#i know they both do care about her ofc but this comic relief wasn’t really playing off that

[atorionsbelt]

me watching roy and jamie fight stupidly over keeley right after finally being friendly, increasingly creating more tension between them during their drink at a bar alone, thinking they were about to realize they care more about the competition with each other than her and make out

[manikas-whims]

Shadow & Bone, The Crows & everyone's complaints

So now that I'm on my 2nd watch of the show, I wanna speak on certain things about the Crows in the show, which have made many people mad and some of which I didn't like either..but which I can still see as tying up with the canon.

⚠ Spoilers for both the Books & Show ⚠

Here we go:

• Kaz accepting the 1M Kruge job

Now ofc we all remember the book Kaz who bargained with a Mercher and raised his prize to 30M. But Leigh, Eric & the Crows Cast has been pointing out since day one that these aren't the same people we know from what we've read. This is a sort of prequel to those characters and just them figuring out their dynamic with each other.

Remember, the book opens with Inej saying Kaz is a feared man in the Barrel without hesitation, she introduces herself as the Wraith who can't be stopped even by gravity on certain days and Jesper as the amazing sharpshooter and charmer.

Now as a new reader, I found that chapter sort of funny because how are you claiming all this without showing me their process of becoming these formidable people? But as I read through, the thought that inded these are 6 dangerous outcasts, settled in my mind.

But before that 30M job, they must've had many smaller conquests too right? Ones which slowly built-up their experience, confidence and relationships.

Since this is a prequel, consider this as another day in their Barrel life, as them going on another of their regular jobs. And just think of this as a learning experience for Kaz. That its the dangers that they got into travelling to a different country that made Kaz learn his and his crew's worth. And prepared him for the negotiations he did with Jan Van Eck in SoC.

• Kaz brought to his knees by Pekka

While Kaz being bested by two mere lackies of Pekka was kinda annoying to me as well, why do we believe that Pekka can't harm him or the others? PEKKA ROLLINS WAS THE BARREL KING BEFORE KAZ.

Remember on the Ferolind when Oomen tells them he was ordered by Pekka Rollins to take down the Dregs? They all were shocked and somewhat worried. And it was brought up later on when Jesper said they were going against Pekka Rollins and Wylan explains for Matthias sake how Pekka is not to be messed with.

It was only Kaz who wasn't concerned at all, who consoles Jesper by saying Pekka is just another Barrel Boss.

And what were we even expecting Kaz to do when Pekka brought him to his knees? Didn't Kaz express in the books enough how a simple beating won't make it up. He promised to take his revenge in small steps— building up his gang, stealing customers from Pekka's clubs, etc. BRICK BY BRICK.

So Kaz can be brought down to his knees too. And Pekka can easily do it if he wishes so. But no one wants outright Gang Wars; Pekka because he is far more experienced and knows when and where to put pressure or when to let go of a job. He even advices Kaz to forget Inej and drop the idea of going against a Mercher in SoC last chapter, because it is a foolish thing to do.

And Kaz wouldn't want gang wars because he knows the Dregs aren't big enough to face the whole of Dime Lions. Besides he already plans to bring down Pekka brick by brick.

But no one threatens Kaz Brekker, so consider this "on his knees" scene as a set up and another reason for Kaz to strike back and pay back tenfold.

It will also serve as an amazing parallel if we get to see him make Pekka beg on his knees.

• Kaz and Inej are too obvious

Are they? Haven't they always been like that when in each other's company or when around the other Crows? So of course they're expressing alot in front of Jesper.

But note that there are was no incident in the show where Kaz expressed his slowly developing feelings in front of his enemies, namely Pekka. In fact all Kanej moments happen only between them or in Jesper's presence. So there's nothing wrong with that.

Are they too obvious? No. As I said before and as we all know Kaz and Inej ALWAYS share deep conversations whenever together even in books— "i will have you without armor", "i would come for you", etc.

So show Kaz telling Inej "no saints have watched over me like you.." was not much different from their canon alone conversations.

Have they shown too much already? NOT AT ALL.

We only saw Kaz putting the Crow Club on collateral but his reason behind it wasn't shown at all.

We only saw Inej kill a man to protect Kaz. We don't know why she chose to kill for him. You can't immediately translate that to love. It can very well be considered her trying to pay back because he saved her from the Menagerie.

Remember in Crooked Kingdom Chapter 4, Inej says: "their lives had been a series of rescues ever since, a string of debts that they never tallied as they saved each other again and again."

