he was almost thirteen. But he knew she was more naïve than him.

At one point, he couldn’t stand how stupid she was, but he knew it was because of Papa. He was clearly manipulating her, and she was too blind to see it. That was his specialty.

One grabbed the pillow that was under his head and held it lightly on top of his face, wanting to scream into it but deciding not to. The boy put it back in its original spot.

If she could only wake up and see what was going on. Maybe then could he escape and she’d follow. He had to admit he was envious of her ability to teleport. Although he did wonder if Papa was working on something that affected it from working.

He wouldn’t be surprised if he was. One turned on his side and waited for sleep to arrive. Maybe one day he could sleep in a real room again, in a real bed. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the outside world.

The next time Beatrice saw One, it was in the painfully familiar rainbow room. She was slowly starting to grow bored with the same rainbow-themed walls, even asking Dr. Brenner if they could go outside. She was given a no, and the explanation was it was simply too dangerous. The girl felt confused but didn’t think it was worth arguing over. She had been given a few verbal warnings not to talk back. She was only asking questions. What was so wrong about that?

With some subtle (yet not-so-subtle pressure on One), he forced out a small apology to Beatrice for the way he’d behaved before. The girl accepted his apology and smiled.

“At least it’s convincing.“ He thought.

Before he could move on, however, she presented him with a gift, the drawing from earlier. It felt strange sharing something in common with her. He remembered all his old drawings and wondered what happened to them, if they were even still back at that place. His drawing skills were better than hers, but he could see that if she had the freedom, she could’ve easily improved.

One simply stared at it before noticing out of the corner of his eye that Dr. Brenner was watching them. He clenched his teeth. It was like there were eyes on him constantly; waiting for him to mess up somehow and punish him.

He said thank you and accepted the drawing; thinking about how he’d need to keep it in his room and not get rid of it in case Papa would know it was missing. He did do room checks himself occasionally. --- “Again.” Dr. Brenner commanded.

Beatrice had been training for hours on a specific test. Although it was a rather difficult one, and she’d been failing at it to the point of losing count.

She took a ragged breath and closed her eyes, attempting the test again, to no avail.

“Try again, Beatrice.”

She tried straining her powers but was exhausted. Her vision spun for a second and she collapsed on the ground, panting and feeling the ache in her body. Blood stained the lower half of her face. The constant nosebleeds made her head hurt.

“I… I can’t… please… no more…” She wheezed.

Brenner sighed before calling two orderlies into the room.

Her eyes widened, and she began to panic but was too exhausted to move. The orderlies picked her up by her arms and jerked her around. Beatrice started to yell.

“No! No! Let me go! Noooo!” Beatrice wailed. She tried to fight them but was no match for their strength. She would’ve teleported if she had the energy, but was drained.

They carried her down a white hall. Her heart beat faster as soon as she realized they weren’t taking her to her room. They were taking her somewhere else.

“Doctor! Please! No! No!” She screamed as they threw her into a hole of a room.

The door was closed before she could run out, and it was dark. She tried to focus whatever remaining strength she had on teleporting but felt some sort of strange block.

She heard Brenner’s voice overhead coming from a speaker.

“Your powers don’t work in this room. This is for your own good, Beatrice.”

“Let me out.” She cried.

Silence.

“Let me out! Let me out!” She screamed as she hit the door.

The girl eventually gave up and collapsed to the padded floor. She sobbed and curled up.

One had heard her screams, not exactly surprised. Though he noted it was the first hearing it from her. He had wondered just how long she would’ve gone before the harsh punishments started. It had been more fuel to rebellion at least. Maybe he could finally convince her; once she was out of the punishment.

“Please, Papa, let me out…” Her cries were hoarse. The name felt foreign in her mouth, but she was desperate to be released.

To her surprise, the door slowly creaked open, allowing the light to seep in. She looked up to see the doctor standing there. He walked inside.

“I’m disappointed in you, Beatrice. You need to try harder. Don’t give in as easily. Do you understand?”

“But, I—”

“Do you understand?” He repeated.

She swallowed. “Yes, I’m sorry.”

Brenner crouched down on one knee and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I am sorry if you were hurt, but I’m doing this for you. This is tough love. It means I care.”

When she didn’t meet his gaze, and instead looked away, he placed his hand on her cheek.

“Please, understand. I want you to improve. To be the best you can be. You understand, yes?”

After some silence, she nodded slowly.

“If you follow me, I’ll let you get a snack. You must be hungry. I’ll let you choose whatever we have available.”

Beatrice tried to ignore the pain in her stomach but couldn’t anymore. She took his hand, and he led her out of there. She wasn’t sure how to feel. Even though she was getting feelings of doubt about him, she still decided to trust him. He knew what he was doing. He wouldn’t do anything he didn’t think was right. --- It was finally time. The halls were dark, and Henry was supposed to be in bed, sleeping. But instead, he snuck around in the lab; he’d managed to snag some keys off one of the orderlies without them noticing. Now if he could just find Beatrice and get them both out of there. She was the key to freedom. For once, Henry felt happy.

He avoided light and found Beatrice’s room, unlocking her door with the key. Henry snuck in and quietly pushed it closed, leaving only a creak open.

“Beatrice, wake up.” He nudged her shoulder.

She woke and gasped, not expecting to see him there. They’d never been in each other’s rooms before.

“One? What are you doing here? It’s nighttime. You’re supposed to be in bed!”

He shushed her, worried she’d alert someone. “We’re getting out of here, and I need your help.”

“What are you talking about? Going where?” She sat up.

Henry sighed. “I mean, we’re escaping. Running away.”

Beatrice frowned. “But why? This is where we live now.”

“No. This place is not where I live. It’s where I’m trapped. Where you’re trapped.”

“But I like it here… Papa is nice. He keeps us safe.” She insisted.

Henry felt the urge to roll his eyes but didn’t. “No, he doesn’t. He hurts us. Experiments on us. Don’t you miss the outside world? Think about it.”

“You’re wrong.” She furrowed her brows. “He keeps us safe from the outside world. Besides, I have nothing to go back to… my family is gone. Papa is protecting me from the people that killed my family!”

“Papa is not the man you think he is. Don’t you ever think it’s strange what happened to your family? How Papa found you?” He argued.

Once she connected the dots, she scowled at him. “How dare you accuse him of that! He saved me. The only way to stay safe is with him. He cares about me…”

Henry grabbed her hands. “Then why do you have bruises? He hurt you. He hurts us both. It’s not right. Now come on, we have to go.”

Beatrice yanked her hands free and rubbed them. “He… he says it’s tough love. He just wants what’s best for me.”

“That’s a lie and you know it. Now, come on, we’re running out of time.” He urged. “I need you to teleport us out of here.”

“No, I’m staying here!” She hissed.

Running out of patience, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed; walking towards the door. “We need to leave!”

Henry led her out into the hallway. “Teleport us outside!”

“No! Go back to your room, or I’ll yell!” She exclaimed.

“Please, Beatrice. This is important! We’ll never get out of here if we don’t leave now.” He begged.

“Even if we left, where would we go? What would we do? We’re kids, One. No one listens to kids.” She protested.

“We’ll… we’ll figure it out, but we have to try something. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in this cage!” He wouldn’t let go.

“It’ll get better once we’re older. Then we’ll get to leave!” Beatrice said.

“No, we won’t. It’ll always be the same.”

Beatrice shouted for help. Henry tried covering her mouth to silence her yelling, but they’d already been found. Orderlies quickly ran down the hall. Desperate enough, Henry ran away.

His heart pounded as he ran, so close to escaping. He came to a halt when another orderly appeared around the corner and shocked him; collapsing him to the ground.

Beatrice’s eyes widened, but she remained silent; watching in horror as he thrashed on the ground. She explained what happened, to the orderlies, and they started to send her back to her room; reassuring her everything would be okay.

As she walked, she watched as the orderlies dragged One as he shouted. She felt a chill seeing him so beat up. He shouted at her, saying it was all her fault and that they were so close before she ruined it.

She closed the door to her room, hearing it click behind her. The girl slowly walked to her bed and sat down. She stared off into space for a bit, still shaken up by what happened. She looked down at her bruised hands and tried to ignore the tears she felt rising.

Beatrice took a breath and got into bed. Once she went to sleep, everything would be okay. Everything would go back to normal. --- Oftentimes, Dr. Brenner insisted on spending one-on-one time bonding with the kids. Said it would be beneficial for them. While Henry loathed it, Beatrice looked forward to spending time with him. He allowed Beatrice to still have her long brown hair and would brush it for her occasionally.

“Papa? What will happen when I get older?” She asked.

Brenner worked the brush through a few tangles. “Well, when you become an adult, I will give you a job. The lab will become less lonely, there will be more like you, and you’ll help look after them.”

She thought over his words. “And One will too?”

Ever since the failed escape attempt, Beatrice and One rarely talked to each other; only interacting if told to by the adults in charge. After some thinking, she did try to apologize to One, realizing he was just upset and acted out for a while; he just needed time to calm down. But he didn’t accept her apology and tried not to acknowledge her most of the time.

“Yes, you and One will be orderlies when you’re adults. It will be good for you both,” Brenner answered.

“But I’ll still have time to practice, right?”

“By that time, you won’t need practice. Your powers will have reached their full potential.”

Beatrice muttered an ‘oh’ and quieted down. Brenner noticed and reassured her, telling her if she still wanted to practice by that time, she could. The girl smiled.

“And probably at that point, I’ll be so strong. Papa will be so impressed and won’t have to teach me anything; no lesson or discipline.” She thought.

Though that was still a while away, she could wait. She had learned plenty of patience. --- 1976.

The lab had gone from quiet and lonely to full of children. Children that Beatrice had grown fond of. She saw herself reflected in them and they made her feel less alone when they all had powers. Though Brenner had told her to keep her powers a secret, and she had learned not to ask; knowing she wouldn’t get the answer she was looking for.

To the kids, she was simply Miss Beatrice, one of the nicest orderlies. She would sit at their tables with them, putting together puzzles or commenting on their drawings. Even though Dr. Brenner had cautioned her about growing attached to the children, she couldn’t help it. Especially the younger ones. Brenner hadn’t told her how most of the children had gotten there, only saying they needed a home. But she was once that kid and knew it was important to settle into the lab as a new home.

Besides her being one of the nicest orderlies, Peter Ballard, at least, seemed to tolerate the children. One was renamed Peter. Brenner had told Beatrice not to bring up his old name with the children, and she agreed.

One, now Peter, definitely had a favorite kid, Eleven. Even Beatrice noticed this. She would watch how kind he would be around her. It wasn’t that she didn’t approve, but it wasn’t like him; at least compared to when he was younger.

“Maybe he’s changed, grown up, and matured now.” She thought.

One day while they were watching the kids, Beatrice decided to talk to him; which was a rarity.

“I was just thinking about how interesting it is that subject Eleven seems to really like you.” She spoke in a hushed tone, not exactly needing anyone else to hear their conversation.

“She gets along with almost everyone. It’s not that she favors me.” He responded, mainly because he’d get in trouble if he didn’t.

Though, of course, she favored him. He hoped after all this time spending time with her, she would. If Beatrice noticed, he supposed it worked, but he had to be careful. One slip up and he could lose her again.

It had pained him that she’d been lost to him when she was only an infant. Now that she was older, and he’d grown more attached, he wasn’t sure what he’d do if Brenner took her away from him yet again.

Beatrice nodded and glanced away for a second. “She acts like you.”

“How so?”

“I just meant she’s quiet, is all. Doesn’t interact with the other kids as much.”

Peter remained silent, wishing he could walk away from the conversation.

“I do think it’s interesting how similar you look.” She remarked.

“I don’t believe so,” Peter lied, ending the talk there.

Beatrice held back a sigh and continued to her work.

Now he had to be especially careful, with both Brenner and Beatrice watching closely. He wondered if she was the doctor’s spy. Might as well have been, considering how much she obeyed him. ---

September 8, 1979.

