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alexandraisyes · 11 months ago

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Eclipse Character Analysis (Sun and Moon Show)

Alternate Title: Why I'm 95% sure Eclipse is a sociopath EDITED TITLE: An Analysis of how Eclipse's ASPD is reflected in his character

A hopefully unnecessary disclaimer: - One, hi, hello I am a sociopath, I do know what I'm talking about. This also means that a lot of what I notice and will describe about Eclipse are similar or the same as my own experiences living life in this mortal realm. What I will touch on in the "redemption" section is heavily based on the kind of intensive treatment I had to get in order to improve my behavior when I was younger, so it's important to note that while Eclipse will never be able to change his personality (like how I can't change mine, and you can't change yours), he can change his thought patterns, mentality, and behavior. The saying that "sociopaths can't change" is specifically talking about how we can't change our personality, which is true for everyone. That doesn't mean we can't learn to function better in civilized society or be taught emotional awareness and morals. - Two, hi, hello this is just what I've noticed and does not mean it's canon unless Reed or Davis themselves come onto my Tumblr and go "Yes, this, this is what is correct", and even then, you're allowed to have your own opinions and views on these characters. I'm just theorizing here EDIT: Reed and Davis confirmed that Eclipse is indeed a sociopath a day after I posted this here, and a week after my initial post in their server that is basically this but slightly messier. - Three, hi, hello I'm also a psychology student so I also know what I'm talking about in that regard too. I've been studying psychology and general medicine for three and a half years now, so I like to think I have some idea of what I'm talking about - Four, I use the terms sociopath, ASPD, sociopathic disorder, and anti-social personality disorder interchangeably since they all describe the same personality disorder - Five, this analysis is long, I cover the basics, an in depth, some potential scenarios, a redemption arc possibility, and some other thoughts I have about him. - Six, I made this disclaimer to address any potential misunderstandings, or harmful stereotypes that I tend to be confronted with any time I talk about ASPD. Now onto the good stuff!

Too Long; Won't Read - Here's a Summary

Attachment and Pride: Eclipse initially cared about Lunar, and his reaction to Lunar leaving suggests a fragile pride. His inability to connect with others is evident in his strained relationships with KC and Bloodmoon.

Masking Emotions: Eclipse keeps his darker thoughts to himself at the beginning, and throughout the show as well. He masks both his emotions, and his intentions throughout the show, and is careful not to show when people have upset or offended him. This behavior stems from a learned experience that letting his guard down leads to resentment.

Manipulation and Brash Communication: Eclipse is straightforward and brash when expressing thoughts, feelings, or opinions. He employs manipulation when needed but is mostly disinterested in others.

Boredom and Stimulation: He seeks reactions from people, often causing chaos for entertainment. Boredom, especially when stuck as an AI, prompts him to instigate situations for amusement.

Lack of Empathy: He also appears to lack empathy, as evidenced by his inability to understand emotions and his focus on getting reactions rather than connecting with others.

Touch Aversion: Eclipse's lack of physical affection aligns with the common aversion to touch seen in individuals with ASPD.

Remorse and Growth: Eclipse shows remorse only in instances where he hurts Lunar in the beginning of the show, indicating a potential area for growth. A redemption arc could explore his struggles without completely erasing his apparent sociopathic nature.

Writer's note: A thoughtful portrayal of Eclipse's sociopathy, should my theory touch on the truth, if continued in a storyline, could provide an authentic exploration of mental health challenges and personal growth. Care should be taken to avoid stereotypes (DON'T USE GOOGLE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS I BEG)

Putting Him Under a Microscope - Full Analysis

1. Attachment and Pride:

Eclipse's initial connection with Lunar suggests a potential attachment, a notable aspect in individuals with ASPD who can form (highly) selective bonds. However, Lunar's departure significantly impacts Eclipse's pride. This reaction aligns with the fragile self-esteem often observed in those with ASPD. The departure becomes a perceived personal betrayal, triggering Eclipse's defensive response.

In individuals with ASPD, relationships often serve specific purposes, and Eclipse's attachment to Lunar may have been driven by a combination of genuine connection but also very clearly the utility Lunar provided in fulfilling certain needs or desires. (Which was helping Eclipse get the star of course)

Moreover, Eclipse's struggle with connecting to others, evident in strained relationships with KC and Bloodmoon, is a characteristic of ASPD. Individuals with this disorder often face challenges in forming and maintaining meaningful relationships due to their limited capacity for empathy and understanding of emotional nuances.

2. Masking Emotions:

Eclipse's tendency to keep darker thoughts to himself reflects a common coping mechanism associated with ASPD. Individuals with this disorder often learn to conceal their true emotions early on due to negative experiences when expressing genuine feelings. This learned behavior serves as a protective measure against potential backlash or social rejection.

The fear of vulnerability and subsequent consequences aligns with the interpersonal difficulties faced by those with ASPD. Eclipse's decision to hide his less socially acceptable thoughts is a strategic choice aimed at avoiding conflict and maintaining control over his image.

Professionally, the concealment of darker thoughts is recognized as a defense mechanism in individuals with ASPD. This protective facade, or 'mask,' becomes an integral part of their social interactions, allowing them to navigate social situations with greater ease. However, this constant need to mask one's true feelings can contribute to internal struggles and further isolate individuals with ASPD from genuine emotional connections.

One may ask, what 'darker thoughts' did Eclipse show, or receive backlash for? Well, let's see, when he was stuck in Sun for the beginning of his life, he was first confused, a bit scared, and completely disoriented. He was forgotten, and during the first parts we can see him trying to reconnect with Moon, however, his delivery, as individuals with ASPD tend to do, was brash. It didn't sugar coat what he wanted, and considering his earlier transgressions previously, they weren't taken well in the slightest. Instead of Moon trying to genuinely talk and explain, all he provided Eclipse with was "I changed, and you didn't." and in general was very annoyed and irate with Eclipse. There were several times during the beginning of Eclipse, where there could have been progress made with him, to help him work through his issues, his internalized fear of being forgotten again, and the accidental neglect, that just… didn't happen. Because Sun and Moon saw him as a virus.

Moon because Moon saw himself as a virus, so what else would he think of something that originated in his code, and acted like he used to? Acted like he still sometimes did, parts of himself that he didn't like about himself, living and breathing once again in the mind of his brother. Corrupting him.

And of course, Sun because he was just so tired and hurt and he finally thought he could have something only for this ball of code to make itself known? This peice of his brother that was left behind, that was formed from Moon's killcode? That was constructed from Moon's literal need to lash out, hurt others, and kill. I'm honestly a little horrified that this is never touched on in the show, because people aren't just born to be awful, that's not how this works. There were so many opportunities where toxic and awful behavior could have been stopped if it was handled properly.

Of course, I'm not blaming Sun and Moon. It's hard to help someone who doesn't understand they need help, and as a result the person won't want help either. Plus, they've said it themselves in the episodes where Lunar had returned from the dead. They were never programmed to understand mental health issues, and they have a hard enough time grasping the concepts of their own mental health issues to deal with other peoples. Especially other people who are actively hurting them, it's hard to feel sympathy for someone who causes you harm as far as I'm aware. (I personally wouldn't know)

But back to my main point, there absolutely were times in the beginning where Eclipse was just honest about his wants and desires, and was shown disgust and hatred for it. Which would absolutely make him be prone to masking, which he does a lot in the show from what I can tell.

3. Manipulation and Brash Communication:

Eclipse's communication style, characterized by being brash and straightforward, aligns with the speech patterns and tendencies often associated with ASPD. When he's not trying to pull a fast one over someone, he's very blunt, and he doesn't beat around the bush. Individuals with this disorder may utilize manipulation as a means to achieve personal goals or navigate social situations, but without a reason to sugar coat, they won't. Although sometimes not sugar coating is also employed as a manipulation tactic, which makes it tricky navigating conversation at times with sociopaths. Eclipse's lack of hesitation in employing manipulation reflects the calculated nature of his interactions, as we see him smoothly switch between fronts, acts he puts on to get people to agree with him.

His disinterest in others, apart from exploiting them for personal gain, is consistent with the self-serving behaviors commonly observed in sociopaths. The use of manipulation as a tool for control and amusement is a manifestation of the disorder's impact on interpersonal dynamics. When he contacts Moon for help with Killcode, even then he has his own motives that are only helped by Moon being distracted with Killcode, as well as having KC out of the picture.

Professionally, manipulation is recognized as a prominent feature of ASPD. Individuals with this disorder may lack the ability to form genuine emotional connections and, instead, view relationships as transactional opportunities. Eclipse's interactions, particularly with Sun and Moon, exemplify this transactional approach, where he derives amusement from creating chaos. This last bit (amusment) is important, and I'll cover it next.

Before I pop on over, this is where I'd like to touch on Servant Eclipse. He is very crafty, and very manipulative, but it doesn't fool Lunar, who he clearly cares about to some degree. (Again, will say it as many times as needed, people with ASPD can care about people, it's just a lot of effort at first, doesn't come naturally, and is reserved for a select few). Lunar in this reality probably knows Eclipse inside and out, and isn't fooled by the not very convincing "I'm just a husk now" act Eclipse is playing out with. I suspect that Eclipse also is aware the Lunar isn't fooled, but it amuses him to some degree to keep up the game. I can only imagine serving a "Lord Lunar" is a fairly excitable life, and it's unlikely he's extensively bored. He's also just as brash as the OG Eclipse, and doesn't sugar coat the truth, or tries to ease Gregory into topics.

4. Boredom and Stimulation:

Eclipse's constant quest for stimulation and amusement, even at the expense of creating chaos, reflects a key characteristic of individuals with ASPD. Boredom intolerance is common in this population, leading to a perpetual need for excitement and novel experiences. (Can speak from experience, I spend about 4-6 hours every day bored out of my freaking mind and it's absolutely torture - which is why I draw so much)

The portrayal of Eclipse as being "bored out of his mind" when stuck as an AI in KC's base underscores the challenge individuals with ASPD face in mundane or monotonous situations. The need for stimulation is a driving force behind their impulsive and sometimes risky behaviors. There's a certain kind of restlessness, and impulsivity associated with ASPD, very much an act before you think, get defensive when confronted, and maybe think about it two days later on the very small chance it triggers a sense of morals/remorse. (Then probably forget it happened, cause we are very good at not caring enough to remember half the stuff we do. This isn't a choice, by the way, people with sociopathic disorder just aren't wired to feel strong emotions like guilt and shame.)

Professionally, this behavior aligns with the clinical understanding of ASPD. Individuals with the disorder often engage in sensation-seeking activities to counteract feelings of boredom and emotional emptiness. Eclipse's enjoyment in hacking Moon's computer, causing reactions from Moon and Lunar, serves as an outlet for his need for stimulation and disruption, as well as fulfills other purposes in starting a conversation with Moon about KC.

And of course, now I get to touch on my two favorite things that just drill this in. When OG Eclipse gets the star… what does he do? He torments Sun and Moon instead of wiping everything away, and I'm aware this is mostly because he doens't have mastery over the star. But what does Sun say, when Eclipse shows up to torment them on top of the play structure. Something along the lines of, You're just bored at this point? Is that it?

And what does Eclipse do? He leaves. Because Sun is absolutely right, and it probably stings his ego to have someone he so fully has convinced himself of hating to be right about him. Even before he gets the star… just how much effort did he really put into getting the star? Sure, he had this big plan, but I think he was aware that the 'perfect world' would never make him happy to start with; he just felt the need to be something larger than life, so of course you must set the largest goals to achieve in order to be that. He could have gotten the star so much faster lets be honest. I fully believe he was just having too much fun messing with Sun and Moon, because it gave a reaction, and the reactions to his actions were exciting, breaking his boredom. He was bored a lot, stuck in Sun's head, stuck in Sun's body and pretending to be Sun, stuck as an AI, stuck with Solar Flare's AI fighting him, stuck being unable to use the star…….. seeing a pattern yet?

And of course, my second favorite thing. Lord Eclipse. Moon full out calls him out on how bored Eclipse is, and Eclipse first tries to deny it, then sees no tactical advantage to denying it, and admits that yeah, he is bored. He's been bored for ages and Moon is the first exciting thing in what feels like forever. He's not happy in his perfect world, but he isn't going to change is because that would cut his pride for Sun and Moon to be right about what he wants and needs after so many years. So many years of his Moon being dead. Of having Sun as an obedient servant, bound to his beck and call. He's bored, and it shows, and he knows that it shows.

5. Lack of Empathy:

Eclipse's consistent inability to understand and empathize with the emotions of others aligns with a central feature of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Individuals with ASPD often struggle with recognizing and comprehending the feelings of those around them.

His focus on getting reactions rather than forming genuine connections reflects the hallmark trait of lacking empathy. Eclipse's interactions with Sun, Moon, and Lunar highlight his detached and indifferent approach, as he manipulates situations purely for personal amusement without regard for the emotional impact on others.

Professionally, the deficit in empathy is a well-documented aspect of ASPD. Those with the disorder may comprehend others' situations on a cognitive level but struggle to grasp the emotional nuances involved. Eclipse's inability to understand why Lunar is upset and his constant pursuit of reactions underscore the emotional disconnect inherent in individuals with ASPD.

Eclipse's interactions with Lunar provide a poignant illustration of his consistent lack of empathy. Despite a seemingly genuine attachment to Lunar in the beginning, Eclipse's emotional disconnect becomes evident as Lunar leaves. The impact of Lunar's departure on Eclipse's pride and subsequent defensive reaction highlights the absence of genuine understanding of Lunar's emotions. Eclipse struggles to comprehend the significance of Lunar's departure beyond a perceived personal betrayal, showcasing a lack of empathy toward Lunar's perspective.

Moreover, Eclipse's manipulation and attempts to provoke reactions from Lunar, even after Lunar has left, underscore his disregard for the emotional toll on Lunar. This behavior aligns with the typical patterns seen in individuals with ASPD, where the pursuit of personal amusement takes precedence over the emotional well-being of others.

Eclipse's inability to process and acknowledge his own damaged ego resulting from Lunar's departure further emphasizes his lack of emothional understanding. He doesn't want to admit that Lunar hurt him, so instead he just continues to shut it down, bottle it up, and let it churn into hatred instead of looking at what he did wrong. His resentment and refusal to acknowledge the emotional impact on Lunar highlight the emotional blindness inherent in individuals with ASPD, especially in the context of complex interpersonal relationships.

6. Touch Aversion:

Eclipse's noticeable lack of physical affection, as both seen throughout the show, and mentioned when Lunar clings to Sun and states that Eclipse never showed him physical affection, aligns with a common trait among individuals with ASPD. Touch aversion is a characteristic feature, as those with the disorder often lack the intrinsic desire for physical closeness or intimacy.

Eclipse's minimal physical interaction, even in what could be perceived as emotionally charged moments, is consistent with the general pattern observed in individuals with ASPD. The absence of hugging or comforting gestures suggests a limited appreciation for the emotional needs of others.

Professionally, touch aversion is recognized as part of the interpersonal challenges associated with ASPD. Individuals with this disorder may not instinctively seek physical connection unless it serves a specific purpose, such as manipulation or personal gain. Eclipse's avoidance of physical affection adds a layer to his character, illustrating how his interpersonal behaviors align with the clinical understanding of ASPD.

This aspect of Eclipse's character contributes to a nuanced portrayal of the disorder, showcasing how the lack of tactile expression can impact the dynamics of his relationships, particularly in situations where emotional support is expected. (Like seriously, even Sun and Moon hug when one of them are having an awful day, but Eclipse? He literally doesn't seem to understand why Lunar craves positive physical touch so bad, because he just… doesn't feel the need himself. You can never fully understand something you experience, and it's not like people were explaining these basic needs and wants to Eclipse… ever.)

7. Remorse and Growth:

Eclipse's occasional display of remorse, particularly in instances where he has harmed Lunar, offers a glimpse into a facet of his character that deviates from the (BAD DOWNRIGHT AWFUL) stereotypical image associated with ASPD. While individuals with ASPD are often poorly and harmfully characterized/stereotyped by a complete lack of guilt or remorse, Eclipse's moments of internal conflict suggest a degree of emotional complexity.