So consider these moments as their endless back and forth of saving each other.

*Another thing to note in the show is when Inej gave her knives to Kaz. She says: "as a friend once said".

She has started considering Kaz a "friend" and she knows he feels the same way even though he won't say it. They're only starting to open up and give way to friendship. And not just Kanej, Jesper too.

People can care for and have each other's backs without it having a romantic aspect. The show gave the viewers a peek at what Kanej are willing to do for each other and showed that there's obviously sparks flying but no clear motto. We still didn't see Kanej's first encounter at the Menagerie or Kaz staring at Inej sitting on his window. These are just small moments to set up the ship.

• The Crows only there for comic relief

NO. I don't agree to this at all.

I'm gonna go back to SoC Duology. Now we know both the books have a sort of a dark setting. But both of these books also had hilarious moments.

Right in Chapter 2 of SoC, Jesper joking about spelling with his bullets and Kaz joining in on the joke. There's also the "this whole shoot me thing is starting to worry me". Inej & Kaz's banter about "greed is your god".

Almost every chapter had atleast one moment that was either comical or to lighten the mood or just straight up banter between the Crows. And all those moments were all always entagled with serious ones.

The show did exactly the same. We were given their crime life because they were after all, on a job to capture and sell off a person. But the show lightened it by adding the Crows banter and certain comical moments. And for the finishing touches, they sprinkled in some vulnerability.

• Kaz not being ruthless enough

I AGREE. I DO.

What the fuck is wrong with us all wanting a sinister man being ruthless? 😂

There's not much I can say about this but that even in books, Kaz isn't always ruthless.

He is mostly giving out orders and scheming schemes. But in those rare moments in the book when we get to see Dirtyhands, we are given a view into some really intense moments.

When Kaz dislocates a man's arm in the Ice Court Prison, he himself admits it that he didn't do it as much to make himself look intimidating to the other criminals but more to remind himself that he can do it, that he isn't some helpless man.

The only such thing we got in the show was the brief scene between Kaz and that Inferni where he had that scary look on his face as he crushed that inferni's arm and slammed his face.

WE DID DESERVE MORE OF THAT.

But maybe it was a good moment to set him up for more violence in the coming seasons. *crosses fingers*

• The Crows not stealing from Alina

Okay whilst Inej wouldn't do it, Jesper may only consider, Kaz would definitely do it!

Remember Kaz kazually conversing with Van Eck and Pekka but also stealing their stuff in those moments with his slight of hands?

Yeah, the showrunners had a perfect chance at the end to do it but they missed it 😐

This is probably the one thing that I'm unable to settle with 🤧

So..that's it!

I don't want everyone to agree with me but I hope everyone can be a little less aggressive and more kind to the show. It was still amazing, if not a proper adaptation then at least good as a standalone show. And the showrunners already did say "high budget fanfiction"

[olderthannetfic]

Fuck branding and consistency: For my precious Miami Vice, we’re going full 80s!

Miami Vice is a cop show from the 80s that helped usher in an era of neo noir and radically altered how television is cut and scored. It is both an ensemble crime show and a buddy cop show. The central duo are Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson, center) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas, on the left). They start out pointing guns at each other and end up best friends... with a detour through amnesia and attempted murder along the way.

Their boss, Martin Castillo, is played by Edward James Olmos, who has had the exact same death glare for his entire career as you can see above. Rounding out the main ensemble were two comic relief guys, Switek and Zito, and two women, Trudy Joplin and Gina Calabrese.

Yes, they’re super hot, and I ship them too, along with the very obvious Crockett/Tubbs, but that is... not what the fandom shipped. More on that later.

MV had only a medium size fanfic fandom. As a source of annoying middle aged men who own that speedboat and still don’t wear socks, however, it is unparalleled. It was a mega-hit in its day but is largely ignored now.

As far as I can tell, the height of the slash fandom was just after the show ended, around the time Escapade was getting going. It was something that was in the air (hah) at the time but not popular enough to make it onto the program much. There were a scattering of vids and panels in that era, including:

1992 - Miami Vice (cops and music, right, well, maybe there's a little more here...)

Indeed there was, but you won’t find that out from most people! The cultural osmosis version of this show is deeply offensive to me, far worse than “womanizer Kirk” and its ilk.