The day had started out as usual. Plenty of orderlies and scientists were doing their jobs, guarding and testing. Beatrice was no exception. She was finishing up helping with a quiz and one of the children.

After she sent them back to the rainbow room, she was walking down the hallway, finishing the job by taking the quiz results papers to a higher-up.

After a walk, Beatrice froze in her tracks, hearing sirens going off. She looked around, trying to remain calm but feeling her heart beat fast. What was happening?

Not knowing what to do, she quickened her pace and tried to find out what was happening. Papa, or Dr. Brenner, as she had been told to call him again, would know what was wrong.

She started calling out to him and immediately found him in the halls. He grabbed her arm, ushering her somewhere.

“What is going on? Why are there sirens going off? Sir?” She asked frantically.

“I don’t know for sure, but there’s some sort of threat. We need to get you somewhere safe.” He replied as they hurried down a hall.

“A threat? I don’t understand…”

Brenner took her to a room and pushed her in, closing the door and locking it before she could fight back. She ran to the door and pounded on it, shouting for him to stay with her.

She tried to use her teleportation abilities and found she couldn’t. Another room blocked that power. She continued to protest and looked out of the glass window. The room was soundproof, blocking her shouting from reaching the outside.

While she couldn’t be heard, she could hear everything. The alarms were still going off. She heard screams and felt fear in the pit of her stomach. Why would Papa leave her by herself? Was he safe?

She ducked down from the window as she heard the screams getting closer. She crouched down, only peeking her head up enough to see Dr. Brenner facing Peter Ballard and subject Eleven.

Beatrice’s blood ran cold, seeing Peter’s usually white uniform stained with splatters of crimson. Surely it wasn’t what she thought… Peter fought back, yes, but to go this far? And to involve a child? How could this be?

Her knuckles went white as she gripped the window’s edge. She watched the three of them talk, mostly Dr. Brenner trying to stop all of this, though it was hard to listen when she could mostly hear her heartbeat in her ears.

Beatrice’s eyes widened, and she gasped when Peter began lifting Brenner into a chokehold using his powers. Tears welled up in her eyes the longer she watched.

She shrieked and began to wail as she saw him violently murder Brenner. Not able to take more, Beatrice ducked down from the window; out of sight from Peter and Eleven. She shut her eyes and her body was shaking all over as she heard what was happening.

After she heard the two leave, Beatrice slowly stood back up and her face turned pale at what she saw. Dr. Brenner, the man who had saved her, looked after her for all these years, the one she had learned to call her Papa, was dead. His body was absolutely mutilated.

Beatrice screamed and pounded on the window with her hands. She called his name despite knowing he’d never respond ever again. She sobbed and leaned her head against the glass.

Though the room prevented her from teleporting out, she might as well try her other powers. Though her system was in shock, she managed to focus her powers enough to blast the door open.

She stumbled out; her legs were not quite as steady as they should’ve been. Her lungs began to hyperventilate the closer she got to the body. She placed a hand on the wall and she collapsed to her knees.

After her sobbing turned her voice hoarse, her sadness turned to anger. She saw red. Beatrice’s hands turned to fists. There would be justice. She had to promise that to Brenner. She wouldn’t let One get away with this.

Beatrice’s righteous anger was pushed into the background as reality struck her. What was she going to do without Papa? How many else had been killed? Were the children still alive?

She managed to collect herself somewhat, needing to know the current situation. Beatrice walked through the lab, seeing all the damage and carnage. She held back more tears, her eyes burned.

She found a few of Hawkin’s lab employees surprisingly alive, a few scientists and others that had managed to hide.

Beatrice found the children alive, a bit shaken up and injured, but alive. She cried tears of relief. She wasn’t the only one left. She wouldn’t be alone. They huddled around her, practically holding on to dear life. She tried to soothe them the best she could, given the circumstances.

“Miss Beatrice, where’s Eleven?” One of the younger children asked.

She went silent, deciding how to answer. She could barely think about Eleven and Peter without feeling her familiar anger.

“They’re gone.” She kept her tone as neutral as she could make it.

She would have to figure out how to proceed from this tragedy. She knew Dr. Brenner had always planned for her to take over once he was gone, though Beatrice had never expected this soon.

For now, she held onto the kids, or more accurately, they held onto her; keeping her there. Beatrice had made several promises that day. To protect the kids and get revenge.

She just had to be patient for the second one.

All in due time.

[bigbadripley]

Chapter 11 - Creep

Marc Spector/Steven Grant x Female!OC

Summary: Marc never expected to see his childhood friend Simone ever again. To Simone, Marc may as well have been dead. However, when Simone met Steven 15 years after Marc disappeared, she couldn’t help but notice how familiar he was.

18+ | 3kish Words | Third-person omniscient | Dark?fic/Angst | AU/AT |

Warnings: Heavy language, OC with religious trauma, childhood trauma, sexual trauma. Physical and emotional abuse of a minor, lots of angst, marijuana use, violence, brief sexual harassment 

A/N: I am quite nervous about this chapter. It’s the first that seems a little out of place, so please forgive that. There are periodic flashback chapters, this is one of them. I update warnings with each chapter. Only proceed if you can handle the themes included in the warnings. I wrote this entirely as a trauma dump.

Tagging for the loves: @ahookedheroespureheart​​

Minors DNI, DL;DR, if I miss a warning, please let me know.

Chapter list

"I don't care if it hurts I wanna have control I want a perfect body I want a perfect soul I want you to notice When I'm not around" -"Creep" by Radiohead

 A week had passed since Moni and Marc kissed, and they hadn't spoken the whole time. This wasn't the first time they'd been silent to each other, having had plenty of disagreements over their ten-plus-year friendship, but this was the longest time they'd ever gone without seeing each other in the halls at school. 

Marc had not been at school since their fight, and Moni chalked it up to him being out sick. When she made it to the following Monday without so much as a glimpse of her friend, she started to worry. 

However, Moni found the note that Marc shoved into Loser Jones the Tuesday after their fight. She was surprised to see it and was even more surprised by the subject matter of the note. 

I can't believe he wants to be my boyfriend. Holy shit. She thought to herself as her eyes danced over the words over and over again until she finally realized:

I fucked this up so bad! 

She spent every night that week reading the note before bed. Recanting it in her mind as if Marc was saying the words to her, wishing he would just walkie after school one day and ask her to meet so she could apologize, and they could start over, but as far as Marc, it was radio silence. 

Then she decided to do something about it. 

Moni wrote a reply to the note a couple of lines below the one Marc wrote for her, and when the following Monday came around, she planned to give it to him at school. When Marc was still a no-show, the plan changed to stopping by his house after homework to check on him.

The objective changed again when Moni's mother answered the door before she had the chance to leave.

"Señor Spector is here to talk to you, Mija!" Mamá yelled. Moni got up from the kitchen table, surprised by the turn of events but elated that Mr. Spector had stopped by. 

Moni stepped outside to speak to him, unattended by her mother. The man known as the rabbi around that area looked more exhausted than usual, but his eyes were still thoughtful. 

"Hi, Mr. Spector. I actually meant to come by later and see Marc. Has he been okay?" Moni greeted him with a smile. Mr. Spector's eyes changed from pleasant greeting to confusion then. 

"He didn't tell you?" He asked, sounding disappointed. Now it was Moni who was confused. 

"Tell me what?"

"He's gone, Moni. Just left a few days ago." The man replied, tired eyes now seeming to gloss over. 

Make no mistake, Moni heard what he said loud and clear, and she understood what it meant but didn't want to believe it. She was in complete denial almost instantly. 

"Gone? Where?" She asked, trying not to sound baffled and still holding a toothy smile. 

He's not gone, gone. He wouldn't leave without me.

"I don't know, hon. Marc said he was getting his GED and left. I figured he would have told you..." Mr. Spector trailed off as he successfully fought back the urge to cry. His eyes dipped to his shoes as he continued, "I'm sorry you had to find out this way." 

Disbelief flooded Moni's brain and turned her insides to mush as she processed what she heard. She stayed quiet for fear that if she opened her mouth, she would vomit on the spot. "I found these in his room. I know you both collected coins." Mr. Spector spoke back up, holding Marc's buffalo nickles for her to take. Moni took them and studied them momentarily, amazed that it came to this as she pictured his bedroom, then remembered their walkie-talkies. 

"Did you see his walkie in there?" She finally spoke up with a hopeful expression. She knew he would take it with him, and if he hadn't gone too far, he could come back. 

"I didn't, but I'll let you know if I come across it." Mr. Spector said. Moni silently hoped he wouldn't find it. 

After more chatter, Mr. Spector left, and Moni returned inside, filled with mixed feelings. She was sad and angry that Marc was gone and that he would ditch her, hopeful that he would come back and proud that he was able to leave. Moni truly felt that Marc deserved the world, and if he could find it: good for him. She was only disappointed that she wasn't there for it.

"Can't believe that ungrateful boy leaving his family like that!" Her mother said from the living room. Moni knew it was a bad idea, but she couldn't help the words from spewing through her teeth.

"You don't understand what Marc went through." She said. Her heart jumped as soon as she did, and she closed her hands into fists that caused crescent moon indentations in her palms from her fingernails. She braced herself for an earful. 

"What Marc went through?" Her mother spat. Moni listened to her footsteps on the hardwood floor grow closer as she spoke. "Your papá and I came to this country to give you a better opportunity! What about what we went through?" 

The moment Moni's mom came into view with her angry bloodshot eyes, Moni felt the rage build. 

Of course, she's making this about her and my stupid dad. 

"Right, tell me where papá is now?" Moni piped up, expressing her fury over being left behind the best way she could: fighting with her mom. The woman got closer to Moni's face and louder in her tone.

"He still loves you, Mija. So do I!" She shouted, pointing to her chest repeatedly, making the skin of her arm wiggle. She hadn't spoken to her father in nearly 5 years. Moni had heard enough and was shaking her head,

"That's why you want to send me away to his pervert brother?" Moni raised her voice, unable to hold it. 

Her mother raised her hand and slapped her with a loud register and a burning hot sting to her left cheek. It happened so quickly; the aftershock was the only thing that told Moni it had happened. It was the perfect example of slapping the taste out of someone's mouth, making her left ear ring. 

"Do not speak of your tío this way!" Mamá shouted, extending a pointer finger nearly an inch from Moni's nose. 

Every bit of power Moni felt a moment ago was gone, melted away like sugar in hot water. She finally spoke back up, words barely making it above a whisper. "Sorry, Mamá."

The remainder of Moni's day was spent in bed, crying quietly to herself as she read the note over and over again. 

 Moni kept to herself at school the following day, not used to Marc being absent for so long. Her lunches were spent by herself at a courtyard table where she picked at the slice of pepperoni-covered cardboard they tried to pass as pizza. 

It was a nice enough day to be outside; it was all she could do to escape the multitudes of prom posters spread from wall to wall in the cafeteria. She refused to go without Marc and even returned her ticket for a refund that morning.

"Oh look, it's Moni." She heard a nasally voice say from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was Danny Smith, so she stayed facing forward as he no doubt approached. 

Danny loved to pick on her, and as the old saying goes, if they're mean to you, they like you. Nobody could tell if Danny liked her or not because some days she was a stuck-up nun, and other days, she was a "boner garage" in his eyes, depending on how he felt. Moni and Marc despised his ass and were just as rude back if they needed to be.

"Don't call me that." She said, still not looking at the sandy-haired boy who was not sitting on the bench next to her, too close for her liking. She could smell his breath; he was so close. It reeked of cool ranch Doritos and made Moni nauseous. 

"My bad. The only person allowed to call you that was your boyfriend, Spector, right?" Danny teased, brushing shoulders with Moni to make it seem like playful banter. Moni knew Danny was more venomous than that. She kept her head down and hid behind her hair cascading into her face, deciding she didn't have the energy to deal with him. 