Professionally, the intermittent remorse aligns with the recognition that individuals with ASPD may experience moments of internal conflict, especially in relationships that hold personal significance. Eclipse's struggle with whether to apologize after hitting Lunar reveals a brief internal debate, questioning the severity of his actions against Lunar's emotional response.

However, Eclipse's ultimate decision not to apologize, driven by his failure to perceive the significance of Lunar's distress, reinforces the inherent challenges in navigating emotional landscapes for those with ASPD. This internal conflict and eventual dismissal of remorse contribute to a more realistic portrayal of the disorder, highlighting the ongoing tension between impulsive actions and moments of potential introspection.

Should Eclipse undergo a redemption arc, these moments of internal conflict could serve as a foundation for growth, illustrating that while individuals with ASPD may grapple with moments of remorse, their ability to sustain lasting change remains a complex and challenging journey. Of course, I'm going to cover this as well.

Redemption and Recovery

Eclipse's potential redemption could be approached with an understanding that a complete overhaul of his personality is near impossible, because as psychology has shown, you don't just change your personality. However, nuanced growth and positive change within the framework of his behaviors and thought patterns can be explored.

Increased Self-Awareness: Eclipse could undergo a process of heightened self-awareness, acknowledging the impact of his actions on others. This could involve introspection into the motivations behind his behaviors and the consequences they entail. This won't be something he does on his own, he's going to need someone behind him, pushing him to be better. Preferably someone who has no majorly poor history with him for the best results.

Therapeutic Support: In a realistic redemption arc, Eclipse might engage in therapy tailored to individuals with ASPD. This could involve developing coping mechanisms, enhancing emotional intelligence, and learning healthier ways to navigate interpersonal relationships. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a very affective type of therapy for people with personality disorders, or collections of disorders that combined provide the complications of a personality disorder.

Recognizing the Value of Relationships: Eclipse could gradually come to recognize the value of genuine connections beyond their utility. This may involve acknowledging the significance of relationships for emotional support and personal growth. This is going to be a process, and he will mess up. He will forget. It's something he will have to choose to work with in order for it to work, and even then he will make mistakes. It will be important to have patience with him, and instead of lashing out (cause that can cause a spiral back into poor behavior), working on these slip ups with him, and helping him relearn the significance of correcting it when he messes up.

Empathy Development: A full restoration of empathy is be unrealistic, Eclipse could work on developing cognitive empathy—understanding others' perspectives intellectually, even if not emotionally. This could improve his ability to navigate social situations more effectively. (This is what I do! <:happy_stim:867544047735275521>)

Establishing Boundaries: He should learn to set healthy boundaries in his relationships, understanding that manipulating and exploiting others for personal gain may provide short-term satisfaction but is detrimental in the long run.

Contributing Positively: As part of his redemption, he could find avenues to contribute positively to others' lives. This could involve utilizing his unique skills for constructive purposes, fostering a sense of accomplishment outside of manipulative endeavors.

Maintaining Accountability: Eclipse's growth would involve a commitment to being accountable for his actions. This includes acknowledging mistakes, making amends where possible, and actively working towards minimizing harm to others.

Embracing Personal Growth: Eclipse's redemption arc could focus on embracing personal growth within the constraints of his personality. It's about acknowledging that while he may not fundamentally change, he can adapt and evolve to lead a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Potential Future Scenario: Eclipse Apologizes

Brought to you by someone saying that Lunar would refuse Eclipse trying to apologize, but I respectfully disagree, and here's why.

I think that if Eclipse ever does apologize to Lunar, Lunar would have literally no choice but to accept, because we’ve seen early on that he does not apologize

To genuinely apologize and acknowledge his wrongdoing would be major character development that would take a lot of time and struggle to get to that point, based on my theories/analysis about him

So by the time he can actually, truthfully apologize, there would be evidence to prove his struggle with his own twisted nature, and probably how he failed at times during the journey, and had set backs and road bumps. The others would have most likely seen the effects and effort it takes to learn to change for him, and would most likely acknowledge that he’s being truthful.

If Lunar doesn’t accept at that point, if it ever got to that point, Lunar would be acting irrationally due to emotional complications, would probably just hurt Eclipse when he’s trying to be better for his brother, and would most likely set him back. There’s a very destructive pattern of thought when it comes to personality stuff (which is what I think Eclipse struggles with, a specific personality disorder I’m writing a comic thingy about), because you can’t change your personality. You can’t will yourself to be a certain way, and so it’s very easy to destroy progress people make on self improvement. So lunar refusing the apology would most likely not only hurt Eclipse’s pride (like it was hurt when Lunar left his side the first time) but would also further his belief of “why bother if they won’t accept the fact I’m trying for them” that he’d probably struggle with throughout a period of character growth.

Lunar’s smart, and pretty emotionally aware. He can be petty, but if Eclipse were to get to that point, I don’t think Lunar would refuse it because he would have already seen the struggle and effort Eclipse had put through just to get to that point

Logically, Solar would be the best person to help Eclipse, not Earth

This is partly copied/pasted from some conversations and does analyze Solar a bit as well

I really honestly doubt that Earth is going to be able to help him, if he comes back, and I’m suspecting that Solar would do a better job because he’s the only who can understand, properly, the absolute hell that was waking up inside of Sun’s mind with no idea what’s going on and how he got there. Earth can be sympathetic and show him pity, but that’s not going to help him very much at the end of the day. He doesn’t want sympathy, he doesn’t want pity because he has associated that with being weak and out of control. He needs some one who will understand him, and who will fully understand how one small thing changed so much due to the snow ball effect. Which Solar would understand. He’s “nice eclipse” after all, aka just an Eclipse without such bad formative trauma. So he never spiraled, but he’s just as blunt and analytical as Eclipse tends to be, and would be able to actually communicate with Eclipse about his issues since it’s a situation he could have easily been in had things gone slightly different

Solar is probably the only one who can understand, and I mean properly understand, Eclipse’s trauma and bottled up emotions. And I think that if they’re going to give Eclipse someone who will support him, they should do Solar. He’s got all boxes checked

The ability to fully understand Eclipse

No bad history with Eclipse that would really affect how Eclipse treats him (It’s not like Eclipse knows he built the satellite)

Similar base personality, his just wanted warped and twisted in the start, but if you strip away Eclipse’s issues, they’re practically the same person… for obvious reasons

The willingness to say what needs to be said, and not try to sugar coat. Earth would try to let Eclipse down easy about stuff, ease him into it, and he’s gonna see that as her being manipulative because that’s how he manipulates people. He needs someone who is just going to lay things out on the table

And of course, Solar most likely wouldn’t think Eclipse is too far gone to change. Because how do you think that of yourself? And they are the same person, just from different perspectives. It’s a similar dilemma I have to just writing off Eclipse, when I take him apart and see myself staring back at me. But I was able to improve, it just took work, and it took a situation dire enough to get me to realize that if I didn’t want to ruin the few things I cared about, I needed to get my crap together. And that’s probably what he’s gonna need to, something that threatens what he cares about to the point he realizes that this can’t go on. (And I’m suspecting that something will be control over his own life, just like it was for me.) We saw at the end of his life, that he was starting to self reflect and realize that he needs to change somehow, and this was because his control over his own life was being threatened I suspect.

Extra, Smaller Analysis on Solar and Eclipse

It is important to note that Solar doesn't have this issue (ASPD), and I believe it's because he didn't suffer the same beginning that Eclipse did. They resolved the Solar issue when he popped into existance very quickly from what we can tell, and so he wasn't left in the dark for months on end, left to stew in his own agony and emotions. Personality issues are caused by trauma, and specifically ASPD is directly tied to neglect during the most crucial formative stages in development. Sun and Moon had no idea Eclipse was there, and didn't mean to abandon him, because they didn't know he existed. But this complete, and utter abandoment, what is probably internalized as a personal betrayal because I can imagine Eclipse being destroyed by the idea that Moon left him behind on purpose. Which is just… not a good thought for my man to have, because that leads to feelings of worthlessness, and self-hatred for not being 'good enough' to keep/take care of/help. Which then just snowballs into other negative emotions, that gets him all worked up, and then he's fuming at the fact that they left him. That they decided he wasn't worth keeping around, and how dare they make that decision about him for him?!

You can see how it gets out of hand quickly, as he realizes the neglect he's suffering from, the abandonment he's facing, and the fact that he's now trapped. That Moon got to escape, but he can't and it's not fair. This is the perfect breeding ground for that funny little disorder called sociopathy, and boy, there's almost nothing at this point that can convince me that he doesn't have it because it's all just a little too perfect. And the worst part?

I really really doubt it was done on purpose, but holy heck it would be so cool if it was. Not just because of how beautifully crafted it is in his character, how it's so consistent and real, but also because if it was done on purpose, it would show that the writers took the time to do real research about a disorder that is so often done so poorly, and is commonly confused with a completely different issue (psychopathic disorder). Even knowing that it probably wasn't done on purpose, I'm still gonna just cling to him because I love him and I want him to get the happy ending he deserves. And I mean that genuinely, people who are suffering and lashing out because they're drowing in hate due to unfortunate circumstances that were really out of their control deserve to be given the tools to improve themselves and their lives, and it would be wonderful to see this sentiment reflected in the show.

Wrap-Up Ramble/Writer's Notes

This is, of course, my own personal observations, and it is definitely a lot to read. I had a lot of fun constructing this thread, because it is so rare to find a character that I feel I can properly connect to. I've struggled with a lot of the patterns Eclipse has shown in the show that I've called out, and I've had to go through the steps in the 'redemption arc' section myself. It's not an easy process, and as I mentioned, him realistically improving is going to be a process that is going to be draining on himself, and the people around him. He will have to wake up and choose to go against the walls he's thrown up around himself every single day if he's going to have a realistic redemption, and it's going to be exhausting. But I do genuinely believe that he can change, and improve, because I was able to change and improve as a person. It took time, years of intensive self examination and cognitive based therapy, and it required a strong support system. Which hopefully, if he comes back to the show, he can obtain, because otherwise he will continue to drown in his own bitter stew of resentment for others and himself. And that's no fun, that's just depressing.

A lot of people look at Eclipse and think the villain, but I just can't. His actions make him a bad person, but taking apart the psychology behind him, and seeing how glaringly similar a character is to you that is supposed to be the 'bad guy'… I want him to be able, if he comes back, to get the proper 'recovery arc' that he deserves, and I really hope that if they do try to save him from his own demons, they do it properly, instead of giving him a complete 180. Because you can't change your personality, and Davis and Reed seem to be aware of that with Moon. Even when old Moon tried to be better, he was still an awful person. And the 'new' Moon is still eerily similar to the old one, and as the time goes on, he just becomes more and more like the old one. Because it's the same AI, he just lost his memories. He didn't do a whole personality change because he got his memory card wiped, because he's the same person where it counts. He just has the benefit of not having all of the pain his past self was carrying. He's free of the hurt, and trauma, and self hatred old Moon carried, but he's still Moon.

So I'm really hoping that they continue to accurately display psychology in their characters if they bring Eclipse back, because it is such an immersive show due to the fact that it makes sense. These things make sense psychology wise, their behaviors, actions, patterns of thinking and speech. And I really am looking forward to seeing if they bring Eclipse back because he's such a beautifully constructed character.

You Made It

This is the end of my massive post. Congratulations if you made it this far. If you did, uh, the password is Dorito. Leave it in the comments/reblogs to let me know you made it, haha.

I'd love to see people's thoughts on this and on him, so feel free to leave your thoughts as well in comments/reblogs. I'll try to reply to every single one I see. Again, I love his character so much, it's so well crafted, and it was so fun to take this apart.

Edit: I have been asked about where to find the thread/join in on the convo, etc a few times: I have a thread in the SAMS server here if you want to join the conversation

#fnaf #fnaf au #sun and moon show #sunrise fnaf #moondrop #fnaf dca #daycare attendant au #earth and lunar show #eclipse sams #solar sams #lunar sams #character analysis #long post #sun and moon show theory #character theory

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delawaredetroit · 4 months ago

Note

I mean did Ochako get a good resolution? She failed her goal in saving Toga (who killed herself for her) after she vowed she wanted to save people after Nighteye was dying in her arms. Her arc of suppressing her feelings basically goes unaddressed and her feelings for Midoriya are essentially dropped despite being tied to that heavily (for better or for worse, and whether people ship them together or not that was a big part of her character). She doesn’t even get a chance to help Izuku in the climax, which doesn’t fulfill her resolve to help heroes when they’re suffering. She was dying from being stabbed, while all the other heroes with worse injuries (Bakugou) kept fighting. I would argue that her arc is basically nonexistent, which is a shame.

I'm sorry, I stopped listening to what you were saying after you claimed Bakugou played a more meaningful role in the last arc because he had more fights in the final war arc.

Now, all jokes aside, yes, Ochako did get a better character arc resolution compared to other key characters in the story (maybe excluding All Might and All for One).

Ochako starts out as a girl who went in to heroics, a job she believed was a performance to make the public happy, in order to provide for her parents. She was always a caring person, but Ochako didn't think structurally and she didn't think about the severity of what she was walking into with heroics.

After a few arcs, she really came to admire Izuku, a character who embodies an altruistic heroic ideal of saving others. After confronting life and death situations during a work context for the first time during the Overhaul Arc, she realized heroics was more than a performance. And despite that revelation that there were lives at stake - she wanted to continue moving forward to save people.

But hero society neatly divides people into those who save (heroes), those who are saved (civilians), and those to be defeated (villains). Once Ochako determined she wanted to save people, she quickly ran up against the limits of their society's framework of who gets to be saved. It started in the Joint Training Arc when she saved Izuku when he lost control of his quirk. She started with well then who saves the heroes? After seeing Toga cry during the first war arc, her next question became are villains also people who can be saved? Ochako was also the one to confront the civilians about their own complacency and to take initiative to help save others themselves at the end of the Villain Hunt Arc.

She did not have to fight with Izuku in the final fight and Toga was not required to survive to resolve her arc. The point of the "who helps heroes when they are hurting" with Izuku and reaching out to Toga was for Ochako to break down hero society's narrow, dehumanizing roles. Izuku and Toga embody some of the most self-destructive aspects of heroes and villains respectively. She reached out and recognized the humanity of each of them in their darkest moments - the Rogue Arc for Izuku and for Toga in the final war arc while Toga was still mourning Twice's (and what she believed to be Touya's) death(s).

As for the crush/feeling suppression plotline, she wasn't required to confess to Izuku to resolve that plot point. That plotline is intrinsically linked to her relationship with Toga. Because as I have said before, Ochako actually took Toga's advice for how to approach her crush. Toga wanted to become just like her crush. Izuku suppressed all emotions he believed interfered with his hero persona. Ochako then responded in kind by suppressing her feelings after she realized she liked Izuku in the Second Act. But in the final arc, Ochako acted according to her own feelings. She reached out to connect to the villain instead of defeating her because she wanted to do so. Trying to suppress her feelings of wanting to save Toga by looking at the destruction she caused didn't work. She freely admitted to Toga and herself that she liked Izuku.

This was a high school crush. Most people don't get married and have kids with their high school sweetheart. The crush plotline at the end of the day wasn't about Izuku. It was about Ochako and Toga and at a thematic level it was about restrictive norms around love and connection with others, especially as teenage girls.

And honestly, the epilogue also resolved Ochako's arc well. She gets to vent to her friends and let out her suppressed emotions surrounding Toga's death. She was able to connect with Izuku again without running away in fear of her own feelings as she had throughout the Second Act. And there is evidence she put her ideas of rejecting these narrow roles of who can be saved into practice through spearheading these systematic quirk counseling reforms.