I. How I got into the fandom

Miami Vice is a brilliant show, so far ahead of its time that it instantly dated itself and has been a subject of constant mockery by people who only know it vaguely from cultural osmosis during the 90s. Its revolutionary editing is what inspired me to go back to film school. Its cinematography is equally iconic. The soundtrack literally changed television forever. And no, children, synthesizer is not automatically a bad or cheesy instrument. Jesus.

I got into MV in 2010. I’d been reading about it in the first Film Noir Reader and had been intrigued by the black and white stills. I looked it up and found that it was a rare DVD release that secured all of the music rights, unlike the butchery of Wiseguy and too many other shows. I bought it on the spot.

It was a religious experience.

By 2010, even the little Yahoo Groups fandom it had eventually grown was long gone. The zine fandom certainly was. I started buying all of the used zines I could get my hands on. One thing stood out to me over and over: Rico, my favorite character, does have great fic, but it’s all gen and het. The slash zines treated him with absolute contempt. The only fan from the 90s slash fandom who had any clue how to write him was @flamingoslim​.

So I did what any fan would do: I got into her current fandom, Starsky & Hutch, and stalked her to her S&H con.

What?

II. Why didn’t fandom love Rico?

So why were the slash zines like that? Yes, okay, the answer is racism.

But the more zines I read and the more oldschool fans I’ve talked to, the more apparent it is that the way it played out is specific and interesting, not some generic “he’s not hot” thing. The big problem was that the slash zines came from a tiny handful of publishers, with the more popular ones coming from a single publisher. Looking at their editorials in the front of volumes, I see cartoons of the two of them dressed as their ship, Crockett/Castillo. I’m getting full on otherkin vibes from how they talk about that ship.

This was very clearly a case of hating the other man who got in the way of the OTP. Even so, the particular way Rico was written in many of the stories in those zines is incredibly racist. Flamingo writes him as a supportive best friend to Crockett. This was... not the norm.

This wouldn’t be such a big problem except that this was not an era when you just go on AO3 or even FFN and post whatever you want. Getting a zine together is hard. It takes money. It means finding a printer that is willing to print gay shit--something that can still be an issue in 2020. It means having a job and a lifestyle where being outed as a publisher of gay shit will not fuck you over. They were the only game in town, and their bad takes ruled the fandom.

Contrast to the gen/het zines: Rico wasn’t specifically more popular than other characters, but he wasn’t in the way of somebody’s OTP, so he shows up pretty often as a major character, written similarly to how he is in canon.

The gen/het zines are also just plain well written, making all of the characters more nuanced and interesting than in a lot of the slash fic. That’s what happens when you’re dealing with tiny fandoms and tiny numbers of writers: one or two great talents shape the whole feeling.

The other answer to why people weren’t super into Rico is simple: Castillo.

MV is a show full of buddy duos. And then there is the boss, a mysterious lone wolf whose identity only goes back a handful of years. He is aggressively moral and incorruptible, yet also executes a counter-revolutionary in cold blood rather than let the CIA take him back to South America to continue his reign of terror.

What, you think Castillo isn’t a murderer?

Hate to break it to you, but not only is he, but Rico is the one who found out and never reported him. It’s one of the most interesting moments between them.

I’m not surprised fandom wanted to ship Castillo with someone. I just wish people hadn’t only ever reached for Crockett/Castillo when Castillo/Tubbs has just as much great material. But if I get started on my ship manifesto for that, we’ll be here all day!

Suffice it to say that MV suffers from what lots of old fandoms do: people only rewatch certain parts, and it’s hard to remember which bits are fanon.

I’ve heard people say that Rico didn’t seem like he really cared about Sonny on the same level that the oldschool slash juggernauts did. I think this is a combo of not rewatching the episodes more heavily focused on him and of fandom liking a particular kind of woobie/enabler ship. Rico usually caved in the end, but he set boundaries in a way some of these ships never did. He was also portrayed with a particular kind of bragging confidence that is way more common in black characters. I think it reads wrong to some people, though in fact, he’s just as much of a ride-or-die bestie as the usual slash duos from back in the day.

The same thing happens with a lot of specific moments fic does heavily reference. Many significant Crockett/Castillo moments involve Crockett being the only one who can get through to Castillo, yet in those actual scenes, it’s Tubbs who does or it’s both Crockett and Tubbs.

Yes, friends who I will be seeing at Escapade, even that scene and also that one. You are just flat out wrong.