Danny made the mistake of assuming that because Marc wasn't around, he could get away with anything he wanted. His error was thinking Moni was the weak one of the pair. "Spector's not even here anymore, though, so who gets you now? Who gets to make Moni moan? Not that Spector ever did." The boy continued to blab. 

Moni felt her blood pressure rise with every word he spoke, and she feared she couldn't keep up her vow of silence much longer. Her fingernails dug into her palms like splinters as she held on by a thread. "I bet I could," Danny whispered, eyebrows flicking up in the corner of her eye as his disgusting hand found the small of her back. 

The thread snapped.

"You know what you could do?" Moni asked, turning her head to face him. Danny seemed to have hope in his eyes for a moment. His left eye was where Moni's focus was as she swung at him, fist connecting with his cheekbone and eyesocket with a powerful pop before Danny rag-dolled to the ground. "Leave me the fuck alone!" She shouted with a straining voice.

Her peers stared on. The courtyard that felt empty moments ago when this fucker was touching her was now suddenly loaded with students. Danny's friend Tommy Cornell rushed over and knelt by the wailing boy she laid out, looking at Moni like she was a monster.

Danny's cries alerted faculty to come out, and with them came Princal Sizemore. "Miss Fredrick! My office, now!" Sizemore boomed from the door to the building. Moni stood expressionless, with her tray in hand as she walked alongside Sizemore. 

 Moni was suspended for three days and a week of lunch detention upon returning. Sizemore didn't believe her side of the story, saying that she hit him and that the school's policy states that since she did that, instead of going to an adult, she would be punished. As predicted, Danny didn't own up to what he did or said to her. 

From the principal's office, Moni could see into the nurse's office window clear enough to glimpse Danny's busted and bruised eye. She didn't regret it, no matter how much the adults around her tried to guilt her.

The vein on the side of Moni's mother's forehead looked ready to burst when she had to leave work to get her daughter from school. The ride home was brutal, with her spitting Spanish expletives at Moni and Moni staying primarily silent for fear of being slapped. 

She was grounded until further notice, which meant school, home, and church would be the only locations for her to be. She would have to read her bible every night and pray for Danny's health before bed. These were the standards of a grounding in the Fredrick household. If she had any friends, those would be taken away also. 

Moni didn't expect to see a girl named Ericka at her front door the next day after school. She knew Ericka from the three classes they shared and from her living in the neighborhood and going to the same church as her. Moni always considered Ericka too cool for her, so they never spoke.

Ericka took the initiative of getting any notes or homework that Moni would miss during her suspension and bringing them to her so she would stay caught up. Moni was blown away by her kindness and how interesting the girl was. So much so that she took a leap of faith and invited her to hang out for a while. Despite her grounding, her mother was only okay with it due to their families being acquainted. 

It occurred to Moni that she hadn't had another girl over in several years, not since her friend Phoebe moved to Wyoming. It was awkward at first having Ericka in her room, but they got onto the topic of her posters and connected quickly. 

"I get why you punched Danny. He deserved it, but it sucks you got in trouble." Ericka said. Moni nodded,

"The suspension is looking like a vacation, truly. I don't wanna go to school because Marc was the only person who made the place bearable." 

"Speaking of Marc, can I ask you something?" The girl with the perfect box braids asked as she sat on the edge of Moni's bed. Moni stood by the foot of it, unsure if she should also sit. 

Moni assumed she knew where this was going and answered quickly. "He wasn't my boyfriend." She told. Ericka snickered at her response, 

"Not what I was gonna ask, but thanks for clarifying." She started, smoothing her hand over the blue comforter that covered Moni's bed to signal her to sit down. Moni did as such, and Ericka continued. "I was going to ask if you know where he is?" 

Moni wasn't surprised by her asking. It didn't take long for word to spread around Linclon of Marc's leaving and for the rumors to swirl over where he might have gone. 

"Nope. Not a clue." Moni answered honestly. If anyone else had asked, she would have told them it was none of their business where Marc went. With Ericka, she felt comfortable. 

"Really? I figured he woulda told you, being conjoined at the hip with you and all." Ericka responded, surprised. Moni shrugged,

"We had a fight, a long story I don't wanna talk about." 

"Respect," Ericka said, letting the subject go quickly and casually. The two girls were sitting side-by-side with Moni to Ericka's left. To Moni's surprise, Ericka brushed a strand of her dark hair out of the way of her face and behind her ear. 

The gesture was strangely intimate, something Moni had never had done to her by anyone but had read about it in plenty of books. It was typically a motion for a male character to show affection to a female. As odd as it was, Moni was comforted by it. "Well, once you're ungrounded, I know where to get some choice grass." Ericka finished, quieting her voice to avoid tipping off her mother in the other room. 

Moni smiled at this, not realizing Ericka was the type to do anything her parents would disapprove of. They both found this to be the start of a beautiful friendship. 

 Even with the prospect of a new companion fresh in her sight, Moni still sat in her room late that night with spent tears dried to her cheeks. The note was in her right hand, and her walkie was in her left. She was convinced it was her fault and kept repeating over and over:

I fucked this up so bad! I fucked this up so bad! 

The only thing she could think to do was see if Marc would answer. He had to answer. She ran her thumb over the side button that allowed her to speak and began, 

"Marc. Please tell me you can hear me. Please." She pleaded. She released the button for a moment and waited for a response. She usually got one quickly, but she was only met with silence. "God, why the fuck did you leave me? I want to hate you so goddamn bad, but I can't." She continued, grip tightening on the device. 

As more silence flooded their station, fresh tears rushed down the same trails the old ones took. "Fuck, Spector!" She croaked through a burning throat. She knew she sounded pathetic, but she didn't care. He clearly wasn't listening; if he was, he was ignoring her. She hated not knowing. Moni cleared her throat and spoke again, "I miss you. Please, tell me you took your walkie wherever you are." 

She thought she had heard enough white noise to know he wasn't there but imagined he was. She wanted to yell but didn't want to wake her mother. "Next time I see you, you're catching my fist to your jaw again, asshole." She cried, nearly breaking down halfway through the sentence. It felt like her heart was being squeezed and oozing like playdough through the fingers of the evil hand committing the act. She couldn't remember a time when she felt it was hard to breathe, but she was feeling it then. Even when she was alone, she had Spector. Now she didn't.

To her, this meant she was indeed, utterly, unmistakenly alone.

Moni spoke again, thumb still holding the button but not directing her words into the walkie. Instead, she stared at the note as her voice trembled, "I love you" repeatedly. 

Marc did take his walkie with him, but he didn't hear anything she said. The range reached thirty miles before the reception went dark; by then, he was far from Chicago. 

 In an unexpected twist, Ericka convinced Moni's mom to let her hang out outside the house regardless of the grounding, using her family's involvement with the church to their advantage. This meant Moni could take Ericka to the wood to try some of the "choice grass" she had mentioned.

Moni didn't take Ericka to her and Marc's spot but ventured further to a different area she knew of. The pair sat on a log and passed an expertly rolled joint between them. Given it was Moni's first time smoking, she coughed and spat a lot, and Ericka did her best to make fun of her as little as possible. 

Once they were both at giraffe heights, Ericka questioned Moni about her fight with Marc, and Moni explained what had happened. The tone differed from how she felt, trying to avoid telling her before. Now, Moni thought she could tell Ericka anything. 

It seemed Ericka felt the same way as they opened up to each other. By chance, Moni was the first person she ever came out as gay to, and she swore her to secrecy. 

"Who would I tell?" Moni asked with a laugh, implying that Ericka was her only friend now. This and Moni's easy acceptance made her feel good. Things got extra personal when they got onto the subject of their first kisses. 

"Tell me!" Ericka insisted. Moni took a deep breath and hid her face in her hands.

"Javi Espinoza, sixth grade." She admitted. Ericka responded by gagging and laughing so hard that she fell off the log. Once Moni was done cackling at witnessing this, she continued. "I know, but in my defense, it was before he started growing that weird pornstache." She said. 

Ericka picked herself off the ground and brushed the dirt from her jeans before rejoining Moni on the log. "You?" Moni asked as she dried her eyes with the back of her hand. Ericka shook her head, 

"It's far more embarrassing than Javi."  

"I showed you mine; you show me yours!" Moni argued, looking her friend straight in the face.  

"I haven't kissed anyone. I realized I liked girls when I was eight, and I've stayed far, far away from boys. Regarding girls, it's hard to tell if they like me like that." Ericka explained. 

Moni was surprised and couldn't find the words to respond as she watched the girl pull a pack of Marlboros from her leather bag. She observed as she put the yellow end of one of the cigarettes between her lips before thoughtfully handing one to Moni. It was right then that Moni realized she wanted to be of assistance. 

"I'll help, then," Moni said, eyeing Ericka as she lit her smoke with a zippo lighter. She took a deep drag, and on the exhale, she motioned for Moni to elaborate. Moni swore she had never known a girl so cool in her life. "I'll help you find a girl to kiss." She added. 

Ericka brought the zippo to Moni's cigarette and lit it for her, "You? Help me?" She asked, disbelieving that Moni could do such a thing. Moni took a minor hit from the cigarette and immediately started coughing like she did with the weed.

"Damn right." She croaked between wheezes. Ericka laughed and rolled her eyes, feeling Moni wouldn't be able to help her but appreciating the idea. 

The girls popped spearmint gum into their mouths, applied perfume, and dripped anti-red eye drops into their eyes before they hugged goodbye, and Ericka started heading home. Moni stayed behind for a while and noticed that Ericka had left her zippo and was too far ahead for her to tell her. 

Moni flicked the lighter, admired how the flame danced in her eyes and decided to go to the clearing where she would meet Marc. It was there she pulled the note out of her backpack. 

If it was possible to feel hate and love simultaneously, that was precisely how she felt when looking at the word "Moni" sloppily on the page. She hated the feeling. She wanted closure.

With the note in front of her, she flicked the zippo open and slowly brought the flame to the paper. In her mind, it would go up in flames quickly and disappear before she had a moment to change her mind. 

In reality, she couldn't do it. The closer the fire got to the page, the more her heart burned. The harder it got to breathe. She closed the lighter and put it in her pocket to return to Ericka the following day, and the note went back into her backpack. 

[stagnatedunicorn]

What a sclorbo..a traumatized blorbo

[mt-musings]

Bluebell

Chapter 8

After being abruptly transferred to the BAU at what she suspects was Gideon's request, Cassie Boann struggles to find her footing. Shy and solitary by nature, the transition is made all the more difficult when Dr. Spencer Reid seems to take an almost immediate dislike to her. Unfortunately for them both, their respective areas of expertise leave them paired off more often than not. But when Cassie's past literally starts hunting her, Spencer is forced to consider that he might, in fact, not hate her at all.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Spencer Reid x OC

Warnings: Canon typical violence, kidnapping, stalking, drug use, blood, injury, death, PTSD, eventual smut, more tags to be added

Series Masterlist

Read on AO3

8. Wilderness

Cassie waited at the trail marker, propped against an old oak that lined the path. Morgan was the first to arrive, Prentiss in tow.

She was pale, sweat beading on her forehead, her hair a mess of twigs and dried blood. She clutched something in her jacket, forearm tensed. She looked up at the sound of their footsteps, releasing her grip on whatever was under her jacket.

“Boann!” he called, breaking into a sprint to kneel next to her. “Spencer said you were hurt but we didn’t expect—”

“It’s not all my blood. I’m fine.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re not fine sweetheart, we need to get you to a medic.”

“Couple of bruises and a broken nose, I’ll live,” she said, pulling herself to her feet. She left the tree she’d used for support smeared with blood. “I think I know where he buried the other girls.”

“You figured out the graves that we found were secondary burial sites,” Emily said, gently brushing back the side of Cassie’s hair to reveal a thick gash that was still oozing blood.

“The process was prevalent in the Neolithic. In Anatolia sometimes skulls would be taken from one grave and reburied in another, while in the Levant the skulls were removed and covered with plaster to form new faces. It was actually one of the first examples of art—”

“Boann, you are swaying where you stand, I really think we should get you to a doctor.”