#bnha #bnha manga spoilers #uraraka ochako #midoriya izuku #toga himiko #for a shounen jump written by a guy writing a lead girl - this is some solid character writing #but fandom misogyny is a heck of a drug i guess #asks

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hoeforhao · 1 year ago

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🏷 Kidult ▪︎ Choi Seungcheol Fic ▪︎ pt.2

↷ pairing: dad!seungcheol × fem!reader (feat!jeonghan)

↷ genre: heavy angst, fluff towards the end, mentions of childhood trauma, sort of arranged marriage? cheol and reader have a daughter together, lots of dad seungcheol content!!!

↷ summary: can trying to relive the childhood you never got to experience, through your daughter be the reason of your husband's irk?

↷ part: 2/4 pt.1, pt.3, pt.4

↷ w.c: 2.4k+

↷ author's note: part 2 is here at last!! this time I told myself that no matter what I'll keep my promise and post on cheol's birthday 💌 + also part 3 would be like a bonus with quite a lot of smut😏 and comfort at the end obviously duh!

If you want to be added to this fic's taglist, drop a comment under this post ; my ask box is open too♡

"You didn't have to go along with Hannie's proposal you know. He's just naturally manipulative" shifting on the satin sheets beneath that were definitely fine enough to soothe your tired body, but nothing your aching soul, you lightly chuckled in order to make it seem like you were completely fine with cheol's demeanor towards you today, or rather everyday!

"I agreed because I wanted to y/n,not because I was influenced into" seungcheol's firm hands hesitantly creep up along your waist, sending sudden jolts of warmth throughout.

Isn't this all you've ever wanted, to be wrapped up in his embrace, take in his vanilla scent, while he purred like a small child on your neck...but you knew better....you knew these were the delusions that would only peel your heart apart into flakes, everytime you hoped of them coming true.

"But you can feel uncomfortable staying with me in a resort alone, that too without Hana accompanying us"

"You're my wife y/n"

The man behind you spoke while keeping you in his embrace, hope still flaming in his orbs waiting for you to at least take his hand into yours...

But alas! He very well knew that the hurt he has caused you can even take up ages for him to fix.....well he wasn't in any sort of hurry, rather now completely ready to build an eternity with you, his beloved lady.

While cheol slipped into deep slumber, his arms still wrapped around you and his wet curls slightly brushing the skin of your back, that one line from him kept ringing in your head like a goddamn alarm clock.

"'You're my wife y/n' , did he just say that as a token or did he actually accept me as his wife, did he really melt, will i now finally get to live his love and be treated like how other men treat their lovely wives?"

Dang y/n stop expecting again you idiot. Do you wanna get yourself shattered into shards again!!!!

Amidst all these thoughts racing throughout your head, you didn't realize when you yourself welcomed sleep, wrapped up into cheol's nuzzle.

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

"Oh seungcheol i completely forgot to tell you two about this!" jeonghan's arms tug onto cheol's back, pulling the parade of you six to a halt, resulting into the older cocking up his head towards him.

"There's this staycation sort of my office is paying for only their best employees" han continues while flipping his long curly locks in the middle "at a resort call Diamond's Retreat where like couples with children can enjoy some leisure. They've a two day camp for the kids, while their parents treat themselves to some alone time with each other, away from the city and life's chaos, in each other's arms" him finishing the last part of the so called news with a teasing smirk on his face.

Seungcheol waited for Han to address as to what his office's trip had to do anything with him and his family.

"Since our other best employee Mingyu tskkk, is already out in Paris with his girlfriend, i was thinking if you three wanted to join us! The girls can have their fun while we enjoy our partners company" the petite looking man finally draws the concluding statement to his evil plan, hands tied tightly around his wife's waist.

"Seungcheol doesn't really do trips Han. We would rather like to pa-"

"Book us three in, we'll go" you were stopped in your tracks even before being able to keep your argument to the duo infront, as your husband made his decision while his arms snaked right around your torso, pulling your head slightly onto his form.

While you were shocked to see cheol showing you physical affection in public, the man beside you was rather concerned and hurt about his own wife not being comfortable in his embrace, trying to squirm her way out somehow.

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

The day of the trip was finally here and you were literally sweating through your white shirt at the thought of dropping off your daughter at the camp for TWO WHOLE DAYS! not that you were too sad about not having her running by your side all the time,but more cause you were strained about being left alone with her dad.

It has been over ages that you spend your time only with seungcheol by you side, you didn't know what to do, what to say...or more appropriately what to say that won't trigger his irk towards you. YOON JEONGHAN YOU DEVIL CHILD I'LL COME BACK AT YOU FOR THIS TRIP TO YOUR DAD'S ABODE.

"MOM!" a tweak from Hana's small fingers brings you back to this earthly void "I'm leaving with Byul now! Where's my goodbye kiss hmph!!! Daddy already gave me his" a pout paints hers plumply lips - no dna test would be needed to prove that she's the choi seungcheol's daughter....seeing how all her postures are literal copies of her dad, starting from those supple cherry lips to those glistening bambi eyes.

"Momma is so sorry bun,how about a bonus kiss as a punishment!" you peck your daughter's cheeks twice, slowly bringing her down from her father's arms, his hands brushing with your warm ones in the process.

Seeing Hana slowly melt with the horizon, hand in hand with her bestfriend Byul, while both of them excitedly made their way to the adventure camp, made you drop your heart into the pit of your stomach. Realization finally hits you - you're now completely alone with cheol!

"Get all nestled in quick, we've planned for a small sunset date by the rooftop deck. Be sure to be present by 5pm sharp, okay you Ms McTwisp" jeonghan places a playful slap along your back, earning an unnoticed glare from the other man.

Striding towards your room in as small steps as possible for a human to be taking, you unwillingly made your way to the room alloted for the two of you.

"What can be even worse than this already was right?" That was you before you pushed open the gloomy wooden doors to reveal a room decked up in white peonies and silk all around, making it look no less than the mating abode of two doves.

"I..I'll ask room service to clear all...all of this out" you tried to clear out the air before any offensive remark from him would ruin your flutter again, but...

To your surprise, seungcheol looked way to calm and maybe even a little happy at thr sight, the slight curl of his lips giving it out for him.

"It's okay y/n. It's just some decorations! Besides-" cheol takes a little halt, debating whether to say his thoughts out aloud or not.

"Besides they look really pretty, like you" the last two words were only for his ears to perceive, as you were already taken aback by his sudden gentle approach towards you.

After having a hard time trying to make it through the date with that annoying ass bestfriend of yours, for almost half an hour, it was finally time for dessert which in turn meant that he'll get to enjoy your company alone, away from any outside interference.

Although seungcheol would be lying if he said that the entirety of this thirty minutes meal was a torture for him - not when you were laced up in the prettiest sundress he has ever seen anyone flaunt ever. Was it that the dress was too finely woven? No! It was you, that soft smile of yours, those satin black locks half tied up into a white ribbon,that constantly kept distracting you from concentrating on your plate, those glittery siren eyes of yours is what made you look like a moon goddess in such a simple attire.

Oh how he wishes to be seated by your side, tucking away those stubborn strands behind your ears, with his own forefinger, to be feeding you that soufflé himself and to be gatekeeping those cheek pouches only for him to view.....he could never get enough of how godly yet cute you looked while devouring down each and every food bit on those porcelain plates.

"Thanks for the arrangement guys! Now if you would excuse use, I would like to take y/n on a walk by the beach" seungcheol pushes up from his chair, quite frustrated that the reason why he even agreed for this vacation, to spend time with his wife and try to make things right one page at a time, was not being attended to.

An approving nod and a victorious smile flashes onto jeonghan's face, knowing he has now been able to push forward the maneuver for what he actually tricked off poor Mingyu away to Paris, only so that he can somewhat try to mend his bestfriend's family.

"But we need to spen- " for the second time this week cheol banishes you from your right go finish your sentences, as he wraps your hands into his big ones, pulling you two into the beach encircling the property.

The warm sands beneath your feet, the sea breeze running through your hair while your dress flowed along the wind's patterns, made your heart swell up with utter joy. Even though the past few days have taken a big bite out of your heart, there's nothing that a walk along the beach at sunset can't fix right? That too if your husband is now following you like a puppy from behind, without your notice.

"Y/n?" a coo as gentle as a mourning dove graces you ears, while the cool waters traces finds their way onto your feet. You turn around to seungcheol now standing few inches away from you, his head drooped down like a flamingo, hands fidgeting with one another.

"Yes, Seungcheol?"

"Can you....can you call me cheol again pls? Like the old times?" your breath hitches at this sudden approach from him, unsure of what was about to come next.

"I know I messed up...no not even messed up i completely fucked up our relation...i treated you as nothing more than just my child's mother, but" you could now hear soft sobs coming from his direction, as seungcheol's voice starts to become unstable.

"That's not how i feel for you y/n. I don't know what took over me these two years...I won't try to justify myself by saying oh it was work stress or oh i was just not used to being a rookie father and all that....instead i really want to just mend our bond and be a happy pride. Pls?" Seungcheol's eyes finally travel up from the yellow ground beneath to the dark of your eyes, tear drops quite visible around their corners.

Oh how you just wanted to run into his arms, pull him into the warmest hug ever, pat his head and tell him that it's okay....everyone makes mistakes. What matters is them realizing it and trying to put things back into their place again. But your hope was played with way too many times to trust him this fast. What if he yanks you away, what if he gets disgusted by your touch, what if he's just saying all this for the sake of his daughter....

So, to protect yourself from further hurt, all you did was nod at him, flashing him a soft assuring smile, while walking away to sit on the moist sand beneath, ready to take in the grandeur of the sun pour its all into the sea.

Even tho all seungcheol wanted at that moment was to be wrapped into your bosom, he knew it would take a hefty amount of time for you to forgive all his conducts. A small sigh parted his lips as he waddled down the beach himself, leaving his pawprints as a proof of his new beginning, while sitting down by you to enjoy the sunset, hand in hand with his wife.

This newfound feeling of closeness with cheol was confusing yet fulfilling for your craving soul, cuz who could've imagined that you would be sitting on the beach by his side, fingers intertwined while the sun disappeared amongst the tangerine marshmallows before you.

"You know y/n, that day i didn't mean what i said. I love to see you play with Hana like a kid, reliving the childhood you never had, giggling and jumping like a little kiddo. My heart swells up with joy everytime, to see my wife and my daughter like that. To see my family all happy. I'm so sorry for being a jerk. I really don't know what gets into me sometimes, but all I know is I just want to build an eternity with you, have a small content family with my loved one" seungcheol literally blurts out everything in a breath. Did jeonghan possess him or what.

You didn't know whether it was doubt or hurt or the urge to not melt away so easily speaking, but instead of accepting his apology all you said was-

"We should get going now. It's getting dark." Dusting off the loose sand from the back of your white dress, you gently released yourself from seungcheol's grasp.

An immediate frown replaced his content face, from both the feeling of your warmth leaving his body as well as your indifference towards him. He rightfully deserves it tho. "Y-yeah let's go". Seungcheol and stuttering are two things you have never thought could go hand in hand. Like ever. At least not infront of you.

Overwhelmed with all these fresh senses, you quietly follow cheol on his stride towards your room ; the moonlight hitting on his orbs, radiating off a glint even diamonds can't be compared to, the moist breeze from the waters slightly wetting his locks making them stick to his glistening skin, those rosy plumps sticking out into a small pout....oh how dreamy can this man even look huh...even the moon god would be struck by how his light carves out the features of this fallen archangel.

"You know staring at anyone like that for this long, is considered rude" your trance his broken off by his deep voice, laid with a tint of allurement, as he twisted the knob of your room's door, "but you're my wife, I'm all yours to look at"

"I'm so so...sorry. I didn't mean to" you shy away from his glare, trying to quickly walk towards the couch, but seungcheol was way faster than you knew. Even before you could take a step towards your goal, cheol already has you trapped in his arms, your back hitting the cold surface of the door, while his knee rested between your legs.

"W-what are you doing, cheol" a warm wet pair of lips lands on yours as soon as the much longed for nickname makes its involuntary way out of your crevices.

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samsalami66 · 3 months ago

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Red Card Plays

Another day, another dreamling soccer au fic! Have fun reading!

Read on ao3 here!

(TW: Homophobia, Abuse, Panic Attacks)

“You’re here early.”

Morpheus didn’t look up at the sound of Hob’s voice, too used to it by now to be startled out of his warm-up. He took a deep breath so he might answer the unspoken question which Hob asked almost every time when he found him on the pitch way before training started.

“Yes I… I wanted to get some extra training in.” It was an easy lie, almost coming naturally with how many times he had already said it. “You are early as well.”

Hob nodded as he sat down next to him, mirroring his position.

“Oh yeah, it makes Gilbert happy when I show up early from time to time, to straighten my bad track record.”

This, too, was familiar. Finding pretty words in order not to outright name the punishment at hand, make light of the situation one found themselves in. It was only a matter of time until Morpheus would find himself subjected to the darker side the Fiddlers surely possessed, or be faced with it through one of the other players.

Though he hoped it would not have to be Hob, when it came to it. Morpheus had rather started to enjoy the other man’s calming presence.

“I understand. Say, what would Gilbert do if he was unhappy with a player’s performance?” Morpheus would want to know what to expect sooner rather than later, to get an understanding of what Gilbert’s chosen ways of training were. That way he might prepare accordingly.

“What would he do?” Hob was frowning at him, his arms crossing over his chest. “You mean outside of talking to you?”

Now, Morpheus was frowning too. Surely Hob understood that he could talk about this freely. They were teammates now after all, and perhaps even on the way of becoming something like friends. “I mean… extra training, punishments, or whatever you call it here.”

The stare Hob gave him was bordering on worry. “Dream” he started, slowly. “What did Roderick do, when he was unhappy with your performance?”

Weird question, but alright.

“The usual?” When Hob just kept staring at him, Morpheus continued with a roll of his eyes. “Running until collapsing, no water for the day, sometimes he got out the cane.”

Hob’s stare turned dark at his words, his jaw tensed and he took a deep breath.

“Burgess abused you?”

“What? No!” It was Morpheus’ turn to frown again. “No, those were just training methods, to keep us on track. How else would you ensure people keep up with it?”

“Enthusiasm? Loyalty? Adjusting the training to the players? Motivate them?”

“What motivates a player better than the fear of punishment?”

Morpheus was growing frustrated. There was no reason for Hob to be so stubborn about admitting to this.

“Anything, Dream, literally anything else would be more motivating for a player. You left the Riggers the moment Burgess bit the dust, didn’t you?”

That. Well, that was true. But Morpheus hadn’t left the team because of that, it was just that he couldn’t stand to play there when Roderick was gone. His ghost had been everywhere, his voice constantly at the back of his mind, telling him he was doing it all wrong, that he was a burden for the team, that only he could make him worth something as a player. That was why he had left.

“Dream, love, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

Of course he could, there was nothing wrong with him, after all. Any player Morpheus had ever talked to (which, admittedly, were just his old teammates. They hadn’t been allowed friendship or anything similar outside of their team) experienced the same treatment and knew about these training methods, accepted them as effective, even. So of course he could look at Hob. He could even hold his gaze, even if the worry in his teammate’s eyes made his stomach clench with a feeling he could not place.

“Nobody is going to hurt you here. Nobody, Dream,” Hob’s eyes held a seriousness Morpheus simply couldn’t understand, that did not make sense.

“But Roderick didn’t hurt me. He disciplined me, he, he motivated me and pushed me to be better, to be the best version of myself.”

His voice was loud. Morpheus did not remember raising it, nor did he know why tears were gathering in his eyes or why he felt the need to hug his knees to his chest like a toddler. He was not some child after all, and there was no reason for this.

“Oh, love,” It was so soft, so filled with care, and Morpheus felt the tears spill over. Arms wrapped around him, pulled him close, so that all he could feel was Hob’s warmth surrounding him as he cried. Though what for, he still wasn’t sure.

- - -

“How are we feeling?”

We. It implied a shared feeling, as if emotions could be experienced conjointly. Perhaps Hob Gadling really did share worry, fear and joy with those around him. Empathetic, in a way Morpheus failed to fully understand.

He was grateful for it now.