III. The Fanworks

First, my eternal rec. It’s het with an OFC. No, no, come back! MV was one of those fandoms where this was sometimes the best fic, and all the more so since the ship is with Castillo, he of the mysterious past and not enough personal connections.

Dark Side of the Moon by @dejlah​

I also really love Temper of Revenge by Mary Van Deusen. It’s one of three she did to the same song and it’s about the dark, dark ending for the comedy relief duo. If you’ve heard Francesca Coppa talk about vidding history, you’ll have heard of this vid. (No, we’re still not the same person.)

I’m also a big fan of MVD’s Crockett/Castillo vid, Ready for the Times. It manages to perfectly capture the dominant fanon take on the ship. I can’t even put into words exactly why, but it brought back all that fic powerfully.

This fan-made trailer does a good job of showing the kinds of twisty episodes he got:

My first vid I ever sent to Vividcon was a Gina/Trudy one that gives a good sense of the awesome costumes and also how often they had to go undercover as hookers. (AO3)

And finally, for those of you who don’t want to watch five whole seasons of 80s TV, I vidded that arc. (AO3)

Wow, this is only like 15 screens. Practically a haiku when it comes to me talking about Miami Vice!

[winterisakiller]

Get Better - Chapter Three

Title: Get Better

Chapter: 3/18

Character: Tom Hiddleston/Cath Richardson (OFC)

Genre: Romance

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Love. Companionship. Family. These are all of the things Tom Hiddleston desperately wanted. But his life and his choices left that a distant and unlikely prospect. So he did his best to move on and live his life as is. When an opportunity to return to the theater arises, he jumps at the chance and along the way finds that maybe, just maybe, those distant and unlikely prospects are closer than he could have imagined. Sequel to Brave Face.

Authors Notes/Warnings: So as I was writing Brave Face I knew that Tom’s story wasn’t over, even if that particular part of it was. And while I knew, more or less, what the overall ending to the story would be, its taken me a while to figure out the time in between. Thanks to @redfoxwritesstuff for letting me continually throw ideas off and at you. I still can’t fathom why you put up with it, but I am eternally grateful you do. This story will update on Thursdays.

Tag list: @tinchentitri @theheartofpenelope @noplacelikehome77 @nonsensicalobsessions @blacksuitofdoom @messy-insomniac-bookgirl @just-the-hiddles @theoneanna @wolfsmom1

Previous Chapter

CHAPTER THREE

 A sharp wind whipped down the florescent lit tunnel, sending a sudden shiver down his spine. Tom pulled the blanket he’d been handed tighter around him, stifling a yawn. It had been an early morning and despite several cups of coffee, with more espresso shots than he’d care to admit to, he still felt the pull of sleep dragging on him. The excitement, however, was winning by leaps and bounds. He had been intrigued when the idea was pitched to him, of making a teaser for Betrayal and posting it as-is before formally announcing the show the following day. It was a creative and fun way of drawing attention to the production and getting buzz going around it.

 The teaser’s premise was simple, Tom would come into focus walking down the aforementioned tunnel, something out of the camera’s range would catch his eye, and the viewer would watch his reaction unfold. Watch the shock, pain, anger, and finally defeat play across his features. No dialogue, no real explanation; just him and music. Beautiful in its simplicity.

 He stood to the side, watching as the days’ crew reset the shot and fiddled with the lighting. It was their third, and hopefully last, take; the lighting have gone a touch fuzzy during the last set up. It was a bustle of controlled chaos and something he’d always found fascinating. The way in which the crew flittered around each other was almost an elaborate dance.

 “Alright, places everyone!”  The director called once things had been set to rights. Tom nodded, took a deep breath and stepped onto his mark.  

 The rest of the shoot passed with little issue. The fourth take had been the one Tom was certain he’d nailed. He’d watched the final footage with the director and found himself pleased with the initial result. The days’ footage, Tom was told, would be edited that evening and should be ready to go up the day after. With a warm smile, Tom bid farewell and headed out into the bustle of the now busy streets.

 He’d taken the tube that morning, enjoying being able to sit and people watch. It helped keep him grounded, just doing the everyday tasks that so many seemed to take for granted. He could usually take the tube with little fuss or fanfare. That was one of the wonderful things about London, very few people seemed to care who or what he was. True, there would be the occasional fan who would approach him or the rare ‘sneaky’ photograph (which he never really understood the point of) but for the most part he was left to his own devices.