“I left the bastard barricaded in the cellar. I promised Kimi’s dad I wouldn’t let him get away. I have to be sure.”

“You—you left the unsub in the cellar?”

“I didn’t know what to do. I tried to knock him out but I—I might have killed him, I don’t know. I just had to get Gracie out. Before—” she broke off, looking away with murder in her eyes.

“It’s okay—“ Morgan said, putting his hands on her shoulders to try and ground her. “Gracie’s fine, Spencer’s got her down at the station, they’re waiting for a ride to the hospital.”

Cassie smiled, a broken sort of laugh bubbling up from her throat as a few stray tears slipped down her bloodied cheeks.

“She was so brave. She did so good.”

“I know she did. Now are you sure about this?”

She nodded.

“Well then, lead the way.”

Derek shot a side glance at Emily as Cassie set off into the woods, trying to silently convey his worry. Regardless of what she said, he knew she was in no shape to be tearing off through the woods, though there wasn’t a way out for them now that wasn’t at least a moderate hike.

She was covered in blood, the side of her face and the back of her neck soaked in red. There was a gash from her jaw down to her neck and her nose was shattered, pushed off-center by the force of impact. But it was the way she curled her arm around her stomach that worried him, that and the splash of blood down her thigh.

She dropped to her knees a few feet ahead of him and he darted forward, convinced she’d fainted. Instead she looked up, offering him a handful of fat berries.

“Should we really be eating strange fruit in the forest, sweetheart?” Derek asked, making to knock them out of her hand. She withdrew it too quickly though, jamming the handful in her pocket before stripping a few more handfuls off the bush.

“They’re huckleberries,” she said, standing and cramming a handful into her mouth, “And I’m really hungry.”

“We had huckleberry pie at the restaurant,” Emily said, watching Cassie continue to eat with interest.

“They’re like Montana’s state fruit. That and cherries.”

“You’re pretty good in the woods,” Emily said, watching as Cassie stopped, squinted at the trees and then started forward again. Derek spotted a fresh chunk of bark shorn off an oak up ahead.

“You marked the trees.”

“’Course I marked the trees. It’d be a fool thing not to.”

“Weren’t you worried about him following you with them?” Emily asked. Cassie shook her head.

“I marked them too infrequently for anyone to follow who didn’t know where they were going. Plus, I only marked the south sides and did so low on the trunks. He had a good four inches on me so it wouldn’t naturally register in his sightline.”

“Did you learn that working with Tactical?” Derek asked, intrigue getting the better of him.

“No. Just spent a lot of time in the woods growing up.”

Cassie went back to eating huckleberries from her pocket, ducking through the underbrush with practiced ease. Derek couldn’t help but wonder how he’d learned more about her in the hour they’d been hiking than in the months they’d worked together. He understood wanting to maintain privacy, though it seemed Cassie was better at keeping everyone at arm’s length. It was interesting to see her take charge, to see a confidence in her own abilities that she didn’t show in the BAU. She always seemed much more comfortable in a support role, either pouring through research and case photos with Reid or expertly hidden to provide cover when one of the others confronted an unsub. He could now see exactly why she made such an effective sniper.

She stopped at the base of a steep incline and doubled over, locking her arms behind her knees. Her breathing had turned shallow, labored. Emily crossed to her side, ducking down to get a look at her face. She’d somehow managed to lose what little color remained in her features, a sheen of sweat covering her skin.

“You alright Cassie? We can stop and rest for a bit, I know I’m getting tired,” Emily said, rubbing circles into her back. Cassie just shook her head.

“It’s right up that hill, you can see where I slipped down part of it,” she said, nodding at a deep groove in the earth, “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

“We’re not leaving you behind,” Derek said, shaking his head. “I will carry you up that hill if I have to.”

She looked up at Derek before she pulled away her hand from where she’d had it pressed to her stomach. It came away slick with red.

“Oh my god,” Emily said, unzipping Cassie’s jacket before she could stop her. The fraying yellow cloth Cassie had wound around her abdomen was soaked through, the hunting knife still jammed between the makeshift bandages.

She gave a weak laugh. “It’s mostly mine.”          

“Emily, take the knife, I’m getting her up this hill now.”

“It should go into evidence, I should’ve given it to you before, I just didn’t want to be unarmed. It’s his, I took it from him.”

Emily took the knife, staring at her with blatant concern.

“Shhh baby girl, it’s okay. We understand. I’m going to lift you in three, two—” he scooped her up and began climbing, trying not to think about the warmth of her blood seeping into his own jacket.

The cabin was only fifty feet from the tree line. There was a bloody handprint on the door where it had been slammed shut.

“I’m going to put you down now.”

Cassie nodded, looking back for Emily who was only a few steps behind.

“Can I hang onto the knife? Just until we’ve got him?”

Emily nodded, handing it to her. Derek turned to the pair of them.

“Emily and I are going to go in first, okay? Once we’ve cleared it the collar’s yours.”

Cassie nodded giving him the barest hint of a smile.

---

By the time Morgan had hauled him back upstairs Hotch and Gideon arrived with the local sheriff and a slew of reinforcements. Emily had found a rudimentary first aid kit and was doing her best to redress Cassie’s wounds with two rolls of gauze and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Cassie was swearing through gritted teeth.

“Fuck, I swear that’s worse than actually getting stabbed,” Cassie groaned as Emily dumped the contents of the bottle over her abdomen.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Prentiss said, a fondness creeping into her voice.

They both looked up to the sound of running footsteps. Hotch made it to the pair first, dropping to a knee as he called for a medic over his shoulder.

“You missed all the fun, Boss. Have you talked to Spencer?”

“He was on his way to the hospital with Gracie, I talked to him about forty minutes ago. What are you doing back here? Reid said you were hurt, you should have stayed put with him.”

“It was the fastest way.”

“It was reckless—”

“He buries them in the basement. It’s where he kills them—if you take soil samples you’ll find they match those taken at the graves. They’ll also be uncharacteristically high in iron. It turns plant leaves yellow.”

Cassie looked up to find Gideon standing above her, brows furrowed. She cracked a smile that failed to hide the deep sadness behind her eyes.

“Just like old times.”

Gideon shook his head, taking one of her hands in his. “No, it’s not.”

She grimaced leaning back only to be helped by Emily. She closed her eyes, a wave of exhaustion hitting her like an avalanche. She could hear the others talking but it was almost in abstract, their words foreign to her ears. She wanted nothing more in the moment to simply let oblivion take her, to let go of the torment that came with consciousness, the metallic edge of the memories threatening to send her into a panic.

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[graveyardpoppy]

Wait, do you guys know about Dr. Trails? I’m not sure if I talked about him before. 🤔

[flowerwrites06]

golden lotus I — kth

Plot: Refusing and underestimating a warning from Time can have its prices. One God pays the worst of it.  Pairing(s): God!Taehyung x Goddess!OC (Name: Angel)  Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+ Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series Word Count: 6.9k  Genre: Romance Fantasy | Gods & Goddesses  Tags & Warnings: sexual content, violence, jealousy, obsession (not from main couple), character death (temporary)  Authors Note: I was reading through some old headcanons I answered on this account and it made me really happy how much people enjoyed this series. I know I tried to make it such a point to have this as an original story but reading this back, I love the characters made from the original and reading those headcanon just...really warmed my heart I don’t know how to explain it. Hope you like this surprise if you enjoyed the series and I appreciate you all so much, thank you for the support! 

A great tragedy will befall your kingdom were not the words a ruler wanted to hear on a beautiful, calm morning in the throne room. Unfortunately that was the fate Taehyung had to deal with when he claimed rule over the Gods and world below them. Every week the God of Time, Tempus walked into the halls of the sky palace to tell him how the future looked and what he could do about it.

What could he do about it?

Nothing.

The trick was Tempus spewed all these predictions to the high status of Gods but never really told them exactly what to do when the time came. His knowledge simply was to be noted and they would wait for the inevitable.

However Taehyung personally liked one prediction he was given when his father was still on the throne. Flowers and the beauty of life will be granted in your arms one day. With her gentle companionship, you both will rule the kingdoms above, at the center and in the depths forever.

The Nature Mother sprouted a young goddess soon after the prediction occurred. When her naked body landed on the soils, there grew a beautiful field of golden bride blossoms. A sign of life, love and prosperity. Goddess of Creation.

Taehyung looked down at the gold band around his ring finger with a small smile gracing his lips.

The God of Time was accurate at times but this recent prediction seemed too far-fetched to be believable.

“What kind of great tragedy?” Taehyung humored Tempus for a few moments.

However the God was not pleased with the lack of seriousness in Taehyung’s expression. “If you trust those close to you far too blindly…darkness will fall upon your life and the fate of our kingdom.” Tempus announced, letting it echo in the deep brown walls of the palace back into the Great Protectors’ eardrums.

Taehyung flickered his eyes over to Jimin standing on the side of the throne room with a concerned expression on his face. “See, now you’ve worried my Inger.” He gestured towards the male. “Can you at least be specific? If the situation is truly dire then I can’t run on riddles.”

Tempus sighed, features hardening in exasperation. “I can only give you so much. Time is unpredictable even for a God.”

“Well then tell Time that I need a better explanation than that before I start interrogating the people I trust most.” Taehyung leaned forward on his throne. “It’s a very bold claim, Tempus. You must understand I can’t just act on it.” He tried to speak in a more reasonable tone for the God even though it didn’t look like he was convinced.

“Then tread carefully.” Tempus tightened his jaw. “That’s all I can say.” He turned on his heel, black feathered cloak trailing on the floor behind him as the Inger guards escorted him out of the throne room.

When the double doors thud close, Taehyung relaxed back against his throne with an exhausted sigh, rubbing his face to calm himself down.

“Don’t worry too much about him.” Jimin’s voice fluttered through the room, lightly breaking the tension as he walked up to the stairs closer to his throne. Wavy blue hair hovering over his left eye when he reached out to touch his shoulder. “He likes being dramatic sometimes.”

Taehyung sighed. “He’s always dramatic. But he’s also always right.”

“Not always.” He shook his head.

“How do you mean?”

“His predictions can be inaccurate. He predicted that you would rule the kingdoms above, at the center and in the depths. But Namjoon rules the depths.” Jimin smiled, squeezing his shoulder gently to provide more comfort. He hated it when people stressed his King out far too much, the way his lips curled downwards and his features hardened. “He said your father was going to die from your hand but he ended up jumping into the Underworld’s fire out of his own madness.”

“He really was fucking mad, wasn’t he?” Taehyung scoffed. Memories flooded of how he had to hide Angel from his fathers’ wandering ambitions for a year until he gained the satisfaction to see him burning in the Underworld. Even Gods cannot escape Death. He still remembered Namjoon’s eerie words haunting him a little to this day.

Jimin smiled in response, glancing around the throne room before looking back at him again. “I think we’re done with the meetings. Go rest, I’ll tidy everything up here for you.”

Taehyung couldn’t help but feel his body loosening into relaxation hearing his words. It felt nice to be able to relinquish himself for a moment and let someone else take care of things. There were moments at the back of his mind where he wished that moment could last longer to the point where he never had to enter this throne room again. But he knew his replacements were not exactly good for the world. Enslavement, blind devotion and some even suggested mass destruction to rebuild a more ‘perfect’ world. It was too risky. The second he flails his power away to someone else, he signs a death wish for all of humanity.

“Thank you, Jimin.” He sat up from the throne patting Jimin’s shoulder gently before making his way out of the throne room. His mind set on only one location.

-

“Tonitrua wept as he held his love, Niji in his arms. Stilled by the call of the Underworld Nymphs. He watched them carry her soul away…saw the tears rolling down her cheeks as she smiled. Then she vanished. Leaving the God holding a lifeless shell that used to be the woman he promised to marry.” Angel left a small silence with that solemn note watching the Ingar children with her bright eyes widened and jaw dropped. Eventually a smile tugged at her lips as she reached to brush one of the Ingars’ fringe so it wouldn’t tickle their eyes.