Now, they were sitting, together, in Hob’s car, waiting for him to be ready to step outside and begin therapy. He was not alone. Hob was here, with him. Holding his hand. Patient, caring. Morpheus was not sure that he deserved this care, this love. Which, perhaps, was one of the reasons he was sitting here. Or at least Hob had informed him that such thoughts were deemed ‘unhealthy’.

Morpheus could not remember a time where he had felt worthy of love. Or a time where he had been loved, the way Hob explained love was supposed to be. Unconditional.

There had always been conditions. His mother had loved him when he did her bidding, his father when he kept quiet. Epithumia had loved him when he left their home.

Hob said he loved Morpheus for himself, for his friendship and his character. Morpheus did not quite believe him, but perhaps he would, in time.

So, how was he feeling?

“I am. Afraid. Of talking to this person. But I also wish to. To learn. I wish to become a better friend.”

It was what they were, now. Friends. A baffling concept to Morpheus, that a person so caring could expand their care to him of all people. But he did. And Morpheus was thankful for it.

Hob grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly, the action grounding him.

“Being afraid of this is the most natural thing, love. I was so nauseous the first time I came here I almost turned around and went back home.” It didn’t sound like a bad idea at all, and Morpheus said so. Hob squeezed his hand again with a soft smile. “If you really don’t want to go, we can turn around and reschedule. We will do this in your time, however long it takes.”

“You would leave, now? When we are already here? When all I have to do is step out of your car and into the building?” It would be an inconvenience. It would mean doing it all over again, driving into the city and spending hours in his presence. Things nobody would want to do, not voluntarily.

“Of course I would, Dream. These things can’t be rushed. If you aren’t ready, it doesn’t need to happen today.”

Morpheus nodded, once, before taking a deep breath. Hob was not like the people he had known so far. He knew this.

“You will be here?”

“Awaiting your return, my friend.”

Another deep breath, another nod, and Morpheus pushed the door of the car open and made his way inside, knowing that Hob would be there. Just like he promised.

- - -

An hour later, almost on the dot, Morpheus stepped back out of the building, feeling like a single touch might break him apart. Hob had tried to warn him that there would be a lot of feelings he wouldn’t understand, and wouldn't be able to place. Never had Morpheus felt so out of his depth, like his skin didn’t fit quite right anymore and his mind was not his own.

But that was alright. Because Hob was there. Waiting, just as he had promised. Even if Morpheus didn’t feel like he knew himself anymore, Hob was waiting, patient, just like he always was.

Morpheus wanted to hug him, to be held, so he wouldn’t feel like he might shatter apart anymore. But at the same time touch felt impossible, the very idea made his skin crawl like a hundred ants were trapped in his veins. He wasn’t sure what to do about it, so he did not do anything, except open the passenger side to Hob’s car.

And there, on his seat, was a… a toy. A plushie. A fox-plushie, to be exact, large red ears with black tips, a very fluffy tail and black button eyes. It was… cute. It looked like something his younger self would have loved to own, something he would have paraded around as his favourite possession.

“A little surprise, for being brave enough to walk in there,” said Hob, his voice soft as he leaned towards the other seat so Morpheus could see him. He was smiling, pride clear in his eyes, and Morpheus could feel himself blush. It had been a long time since someone had last told him they were proud of him, longer still since he had been given a gift for doing something right. He must have been silent for a moment too long, missing the time it was socially acceptable to answer, because Hob was looking at him apologetically and reached for the plushie. “Sorry, I thought it was a good idea, but it’s childish, really, you don’t have to-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before Morpheus snatched the fox away from him and held it close to his chest, suddenly protective over the toy.

“A gift from my only friend could never be childish, Robert.” Morpheus huffed, his eyes narrowed playfully at the other man. Teasing was still unfamiliar to him, but he believed himself to be finally getting the hang of it. “Also, don’t disrespect Gerhard the Great like that. He detests being called a children’s toy.”

His teasing must have worked, as Hob barked out a laugh at the name he had given the fox, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I wouldn’t dare! Gerhard the Great deserves all the respect I can offer. As do you, my friend.”

When Hob said ‘friend’, it sounded like a lot of things. ‘My king’, ‘My Lord’, ‘My Love’. It was never just one thing. Friend, for this man, meant everything. Morpheus doubted that Hob would stop calling his partner his friend, or that he could ever have a partner who was not also his friend. It was a weird thing to know so early on in their acquaintance, but Hob was an open book about these things.

Hob’s openness calmed Morpheus, made it easy to trust him. And so far, his trust had only been well-placed. The fox in his arms was just another reminder of the great man Hob Gadling was. He wouldn’t judge or harm him. The only thing Hob knew to do was to care and protect.

He had cared enough to know Morpheus would feel difficult about touch. And he had cared enough to think further, to find a solution Morpheus would have never thought of himself.

And so, Morpheus slid easily into the passenger seat, with Gerhard the Great resting safely on his lap and one hand playing with his ears.

“Could I tell you what I talked about with Lydia, in the past hour?”

“Of course! Whatever you want to talk about, my friend, I’m happy to listen.”

- - -

Autism and ADHD had not been the diagnoses Morpheus had expected to get first, considering all the problems he had come to realise he had. But, as it was, Lydia had handed him books on both topics only about a month after he started therapy, and the more he read about the disorders, the more he began to see why they hadn’t been particularly hard diagnoses to make. Perhaps the fact that he was never able to stop playing around with the tissue boxes that were strategically placed around the room had been a sign. Or that he had to cover his ears from the sound of the fan and had been seconds away from what Lydia had called a ‘meltdown’, because the sound had felt like someone was scraping his brain with sandpaper.

Perhaps, if Morpheus had had access to these books earlier, he would have noticed that he was different a lot sooner. He understood now that arguments with his old teammates had often sprouted from misunderstandings and an inability on his side to communicate his problems. Though they hadn’t been the best human beings either, so they probably wouldn’t have listened to him about his problems anyway.

But Lydia said that he would have to try it with the Fiddlers in order to know if they were the same. Morpheus didn’t know why anyone would want to accommodate his problems, especially when he could simply push through them and pretend nothing was wrong, like he had done his whole life. Unhealthy, Lydia would chide him. He began to understand where Hob got that word from.

He, too, said a similar thing after all, when Morpheus told him about that week’s session. It’s unhealthy to go about your whole life masking, he had said. Morpheus hadn’t known what ‘masking’ was supposed to be at that point, but he had nodded along like he understood. Whenever something is making you feel uncomfortable, just tell us, yeah? Promise we will try to help. And that had been it.

Honestly, Hob hadn’t seemed particularly surprised about the diagnoses either. Perhaps Morpheus hadn’t been doing as well at hiding his problems as he had previously thought.

But even with Hob’s reassurance and the fact that nothing between them or the team seemed to change after the diagnoses, it still took Morpheus another month to voice a matter of discomfort to them. Old habits die hard, after all.

It was a Saturday and the team was getting ready for Drink Night, as was customary for them. Morpheus had been staying at Hob’s place, as he often did these days. They would watch movies or prepare dinner together on Friday nights. It was a comfortable routine, especially when Drink Night was always held at the New Inn and they simply had to walk down a flight of stairs to get there. They had their corner booth reserved every week, the bartender and waiters knew them all by name and were close friends of Hob’s, who was also the owner of the pub. If it ever became too crowded or loud for him, Morpheus would simply excuse himself to Hob’s flat.

It was a comfortable routine. One Morpheus was not very inclined to break.

But this Saturday, the team wanted to celebrate the opening of a new place around town. It was so new, there were no reviews or pictures online. No menu. It would be on the other side of London, far away from any of their homes, and they might have to stand in a queue in order to get in, if they would even get in all together.

Morpheus was… slightly uncomfortable at the idea.

“You look like your spine might snap with how tense you are.” Well, perhaps it was more than slight discomfort. Or Hob was simply getting too perceptive. Either way, he has been called out and was not feeling particularly great about it.

“I’m fine.” He tried to deflect, but Hob was having none of it. His hands came up to massage Morpheus’ shoulders, turning him into jelly with his strong fingers digging into Morpheus’ tense muscles.

“I can see that you’re not. Tell me what’s up so we can find a way to fix it.”

Hob made it sound so easy. As if Morpheus just had to say the word and he would make it happen, no matter what the request was. Perhaps he would.

Morpheus realised he wanted to find out.

“I do not wish to go to another pub today.” He answered quietly, eyes closed and focusing on Hob’s touch, grounding him. “I fear getting… overstimulated by the surroundings and unknown parameters and not having a place to withdraw to. And I… I enjoy spending time at The New Inn.” It was a slow explanation, halting and awkward, for Morpheus was still unused to voicing his feelings in this manner. But it was easier with Hob at his back, and the knowledge that he would never be judged by this man. When he finished his explanation, the hands on his shoulders disappeared so that arms could circle around his waist and pull him into a hug. Hob was warm and solid behind him, and Morpheus felt safe like this, safe to voice any and all of his concerns.

“Thank you for telling me, Dream. I’m so proud of you.” Warmth he wasn’t quite certain he deserved to feel swelled in Morpheus’ chest at the words, at the knowledge of having made his friend proud. “Let’s text the others to meet us here instead, yeah?”

Telling the other team members felt scarier than telling Hob, but Morpheus thought he could do anything with Hob holding him close like this.

“Very well.” He murmured, and Hob’s arms left his body in search of his phone. Morpheus knew it was in the bathroom, where Hob had been shaving a few minutes prior and upon telling him so, he received a kiss to the cheek from his friend.

“What would I do without you?”

It was a good question, though Morpheus felt he should be the one asking it. He answered nonetheless, but really it was more for himself than Hob.

“I don’t know, Hob. I don’t know what I would do.”

- - -

As the beginning of the season approached, Morpheus began to talk more with Lydia about how this time was different from how it had been at Fawney Rig.

The overall mood of the Fiddlers did not change much as the first match drew nearer. They were growing excited, more active at training, but not really stressed or anxious. The daily talks with Gilbert seemed to help them a lot, hearing that he believed in them to play a fantastic season and could see they were coming together well as a team.

In contrast to that, Morpheus remembered nothing but fear around the same time last year. The Riggers had been agitated, frightened of the threats Roderick would throw their way the moment he laid eyes on them. They had known that a lost match would mean punishment, that they would have to double their efforts in training and halve their hours of sleep for the weeks to come in order to placate their coach. And even then, they would get the cane.

Apparently, a safer environment did not immediately erase years of abuse (and wasn’t it a weird thing to finally accept Roderick’s behaviour for what it had been).

But it helped, to be able to talk about his fears with Lydia, and, later, with Hob. They had even convinced him to talk to Gilbert about it, who had pulled him into a tight hug after his explanation. On all accounts, the team and Lydia were doing their absolute best to reassure Morpheus that failure was alright and that it would not end in punishment or disappointment. Nobody would think less of him if they lost.

And yet, when the first match approached, Morpheus found himself pacing the locker rooms, his hands shaking and mind racing. He couldn’t lose this match. It was not only the first of the season, but his first as a player for the Fiddlers, his first chance to prove himself as valuable to the team.

What would happen if he fucked this up? What would the others think of him if he couldn’t manage to win their first game? Would Gilbert think his trust had been misplaced? That he hadn’t been worth the money of the transfer?

“Dream?” Hob’s voice called, and unlike usual, it brought forth fear instead of warmth (which only made Morpheus feel worse, for Hob did not deserve to be feared). “Are you coming? We’re about to go on the pitch.”

He wanted to say no, that he was about to throw up or scream or pull out his own hair with how afraid he was. But there was no time left, the point of saying something long past, and so Morpheus simply nodded and followed his friend.

Hob was perceptive as always, throwing him worried glances as they stood in line in front of the stairs to the pitch. The others were talking animatedly to the opposing team, cracking jokes and wishing them luck, but Morpheus couldn’t help but keep to himself and hide slightly behind Hob from the cameras. The public didn’t need to see just how nervous he was. Thankfully, Hob picked up on it quickly and moved to fully shield him from their view, taking one of his hands into his own and squeezing it tightly.

“You will do just fine, Dream. I know you will.” It was a whisper, only meant for Morpheus’ ears.

“What if I don’t?”

“Then you have given your best and will try again next time.”

Morpheus huffed, disbelieving. “I do not believe that that would be the end of it.”

It looked like Hob was about to respond, but he was interrupted by the announcement that the players would now enter the pitch. The time for talking was over.

For the most part, the match went alright. Hob shot an early goal, grinning wide as the crowd erupted into cheers. He bowed and threw them kisses, as was his custom, and Morpheus now understood that there was no arrogance behind that celebration, but genuine love and adoration for his fans. He had never understood it, because the Riggers’ fans had been similarly horrible to the players. They had always hated him, but it got worse after Roderick told the world about his sexuality. After that he would have food and sometimes flares thrown at him from the stands, booing from the crowd whenever he shot a goal. Morpheus couldn’t remember a single time fans cheered for him.

Perhaps if he proved himself with the Fiddlers, the fans would start tolerating him, cheering for him.

But for that, Morpheus had to score.

He tried everything, every single trick up his sleeve, but the ball never found its goal. The goalkeeper was good, too good, and with every goal Morpheus failed to score his desperation grew. This was not how it usually went. He was better than this, he was so much better. But it seemed like he wasn’t good enough to win them this match.

Ten minutes before the end, the opposing team scored the equaliser.

Five minutes later and they were leading.

There was nothing Morpheus could do anymore. His last shot went sailing over the goal, a pathetic attempt overall. And then it was over. The referee announced the end of the match, and everything came crashing down.

He was breathing too quickly, too shallow. They lost. The first game of the season, his first game for the team, and they lost.

“Dream?” Hob’s voice was close, and so soft, but Morpheus couldn’t help flinching at the sound of it. Surely not even Hob was a good enough man to look past his miserable performance today, he would be angry or disappointed, would blame him and- and punish him- “Dream, love, please look at me. Everything will be alright, just look at me, yeah?”

He couldn’t ignore Hob. Not even when he was afraid the other man would hurt him could he deny him a request, and so he lifted his eyes to look at his friend (and in this moment, friend meant so many things. It meant ‘knight’ and ‘protector’ and ‘sun’ and ‘hope’. It meant everything).

Hob looked sad. Worried. Morpheus wanted to take him into his arms, hold him close, but before he could say so, Hob had already pulled him in. He was too warm and smelled of sweat, but it was still Hob’s smell, Hob’s warmth, and so it was nothing but comfort to Morpheus.

“It’s okay, love. It’s okay that we lost.” There was no stopping the tears once they started, the fear and stress crashing down on him with Hob’s words, spoken even in the face of their loss. “You did so well. I’m proud of you, okay?”

Morpheus didn’t understand how Hob could say these things when he had every reason to be mad at him, but he was grateful for it. Even if the rest of the team didn’t react as well as him, Morpheus felt like he would be able to stand their judgement with Hob at his side. Though it was only a matter of minutes before he felt more arms around him, hands clapping on his back and shoulders. A mix of Well done, Dreamy! and Good shit, boss! reached his ears, each member of the team coming over to congratulate him. They were all in good spirits, grinning wide, and Morpheus slowly began to relax under their steady praise, the reassurance that nobody blamed him for their loss.

But only when a soft hand reached for his shoulder with the words You did well, son, did Morpheus relax completely, hiding his face in Hob’s neck and finally breathing normally again for the first time in weeks.

- - -

After that first match, Morpheus was slowly growing into his role as the second offence player. Without the fear of failure weighing on his shoulders, he was able to play in a way he had never been capable of before. He had fun.

Of course, he had always been good at football, and he had always gained a certain form of joy from seeing his skills develop and having them acknowledged. But he had never had fun playing with others. The Riggers had tolerated him for his skill, but they hadn’t played with him. None of them had been anywhere near good enough to keep up with him, even if they had tried.

Playing with the Fiddlers was different.