 He’d fired off a quick text to Luke before he’d entered the station, letting him know all had gone well and that he was off home. Luke responded quickly, reminding him that his phone meeting with Marvel regarding updates for the Loki limited series had been pushed back until following afternoon. Which meant for the time being, Tom had the rest of the day to himself and he was greatly looking forward to the lack of demand. He made his way through the ticket barrier and followed commuters down the escalators and onto the platform. The train rumbled into the station a few minutes later and he joined the mass of people making their way into various carriages.

 Tom quickly settled into the first available seat, letting his mind wander as he watched the eclectic mix of people filling the carriage. It was something he’d always enjoyed about the city; the mix of cultures and people that had always made it uniquely London. The carriage was busy but not packed, it was still early enough in the day that most commuters were still at work. Tom enjoyed the relative peace as the carriage jostled along, silently counting the stops until his own.

 He made his way from the train onto the platform once the train had pulled into his station. A flash of dark hair and a familiar laugh caught his attention as he made his way through the busy station to the ticketing barrier. Tom turned his head in reflex and a jolt of recognition shot through him. Cath. The name materialized in his head without conscious thought. But she was gone before he could make a move, disappeared into the crowd heading towards the platforms.

 Tom shook himself back into the present and carried on through the gate and then out onto the street. It was just as well she’d gone, he reasoned, pulling his coat tighter around himself as a swift breeze raced down the pavements. He didn’t actually know her, had no reason to approach her other than his own, admittedly overabundant, curiosity.  And that had often caused more trouble than it was worth.

 Silently, he carried on down the pavements and back towards home. Bobby, none too pleased with being shut in the back room in his crate, barked repeatedly as Tom unlocked and pushed open the front door. “Alright, alright,” he called. “I’m coming.”

 He shrugged out of his woolen coat, hanging it on the rack near the door, and jogged through the house towards the back room. Bobby, finally free of his confinement, let his displeasure be known with several more loud and growly barks. Tom rolled his eyes and let the spaniel out through the door into the back garden to do his business and terrorize the local wildlife.

 The following day’s teaser release and subsequent play announcement were well received, which had been a major relief. The response on social media had been overwhelmingly positive and Tom was more than pleased. Zawe had begun talks to secure her involvement in the show and from what Tom had been able to gather, Charlie Cox was in talks to join as well. Nothing had been set in stone and probably wouldn’t until closer to the New Year, but Tom couldn’t have been happier. He’d known Charlie for years and was glad to at least have the chance of potentially working with him.

 His phone had been ringing off and on throughout the day following the official announcement; friends and family sharing their well wishes and excitement. His mother had been particularly thrilled as she could talk more openly about the play now that had it been announced publically. His mother and her enthusiasm had become the stuff of legend in and around Suffolk.

 “So someone actually took pity on you and hired your sorry face. I must send them flowers…and my condolences as well,” Benedict laughed. His call had come just after Tom had finished an impromptu afternoon run. He was in desperate need of a shower but hadn’t the heart to tell his friend to buzz off.

 “Well,” Tom quipped back. “If they actually hire you on occasion, I figured I would be a shoe-in this time round. And,” he added as an afterthought, “there is a much better chance they can actually pronounce my name.” Ben snorted laughter at the comment which pulled Tom into a laughing fit of his own. “But in all seriousness,” Tom continued once he’d managed to calm himself, “I am ridiculously excited to be able to be doing this. It’s going to be a challenging role and I am looking forward to it.”

 “So who are you playing? Robert or Jerry?”

 “Robert.”

 Ben laughed in delight. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. And they’ve cast Emma and Jerry?”

 “Not officially no,” Tom answered, laughing as well.

 “Unofficially?” Ben goaded.

 “Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox, pending availability.”

 “Very nice indeed, Mr. Hiddleston. You’re moving up in the world.” He paused, taking a breath. “Hopefully Sophie and I will be able to make it during the run.”

 “Don’t feel obligated,” Tom admonished. “I know things are going to be a bit mad with the little one coming.” He had been beyond thrilled, and quietly jealous, when Ben had told him that he and Sophie were expecting again. The baby was due in late January and Tom was well aware that their lives would be chaotic for a least the first few months while their family settled into its new routine. The play would be the absolute least of their priorities. “If you make it, that will be amazing but don’t feel like you must. Honestly.”

 Ben laughed. “I have a feeling that by the time your show opens we’ll both be ready for a break and grown up company.”