“The heavens cries rained down on the earth.” She waved her hand and a grey cloud formed over the children, lightning striking with rain rushing down. However the water only lightly sprinkled on them earning tiny, adorable laughter to spread through the group. “Tonitrua beat on his drum as loud as he could muster and it rippled across the skies.” At Angels’ words, a distant thud echoed in the makeshift storm she created, trying not to make it too loud for their sensitive ears. “He beat the drum all night long praying his love could hear him. The world could hear his grief and pray for his mercy not to shatter the skies.”

“Ton-tua is thunder!” One of the female Ingars squeaked causing Angel giggled.

“Tonitrua…and yes, he became the brewer of thunder.” The storm over the Ingar’s head now faded back into the beautiful day light of the palace gardens. “As the Titans ceased their grieving, the Nature Mother blessed the earth by kissing the Sun God Solis’ forehead. Together they formed colours…the very colours that manifest all the hues of our world.” With another wave of her hand, a burst of bright colours reflected around them, rainbow shining on their young skin.

Angel giggled seeing one of the infant Ingar’s screeching in excitement at the rainbow reflection on the mat they were sitting on.

“What happened to Tonitrua’s love?” Another older Ingar inquired.

“She would always follow him wherever he went.” Angel grinned. “Niji means rainbow.”

A series of light gasps and smiles spread across the group causing a warmth in her heart.

“Alright, children, let the Queen rest now.” One of the Ingar caretakers announced to the whole group guiding all the little children back to their homes while the infants were gently carried out.

Angel waved at the toddlers saying bye to her before removing the rainbow reflections. She rested back against the peach blossom tree bark with a sigh, letting the subtle sweet scent grace her nostrils and calm her body.

“Do I get a story too?”

The familiar deep, chocolate voice coaxed a smile to stretch across her pink tinted lips. Angel felt his soft fingers brush against her cheek when she looked up to find Taehyung looking down at her. She held onto his hand and placed a gentle kiss on his skin before he moved to sit down in front of her.

Taehyung sighed in relaxation being able to admire his wife’s face rather than any more complaining Gods who had far too much time on their hands.

“Maybe later. My throat aches.” Angel murmured. “You look tired.”

“Happens when you need to listen to every whiny complaint from people with powers beyond humans.” He shifted so his head could rest on her lap. Warmth seeped through his veins capturing her scent and filling his lungs with the ultimate comfort. It almost felt selfish how good he felt with her presence. Almost as if he didn’t deserve being so close to her.

Angel raked her fingers through his raven locks, caressing small circles on his forehead to soothe his exhaustion. “It’s lovely that you listen to them though.” She brought her other hand to trail down his nose to his lips.

Taehyung placed her fingers in between his twin flesh smirking at how she giggled. “I only listen because someone convinced me to be more attentive.”

“Well it worked, didn’t it?” She tapped his lips three times. “You’re the most loved Ruler of the Gods we know.”

“It was only possible with the most beautiful Goddess by my side.” Taehyung held her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. He lifted up again, placing his arm on each side of her body while she was pinned to the tree and took her lips against his own. A low hum emitted in his throat as one of his hands began sneaking up her long light pink dress.

“Ah, don’t.” Angel giggled into the kiss, lightly pushing his hand away despite the tingles that shot through her body when his warm fingers touched her skin.

“Come on, just a quick one.” Taehyung breathed out, sneaking his tongue between her teeth.

“Tae—” She chuckled pressing a hand against his chest. “There’s people here.”

The God managed to whine a little as he moved to nudge his nose on her jawline, taking in more of her scent so he could never forget. “Our bedroom then…” Taehyung cupped her cheek, gaze darkening as he forced himself not to pounce on her right there and then. “No one needs us right now.”

Angel bit down her bottom lip feeling a light tingle pooling between her legs. “We should be quick.” She whispered. “Before someone sees us.”

-

The absolute best parts of his day and night. Taehyung would give up all his nights’ sleep just to be perched between Angel’s legs, her warm sodden walls hugging his stiff length as he moved in and out of her. Palms pressed against the back of her thighs, so deliciously thick that his whole hand couldn’t reach the width.

Long auburn hair matted to her temples, the flowers in her hair still stuck to her strands as they splayed out on the pillow. Smudged pink lips parting to spew the most beautiful moans as Taehyung stretched her out, thrusting in so deep his tip hit the soft walls of her cervix. Glazed eyes fixated on his as a smile graced her features.

Taehyung hooked her thighs over his arm, increasing his pace with a grunt in his throat. Her walls fluttered at the constant impact, the sound of skin slapping echoing across the grand chambers mixing in with Angel’s shaky moans.

“I-I love you..” She whispered, watching him through hooded lids.

His body loosened and tingled at her words. Taehyung let go of her thighs, leaning in closer as his elbows rested on each side of her body, hips grinding against her. He gripped at her soft hair, sweat glazed forehead against hers. “I love you too…” He breathed out.

The coil tightening in her lower belly reached uncontrollable heights giving him a tender kiss. Heat burst through her body erupting a choked cry of pleasure from her as she wrapped her legs around his waist tightly. Arms hooked under his shoulders as the shots of pleasure overwhelmed her trembling body.

“That’s it.” Taehyung whispered in her ear, feeling a tightness in his own belly as her walls clenched and pulsed around his member. “My sweetheart.” He pulled out of Angel almost completely before thrusting back into her until every inch disappeared inside her heat. “My precious.” The tightness sprung as he spilled inside his love, hips stilling and a light moan under his breath.

Angel hummed in delight feeling his warm release spilling deep inside her. She lazily smiled down as her heat swallowed him in further as her hand moved to caress her fullness. “Feel better?”

Taehyung chuckled breathlessly, kissing her hungrily. “So much better.” Pulling out of her carefully, he dropped next to her with his chest still rising and falling.

Once the couple calmed their relentless heaving, Angel turned to Taehyung with a question playing on her mind. “I noticed Tempus was on the list of your advising. What did he want to talk about?” She brought the wet cloth from the night stand cleaned off the excess between her legs gently, tiny flowers falling down from her curls.

The God replied with a scoff mindlessly playing with her hair. “What he always wants to talk about. Today he said something about a great darkness befalling our kingdom.”

Angel blinked slowly looking over her shoulder. She moved to face him now cleaning him off carefully before placing it back on the night stand. “He’s never said that before.”

“He’s said a lot of things.”

“Did he specify anything?” Angel propped herself on her elbow while her fingers traced his left breast.

Taehyung shrugged nonchalantly avoiding her gaze knowing he would find concern in them anyway. “Something about not trusting people too blindly.”

“It’s not a far fetched prophecy.”

“It’s incredibly vague, I can’t act on it.”

“But—” She stammered. “I don’t think you should ignore it either.”

“Worse comes to worse, Jungkook probably wants to overthrow me.” Taehyung gave a mocking scoff to the thought. God of Indulgence always loved spewing the idea of claiming the throne and ruling the worlds better than he or his father ever could. “There’s always going to be enemies and darkness trying to taunt our kingdom. I can’t get paranoid.”

“You also can’t be far too loose either.”

“I am not loose. I just think it’s silly to act on vague prophecies.”

“Tempus’ prophecies have always come true, Taehyung.”

“And what good has happened when I listened to those prophecies, hm?” It was an impulsive choice of words. Taehyung knew there was one prediction that brought so much good in this world, in his world. Though his words had already reached her ears and seeped into her mind before he could catch them back.

“I suppose not.” Angel rested back against the pillow ignoring the light squeeze in her chest. “But they do come true.” She sighed.

“It’s my decision to make whether I will demonize the ones I trust most.” Taehyung gulped down. “My decision alone.”

Angel smiled faintly before nodding. “Of course.”

Taehyung tried to take a breath to say something else. To reassure her that Tempus was right about one thing. But somehow it felt the moment passed and his tongue clipped hoping it wouldn’t cause a bigger problem between them. So he turned on his side, back facing the woman as he felt a tightness in the middle of his ribcages.

Biting down her bottom lip watching him face away from her, she leaned in and kissed his glistening shoulder causing Taehyung’s heart to drop. Angel turned on her side leaving the room in a slightly tense silence mixing in with their previous act of intimacy.

-

A gloomy, grey afternoon set upon the center world as Taehyung walked to the throne room for his usual routine of listening to troubles that were far too miniscule for him to take seriously. Except one still lingered on his mind. Eyes wandered across the halls of the palace just in front of the throne room and he stopped at one figure.

The couple had not properly spoken about yesterday but it seemed the tension had passed by morning. He saw Angel look over her shoulder and catch his gaze. His heart fluttered seeing a smile directed his way which he returned. Perhaps a silent way to reassure one another that all was well even though he could feel Tonitrua’s drum beating under his feet.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Jungkook’s enamored voice broke through his thoughts.

“Watch it.” He seethed.

“Fuck you.” The younger male walked past him to enter the throne room first.

Taehyung sighed sadly seeing Angel walk away with the Goddess of Souls, Belle following her into the palace gardens. He moved into the dark throne room then as the guards closed it behind him. “What’re you doing here anyway?”

Jungkook had raven hair just like him, shorter just under his brow and parted. His eyes shone a shade of amber and hazel mixed together that Taehyung could never decipher nor bother to ask. He always had a permanent smirk on his face like he was ready to kill or have sex with anyone in sight. “Thought I might accompany you with the advising. Jimin said he was sick so he asked me.”

“The man who wants to enslave humankind does a favor for an Ingar.” Taehyung scoffed making his way to his throne. “Is Namjoon playing illusions on me?”

“Jimin is nice. Who knows if I keep doing favors he might just swear loyalty to me one day?” There was that smirk again. The one Jungkook showed whenever he could tell he stroke a nerve with Taehyung.

“I should’ve let Seokjin drown you.”

“Your brother couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Not a fly, no.” Taehyung shook his head, relaxing on the throne with a light sigh. “You? Probably.”

Jungkook chuckled walking up the stairs to stand by his side. “Your brothers love me. Possibly more than they love you.”

“Namjoon dotes on you but the minute I tell him you were flirting with Minnie, you’re done for.”

“Aw, look at you keeping secrets for me.”

“It’s not for you, dumbass. Angel told me to keep it a secret so Namjoon won’t kill you.”

“Thank Mother for Angel then.”

Taehyung felt anger seep through his veins hearing how he spewed those words. Of course Jungkook couldn’t help it. It was in his nature to sound like he was constantly satisfied or satisfying someone. That didn’t mean Taehyung could control his annoyance whenever he spoke her name. “Let’s get this over with.”

As usual an eternity passed hearing all the troubles. Except the God of Envy was going to be punished for trying to threaten a Water Nymph for rejecting him which Taehyung found immense pleasure in. The one good thing about having Jungkook here was his harsh jabs at anyone who were whining far too much for their own credibility. Something Taehyung couldn’t do without someone trying to claim his throne.

Tonitrua’s kept beating his drum harder and harder almost making the ground shake underneath them. Rain beating down the earth, winds screaming for dear life as even the heavens felt a chill through its core.

“Didn’t know a storm was happening.” Jungkook murmured.

He tapped the arm of the chair, the slight tinge of confusion at the back of his mind. They would always warn us of a storm. “Maybe the Titans are in a mood.”

Before they could think on it further, the double doors on the side opened with a deafening thud causing both Gods to jump a little.

Taehyung tried to face the intrusion with an angry expression before his face quickly softened seeing Belle. Her cheeks stained in tears and usually bright features contorted into one of immense pain. His stomach dropped seeing the patches of red on her white dress. “What—”

“A-Angel—” Belle sobbed, gesturing with her trembling finger to the side.

Something cracked inside his chest hearing the name utter from her lips. All the thoughts in his mind emptied to a blank slate except for that one face. The one face that always made him happy when he looked at her. Taehyung pushed off his throne almost making it stumble back while Jungkook was already sprinting towards Belle as they rushed to the palace gardens. Dread filling his gut as he questioned where the blood was from.