Hob was incredible, he saw the game in ways Morpheus had never before considered, offered advice and tricks and actually managed to teach him things. His technical skills were great as well, though they were not nearly as precise as Morpheus’ own, which were built from hours upon hours of non-stop training and repetition, in contrast to Hob’s quick improvisational talent. He was quick at coming up with a new move, whereas Morpheus was quick at finding the right move for the right situation. By all accounts, it should come as a surprise that the two of them managed to work so well together. But after an initial period of familiarisation, they functioned like they were made to play with each other.

Game after game they became better, weaving through the opposing team without difficulty, communicating by a single glance. It was the most fun Morpheus had ever had playing this sport.

The fact that they won almost every game after that first one became a certainty, inevitable with the force of nature Morpheus and Hob had become.

And the fans of Fiddler’s Green had picked up on it immediately. By the fourth game they were screaming when Morpheus scored, and by the eighth game a song erupted in the fanblock.

Mister Sandman, bring me a Dream! Bum Bum Bum Bum, make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen!

It came as a total surprise, his nickname having apparently reached the fans, and Morpheus tried his best to hide the tears in his eyes as the people cheered at him when he waved in response. Fans were cheering at him for the first time in his career, and had even come up with a chant, all while he was having the time of his life playing for a team that supported and cared for him.

It was as close to heaven as Morpheus thought he might get.

At least until, one game, he had to be reminded that his life was simply not like that.

During their fourteenth match of the season, after he and Hob had scored a goal each before the break, Morpheus found himself in a one on one with one of the defenders. The man was big, bulky, and by default, slower than him. But his instincts were good, and so they were head to head for several seconds, fighting for the ball, until Morpheus gained the upper hand and was about to move past the other man. That was when he suddenly grabbed Morpheus by the shoulders and shoved him into the advertising boards, hard enough to rob him of the air in his lungs.

Moments later, in which Morpheus was still regaining his orientation, he felt something wet hitting his face. It was… familiar, which only added to the panic he felt rising in his chest. Spitting in his face was one of Roderick’s favourite methods of degradation, whenever he had wanted to remind Morpheus of how dirty and sinful his existence was.

“Do you think I will be outplayed by a little cocksucker?” The man was yelling, his face close enough to Morpheus’ that he could feel his breath hitting his cheek with every word. Another shove, and Morpheus was falling to the ground, his back hitting the board hard. “You won’t get away with it, little fag, because nobody here gives a shit about you. Nobody will come and help you. You’re nothing.”

Morpheus wasn’t sure when exactly the voice of the defender turned into that of Roderick, but he knew that it was his old trainer that he heard screaming at him by the end of it. Flashes of a cane were appearing at the edge of his vision, and Morpheus cowered in fear from it, trying to shield his body as much as possible and closing his eyes against it. The yelling continued, insult after insult thrown at him, all of it in the voice of a dead man.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Morpheus heard Lydia’s voice, the words PTSD and triggers and panic attack making their way through the screams and the growing sound of his own breathing, which was getting more hectic by the second. The words were closely followed by breathe and comfort and safety and a mantra of Hob Hob Hob Hob. Morpheus tried to force them past his lips, through the gasping breaths he was taking and the sobs shaking his body. Everything would be alright if Hob was there. Hob would protect him, against Roderick and Alex and everyone else, he was safety and comfort.

Around Morpheus, the lights were suddenly dimmed. Hands gently grasped his head, covering his ears, and another sob left his lips at the relief he suddenly felt. He hadn’t noticed how overstimulated he had become, how loud the voices around him had been and how bright the lights. The hands had to be Hob’s, because no one else had ever touched him so gently, and no one else would know that light and noise might bother him. Morpheus simply had to make sure. Concentrate on the voices he could hear, the actual voices, not that of Roderick’s ghost still pestering his mind. Between the shouts of players and fans, he could finally hear it, a soft repeating of Dream Dream Dream. When his ears registered Hob’s voice, his nose was quick to follow, noticing Hob’s smell was everywhere around him. Opening his eyes was easier then, knowing that his friend was close, and so he managed to squint into the dimmed light after blinking a few times.

What he saw then was Hob, shirtless, holding his jersey over their heads to block out light and cameras and onlookers alike, softly repeating his name over and over again. It was just them in this little bubble, and Morpheus finally felt like he could breathe again, like the air was reaching his lungs, and so he gasped desperately for air, trying to get his breathing back under control. But finding a rhythm seemed impossible, and with every second he continued to struggle he felt himself drifting back into a panic. But then arms pulled him against a strong chest, his ear pressed to bare skin, and he could feel it rise and fall beneath him. Follow the rhythm, in and out, in and out, until he was finally breathing normally again.

“You’re doing so well, Dream. That’s it, take your time.” Morpheus knew the sound he made upon registering Hob’s words again was embarrassing and weak and pathetic, but right that moment, he did not care about it. Hearing Hob, not only his voice but his words, had become one of his greatest comforts over the months. Everything would be alright with Hob there.

“Hob,” he managed to whisper, and when his friend only pulled him in closer he said it again and again, until hands were running up and down his back, through his hair, and Hob was pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m here, my friend. I’m here.”

Only then did Morpheus finally feel secure enough in his breathing to move away, to look at Hob, and notice that his hand was bloody, his knuckles a deep shade of purple.

“You’re hurt.” He frowned, cradling the hand carefully in his and turning it around for inspection.

Hob shrugged, jostling it, and winced.

“You should see the other guy.” A terrible response, and Morpheus made sure his facial expression told Hob so.

“Don’t hurt yourself on my account.”

“He deserved it for being a little bitch.” Morpheus looked at his friend disapprovingly, and only received a kiss to his cheek in response, which must be wet and salty from tears. Not that Hob seemed to care about it. “I had to show him that someone does care about you, alright? That we won’t stand for homophobic bullshit, on or off the pitch.”

It shouldn’t have made warmth grow in Morpheus’ chest to hear Hob would fight to protect him, to prove his care and acceptance of him. But it was the first time someone stood up for him, and he couldn’t help but feel touched by such a display of love. He didn’t feel worth that effort and sacrifice, but couldn’t help craving it anyway.

Of course, he said none of it. But Morpheus hoped Hob could feel it in the hug he pulled him into. “Idiot.”

His friend hummed and hugged back, not denying it, and Morpheus couldn’t help but giggle into his chest, the adrenaline of the situation coming down on him all at once.

“Let’s get out of here?” Hob whispered after a while, and Morpheus frowned.

“But the match isn’t over?”

“Well, I received a red for punching that douchebag, so it is for me.” Morpheus scoffed, and Hob only laughed at him for it. “And while you could totally continue here, we could also go home and finish watching Lord of the Rings.”

“You’re a tempting man, Hob Gadling.”

A wink, eyebrow waggle and eye-roll later, Hob put his jersey back on and helped Morpheus up to his feet, from where he could make out the rest of the team standing around them. They stood in a half circle, shielding them from the other players, the cameras. Standing to protect them. Well, everyone but Cori, who was wearing Hob’s captain’s armband and standing above the guy that had attacked Morpheus, talking to the referee. The defender really did look worse than Hob, right eye swollen and nose at an awkward angle, most definitely broken.

There was some satisfaction in seeing him writhe in pain as a medic pressed antiseptics to his face.

But there was no time to relish it, as their movement was noticed by the team and suddenly Morpheus was enveloped in a group hug, the now familiar feeling of hands clapping his back and grabbing his shoulders grounding him like few other things could. None of the men judged him for who he was, none of them cared, and they proved it by hugging and touching him without fear, in front of everyone. The Riggers had never stood up for him, had never touched him, and had laughed at the idea of offering protection.

The Fiddlers were nothing like them. They were a family.

Perhaps he would heal one day, with their help.

#dreamling #the sandman #hob gadling #dream of the endless #salamiwrites #dreamling soccer au #soccer au #fuck it we ball

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whereianonymouslypostfics · 1 month ago

Text

The Flip Side Part 13

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~9.6k

Summary: Your motivation to continue working as a mobster in Chicago is dwindling after the birth of your daughter.

A/N: Sorry for the unplanned hiatus. This was just very difficult to write!

Warnings: Angst, violence, mentions of abuse, death, blood, non-con kissing

Dean sighs quietly behind his mask as he watches his fellow rebels go through the nightly routine of taking off all of their body armor. Since being approached by Skurge and encouraged to go against you to try and rehabilitate your criminal empire, he and another 5 people that he’d recruited lived in what had essentially become a frat house. It could house up to 15 people, and there was no personal space, but it’s not like they had much time to enjoy it anyway. If they weren’t sleeping, they were out assisting Hela in some way. Most of the time they were serving as ‘hired’ muscle and intimidation as the brunette continued to recruit from your ranks. People were unsure of what was happening at first, but after the first mass execution a couple of days ago, they were beginning to fall in line or disappear.

Dean’s only helping because he wants to see you fail. He’d never really liked you and even after working for you for three years, his opinion hasn’t changed. He’d never sought out a group of people who felt the same, but he gravitated toward them as he came across them over the years. They’d all becomes friends and when they’d been approached about double-crossing you, they’d been cautiously optimistic. This was something they’d wanted for a while, but hadn’t been able to swing themselves.

Now with Hela’s help, they were much closer to having someone else in charge. Someone that would hopefully treat them better. That said, he’s currently exhausted, and as soon as he’s out of his heavy armor he collapses into his bed. He groans when his stiff muscles begin to relax as he closes his eyes. He thinks back to how busy these past few days have been. He’s spent a lot of time out and about helping Hela terrorize your still faithful employees. He’d even gone to your penthouse which is something he never thought he’d get the chance to do.

When he’d been told that he was going to hold your wife at gunpoint, he was a little reluctant. Not because he particularly cared about either of you, but he feared that his involvement would get him killed. He had not expected her to be the one to shoot first and ask questions later. The urge to hurt the three of them had been nagging at him the entire time they were there, but they’d been given orders to only shoot if you were uncooperative. After a short and sickeningly sweet conversation, you gave up your freedom to keep your wife, friends and dogs safe.

He had to hand it to you, it was brave coming back here to face Hela. She’d already alluded to your imminent demise, and he was surprised to see that you were here with very little protest. You must be thinking about your family, and hoping that you’ll get back to them at some point. However, as soon as Hela gets your empire back to it’s former glory, she’s going to get rid of you for good.

Hela frowns at the silly question before shaking her head with an exaggerated sigh. She stands up and moves toward the monitors until she’s standing right in front of the one you must have seen. It’s your wife’s restaurant, at least a view from the street and it’s one of the first places she’d decided she wanted to monitor. The first was your penthouse. Her plan was to get your attention and she knew that this would be most effective by using those close to you. It took her a while to decide what she wanted to do. She’d wanted you in jail for whatever she planned because she knew it would make you feel helpless, but she’d eventually decided to spare Wanda’s life. She figured you’d be more compliant if she left her alive, and so far, you had been.

She hopes that you realize they won’t be alive for too much longer.

“You should know the answer to this, darling. You must use people’s weaknesses against them if you want to get your way.”

You’re not surprised, rather disappointed by this answer and you shake your head before offering a small smile.

“I didn’t forget.”

You don’t get a response as Hela turns back toward the screens in front of her and takes a few steps back. She looks at all of them and you wonder what’s on her mind, and if any of it is going to affect you.

“So what’s the next step? How are we going to revive my dying empire?”

Yelena’s scowling as she looks to the barbed whip in her sister’s hand with a shake of her head. They were working on finding a way to attack the bullet proof soldiers the next time they saw them, and they were going through their entire arsenal. They realize that they were going to have to rely on brute force to best the damn minions that Hela had been sending all over town. Nat had been trying to track them from a distance, and after an entire day of following them she’d found their homebase. Unfortunately, they would be very outnumbered if they tried to attack there. Nat had counted 8 of them coming and going in one day, and she couldn’t see inside so she wasn’t able to say what their odds would be.

“What about this?”

Nat turns to see her sister’s holding up a modern-day version of a flail that might just do the trick. Nat walks forward so she can inspect it and then she wracks her brain for whether or not she has enough of these types of things to face off with. She sighs before realizing that she’s going to have to go to her vault.

“That’s good, but I think we need to take a quick trip for something better.”

Wanda sighs as she tries again to pick up the pot in front of her. She’d been staring at it for twenty minutes since she put down Natalya for a nap, and she hadn’t even reached out for it. It wasn’t that her arms hurt that much. No it was mostly the fact that she hadn’t thought about cooking since the accident. That’s what she was calling it anyway, but it had rattled her enough to stick to using the microwave to prepare meals. This wasn’t that much of an inconvenience except when she wanted to cook breakfast, or the urge to bake made her wander around the kitchen.

For this reason, Wanda was trying to ease herself back into cooking, and the kitchen as a whole. Mostly the stove. You’d helped her a lot and her brother had too, but now that she was alone, at least for a little bit she had to try and do something for herself. She also knew that she couldn’t be afraid for too long. She loves cooking and she doesn’t want to lose that because of what Hela did to her. She’s placed a pot half full with water on the stove, and she just had to find the courage to turn it on. She wasn’t even sure what she would do with it, but she hadn’t really thought that far ahead. She was going to turn it on soon. She just needed another minute.

She startles when she feels a dog brush up against her leg, and she looks down to see Rogue watching her impatiently. She smiles at him before reaching down to pet his head with a sigh. She wishes you were here with her, but she supposes the next best moral support for this is her dog. She keeps one hand on Rouge as she reaches out to turn on the stove in front of her. Despite the desire to look away, she watches as the little flames turn on and she holds her breath and waits for something to happen. She lowers her arm because it’s starting to ache, and she just stands by watching until the water begins to boil. When it’s bubbling, Wanda smiles slightly before looking down to Rogue who’s still watching her closely. He licks her hand and whines before following her to the pantry.

“How about some hot chocolate, bud?”

Rogue watches her grab a mug and pour some powder into it with a sigh. She glances at her phone that she’d left beside the stove, and she has to resist the urge to check your location again. She’s never checked it so frequently and it felt stalkerish, but in this situation she believed that it was okay. Well, it wasn’t okay because it was driving her crazy knowing where you were and not being able to do anything to get closer to you. She considers how she’ll get you back as she takes her first sip. She hears Natalya fuss through the monitor a few seconds later, and she’s grateful for the distraction. She sets her mug down and heads toward the nursery only to find that Boone’s already there. She greets him with a quick scratch as she walks through the door to check on her mewling baby.

“What’s wrong, little one?”

Wanda watches as Natalya squirms and cries in distress, but she’s not sure why. She ate a little earlier so she must be lonely, and Wanda decides to sit with her for a while. She rocks her daughter on her lap as she talks to her in Sokovian for a while, and by the time she finishes she’s tearing up a little. She kisses her baby’s head before thinking about what you might be doing.

“Do you miss. Mom, little one? She’ll be home soon, I promise. Right now she’s…well it’s a little complicated sweetheart. She’s cutting ties with someone she used to know, but as soon as she’s done with that, she’ll be back to us. You’ll be excited to hear that she’s promised to be around for us more. You will have both of your moms around all day. You’ll be sick of us, but I’m very excited to have both of you home with me. I’ve missed it.

Once Nat’s settled again and fallen asleep, Wanda puts her back in her crib and carefully steps over Rogue as she heads back to the kitchen. Her hot chocolate is cold but she just heats it up in the microwave before finishing it off. She looks to her phone when it beeps and she smiles when she sees her brother’s texted her. She rolls her eyes before typing out a quick response. She decides that she needs to figure out what you’re up to soon. She’s going to give you a couple of hours before checking in again, but she’s not just going to sit around and wait for an update. She wanders down the hall and toward one of the extra bedrooms. You have so many that you don’t even use this one, or at least not for guests. Even if each of your friends wanted their own room, this one would stay untouched because it housed some of your many, many weapons.

Wanda sighs as she pushes the door open and switches on the light with a grimace. Her arms are aching from her time with Natalya, but she continues into the room and heads straight for the closet. She loved you a lot, and despite understanding your paranoia a little better now, she was still shocked sometimes by how much effort you put into hiding things. She switches on the light before sliding the door open and looking around the seemingly empty space. Nothing catches her eye immediately and she spends almost a full minute looking for the hidden panel that will open the very large safe room that you’d had built into this closet.