 Tom laughed as well. “I can only imagine.”

 A loud scream echoed from Ben’s side of the line. “I’m terribly sorry to cut this short but I need to make sure my sons aren’t killing one another. Sophie will be awfully cross if any damage comes to them in my care.”

 “Yes. Yes. Go on, take care of your offspring. Talk to you later.” Tom ended the call and stretched his back, it having started to get a bit stiff. He really needed to make sure he stretched pre and post run now. God, I’m getting old, he thought with a grimace. Tom toed out of his running shoes and took the stairs two at a time, more eager than ever for a hot shower.

 —

 The rest of November passed in a blur of various appointments and meetings cumulating in an appearance at Tokyo Comic Con. Tom always thoroughly enjoyed being able to attend Asian events, especially fan ones. The welcome he received was always warm and the fan base vocal and tremendously supportive. It made the long flight and horrendous jetlag worth it. And this time had been no exception. He’d thoroughly enjoyed talking with fans and participating in numerous panels. But he had to admit, he was grateful to be going home. He’d joked with Luke about the real possibility of him sleeping for at least a week on the way to the airport.

 “Good,” Luke deadpanned back. “Please do. Less chance of you causing me headache.”

 The flight home had been a long one, with just enough layover to make his usual jetlag feel a hundred times worse. He’d practically fallen into the car awaiting him at Heathrow and slept all the way home. It certainly wouldn’t do his re-acclimation to British Standard Time any good, but he’d been far too tired to care. How he’d made his way from the car and into the house, he still didn’t know. Nor how he’d fumbled his way from the entry way, up the stairs and into his bedroom. He’d woken late the following afternoon still in his clothes and momentarily unaware of just where he was.

 Tom blinked around the room several times before the familiar shapes of his dresser and the door to the ensuite came into focus. Home. He pushed himself upright, a jaw cracking yawn escaping him. He was still tired, still a bit fuzzy-headed, but now that he was conscious he could sense the grime of several hours confined in a small space with far too many people all over him. With a fair amount of effort, he pulled himself to his feet and padded into the bathroom, stripping as he went.

 Freshly showered and feeling much more like himself, Tom climbed downstairs nearly twenty minutes later and set about fixing both coffee and food. Plate of egg and toast in one hand and a steaming mug of coffee doctored to his liking in the other, Tom padded into the living room and settled himself on the couch. He let himself revel, selfishly, in the silence of the house.

 Bobby was still at Emma’s; she and her husband had volunteered to watch the little devil while he’d been out of the country. Why they’d agreed, Tom still wasn’t entirely sure. And while he’d missed the little bugger, it was nice to be able to eat a meal without having to face those large, pleading eyes. He’d never been able to completely resist them, and he knew Bobby knew.

 Tom took his time eating, he had nowhere in particular he needed to be and fully intended to laze about for as long as possible. He pondered actually taking on his ever-growing ‘to-be-read’ pile. It had been ages since he’d allowed himself the luxury of just sitting and reading a book. Yes, he still read as often as was possible, but it was usually during filming breaks when he wasn’t going over lines or blocking or a few moments before falling asleep. Actually sitting about and just reading, that was a true rarity. Possibilities.

 Once he’d finished the last of his meal and drained the very last of his coffee, Tom pushed himself to his feet and padded to the kitchen. He contemplated simply leaving his used plate and mug in the sink for later, after all it wasn’t as if he won’t have the time later. But the impulse was quickly abated; his mother would box his ears, metaphorically speaking, for doing such a thing even now. He shook his head and laughed at himself, washing and drying them quickly before heading out of the kitchen and into the main hall.

 As Tom made his way down the hall his suitcase and backpack, left carelessly by the door the night before, caught his eye and he groaned. He should take his clothing out and get a load of washing started, knowing if he put it off it wouldn’t get done. With a muffled curse, he lugged the case towards the laundry room, setting it on the floor and sorting through his clothing. He’d gotten a load in the wash and started the sorting of the next when the sharp ring of his mobile echoed from the front of the house.

 Tom sighed and padded back into the hall, finding this mobile vibrating and ringing away on the table; Emma’s number flashing across the screen. He had to have pulled it from his pocket by reflex the night before as tended to keep in beside him the majority of the time unless he purposefully needed a break from the outside world.

 “Yes, little sister?” he said as way of greeting after he’d grabbed the offending object and slid his finger across the screen to accept the call.