The garden was empty for the first time. Not its usual bright state. No rainbows or children laughing, even the trees branches didn’t face upwards while the leaves kept falling like the rain in the center world. Taehyungs’ heart raced against his ribcages watching Belle run towards the tree. Her favourite peach blossom tree now almost emptied with its flowers. All of them withered on the ground.

Jungkook walked in front of him, pausing in his tracks as they reached the tree before meeting his gaze. Not a single smirk in sight. Hazel eyes turned deep and murky as he tried to hide the view from him while Belle quietly sobbed behind him. “Tae, don’t.”

Taehyung tightened his jaw. “I need to see.”

“No—” He lightly groaned as the God slammed his shoulder against his to push past him.

He wished. He wished so badly to have Jungkook blocking his view again. The cracking in his chest now completely shattered as he saw her beautiful baby blue dress ripped with deep cuts, blood staining the colour to a horrid dirty violet. Bruises on her down her arm, the golden band around her ring finger stained with a reddish tinge. And her face. If he could ignore the purpling marks on her cheek and the cut on her lip, it could almost look like she was sleeping soundly. Even the flowers in her hair lost all its’ colour and vibrance, withered and lifeless.

Knees losing all its power, Taehyung dropped on the ground next to her shrugging off his cloak and draping over her body. Tears burned at his eyes, his body losing all of its usual composure. All he could do was brush away the hair on her face with his trembling fingers and cup her cooling cheek. Gently he sniffled, lifting her up a little so he could rest on his lap. Just like he rested on hers only a day ago.

How could something end so quickly? In a flick of a finger, his whole world could come crashing down before it lays still on his weak arms.

A quick gust of wind passed through the group and dread filled him to the brim.

“Brother…” Namjoon’s deep voice echoed through the darkening garden. Footsteps crunched against the dried leaves and withered flowers until he stood next to Taehyung, gripping the love of his life with all he could.

The King of the Underworld never visited every single death but when he felt this one…he knew he had to be here. Though a part of him wasn’t prepared to see his younger brother in a state of complete and utter vulnerability, tears trailing down his pained face as he hugged his stilled wife in his arms.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually softened, reaching his hand out and brushing through Taehyung’s hair as a form of comfort. His own silver locks covering his eyes to hide how deeply he could feel her loss. “I’m sorry.”

“Do—” Taehyung let out a trembling sigh, fresh tears at the brim of his eyes. “Do you know who did it?”

Belle shook her head, wincing as another feeling pooled in her gut. Pure guilt. “I just l-left for a w-while…she—was h-hungry…” She wrapped her arms around herself tightly almost curling up into the ball as her shoulder shook with her sobs.

“We’ll find out.” Jungkook’s tone rung dark and furious as he padded closer to Belle, squeezing her shoulder gently.

“Taehyung…God’s souls work differently from humans.” Namjoon attempted to explain in the most gentle way possible. “I can keep her safe for now but she will inevitably—”

“Disappear…I know.” Taehyung swallowed down the lump in his throat, stifling the sob that tried to pass through him again. “I know.”

Namjoon sighed in slight defeat, wishing there were some way to console his brother but no consolation could bring his love back. Death was a battle everyone lost. “I’ll make a garden for her.” It was the only thing he could think of. Perhaps knowing her soul would rest in her favourite place could bring some comfort.

Taehyung nodded even though his grasp didn’t falter as if some desperate part of him wanted to keep her here and hope hard enough that she would wake up. I didn’t even say anything to her today. He closed his eyes freely letting more tears roll down as Namjoon moved to hook his arms under Angels’ neck and knees, lifting her up from the ground.

Another cool gust of wind and the God found his arms empty save for a few red splotches on his arm. Taehyung curled them into fists, tight as his nails dug into his skin and the blood seeped through his fingers.

“Taehyung…” Jungkook called in a tender voice for the first time.

“Leave me. Both of you.” His head was lowered, raven fringe covering his reddened eyes as he stared at his hands. The blood of his love staining his skin reminding him that this was his doing. His stupidity. Someone came in here to hurt her. Darkness was going to befall your kingdom. Tempus was right and he ignored it. Your fault. This is all your fault.

Jungkook let out a defeated sigh, holding onto both of Belle’s shoulders and gently leading her out of the autumnal gardens. It was not right leaving Taehyung with his thoughts but arguing with him would be just as troubling. With a heavy heart they disappeared back into the palace while the Great Protector now sat under his wife’s favourite tree with her blood on his hands.

Your fault. All your fault. Taehyung wanted to say it out loud. He tried. When he did, the only thing that came out were screams. Shrieks of agony, breaking his throat and tightening his chest, palms pressed against the earth begging for the Nature Mother to bring her back. He imagined golden bride blossoms growing around him with his love being born again. Bring her back! Bring her back! I’ll do better!

Nothing happened. The garden still mourned in its autumn. Taehyung was all alone.

Centuries passed since his heart emptied. Mindlessly pacing around the throne room with no one entering with their complaints anymore. They were too frightened. Too frightened to see their fool of a King cut them down where they stood if their complaints were far too menial.

Heavens were still waiting for a new God of Time after the last one’s body was thrown into the Underworld fires. One should be reborn instantly but no one had ever destroyed the over-looker of Time itself so early in their life. Perhaps there was a new Tempus somewhere but they were too afraid of Taehyung to step forward.

He didn’t care though. He just kept pacing around the room ignoring Jimin’s gaze following him wherever his feet moved him. Calves ached terribly but Taehyung kept moving. Moving so his mind could be occupied. Moving so the thoughts don’t come rushing in. Moving so he doesn’t stop to remember her smile again.

Jimin tried to take a breath to say something that could soothe his beloved King but all his words died on his tongue. Everyone had to be so careful around Taehyung nowadays to ensure they didn’t strike a nerve. And his nerves were far too vulnerable even after all these years.

The double doors thud open and a tinge of anxiety rushed through his belly. Every time he heard that door, he saw Belle crying. Pointing him to his worst nightmare.

Gulping down, Taehyung flickered his gaze over to the visitors. Much to his concern, he found Belle with Jungkook following close behind almost like a bodyguard. “What do you want?”

“She’s just here to help.” Jungkook spoke in a hardened voice.

So he was a bodyguard.

“Why would I need her help?” Taehyung seethed, shooting a glare at the Goddess. He could notice the gloominess in her aura even though her features were as bright as ever.

The curse of never having the same adverse effects as humans. No one could ever tell where Gods were having a terrible time.

“Careful.” Jungkook warned, irises fading to an angry amber as he narrowed his gaze.

“Or what?” The King stepped forward almost bumping into Belle. “If she had just stayed at the garden a little longer instead of fleeting about her own stupid business—”

“Taehyung…” Jimin tried to get him back to his senses with a calm voice but it already tugged at Jungkook’s last nerve.

The younger god pounced at the Ruler with a grunt, grabbing onto his collars while Belle was pushed aside. God of Indulgence swung a fist across the Great Protectors’ face. “It’s not her fault! You fucking fool!” Jungkook’s growls boomed across the halls, reminding them that he was almost Ruler as well if Taehyung were not equally persistent.

Jimin noticed Belle immediately sobbing as she curled into herself, struggling to breathe deeply.

“I found her!” Belle cried out. Her heartbreaking voice echoing in the room and reverberating in Taehyung’s ears.

Both gods paused in their actions looking over at the saddened Goddess. Taehyung’s grip on Jungkook immediately loosening as he looked at Belle with widened eyes and parted lips. “You—w-where?”

Belle sniffled and joined her shaky hands together. When she spread them apart, an orb formed, floating in between her palms. Through the orb they could see luscious green mountains covered almost entirely with mist, blurring into a house, old design almost a little imperfect but full of healthy gardens. “She lives in the mountains and runs a farm.”

Jungkook finally let go of Taehyung giving him a soft glare before walking over next to Belle.

Taehyung watched the vision of present day in the small orb as it moved from the gardens to a pair of feet walking down some green patches. Behind the legs was a tawny puppy and a lamb bouncing as they followed. His heart raced so fast against his ribcage, he was almost surprised it was still there.

It jumped to his throat when Belle showed her face.

He let out a weak chuckle, tears glimmering in his eyes, watching Angel crouch down near the patch and grab some leaves from the patch with a small smile on her face. “I-It’s her.” Taehyung reached his hand out a little almost as if he could touch her but he quickly retracted a little, hovering his palms over the vision of her face.

“It is. Except her memories are not fully intact. Reincarnated Gods get extremely fuzzy memory and usually don’t know where they came from. They will generally say they’re an orphan who only remembers living alone all their life.” Belle explained even though her voice was a little meek and exhausted.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning she needs to get her memories back and bond to you. That’s the only she can reach her full form and return to the Heavens.” She shook her head slowly. “Otherwise she’ll have to stay like this forever.”

Taehyung finally took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, trying to understand Belle’s words before nodding. “Alright.” Soft eyes looked over at the young Goddess and his stomach dropped. “I’m sorry…she was your friend too.” He attempted a smile. “Thank you for finding her.”

“It’s okay.” Belle smiled so beautifully even though her eyes were still glazed with tears. “Just bring her home.” She gently closed her hands again to dissipate the orb.

He had the urge to reach out but he put his hands back to himself before anyone could notice. “You’ll take care of the Heavens for me?” Taehyung’s gaze flickered up to Jimin ignoring Jungkook’s light scoff.

“You really don’t trust me that much?” Jungkook seethed before Belle touched his arm.

“Jimin will take care of matters in the throne room while you keep an eye on the center world.” She spoke to the God softly although most of them knew it didn’t take much for Jungkook to be swayed by the Goddess.

Jungkook sighed in slight defeat. “Alright.”

“With all my heart, Master.” Jimin bowed until his head could reach his toes before moving up to give him a faint smile. “The Heavens will be in safe hands.”

“An Ingar running the Heavens…talk about darkness befalling your kingdom.” Jungkook mumbled in annoyance.

Belle pressed on the God’s chest to gently guide him out of the throne room. “I think it’s time to go.” She quickly looked over her shoulder. “Make sure to be gentle on her, don’t try to drop everything in one day. She’s asked for help on the farm in the nearby villages so start there.”

Taehyung let every word burrow into his mind before Jungkook and Belle disappeared out of the throne room. He wasn’t going to ruin this again. Never again. “You’re going to be okay?” He smiled at Jimin.

Jimin giggled nervously before nodding. “I’ll try my best, Master. Good luck.” His expression as he saw the Great Protector take a breath and vanish down to the center world.

Once the throne room was empty, his smile disappeared and a darkness fell over his usually glimmering eyes. Breathing heavy and a little rapid as he stomped over to the table filled with an array of ambrosia. A blood-curdling scream vibrating in his throat, arms swept across the surface. Glass shattered on the ground pricking at his skin but it didn’t hurt him nearly as much as seeing his beloved Master run back to the Goddess who never deserved him.

He heard the doors open again, heart pounding against his ribcages expecting Jungkook but thankfully Hoseok’s head peeked through. Jimin sighed deeply leaning against the edge of the table. “He’s gone to get her back.”

Hoseok, another Ingar, carefully padded into the throne room eyeing the glass splinters on Jimin’s forearm and rushing over to him. “Shouldn’t that be good news? Why—why are you so angry?” He tried to reach out for the injuries but Jimin walked away from him towards the throne.

“That wasn’t the plan, Hoseok!” Jimin growled, wincing as tears burned in his eyes. “He—he was supposed to forget about her…I waited…I waited so fucking long for him to forget.” Shaky fingers curled up into tight fists as he allowed the pain from his splinters to sting from remnants of alcohol. “I worked so hard to be the best for him. To do what was best for him and he just—” He waved his hand harshly. “—runs away without even thinking about me.”

“She’s his wife.” Hoseok tilted his head in confusion. “Of course, he’ll go get her if he knew his love was alive and waiting for him.” A ghost of a smile graced his lips, admiring how dedicated Taehyung had been all these centuries when he could have taken any Goddess or God under his arm.