After entering the combination to the lock, she hears the telltale rumbling of the door unlatching and a second later it opens. Wanda’s grateful that it opens on its own because this door is very heavy. Wanda leaves it open behind her since she didn’t grab a baby monitor, and she steps inside the room that’s almost larger than the dog’s room. It’s filled with guns, ammunition, and other weapons that you’ve used over the years, but haven’t touched in a while. The large wooden desk in the back of the room is one you rarely used, and the couch that was mostly for the dogs also looked untouched.

Wanda had come in here primarily to look for a specific gun, but her eyes are drawn toward the series of pictures she’d put up in here. Initially, when you’d showed her the room, it had been wall to wall guns, and she’d immediately asked you to change this. Not only was it disturbing, but it was unsecure and a little excessive. You’d caved when your wife had promised to redecorate tastefully for you, and despite being a little anxious about it, Wanda hadn’t disappointed.

The series of pictures she’d had framed for you were of your two beloved dogs. Starting with them as puppies, Wanda had used some of the many, many pictures you’d captured of them over the years to show how they’d grown from small puppies, to your full-grown loyal companions. Before Natalya was born, you’d come in here sometimes and just look at the pictures and admire your dogs. After, you’d joked that you had an entire room dedicated to your dogs, and more pictures of them than your daughter in the house. Wanda decided to change this, but you both agreed that it was a little weird to put pictures of Natalya in here with your weapons.

Wanda looks away from a picture of Rogue and Boone wrestling when they were just puppies and turns toward the far wall behind your desk. Since she made you reorganize in here, there were nearly a dozen locked drawers that held specific types of guns. She was looking for one that you hadn’t used in years. She smiles widely as she puts in the code and waits to see the rifle that she wants to use on a particular brunette.

You take a deep breath as you stare at your hand with a longing look. You twirl the rings on your finger as you think about what tonight would bring. You’re exhausted and want to sleep despite passing out after being brought here, but you don’t feel safe. You had been led to a room that was surprisingly nice, but this did nothing to quell your fears of Hela coming to find you after you freshened up. You didn’t have a lock on the door, and you had no weapons nearby to protect yourself with. You were wearing clothes that were too large for you as you wait on the comfortable bed, and you feel yourself fading with each passing second. Your eyes flutter dangerously and you miss the sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

It's the sound of someone knocking that makes you sit up straight and tense in anticipation. Your achy muscles protest, but you do your best to ignore it as you turn to face whoever’s come to bother you.

You’re a little puzzled by the appearance of one of Hela’s armed minions, but you quickly realize you’d forgotten how much Hela liked wielding her authority like this. You remember how she’d had people run ridiculous errands for her, and the fact that this is one of those times makes you feel like you’re that scared 23-year-old who hadn’t known how to escape your tormenter.

You try to push these thoughts aside as you stand up and follow the brunette to wherever Hela was waiting for you.

Hela had considered a few different options for how she wanted tonight to go. She knew you still weren’t on board with any of this. You were mostly confused and homesick, but she decided that distraction was the most appropriate course of action for now. She remembers how easily distracted you were when she knew you, and just watching you these past few weeks has told her that you haven’t changed much in this regard.

She finishes putting her hair up and she stands with a sigh as she looks in the mirror. This month has been an exhausting one for her, and even though you’re not truly back yet, having you nearby makes her body feel like it can relax a little. She has to resist the urge to let her guard down though because she feels that you are still going to try and betray her. She hears footsteps coming down the hall and she makes sure her robe is tied before she turns toward the door with an impassive expression.

The resounding knock a few seconds later almost makes her smile.

“Come in.”

As you’re led down a long, dark hallway, you’re given plenty of time to consider what could be waiting for you on the other side of the door. You try to think of Wanda and your daughter at home as Dean stops in front of the door and knocks so loudly you almost flinch. You fiddle with your rings as you wait impatiently, anxious to figure out what Hela has planned. You consider every grizzly possibility that you can. You wonder if she’ll hurt you now, or if she’s going to make you hurt someone. Maybe she’ll--.

“Come in.”

As soon as the door is swung open, Dean turns to leave, but not before pushing you through it roughly. You consider spinning around and punching him in the face for putting his hands on you, but the door practically slams shut before you can even look over your shoulder. You scowl and listen to him walk away before your attention is pulled back to Hela who’s watching you wordlessly. The brunette can’t help but smile at the fight that she still sees in you. You turn around slowly prepared to ask her what she wants, but the sight of her makes you stop short. You’re sure your eyes widen in surprise, but that really only lasts for a moment before you feel your muscles tense in fear.

“Sit.”

Hela pats the spot beside her on the bed, and you just look at it for a few seconds before you force yourself to take the first step to close the distance. You hadn’t expected for Hela to greet you with barely any clothes on, and it was stressing you out. You sat down where she indicated, and if you sat a little further away than she wanted, you pretended not to notice. You focus on the soft carpet beneath your feet instead of the woman sitting next to you, but this only lasts for a few seconds before she starts talking. You look up to see her smiling at you and you feel something you can’t put a name to as Hela reaches out for you.

“I wanted to tell you something, Y/n.”

This isn’t a surprise to you, but you don’t dare say that as you notice the gun she has sitting on her bedside table. You just nod and wait for her to finish her thought. Your eyes start to wander to the dark purple silk that’s covering an undoubtedly insubstantial slip beneath. The color reminds you of the first person you’d killed, and you shudder at the memory of the poor drug addict. Hela misinterprets this but you don’t notice as you try to blink away the sight of the blood-soaked suit.

Hela sighs as she decides to be honest and see how you react to it. She has only one goal in mind, and that’s keeping your empire for herself. If she is able to keep you as well then she’ll be happy, but it’s not really a priority. She just has to make sure that if you stick around, you and the rest of your family stays out of her way.

“When I found you here a couple of months ago, I realized it was a chance for us to start over. Your business is struggling, but with my help, I know we can get it back on track.”

You try not to react to the feeling of her hand on yours, and you focus on her bright eyes that tell you that she’s plotting something. Still, you smile slightly at the thought of your business improving and making more money. When you first started, your goal was to make a name for yourself. You needed money, but there had been dozens of other options for an occupation other than mobster that you could have, and should have pursued. That said, when you arrived in Chicago, you’d decided to try and prove Hela wrong. She’d only told you that you were useless and couldn’t do anything for yourself for months, so you’d thought you’d try to show her. It was foolish and stubborn, and you should have known better than to do something so reckless.

You’d always loved food. Maybe you should have gone into the food industry, and there is a small chance you still would have met your wife.

You realize you haven’t responded when you feel Hela squeeze your hand, and you quickly nod before releasing the breath you’d been holding.

“I think…I think I’d like that."

Pietro frowns in confusion as he calls out for his sister again. He’d texted her to tell her that he would be by soon to check in and see if she needed help, but she hadn’t responded. He figured she might be resting, but as he wanders further into the penthouse, he realizes that might not be the case. The dogs that hadn’t greeted him at the elevator that he’d managed to get working just on card access, appear from a place where he doesn’t usually see them. Pietro holds out his hands for them to sniff, but they quickly get bored of him and go to their water bowl instead.

This leaves Pietro to check in the nursery for his sister, but neither she nor his niece are there and his frown deepens.

“Wanda?”

He checks outside first to see if Wanda’s relaxing out there with Natalya, but all he finds are the other three dogs lying around or wrestling. He walks back into the living room to see a tail disappear down a hallway, and he decides to follow it. He turns the corner just in time to see one of the dogs disappear into a bedroom that his sister doesn’t use. Pietro just thinks that his sister might be crashing somewhere else to try and not think about your absence, and he’s kind of right.

What awaits him is a confusing scene that takes him a bit to process. He watches Rogue head toward the couch where Wanda’s sitting with Natalya on her lap asleep. She looks near sleep too, but she hears him, or maybe her dog and she wakes up a little. She sits up and looks to her brother who’s looking around your secret room with a bewildered expression. Wanda hadn’t told him about this because she knew he wouldn’t approve. It honestly never came up, and since everything was either locked up or unloaded, it was perfectly safe for her to hang out in here, even if it’s a little odd.

“Hi Piet.”

Pietro’s attention turns back to his sister who’s making sure she hasn’t woken up her daughter before greeting her dog. Rogue sticks his nose in Wanda’s lap and sniffs Natalya before leaning against the couch with a yawn. They all look very comfortable, but Pietro’s still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that this room even exists.

“Hey, Wands. This is…new?”

It’s more of a statement than a question, but Wanda still shakes her head as her brother wanders over to the free seat at the end of the couch. He sits down as Wanda glances around the room once again before sighing in defeat. She isn’t sure why she felt the urge to hang out in here. It didn’t make a lot of sense given how she felt about your job, but she had to admit it was a nice room, albeit a little unsettling if she thought too much about it.

“Not really. She’s had this here basically since moving in.”

Wanda just smiles at her brother’s awestruck look as he continues to look around at the many weapons that are probably worth more than she wants to think about. He has to resist the urge to stand up and go touch, and instead he focuses on the other Maximoffs.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know this was here. It’s so cool.”

Wanda rolls her eyes but she doesn’t stop her brother from reaching out for Natalya and holding her in his arms. He kisses his niece’s forehead before leaning back against the couch beside Boone. He’s resting his head on his sister’s leg, and he moves a little closer once her lap is freed up, but Rogue beats him to it. He jumps up onto the couch beside Wanda and plops down on top of her with a huff. Wanda can’t help but smile as she reaches out to scratch him.

“Y/n would be happy to hear you say that.”

Pietro smiles as he bounces Natalya in his arms gently enough to not wake her up. Wanda watches carefully as she glances to her phone on the table that she must not have heard earlier.

“Sorry I didn’t answer. I’m just trying to relax, and not think about what she’s up to.”

Wanda frowns at the thought and it doesn’t take Pietro long to figure out what she’s talking about. He’s only wondered what you were up to multiple times today, but any prolonged consideration made him too angry. He wanted you to wrap things up and come back to his sister, but he knew things were a little more complicated than that. He just had to wait until everything was in place, and give you a little more time before they decided to speed things up.

Pietro knew his sister well enough to realize that she was coming up with a plan of her own as well. The fact that she was in here might be an escape now, but she wouldn’t come in here, of all the other rooms in her house, if she wasn’t looking for something. Pietro hoped it was a gun that would wipe Hela off the face of the Earth.

Pietro tries to reassure his sister that you’re doing your best to get back to her and Natalya. He has to believe this or else he’ll spiral and get angry all over again. He’s doing his best to give you the benefit of the doubt, and it’s not even that difficult in this case. He knows how much you love your family, and leaving them isn’t an option.

He shifts little Nat in his arms before shooting his sister a smile.

“I’m sure she’s working hard to get back here, sestra.”

You’re near sweating in your uncomfortable clothes as you and Hela sit facing each other at the end of her bed. She’s still holding your hand and you can tell it’s getting a little gross as you try to predict what Hela’s going to do next. Since telling her that you wouldn’t be opposed to returning your empire to its former glory, she hasn’t said anything. She’d only hummed in response and continued to hold your hand as she tried to read you. She hated to admit it, but she was out of practice and therefore not nearly as good at guessing your intentions. You’re still stiff and you look very uncomfortable as you resign yourself to your fate. You realize that the fact you’re even sitting here with Hela means that she wants something from you. It’s not a difficult conclusion to come to, but you’re usually slow to figure things out and you nearly kick yourself at the realization.

You’re going to have to give her what she wants if you hope to save your family from any further harm.

Hela watches as you deflate with a heavy sigh and a slow smile creeps onto her lips. You turn your hand over in hers before squeezing it gently. You are trying not to cry as you think about your wife at home and how much you miss her. It hasn’t even been a day, but you don’t see the end of this anywhere near.

“Will you show me how?”

Hela’s wide smile is borderline creepy, but you force yourself to look at it as something that’s comforting. She’s going to do this for you because it’s really what she wants. If she gets your compliance at the same time she’s killed two birds with one stone, and more importantly, to her at least, she’s going to figure out how to return to power.

You’re mostly dissociating when Hela leans forward and presses her lips against yours. You stiffen because you can’t help it, but you manage not to pull away before Hela does. She eyes you critically before smirking at your flushed face. She leans back before humming thoughtfully. This is going to be interesting.

“Let’s go to sleep, darling. Tomorrow we’ll get to work.”

Bucky’s in the bedroom changing when he hears the front door slam shut. He’d been waiting for Natasha for a while, so he’s quick to greet her despite his slight limp. He opens his mouth to speak, but he stops short at the sight of his girlfriend with a large chest full of something heavy and metal. Nat groans as she sets it down and sits on it with a sigh. She’s sweating but she has a smile on her face as she looks down at the giant chest of weapons that she’d picked for their next encounter with the damned armored minions.

“Hey there.”

Bucky watches as Nat stands up before kicking the chest closer to the wall with a sigh. She looks to the brunette and kisses his cheek before gesturing to her haul.

“Hey. Look at what I found.”

Bucky watches as Nat opens the chest and he takes in the sight of the weapons that look heavier than anything the redhead usually went for. This tells him immediately that she’s found what she was looking for to combat Hela’s guards, and he reaches out to grab one of the maces with a smile.

“This might just work.”

Despite her best efforts, Wanda finds herself on the rooftop not two hours after going to bed that night. She’d let both of her shepherds sleep in the bedroom with her, and she hadn’t even kicked Rouge out of bed when he jumped up about an hour after she’d turned off the lights. She had tried to sleep but she only tossed and turned each time her mind wandered to you and what you could be doing. She hated sleeping alone, but the fact that you were with Hela, possibly sleeping with Hela was making it impossible for her to relax.

She trusted you when you told her you would do your best to come home to her and Natalya soon. She hadn’t asked you for details, or maybe she had, she can’t remember, but you hadn’t been very specific about how you’d manage this. You told her that you would try to keep anything worse than you being beaten from happening, but this was hardly reassuring. She thought this in itself was horrible and it made her wonder what you considered better than this. Would you let her touch you? Would you drink with her? As Wanda laid in bed fretting over this, she realized that she needed to find a distraction.

She’d practically jumped out of bed, not even noticing how she’d startled Rogue awake as she hurried for the bedroom door. She’d barely remembered to grab the baby monitor before she ventured toward the dogs’ room and out to the roof. She realized belatedly that her shepherds were following her, and she’d held the door open for them so they could all escape out into the cool night air.

Now that they’re all sitting on the couch, Wanda breathes in deeply before wiping the tears from her eyes. She grimaces as she’s reminded that she forgot to take her meds before bed, but she doesn’t have the energy to correct this now. She’s too preoccupied thinking about what could be happening to you, and she does her best to convince herself that you’re just sleeping. She wants to believe that you won’t let Hela do anything to you, but she really can’t pretend to know what Hela’s true intentions are.

If she was being particularly pessimistic, she would say that Hela wants you back, and that once she gains your loyalty she’ll come after her and the rest of your family. She would be shocked if she was allowed to live which is why she’s not going to let this happen. She’d ended the day downstairs in the basement at the gun range because she couldn’t help herself. She just needed to reassure herself that even with her injured arms she could still shoot well. It had been painful and she was paying for it now, but it did the trick and only 15 minutes after leaving the condo she was back upstairs. She put the gun back in your weapons room, and showered before crawling into bed.

Now that she’d convinced herself that she could shoot Hela, she just had to figure out how she’d track her down. She had a bad feeling you wouldn’t be home this week, and she was going to have to bring you back herself. She’d consult with both Bucky and Steve once she had a more concrete plan, but she would need to have a little more sleep before she thinks about that.

She stares up at the stars with a sigh before shaking her head. She frowns at the feeling of uselessness that’s overwhelmed her for the past day. She wasn’t useless and she wasn’t going to let you be the only one working to get you back home. She’s sure your friends are trying to figure it out too, but she’s your wife and she’ll be damned if she just sits around and waits for someone to tell her what to do.