 Emma snorted a laugh. “He lives! I was wondering if you’d be conscious and functional yet or not.”

 “I do live, the conscious and functional part is debatable. Now what can I do for you?”

 A loud, piercing cry echoed through the line and Emma sighed, wearily. “Take my child off my hands for the next…I don’t know…Eighteen or so years?”

 “Somehow I think Jack might have a few objections to that idea.” Tom chuckled, padding back into the living room and dropping onto the couch.

 “He’ll live,” Emma grumbled. “I’ve got to dash. Just give us a call when you’re ready to swing by for Bobby. And if you want to take Allie with you, feel free.”

 “I think I’m good. One adorable yet demanding creature is more than enough for me at this juncture,” he reasoned adding, “And Bobby doesn’t scream” as an afterthought.

 “Oh ha bloody ha. See if I agree to help you with anything in future….Allie no, put that down…Alice Marie…Sorry, Tom, I’ve got to go.” The line clicked and Tom let his phone drop beside him on the couch. He scrubbed his face with his hands before standing and heading back into the laundry room. He’d finish sorting his laundry and then call her back, letting her know he was on the way.

 The drive across town wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d feared it would be; London traffic being what it was. He pulled his car to a stop in the drive leading to the house forty minutes later, almost reluctant to turn the engine off and lose the heating.  Emma had the door open, his niece on her hip, before he’d climbed out of the car.

 “She’s calmed I see,” he called, reaching out to take the little girl from her mother’s arms. She smiled in delight and clung to her uncle, babbling excitedly. “Hello there, angel.” He kissed the top of her head before returning his attention to his sister. “And how has my boy been?”

 Emma laughed and shook her head, ushering Tom inside. “He’s been his usual self. Luckily he hasn’t dug up the back garden…again. Only because it’s been so bloody cold.”

 Tom threw back his head and laughed. “Well thank goodness for small miracles.”  The aforementioned spaniel, upon hearing his master’s voice, came sprinting out into the hallway, barking. Alice let out a squeal, clapping her hands together and reaching for the excited dog jumping at her uncle’s feet. Tom bent down and gave Bobby an affectionate scratch behind the ears. Alice reached out and grabbed at Bobby’s ears. “No, sweetie. We need to be gentle with the doggy.” He demonstrated by petting Bobby softly on the head. Alice mimicked his motions and Bobby tossed his head up, licking her face. She squealed in delight and wriggled out of Tom’s arms.

 Behind him, Tom could hear Emma laughing. “You are a natural, you know?” He turned around, blinking at her in puzzlement. “With kids,” she continued, “have been for years.”

 He shrugged, turning his attention back towards his niece and his dog to ensure neither was misbehaving. Alice was contentedly patting Bobby on the head and babbling at him. “So are lots of people.”

 “I’m just saying…You are great as Uncle Tommy and I think you’d made quite a good father in your own right.”

 “Em.”

 “I know you want that, Tom. It’s plain as day to anyone who knows you,” she pressed, giving him a knowing look.

 “Of course I want that, Em. I just…Sometimes we can’t get what we want.” He let out a resigned sigh. “Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want and we’ve no one to blame but ourselves. I’ve come to terms with it.”

 Emma folded her arms over chest, “You and I both know that’s a boldfaced lie.”

 Tom pushed himself to his feet, turning to face his sister, frustration clear in his eyes. “Just let it go, Em. Seriously.” His tone brooked no argument. “Do you have the rest of his things gathered or do I need to go into the back and fetch them?”

 “Tom…” It was clear though that Tom was no longer willing to entertain the conversation at hand. “All his stuff is gathered in the back room.” He gave her a nod and headed down the hallway towards the room in question. Alice who had until that point been contentedly patting Bobby on the head, raised her attention to her mother and inquired, in her own fashion, after her missing uncle. Her mother sighed, “Uncle Tommy’s gone to get Bobby’s things then they are going bye-byes. But we’ll see them again soon.”

 Alice pouted at this, “No bye-byes!”

 “It’s alright Allie,” Tom spoke, dropping the bundle of Bobby’s things carefully by the door and settling on his knees beside her. “Bobby and I will come back soon. But I think right now mummy and daddy want a little time with just you.” Alice sniffled and grabbed at Tom who pulled the toddler into his arms. “I know, I know.” He kissed her head, and standing, handed the girl to her mother. “You be good for your mummy and daddy okay?”