“She’s not his love!” Jimin cried beyond his throat’s capability, making it ache and crackle. “He’s supposed to be here…with me.” He whispered. “I worked so hard.”

Hoseok examined the Ingar with a hesitant expression, worried what he was finding in the way Jimin held himself and the words spewing from his mouth. “Jimin…what do you mean when say you worked so hard?” He took a step forward when he really wanted to exit the room completely. “You mean you just helped him, right? Nothing else?”

“I loved him. I still love him.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Jimin’s reddened, teary eyes flickered to meet the older Ingars’ gaze. Pain may have spread across his look but there was something behind it that Hoseok wished he didn’t find. “I did what was best for him.” He muttered, nodding to himself. Convincing his conscious that his actions were for the good of his Master. “Taehyung doesn’t know what’s good for him yet.” He smiled softly except there was no brightness in his eyes. “He’ll know soon.”

-

Village of Sericum adorned the finest collection of silk and the most luscious crops known across the country side. Most of them were supplied by a mysterious farmer hiding out in the mountains. For some odd reason, her harvests were always the most full and fresh. Her fruits were the juiciest, flowers were the most vibrant and her vegetables were absolutely delicious. At least that was all Taehyung got from asking the villagers.

Angel had created somewhat of a reputation but apparently for the most part, she stayed right up in her simple home in the mountains by her lonesome. A few farmers were surprised to see such a young farmer have so much knowledge and experience on nature. Taehyung couldn’t help but smile. Even centuries later in a new form, Angel stuck to the place she loved most, surrounded by nature and animals while blossoms scented the air.

One of the farmers was kind enough to let Taehyung ride on his cart up to the mountains after he stated his business. The mystery farmer needed someone to give her a hand around the farm for a few weeks while harvests were getting really busy.

Up the mountains they rode until they reached the beautiful light wooden gates that led into Angel’s home. His heart hammered so hard in his chest, Taehyung was worried he might faint out of his nervousness. What if her human form didn’t like him? When she was born as a Goddess, they were fated to be together. Even though their love was genuine, it was already written to be in the future. Now it was different. There was no Tempus to tell him that this was the right thing or the wrong to do. It was just him deep diving into a chapter of his life where he was weakened of his powers and blind with love.

Giving his thanks to the farmer, Taehyung padded towards the wooden gates few higher than him and almost impossible to climb over it which made sense considering she was alone here with no security. The air brushed sharp and cold around him as mist slowly thickened on the mountain range creating a calm, eerie atmosphere.

Finally he knocked on the wooden gate as loud as he could to ensure the sound echoed.

Pitter patter of footsteps sounded on the other side causing a jolt in Taehyung’s belly. A smile spread across his face when he heard her voice.

“Back, Solar.” Angel murmured which earned a whine for something much smaller.

Then the door opened with a light creak revealing her. Auburn hair braided back, purple coat over her with she held two sticks with broken sharp ends.

“Oh—I-I come in peace.” Taehyung raised his hands up in defense.

Angel looked at him in confusion before looking down at the sticks and gasping lightly. “Sorry.” She chuckled, dropping them to the side. “Can I help you?”

“I—uh—” A light smile stretched on his lips as he tried to swallowed the lump in his throat. It was so tempting to just embrace her after so long, hold her and apologize. Tell her to come back home so they could be together again. Fate wanted to play cruel games though. To pay for his own mistakes. “Sorry, I was here for the—the help you wanted.”

“Help—oh!” Angel chuckled. “Of course, come in.” She opened the door a little further keeping a leg in front of the tiny, tawny puppy so it didn’t escape. “Don’t mind Solar, he gets a little excited.”

Taehyung wondered why she had to warn him before the tiny animal sprinted between his legs, circling around one of them and barking as loud as he could muster. Even though it merely sounded like a squeak. He couldn’t help but laugh at how excited the creature looked as they were led through another wooden gate possibly made for extra security.

Once inside the yard, his eyes were graced with vibrance and the fresh scent of flowers. Roses amongst others bordering the yard with trees adorning mangos, lemons and apples. Pineapple and pumpkin patches as they led up to the beautifully imperfect house.

“I’ll get you some snacks and some water.” Angel chirped joyfully, prancing so she could stand in front of him. “And uh—” She scratched her head lightly. “Could you…grab the mangoes for me?” A shy chuckle emitted under her breath pointing at the incredibly ripe mangoes hanging from the very top of the tree. “I broke the stick trying to get it.”

“Of course.” Anything you want. Taehyung cleared his throat gently before looking up at the ripe mangoes again.

Angel turned on her heel remembering to get some of the fresh picked cherries for him as well before the realization hit her. “Oh!” She quickly tuned around again. “What’s your name?”

There was light twinge in his chest hearing that extremely familiar voice ask him the question. But he pushed it aside smiling faintly at the beauty. “Taehyung.”

“Taehyung.” She repeated in a soft tone and a gorgeously bright smile. “I’m Angel.” For a few moments, the girl played with her fingers shyly as if wanting to say more before turning back on her heel again and walking to the house.

Centuries passed since his heart was emptied. Centuries. But it only took a few seconds of seeing her smile and hearing her voice for him to fall deeply in love with her again.

| next >>

[mikelogan]

JDox Reclist (2022)

Previous JDox reclists can be found here

Up In Our Bedroom (After The War) by darknessandrageandkittens

Summary:  How DID Perry get his name, anyway?  JD’s curious, and for once, his lover opens up Rating: M Word Count: 909 My Thoughts: Everybody’s trans, we love to see it

A Study in Unconventionality by dashwood

Summary: “Well, you see…” JD trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself.  Just an hour ago, it had seemed like a brilliant idea.  He had even forfeited a round of ‘Find the Saltine’ to rush to the newspaper stand next door, proudly declaring, “Where’s the porn? It’s a matter of life and death. Trust me, I’m a doctor.” Rating: E Word Count: 7491 My Thoughts: This 3-part smut series is so good. Basically, Perry is a patient and JD needs to rule out conditions by testing whether or not Perry can… you know…

Pink in the Night by orphan_account

Summary: The music and din of the rag tag team was very pleasant if JD lingered on it. Which he was, by the way, lingering, in the kitchen and watching Elliot make that are-you-actually-this-sexist face as Kelso regales her with some ER story while the chief of medicine steadfastly gulps the spiked eggnog. Rating: M Word Count: 3601 My Thoughts: Christmas JDox? Yes please.

My New Schedule by backroombull (chinashopbull)

Summary:  The one where Dr. Cox sort-of-accidentally makes JD piss his scrubs, and of all the things, this is what leads to them boning for the first time. Rating: E Word Count: 24,942 My Thoughts: While this fic probably isn’t for everyone, the second chapter really Does It for me. Also brilliantly written. Daddy kink!

My Captive Audience by RumCove

Summary: JD has been told that he gets too involved.  He didn’t listen. He’s regretting it. Rating: M/E Word Count: 219,120 My Thoughts: Holy shit. Just. Holy. Shit. Absolutely heed the tags going into this series, but if you’ve followed me for more than like, a second, you’ll know how highly I recommend this author.  I will admit that I put reading MCA off for quite a while because the noncon part of it put me off, and while those parts are very difficult to get through, I cannot think of anyone better suited for navigating the trauma JD goes through than Rum. The second work, My Caged Performer, is even better than the first, in my opinion. Probably because it’s much more focused on JD and Perry together, but you really can’t read it without reading MCA first. The final installment made me cry so hard (in a good way) – like almost Cancer levels of crying, just without all the pain and long-term emotional damage.

Relativity by nikogio

Summary: A rewrite/post-episode fic for 3x14 My Screwup. Rating: E Word Count: 24,747 My Thoughts: NEWBIE, IT’S THE SPRINKLES! Okay, for real though, amazing series by this author. It’s so well-written and has the perfect amount of angst, fluff, and smut!

My Unorthodox Treatment by RumCove

Summary: Perry Cox finds being an alpha doctor working in the hellhole that is Sacred Heart something of a headache. Not as much of a headache as he finds his self-appointed beta “protégé” constantly trying to get his attention and some sort of goddamn hug all the time, of course, but neither are great.  Particularly not when deep down he really doesn’t find Newbie that bad.  At all.  And it just gets even more of a crazy, annoying headache when he finds out something that he really didn’t want to find out and can never not know again after a bad day in the ER. JD finds his entire existence something of a headache, when it all boils down to it.  And now his crazy, terrifying boss knows the one thing that he’s kept from everyone since he went to college.  This can only end badly, right? An alpha/beta/omega fic set in the Scrubs universe. Rating: E Word Count: 539,003 My Thoughts: This was my first foray into the world of A/B/O (I know, sweet summer child) and boy, do I love it. As stated above, I adore RumCove’s works, and obviously this is no different, but I also love her OCs and how they often make appearances in other works.  I’d die for Io, no questions asked. But anyway, if you already like A/B/O or you’re curious about it, this is the (and probably only) Scrubs series for you! 

My Thin Ice by RumCove

Summary: To Dr. Cox’s horror, the staff of internal medicine are being sent on a staff team building event.  In Alaska.  In goddamn Alaska. JD’s going through a personal crisis and maybe some time away will get his mind off it.  Or maybe not. Then when things take a more serious turn it’s suddenly a case of life or death. Snow! Ice! Cold! A rec room! It’s sort of Christmassy… Rating: E Word Count: 26,529 My Thoughts: I knew it was gonna happen, but damn it all if this reclist isn’t just turning into one big ad for Rum’s fics. But there’s a reason! They’re all so good, and well, she’s certainly prolific!

His Secret Santa by This_Desk_Set_Wants_To_Fly

Summary: For Christmas, Carla holds Sacred Heart’s annual Secret Santa, and, after drawing a name, Perry struggles to find the right gift for his recipient. Rating: M Word Count: 2884 My Thoughts: Sweet, fluffy Christmas oneshot? I don’t care if it is July, go read it!

Run Right into You by nikogio

Summary: “You know, Newbie, the harder you fight against quicksand, the faster you sink.” “I know,” I nod, aware of the fact, though not quite sure of the point. “I suppose that’s why I keep letting you in.” Rating: E Word Count: 2319 My Thoughts:  “He knows that he is home with me, and I know that I am sheltered wherever he is.”  BRB, screaming crying throwing up

Turning Points by tyrionsoftywin

Summary: We’re strangers, the thought hits me as he turns slowly to look at me, a small, sad smile on his face and I know he’s going to read in my face all the questions I’m not daring to ask him. Rating: G/T Word Count: 5167 My Thoughts: A series of four, kind of bittersweet oneshots. I really love the idea of exploring them at this later point in their lives, after the show.

Meant To Be (Hand In Hand) by DobbyRocksSocks

Summary: Post EP 05x21 My Fallen Idol: Perry really only needed to hear from one person. They got there in the end. Rating: T Word Count: 2943 My Thoughts: The noise I made while rereading this and then literally went, out loud, to myself and my cats, “Boys!”

My Puzzling Jewelry by RumCove

Summary: When JD discovers something unexpected about Dr. Cox he gets curious. Curiosity killed the Newbie. Or is in danger of killing him anyway. Rating: E Word Count: 8350 My Thoughts: Besties, I love this fic so much. We all need some PWP every once in a while, am I right?

Canoodle With Me by DobbyRocksSocks

Summary:  JD is exhausted.  Perry wants to know why. Rating: T Word Count: 2337 My Thoughts: I’ll take “Perry taking care of JD” for 1000, Alex.

Hospital Nonsense by Chaoskitten

Summary: A place for my various JDox oneshots and anything else in the Scrubs fandom Rating: G/T Word Count: 11,341 My Thoughts: I love these two idiots so much and these oneshots are so great!

you look like mine when you wear my clothes by DobbyRocksSocks

Summary: Perry has a rather… primal reaction to JD wearing his clothes. Rating: T Word Count: 1106 My Thoughts: That sound you’re hearing? It’s me REEEEEEEing into oblivion.