Wanda reaches out for Rogue who’s sitting beside her, and she pets his head for a minute as she contemplates her next move. If she weren’t on pain killers, she would have had something to drink by now. She would have to stop by her brother’s to get anything, but she could justify bothering him for alcohol given the circumstances. She decides that alcohol would only make her feel better for a few hours, so it’s not really worth it. She thinks about what you would say too and she immediately feels guilty for even thinking about it.

She knows that you’d be understanding, and despite not touching a drop of alcohol for years, you’d want her to do whatever made her feel better. She knew that your experience with alcohol would keep her from ever developing a problem, but that didn’t mean she wanted to resort to getting drunk to feel better. She’d learned over the years that the best thing to do is be productive instead. If she wanted to feel better about something, she had to do something about it, and this is what she decides to do.

You don’t sleep a wink that night. You had a feeling this would happen, and despite how frustrating it is, you don’t feel safe enough to let your guard down. You’re lying in bed less than a foot away from Hela and you’re tense from head to toe in anticipation. You keep waiting for the brunette to wake up and smother you or something, or maybe try to touch you in her sleep. You can’t risk falling asleep because then you’re completely helpless and that’s not something you’re comfortable with.

You try to figure out what Hela’s going to want you to do tomorrow, and at the same time you wonder what your wife is up to. Hopefully she’s asleep right now, but knowing her it’s not a restful sleep. You feel guilty about this on top of everything else, and you sigh heavily briefly forgetting your fear of waking Hela up. You roll onto your side and face the door with a frown as you consider how much longer you’ll have to be here. You try to think about your wife and the rest of your family. You consider what life could be like for all of you if you get away from Hela, from all of this.

You don’t know if Wanda would be willing to leave her restaurant behind, but you don’t think about that now. Instead, you imagine you and your wife living in a secluded house deep in the mountains. Maybe you’d leave the country, and go to Europe. Maybe you could live in a villa somewhere in Italy, far, far away from this life.

You don’t realize that you’ve fallen asleep until you wake up the next morning. You probably weren’t asleep for more than a couple of hours when the sound of someone calling your name wakes you. You jump in surprise and it takes you a few seconds to remember where you are. You frown and then sigh heavily as you sit up with a groan. You are exhausted and your eyes sting as you look to Hela who’s holding something in front of her. You watch her set down a tray of food that you have to admit smells good.

“Good morning, darling. Eat up, we’re going to have a busy day.”

You glance at the food briefly before turning to the bottle of orange juice that sits beside the glass that’s already half full. You are hesitant to eat any of this because you don’t trust Hela not to try and drug you. You do your best to stall as you shoot her a questioning look before asking what you’d stressed over all last night.

“What’s on the agenda for today?”

Hela doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, she reaches for the glass of juice and hands it to you with an expectant look. You take a sip to appease her, but it’s small and only tastes of orange juice. Still, you don’t let this fool you and you hand it back to her quickly. She doesn’t object and she reaches for the plate of food that you’re not going to eat much of if any.

“We’re going to pay a friend a visit.”

If your appetite hadn’t been stolen by the fact that Hela’s supposedly prepared food for you, it certainly would have been obliterated by the news of who you were going to visit. You don’t bother hiding your reaction, but you try to mask your concern with confusion. You aren’t sure how Hela figured out your limited, but important relationship with Tony. He was the first one who believed in you enough to invest in your future with the mob. You saw him as an uncle figure at times because he was almost a decade older than you were, and he was one of the only people who would tell you that you were in the wrong.

Well, that was until you met your wife.

Tony was the one who helped you become a mobster, and you’d told him that he was the one who would find out first that you were going to quit. You’d decided that if you ever wanted out of your profession, you would tell Tony first. This was mostly out of professional courtesy, and the fact that he would need to be prepared for your departure. He would need to figure out how to control the backlash and be prepared to recover from it. You joked that you would take him out for a nice dinner to break the news, but then he’d begun to expect it.

You wonder how this meeting will fall short of his expectations.

“He’s expecting us a little later. I wanted to introduce you to my team here before we go.”

You hold back the frown that threatens at the thought of meeting the same group you did last night. You’d decided that they were the ones who had been sent to your house to threaten your family. You would like to punch them in the face, but you’re going to have to play nice. For now, at least.

“Okay, I’ll get ready.”

You failed to realize that getting ready meant showering and putting on your dirty, wrinkled clothes. It was either this or some of Hela’s clothes and you refused to do that for multiple reasons. You’d look even more ridiculous than you do now because she’s so much taller than you. You try to ignore the stress headache brewing behind your eyes as you follow Hela out of your room to see what awaits you.

Yelena curses as she ducks down when a car passes by her, and pulls into the driveway of the glorified frat house that she and her sister are staking out. Their goal was to figure out how to take out some of Hela’s ranks so she can’t use them in an attempt to keep you away from your family. She had been staking out this place all day, and she’d seen close to ten people come and go, all dressed and ready to terrorize people.

Yelena had to resist the urge to shoot some of the dumber ones that didn’t have their helmets on, but she didn’t want to give herself up too quickly. She needed the element of surprise, and for this she had Nat looking into what their security was like. Hopefully they would be able to take them out relatively easily while Steve and Bucky dealt with tailing you and making sure you weren’t being tortured by Hela.

When her phone rings, Yelena almost jumps but she simply curses before answering it quickly.

“What, what is it?”

She hadn’t even looked at the caller ID. She was focused on how easy it was for one of the minions to get back into the frat house, and she finds herself smiling until she hears the voice on the other end of the line.

“Excuse you? I’ve figured out how to take out the middle men, but if you don’t care…”

Yelena curses loudly before shaking her head and apologizing before her fiancée could go on. She was helping her with surveillance now since Nat was trying to team up with Bucky to figure out how to get to you sooner rather than later.

“Sorry, sorry. What did you find out my wonderful future wife?”

She can imagine the eye roll that accompanies the loud sigh that Kate releases at her question. She doesn’t bother to address this now because she knows time is of the essence. She looks at her watch and decides that they have about an hour to make this work if they want to do it today. The lack of news from you or Hela even is stressing everyone out, and it’s encouraging everyone to go forward with their own plans. Wanda’s working on her own certainly, but your friends are also trying to figure out how to eliminate as many threats to the family while they figure out how to get you back.

“We’re going to have to move quickly, Lena, but I think we have a shot at this.”

The trip downtown to where Tony’s office is located is an agonizingly slow one. You are sitting in the back seat of the car silently stewing over how rude the minions were to you earlier. You have no power over them and they know this, so they treat you like dirt. As annoying at it is, you’re not going to fight anyone on it because it’s so low priority for you. Your main concern is getting home and making sure that you and your family aren’t any worse for wear from this horrible experience.

“I think I should do all of the talking when we meet him.”

You’re not surprised, but you are disappointed to hear this and you just nod before deciding that this might be useful. Tony knows you well and you’re hoping your silence, your deference to Hela will tell him more than whatever comes out of the brunette’s mouth. You wonder what Hela’s planning on telling him, but given how you’re almost there you know you won’t have to wonder for long.

She’s going to throw you under the bus though. You know that for sure.

You ignore the slight nausea and headache that’s been bothering you since breakfast and close your eyes to try and relax until you get there. You briefly wonder what Wanda’s up you, but you’re distracted by the car coming to a sudden stop. You’re only worried for a second before you hear the driver’s voice through the opening divider.

“They’re asking for identification, ma’am.”

You’d almost forgotten how paranoid your friend was, and you actually smile at the reminder. You don’t have any identification on you since you left it all knowing that you’d be stuck here. You realize it’s not important because once the window’s rolled down and someone takes a look at you, you’re cleared to head inside. You drive a little further to a parking spot before you’re led out into the impressive building. You used to think that Tony’s design choice for this place was ridiculous. You’ve made fun of him in the past for flaunting his wealth, but you’d take all of this back today if he asked because you’re relieved to see a friendly face.

Tony meets you and Hela at the door, and you don’t miss how his gaze falls to the two bodyguards that are more for Hela’s benefit than yours. You offer him a smile but don’t get a chance to do anything else before Hela is speaking. You stop in your tracks as Hela offers her hand to Tony along with a smile that you’re sure is fake.

“Mr. Stark, thank you for making the time to see me today.”

Since no one but Tony can see you, you roll your eyes before letting your expression match your displeasure. You knew you were just here as a formality, but you didn’t want her to insult you in front of your friend. Tony’s gaze didn’t leave Hela’s but you can tell that he sees your reaction, and he smiles before shaking Hela’s hand. He looks to you as he waves you both to follow him to the nearest conference room. He hates to do business standing up, and you aren’t surprised to find drinks waiting for you.

“Of course, you made it sound worth my while. Plus, it’s been a minute since I’ve seen this one.”

You don’t comment, but you smile as you follow after Hela and take a seat beside her. You purposely pull your seat away from hers so you don’t have to sit too close to her, and luckily she doesn’t seem to care. You watch as Tony sits down too and looks to you first before addressing Hela with a healthy amount of skepticism. You’d fear for his safety if he weren’t in his building, and he wasn’t still important to Hela’s plan. However, he still has use to her so you just try to hide your amusement.

“So what’s the deal with the rumors going around that say you’re taking over things?”

You hold your breath as you wait for Hela to reply. You don’t dare look away from Tony as you hear Hela sit up and sigh dramatically. You don’t even need to hear what she says next to know that it’s going to be critical of you in several ways.

“Y/n has admitted that she’s let her work slip in recent years, especially since getting married, and she’s asked me to take over. She’ll be assisting, but mostly in the background.”

And maybe a lie or two as well.

This time Tony doesn’t hide his confusion as he looks to you only to find that you’re staring at your hands. He doesn’t speak immediately because he’s tossing around what Hela just said and trying to make sense of it. When you eventually look up you see that Tony’s sat back in his chair and his arms are crossed as he studies you with a frown. You have a feeling you know what’s coming next, but you don’t let on as you wait as patiently as possible for Tony to catch on.

“This is really how you decide to tell me this, Y/n? I thought you’d go all out.”

You have to hold back your grin in response as you just shrug and shoot him an apologetic look.

“Sorry to disappoint, Tony.”

Tony doesn’t argue or even really respond to this, and the next half hour is Hela talking to him like you’re not even there. You listen a little, but Hela’s told you most of her plan at this point, so you’re not super interested in listening again. You know she plans to completely rebuild everything to her own liking, but you don’t even care. You’re hoping she won’t get that fair.

You catch yourself almost falling asleep as you sit beside Hela and you frown as you force yourself to sit up and try to pay attention. You realize that this makes your head hurt even more than before, and you sigh inaudibly before closing your eyes and trying to block out what your friend and Hela are saying.

You wonder what your family is up to. Is everyone mad at you? You know them well enough to guess that they are at the very least irritated with you. You’re certain that they are all making their own plans to get you back home, and you are honestly glad. You are realizing that your plan to go along with Hela until she trusts you won’t work. You overestimated how important you were to her plans, and she honestly just needed you here with Tony to prove that you were on board with your forced retirement.

You’re shocked when it’s time to leave and Tony hugs you goodbye. He’s only hugged you maybe three times before, but you do your best to pretend like it’s normal. You hug him back briefly, but break away first so Hela doesn’t get too mad. You tell him you might see him around before you step outside and follow Hela to the car. You squint as the sun hits you and immediately makes you flinch from the pain in your skull.

Of all days to have a stress headache. You can’t even take anything for it, and its not like you’d trust Hela to give you anything for it that would actually help. You try not to think about it much as you slide into the back seat and get buckled. You’re startled by the sound of the door slamming far harder than necessary, but you don’t get to open your eyes and see what’s wrong before Hela’s got you in her grasp. You hiss in surprise and then pain as she shoves you against the door causing you to hit your head against the window. You curse under your breath and then stiffen once you realize she’s pinning you there, waiting until the car starts before she speaks up.

“I told you not to say a word.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes as you wait for her to instruct you to speak. You figure she’ll want you to be your old obedient self now that it’s just you two again, and she doesn’t fail to meet your expectations. Eventually you shake your head before responding through gritted teeth.

“So you wanted me to say nothing, even as he talked to me? That wouldn’t have made him suspicious.”

Hela doesn’t even bother responding to this as she releases her hold on you but roughly enough that you hit your head on the window again. You curse her in your head in all the languages you know before turning to confirm that she’s moved away from you. You hope that you’re going back to the hideout so you can be away from Hela, but you’re sure that would be too lucky. You instead have a feeling you’ll be running more errands with her now that she has Tony’s support.

Wanda’s waiting anxiously for her friends to update her on how this afternoon went. She’d spent most of the day trying to not check in on you and stay in touch with her friends, but it was difficult to do. Everyone was busy, and she had been practically ordered to stay in the penthouse which was fine by her, for now. She took care of Natalya, and spent time with her dogs but she was getting restless. Not having you home, and worse, not knowing what you were up to with Hela was causing her to take more of your meds than she should.

She’s just starting to feel a little more relaxed when she hears her phone ring from somewhere beside her. She sighs as she reaches blindly for it and answers without bothering to see who it is.

“Hello?”

Wanda’s quick to sit up when she realizes who’s calling, and she has to stop herself from crying tears of joy.

“Mrs. Wanda Maximoff. Tony Stark here. I was wondering if you have time to discuss bringing your wife home.”

You don’t know what’s happened, but as soon as you and Hela return to her hideout you realize something’s wrong. People are running around and looking frantic in a way that immediately sets you on edge. You walk slowly behind Hela who asks the first person she finds what’s going on. You try to eavesdrop, but you’re too far away and too nervous to creep closer. You are glad you’re out of reach when Hela stiffens and turns back to you with a face like thunder. You resist the urge to step back as you wait and see what’s happened.

“Follow me.”

You don’t dare protest, and you slowly head up the stairs in what feels like a walk to the electric chair. Hela’s incredibly tense and her scowl sends anyone within sight running in the opposite direction. You feel yourself break out into a cold sweat as Hela leads you through the door to the room you’ve been staying in. She barely lets you walk through before she’s slamming the door behind you and locking it.

“What the fuck were you thinking?”

You don’t have a response to this because you have no idea what she’s talking about. Whatever someone told her, you’re sure you didn’t have a role in it. That said, Hela clearly feels differently and you resist the urge to immediately deny her as you swallow the lump in your throat.

“What do you mean?”

The blow doesn’t surprise you as much as it hurt, and you barely resist the urge to curse as your head whips to the side from the force of the slap. You taste blood but you manage to ignore it as you turn and face Hela once again. You seem to remember that looking away from her will only lead to more pain, and you meet her gaze with a cautious look. Unsurprisingly she looks pissed, but until she tells you what’s wrong you’re not going to have any idea how to answer her question.

You don’t have to wait long and you yelp in surprise when Hela has you up against the door before you can even take a breath. You stiffen and have to resist the urge to fight back when she squeezes your throat and makes breathing near impossible.

“Don’t be obtuse. I know you sent your friends to take them out. I should have killed them when I had the chance.”

Hela releases her grip on your neck because despite enjoying the sight of you struggling to breathe, suffocating you would be too easy. She wants you to suffer and this means dragging out whatever punishment she thinks fits the crime of you having all of her minions blown up.

You swallow a cough as you shake your head and try to figure out what Hela’s talking about. You certainly didn’t order a hit, not that you’d have the ability to right now, so someone else must be taking matters into their hands. It didn’t take a lot of thought to realize that your friends weren’t waiting around for you to come back. You just hoped that their efforts hastened your escape, and didn’t lead to too much pain for you.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hela is unsurprisingly not satisfied with this answer and she just scoffs before grabbing you by your shirt and dragging you out the door. You don’t know where she’s taking you, but you figure you don’t want to know and you try to shake her off with limited success. She ends up back handing you so hard you stumble against the wall and barely keep yourself standing. You’re not sure you’re able to hide the fear in your eyes as you glare at her. She simply glares back as she takes you by the wrist and yanks you along. You don’t fight this time because her words send a chill down your spine that is impossible to ignore.

“Fine. I’ll just have to refresh your memory as I’m punishing you for it.”