Lay A Claim by DobbyRocksSocks

Summary: They’re away at a conference, and there’s only one bed.  But… it was only three nights.  Nothing would change between them, right? Rating: Not Rated Word Count: 3250 My Thoughts: Hi, welcome to the DobbyRocksSocks appreciation hour.  Please take a seat and screech with me. Okay seriously though, this might be my favorite fic from them, and while I would put every single one of their JDox works on here, I’ll save you the scrolling and just tell you to check out their AO3 page.

My Mentor’s Fugue by suedepony

Summary: A canon rewrite of JD and Dr. Cox’s interactions during S03E14, “My Screw Up,” from JD’s point of view. Rating: E Word Count: 3958 My Thoughts: Angsty smut? Hi yes hello, table for me and the 3 other living members of the Scrubs fandom

See Through My Beautiful by JusteAmusant

Summary: My little newbie is either hella scared of the consequences of his being late, or he’s off in a daydream that not even he can find.  He has yet to look me in the eyes, he looks like he hasn’t slept since I last saw him, and one of his shoes is untied.  “Hey.”  I give a sharp double whistle.  My chest tightens at how long it takes JD to look up at me.  “Anything you wanna tell me, Newbie?” JD shakes his head.  “No, sir.” Rating: M Word Count: 9590 My Thoughts: Another one that you’ll want to heed the tags on before reading, but protective Perry is one of my favorite Perrys.

(But I Want) To Go Home by JusteAmusant

Summary: “Newbie, finish that sentence and I swear to all the types of gods I’ll have you flat on your ass before you can say ‘Carla please come save me,’ capice?” “Flat on my ass that you want to spank,” I snicker. Dead silence next to me has me turning to face him, eyes wide.  “I… I mean um–” Dr. Cox’s face splits into a grin that has me unsure whether to laugh or run.  “See, Newbie?  Now you’re getting it.” That’s the scariest thing about Dr. Cox.  You never know when he’s messing with you, and when he’s dead serious on following through… Rating: M Word Count: 5986 My Thoughts: In the wise words of those kids in that one AT&T commercial: “WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE.” DADDY KINK Y’ALL

My talent, her bet, his awakened interest by BeyondMadness

Summary: Being a fourth year resident about to become a fully fledged doctor brings about a certain cockiness in JD that’s beginning to really irk those he works closely with.  Unfortunately for him the tables get tipped out of his favor which results in what is likely to be one of the most humiliating experiences of his life.  Or perhaps he should have done this years ago. Rating: E Word Count: 17,282 My Thoughts: Yeah, hi, so when I saw this get posted earlier this year I was a little skeptical because burlesque? Crossdressing? Perhaps not my typical cup of tea, but it ended up being so good and I feel bad that I was so doubtful at first!

My Ill-Advised Road Trip by lunarqueens

Summary: Perry Cox finds himself, yet again, reluctantly roped into what some might call a situation.  Except this time he’s on the road, in an RV, stuck in close confines with the world’s most annoying doctors.  One of whom he might, possibly, unfortunately be a little bit in love with. What could possibly go wrong, right? Rating: T Word Count: 11,397 My Thoughts: Still holding out hope that this one eventually gets completed some day!  I love this author and you’ll find a few works from them on my previous reclist from 2018.  So yeah, if you didn’t gather already, this one is unfinished at 2 out of 3 chapters posted, but it’s honestly still worth the read for the road trip shenanigans.

My Hypocritical Hippocrates by RumCove

Summary: JD makes a mistake.  A really big mistake.  A really dumb one that he should have absolutely avoided. Dr. Cox is, as usual, livid.  But for different reasons than usual and this one might just push him over the edge. Rating: E Word Count: 54,845 My Thoughts: A series of 4 works that are legit so good, I’ve literally lost track of how many times I’ve reread them.  The smut is also chef’s kiss along with everything else.

My Empty Rulebook (Working Title) by nikogio

Summary: I’m not really someone who lives by any particular rules.  In fact, I seem to have a basic aversion to most of them.  But there’s one rule I’ve long upheld, which, as long as I’ve had it, has been one hundred percent ironclad: No sex in the Porsche. Rating: M Word Count: 4311 My Thoughts: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NIKOGIO, IF YOU SEE THIS, PLEASE FINISH THIS FIC, I’M BEGGING

My Dirty Imbecile by theOther_Will_Grayson

Summary: “Top surgery?” “You know, the titty chop.”  John does an exaggerated karate chop, paired with an uncoordinated kick.  “Whacha!” Turk doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or cry.  “Dude,” he says, more dead serious than he’s ever been in his life.  “I think we might be soulmates.” Rating: Not Rated Word Count: 7963 My Thoughts: It’s me, ya girl, back at it again with yet ANOTHER unfinished fic rec!! But trans JD is life and I’ll take anything I can get. Love that boy so much it’s stupid. This fic has actually been recently updated so there’s hope for us yet!

My New Perspective by RumCove

Summary: After a terrible accident, a doctor wakes up in Sacred Heart with no memory of who he is, who anyone else is or even why he’s the way he is.  Which is – basically – an asshole. And, since he doesn’t remember who anyone else is, why the hell is he so fixated on his annoying, whiny, girly doctor? Rating: E Word Count: 51,423 My Thoughts: Hello, I’d like to talk to you today about our lord and savior, RumCove.  Oh, you’ve heard of her?  What’s that?  I’ve recced literally all her other fics in this reclist?  Well, this time it’s an amnesia fic that hurts so good, so go read it right now immediately.

And now we’ve arrived at my favorite part of the reclist: shameless self-promotion!

My Leap of Faith by pcrrycox

Summary: JD, in his final semester of med school and preparing for his internship, signs up for an online dating site with the goal of finding friendship – or something more. Perry, recently divorced and being incessantly bullied by one of his best friends, also signs up for an online dating site with the goal of appeasing his aforementioned annoying best friend.  If anything else happens along the way, so be it. OR Two idiots fall for each other, all without ever having met in person. Rating: E Word Count: 42,659+ My Thoughts: This is my most current fic that I’m working on. Online dating AU, trans JD, smut, fluff, and angst?  What more could you want?  JK, but I do really love this one and the last chapter is going up on Sunday!

My Heavy Meddle by pcrrycox

Summary: In the midst of a breakdown, Perry goes to the only person who will listen.  It turns out to be the best decision he ever made. AKA: The boys get together and are blissfully happy until someone has to open their big mouth and ruin it. Rating: E Word Count: 23,475 My Thoughts: This puppy had been sitting on my old laptop since 2017, and I recently resurrected it, changed it way up, and made it into an actual story instead of just a oneshot.  It’s very different from what normally happens in a JDox getting-together fic, at least in terms of who presents a roadblock.

I’d Rather Be With You by pcrrycox

Summary: JD receives shocking news and the least likely person he expects to help him get through it turns out to be the perfect man for the job: Dr. Cox.  But between navigating missed signals, inopportune timing, and other very annoying complications, things don’t exactly go as planned for the two of them. Rating: T Word Count: 21,162 My Thoughts: Heed the tags, but also I immensely enjoyed writing this one.

What A Feeling by pcrrycox

Summary: Perry doesn’t do weddings and he definitely doesn’t do receptions.  Unless, of course, they involve an open bar and one slightly lost-looking Newbie. Rating: G Word Count: 2781 My Thoughts: I know I’m biased, but I feel like this is one of the cutest/sweetest lil fics I’ve ever written for these dumbasses.  I love them so much!

Matters of the Heart by pcrrycox

Summary: When JD suddenly suffers a cardiac arrest, it changes his and Perry’s lives forever. Rating: M Word Count: 17,200 My Thoughts: Okay, I realize I keep saying how much I enjoyed writing these fics, but this is one that I routinely go back to and can say, wow, I’m really proud of this.

Warm Blood by pcrrycox

Summary: Revenge is a powerful thing and exacting it can have grave consequences.  The supernatural was something JD never even thought to believe in – until it was too late not to believe. Rating: M Word Count: 20,934 My Thoughts: VAMPIRE AU VAMPIRE AU VAMPIRE AU

Everybody Wants Something From Me, You Just Want Me by pcrrycox

Summary: When Perry is getting pulled in every direction, he realizes that the only person who doesn’t want something from him has been right in front the whole time. Rating: G Word Count: 2783 My Thoughts: The things this Adele song did to me when I first heard it! I went back and reread this the other day and like. I’m really really happy with my characterization of Perry and his thoughts.

And before I go, here are some fics I have in the works! Let me know which one you’re most excited about!

An absolutely massive Ben x Perry fic that I’ve been slowly working on since December 2020

An established!JDox fic in which they’ve been having problems, but Perry finds JD in a horrible situation

Another established!JDox fic where JD gets in a car accident just days before their wedding

A Ben x JD x Perry angst!fic

A very basic idea for a sequel to my vampire!AU

A Neighbors!AU

A getting-together fic in which Perry has a heart attack

A fake relationship Ben x Perry fic

And an absolutely massive doc with even more fic/oneshot ideas (lots of smut lmao)

All of these are in various states of WIP-ness, from literally just a couple sentences of an idea to multiple written chapters.  Anyway, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s still helping to keep this tiny little fandom alive, whether that’s by writing fic, reading/commenting/leaving kudos, yelling at me on anon, or putting up with my various manic reblog-sessions!

[florenceisfalling]

ok wait i gotta ask bc i got like,, a real tiny mushy pea brain but do u have some kind of masterpost for ur ocs and stuff? i wanna learn abt them but im unsure where to start kinda thing !!

hey anon sorry this took me forever! you do not have a tiny mushy pea brain, and even if you did peas are yummy. not that your brain is yummy, though i bet its scrumptious. we at florenceisfalling dot tumblr dot com advocate for cannibalism ^_^

anyway!

i am so honored u asked and again im sorry ive taken foreverrrrr. but the best place to start right now is the website im currently working on :D

the website includes trigger warnings for everything !!!

i am an insane person and have been doing it all via carrd pages even tho thats a horrible idea.

it's a work in progress still, but the most complicated one (love and war) is nearly done! i just need to add the raiders and farmers to the people tab, and draw icons. its best viewed on desktop! my favorite part is that on places, theres an actual map, and you can click on the labels to learn more about the place - i recommend following the trail from the cabin, it tells some of the story.

i also have kiddo! basically complete, except for the image refs (theyre just picrews for now).

however i still have yet to add the other stories so here's a tl;dr for those :"D

extra-normal: almost everyone has a third eye on their forehead which allows them to see into a physical manifestation of their mind called the "second sight." vonnie is a nurse who works in a hospital ward dedicated to third eye injuries, and is particularly attached to a patient named avalon who is blinded and trapped in her second sight. she also works with a few regular volunteers, a trio of young friends (or perhaps lovers???) - daisy, who has no third eye; august, who is blinded in one of his normal eyes and thus has hallucinations and seizures related to his second sight; and tripp, who believes she's able to see into other people's minds.

living dead: the plot on this one is still not really my focus right now. theres a cool tv head oc named jacob, though. and a currently unnamed mad scientist.

pressed flowers: currently remaking this whole concept so anything ive posted here before is pretty much outdated!! now the story is this: theodora and oliver were childhood sweethearts, until teddie washed up dead on the beach. oliver still saw her ghost for a few years, but now that he's grown up and finally healing and dating a new girl named jessica - teddie shows up again and reveals that she was actually murdered. and the killer is on the loose, hunting again.

the mermaid's blade: this one i'm not gonna go into because i'm literally gonna try and film a lot of it next semester so y'all will hopefully be seeing it in that format soon enough 👁👁

you can find all of my story and character tags, as well as my general oc tag on my navigation page! however ive been posting for a long time abt these guys and the stories have all changed a lot so like.. dont trust the posts the further you scroll back lol

ty again for asking sorry my shit is so longwinded and complicated >_< lemme know if u have any questions or want more info on a specific story!