Masterlist

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda x reader #mob au #the flip side #the flip side au

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andreas-river · 1 year ago

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Bullied!Reader gained the Courage to come to The 141 boys + König knowing they are all a scary bunch and of Commanding rank to hopefully stop the bullying they were experiencing for a bit. They feel guilty for being a Solider who couldn’t handle it by themselves, but they beg for their help despite it.

“ I didn’t want it to come to this…I swear…I just don’t know what else to do…”

TW: bullying, mention of misoginy, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, fem!reader.

A/N: hello Anon, thanks for your request, sorry it took so long. I decided to write it without separating the characters, I think it makes the idea better like this!

Disclaimer: Too many people are bullied, and sadly it happens too often, and I have fallen into this deep hole myself. It can be both physical and psychological, and it is an devius but unforgiving form of violence. I hope this can give comfort to those who need it: asking for help IS NOT a form of weakness, sometimes even talking about it with a trusted person can make a difference.

════════════════════════════

Asking for help is one of the hardest things in the world. Admitting that we cannot do it on our own with our own strength is like a display of vulnerability that not everyone allows themselves to do: there are to many sharks around, and they are all out for blood.

But every day it was getting harder and harder, and it was almost embarrassing knowing the context in which you had been living for many years. Numerous missions made you used to the horrors of a military life, and the sight of blood had not affected you for a long time. You don't remember exactly how or when it started, but the stares of the men around you became more and more insistent, not giving you any peace, voices murmuring in the hallways as you passed by when you might have just been on your way to the gym or Price's office to fill out the various papers and get them in order.

Fortunately, you shared the office with Soap and Ghost, and more recently, König, who had been temporarily reassigned to 1-4-1 for future missions. All three were certainly much better company than the other soldiers, between the various chats with Soap, Ghost's jokes – so awful they were actually funny – and König's charisma, it actually made the day better, at least for the hours spent at the desk.

The nightmare continued during the rest of the days, and with it grew the guilt within you: you never responded to all those comments that reached your ears – being a woman in the Task Force apparently was impossible, to the point of comments that made your skin crawl with disgust, nauseated at the very thought. You knew that you had worked hard to get where you were today, and that you had earned the rank of Sergeant on your own, with your own strength, always willing to give your all, even while doing chores around the base.

With a sigh, you had forced yourself to walk to your room, which was on the opposite side of the offices, knowing that you would pass anyone who would murmur about you, after all, it was just after dinner and the corridors were much more crowded than usual.

As expected, the stares didn't take long to arrive, and a few murmurs began to reach your ears. Quickening your pace, you found yourself panting in front of the door to your room – literally running away from all those people, feeling like you had no choice. The thought brought tears to your eyes, but you had no other choice.

Since you woke up, every movement around you put you on edge, the day started like any other, but the knowledge of admitting something like this made you nervous. You were sure they would understand, as they often asked if you were okay, checking up on you as a family. A strange one, but one of the best.

As you walked into your office like any other day, you found Ghost and Soap talking, both greeting you as you entered the room. You waited silently for them to finish their conversation, distractedly listening to the fact that they wanted to change some exercises about the training, sneaking closer to them, still wondering if it was the right choice – you were literally the same rank as Soap – and you handled worse situations better than this one, where your life or others were at stake.

You were so deep in your own thoughts that it took you some time to realize that both men were trying to get your attention, and you snapped back to reality when the door to the office burst open, revealing the tall and looming figure of König.

Soap placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed gently with a warm smile on his face, "Hey – are you okay?"

You took a deep breath and felt König's presence at your side. You had a knot in your throat and you hoped not to stutter too much with your voice. "Yeah, I mean - kinda." The three men frowned, a bit confused by your behaviour in front of them. "I... don't know what else to do. I swear, I..."

The knot threatened to break at any moment, and you weren't so sure you wouldn't cry in front of your squadmates. "Every time I leave this office to just go somewhere, everyone starts talking–" you swallowed the luno in your throat again, feeling on the verge of tears. "They murmur about me, even disgusting things, and I know they aren't the truth, but now it happens every single day, every single moment I spend outside my room or this office–"

"Hey, hey, slow down..." Soap blocked you and made you sit down, Ghost still watching intently as König handed you a tissue, blinking and noticing that you were really crying. "Since when?"

Blowing your nose, you managed to mumble "a few weeks", letting the room fall silent after your words, except for your own stiffles, until Ghost resumed the conversation. "For today, you'll stay here and help Soap. König, you are with me today."

They all looked into each other's eyes in silent agreement, leaving you alone with the Scottish man. "They'll take care of everything, okay?" he hugged you gently, and you finally felt the weight off your shoulders, enough to allow you to breathe a little more.

Walking down the hall to breakfast felt strange, there was so much silence and fewer people, it felt so different when you spotted the others sitting at a table, you walked towards them with your coffee and found a place between Gaz and Ghost, with the others around.

"Sleep well?" Ghost murmured, leaning in your direction. For a moment you couldn't answer – there was so much silence that the atmosphere felt unreal. "Yeah, but... what happened?"

Price smiled as Ghost answered you. "There were... training changes."

You stared back at him, absorbing his words. You've never experienced anything like this in your life, and everyone helped you so quickly that you didn't even realize it was happening. You thanked him, a warm smile on your face as you came back to sip your coffee, finally relieved as you realized this was the best decision you could have made.

#call of duty #141 x reader #simon ghost riley #johnny soap mactavish #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #könig #task force 141 #mw2 141 #141 + könig x reader #cod mwii #call of duty mw2 #cod #cod mw #simon riley #request #request open

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grahminradarin · 8 months ago

Text

SPOP And Queer Joy Tw for transphobia, the Daily Wire, and getting kicked in the nuts

I was watching the most recent video from Some More News about a deeply stupid and bad and transphobic film from the daily wire called Ladyballers, and there was a scene they talked about where one of the main characters who was a guy that has been disguised as a woman for a couple weeks in order to win a woman's basketball tournament realizes he might actually be trans, and confesses this to the basketball coach who is his old friend and came up with the idea. The basketball coach then tells the trans character that she doesn't understand her own feelings and that the coach will help her figure it out. When she continues to insist that she's a trans woman, the coach kicks her in the nuts. And this made me realize the whole conservative mindset is based on an authority figure convincing people under them that they don't understand their own feelings and they don't know who they are, but the authority figure does. And the point of it all is to make someone never trust themselves or their own feelings ever.

And then I thought of the ending of She-Ra.

And I finally get why it felt so right and so triumphant and so different. Catra and Adora have been living with Shadow Weaver their whole lives, and Shadow Weaver has constantly been telling them who they're supposed to be, and it hurts both of them so much over the course of the series because Adora keeps trying to fit herself into that mold better (is helped in this endeavor by light hope) while catra is trying to break out of her mold to put herself in Adora's as the golden child

And then hoard Prime shows up as the ultimate example of an authority figure insisting that you don't understand yourself with the chips, which are literally a direct physical implementation of that idea!

And in what both of them think are their final moments alive, they kill the shadow Weaver in their heads, trust themselves to know who they are, and do what they've wanted to do the whole time. Catra stops trying to prove herself and admits that she cares and wants to just be enough without having to try. She stops caring about whether she's weak and says she loves someone. Adora stops trying to be the self-sacrificing hero and acknowledges that she can care about other people differently than just having to save them and she finally takes something she wants without worrying about the consequences.

They both say "screw authority, I know who I am and I'm going to let that out" because they both think they're about to die. And that one tiny moment of rebellion and understanding saves the entire goddamn universe. It terrifies Prime to the point that he can't even comprehend what's happened, and then it obliterates him and frees everyone he's ever hurt. It fixes everything

That one moment of queer Joy, even at the very end of the world, is all that it took.

#SPOP #she ra meta #she ra #SPOP meta #SPOP analysis #She-ra analysis

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alieinthemorning · 1 year ago

Note

Hello! May I send a request for Twisted Wonderland?

Leona and Malleus specifically, reacting to a Gender Neutral Reader with the power of a empathic healer, meaning they can heal people by taking their injuries and placing them on themselves? They used this power very often due to them hating to see people hurt when they can help?

Thank you!

For Thee, Not for Me [Leona Kingscholar || Malleus Draconia]

Content: Blood and Injury, Reader has a Unique Magic | Signature Spells, Strong Language, Inappropriate Use of Unique Magic | Signature Spells, Can Be Read as Platonic or Romantic, Angst

Pronouns: None

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don't forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

You liked Magishift. It was a fast-paced game that if you weren’t paying close attention to, you'd miss a play that would have the disc in the other team’s possession. You liked it so much that you usually sat in for the Magishift club’s practice.

Well, that wasn’t the full truth. The reason why you sat in on so many practices, mainly the practice matches, was because you were their self-imposed medic. Most of the time you dealt with injuries that could be resolved with a med-kit, other times you needed to use healing magics.

Then there were days like these,

“Worry not, there’s nothing for you to abide by. Leave all your worries to me. For Me, Not Thee.”

You didn’t even flinch as the deep gash along Epel’s forehead (and other more minor injuries) transferred from him to you. Instead, you immediately placed a hand to your temple, the ever so familiar tingle thrumming against your skin.

You turned to the student who had caused the injury. “I would say be more careful, but that was obviously on purpose.” Your tone was flat, and your eyes were somewhat narrowed.

You weren’t really mad, mainly disappointed. You hated when they got like this, when one of them felt like another was doing better, so they needed to sabotage in order to feel better about themselves.

His lips curled back, obviously surprised that you had the audacity to call him out on his shit. “What the fuck do you know—”

“More than you, obviously.” Leona cut him off as he approached. “If you can’t keep your shit together, then you can go. Don’t need no pussy-footed fuckers on the team.” Despite the vulgarity of his words, his look was something else entirely. Full authority, no room for negotiation.

That student has lost his position on the team.

You sighed internally, knowing that this would cause more problems for you in the long run.

Then, after checking on you and Epel (and making sure Epel thanked you), Leona had practice continue as normal. While you just sat there healing your head wound. Once practice was over, you were escorted back to your dorm by Ruggie. You also found yourself in his company for the next two weeks.

You had to continuously bite your cheek to keep yourself from blurting out your appreciation, not only for him, but his Dorm Leader.

On the days without Magshift practice, you found yourself under a large tree watching Sebek and Silver spar with their batons. You found their dedication to their Lord admirable, that even in a school of adolescents that held no worthy flame to the Prince of Briar Valley that they would so diligently practice the sword.

However, yet again, you had another reason for watching them so closely.

Because no matter how quick and calculated their strikes may be, accidents are always along the horizon.

He didn’t make a sound, just dropped to one knee as he clutched his side. You were at his side in mere moments.

“Worry not, there’s nothing for you to abide by. Leave all your worries to me. For Me, Not Thee.”

This time you did flinch as the injury transferred. You weren’t fully healed from Epel’s injury, alongside others, and taking a new, serious one so soon really affected you. You slammed your eyes shut and clapped a hand over your mouth, bile threatening its way up your throat. Thankfully, with a pair of hands to steady your swaying body and another to rub soothing circles along your back, you were able to weather that storm.

However, even though you had begun the healing process, you had found yourself in a bit of a bind.

“Ah. I’ll have to ask a favor of the two of you.” You hated to do this, but you knew that you were in bad condition. “Could you help me back to my dorm?”

“Of course.” Silver said as he helped you to your feet, then slung your arm over his shoulders.

Sebek was hovering at your other side, biting his lip harshly.

You smiled, “If you keep biting your lip like that, I’ll have to take that injury too, you know.” He stopped, but he was still frowning deeply.

Ah.

Out of all the people who hated when you used your Unique Magic like this, Sebek was one of your most vocal. So this blunder must really be hurting him.

You frowned as well.

Oh, if only you could take away negative emotions as well.

The return to your room was quiet and filled with plenty of quick glances. The long stares had died down after your second year. You had been dubbed “Healer” by your peers, and even the freshmen knew of you. Someone to go to if you were in danger.

Once they had made sure you were fine and settled, they set to leave.

Or rather, Silver did. Sebek lingered at your bedside, working at his lower lip again. You sent Silver off, then waited for Sebek.

He didn’t have much to say. “You cannot keep pushing yourself like this.” His voice was soft, yet firm. “When you fall, who attends to you?”

You smiled, but didn’t respond. He had heard your answer before.

“As long as everyone else is safe” then I don’t matter.

You should have seen this coming. You knew that despite your new-found companionship, that there would always be someone lurking in the shadows.

So when the sudden shove at your back forced you forward, you were only mildly surprised.

Your brain had already begun listing all the injuries you could get from being pushed down the stairs, reacting immediately when one of many was obtained.

You didn’t scream, just grunted as you tumbled to the landing, biting your lip as the splitting headache made its way between your eyes.

The both of you were quiet. You focused on healing and him focused on your silent, unmoving body. Then there was a flash of green, a short shriek then nothing again because you had passed out at that point.

Although, one last thought you had before you relinquish your consciousness was:

“I’m gonna punch the shit outta that fucker once I’m in the clear.”

World traveled fast at Night Raven College. Especially when he was hidden in what he would consider to be plain sight. And regardless of whispers, his ears were sharper than most.

He didn’t even wait for them to leave before he emerged from his resting place and set out to find you. His pace quickened as more and more information slipped from loose lips. You had healed two major injuries within the past week, which meant you weren’t in the best shape. But what was worse, is that you were shoved down a flight of stairs.

By one of his own.

He was going to hold him, but not until after he checked on you.

“Why are you here.” He snarled upon arrival.

Of all the people who could have been at your bedside, this was the one he was least expecting.

The Horned-Bastard himself, Malleus fucking Draconia.

The lizard-fucker turned to face him, head slightly tilted to the side with a small grin. “Fixing another one of your messes, it seems.”

Leona growled, taking a threatening step forward. Malleus’ grin grew wider.

“If either of you start, I swear I will never heal you again.” You croaked from the bed, forcing yourself upright.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” Leona groaned, wiping a hand down his face. He crossed the room, ignoring the horned-bastard. “Didn’t even lay hands on’em, and you’re already thinking about healing—you’re the one in bed, dumbass.”

You sniffled. “It’s just a White Cold.” He rolled his eyes. Of course, you would get sick from over healing yourself. “I’ve already taken the medicine for it, so I should be fine in a day or two.” You smiled at him—the both of them. “Thanks for checking in on me, though.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, just turned his back on you. “Why do I even bother…”

“Oh, if you’re gonna go now, can I ask you to do me a favor, Leona?” His ears perked up at that, you rarely asked for anything. “Could you handle the one from before? The pussy-footed fucker?”

“Snrk!” He slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the laugh. He was not expecting you to say that. Once he regained himself, he answered. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about that. I was already headed that way.” As much as he disliked leaving you with Draconia, he had to make sure business was handled.

And the business was handled well.

A hand on the back of the neck. Magic cracking down the back.

“I am hunger. I am thirst. I am what robs you of tomorrow. King’s Roar.”

“One wrong step, and I’ll put your remains in an hourglass.” Was the only thing he said to him before he let the pussy-footed fucker loose.

Someone removed themselves from the shadows with a sigh. “I’m sure you’re gonna ask me to keep an eye on him, right?”

“No. I want you to keep an eye on the Healer. Make friends.” He rolled his shoulders. “I’ll make sure to compensate you.”

“Oh? Shishishi…aye, aye, sir!” Ruggie gave him a two finger salute before making his exit.

Leona sighed. “I’m tired…”

Request complete! Thank you for requesting!

This was actually really fun to write, especially since I pushed myself to write at least 1,000 words. Well I actually wrote 1.5K!

Also please note that I call Spell Drive "Magishift" and I literally refuse to call it anything else.

This also very quickly became a Leona-centric thing (and also Sebek??? he had his little moment) instead of Leona and Malleus, but hey he at least showed up lmao.

Ko-Fi | Commission | Masterlist[Leona] | Masterlist[Malleus]

#alie requests #alie requester: beawesome04 #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #leona x reader #malleus x reader #can be read as platonic or romantic

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