 Emma looked at him over the head of her still sniffling daughter. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

 Tom nodded and mouthed, “It’s alright.” Picking up the bundle once more, Tom leant down and hooked Bobby’s lead to his collar. “Come on, boy.” He pushed open the front door and led them out into the dark and cold December evening. Bobby had hopped into the backseat of the car willingly enough but throughout the drive home insisted on sticking his nose further and further between the two front seats, nudging at his master’s arm.

 “You, my lad, are a menace,” Tom laughed as he pulled back onto the main road and into traffic. The drive home took twice as long as the initial trip. Tom hadn’t been surprised; London traffic was a nightmare, regardless of the time of day. As they sat, Tom’s mind wandered back to Emma’s earlier words. She’d meant well and he’d known it. And he’d hated being so short with her. But they’d had the conversation far too many times over the last few years and he was tired.

 There were things he wanted; someone to come home to, a family of his own, the things he saw in the lives of his sisters and friends. And yet here he was inching ever closer to forty and still, more or less, alone. Most days it hadn’t bothered him. He had more than enough to fill his life. He had friends, nieces and honorary nephews aplenty. He had a rewarding and engaging career that he still loved, despite its pitfalls and stresses. But somedays…Somedays that nagging voice inside his head reminding him that he was alone grew loud and became difficult to ignore.

 He took a deep breath and forced himself to concentrate on the road before him. Behind him, Tom could hear Bobby’s incessant whining. “Fine, come on up.” He patted the seat beside him and Bobby let out an excited bark and quickly leapt into the front seat where he sat, watching the traffic around him.

                                                             —

 Christmas, as always, came far too quickly. Tom had spent the week before scrambling to make sure he found the bits and bobs he’d purchased throughout the year and hidden away ‘for safe keeping’. Why he never bothered to use the same spot twice, he’d never understand. Though, if pushed, he could admit it most likely came from a lifelong habit of trying to hide his things from nosey and inquisitive sisters and later from intrusive school mates.

 But he’d found them all in the end, and the evening before he’d been set to drive to his mother’s, Tom sat in his living room surrounded by wrapping paper and sellotape, wondering just what he’d been thinking. Despite his ability to master almost anything thrown his way, Tom had always been rubbish at wrapping and practice, he’d found, made little difference.

 Cursing and muttering under his breath, he fumbled his way through. The end results were far from perfect, but they were wrapped. Bobby had taken great pleasure in chasing the loose paper, gleefully tearing it to shreds. Watching this, Tom wisely made the decision to pack the gifts away where the spaniel could not reach. He didn’t think Bobby would actually go after them but experience had taught him that trusting the playful spaniel in that regard was not a risk worth taking.

 With a jaw cracking yawn, Tom pushed himself up to his feet. A quick glance at the clock informed him that it had just gone one in the morning. Much later than he’d intended. “Bed,” he murmured to himself. Bobby fast on his heels, Tom climbed the stairs and, after a quick detour to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, fell into bed.

 He set out for his mother’s at a little before noon the following day. Traffic wasn’t nearly as hectic as he’d thought it would be, especially for the day before Christmas. Bobby sat contentedly in the front seat, every so often barking at passing motorists. He had tried, and failed, to keep the spaniel in the backseat and as they left the city limits, he’d relented and allowed Bobby what the spaniel firmly believed was his spot. Christmas music rang out of the speakers, Tom had always had a soft spot for these songs, and found himself humming along quietly as he drove.

 It hadn’t snowed yet, which was a blessing. But darkening skies loomed low and threateningly. Tom only hoped it would hold out until he was safely in Suffolk and inside with the hot beverage of his choosing before they broke. His luck, and the weather, held and he pulled into the drive only half an hour later than he’d planned. Bobby barked excitedly as Tom killed the engine, his tail a blur of motion. “Alright, alright. I know you’re dying for a walk.”

 Once he was certain Bobby’s lead was tightly fastened, Tom climbed out of the car and darted to the passenger side. Bobby hopped out and took three laps around the front garden before Tom led him back to the car. Pulling his backpack and the bag of gifts from the trunk, Tom headed up the walk and to the front door, the spaniel following closely behind.

 The door opened and a chorus of warm welcomes and a loud and enthusiastic “Uncle Tommy!” from his eldest niece, Cora, greeted him.

 He was pulled into a tight hug by his mother as he crossed the threshold. “So glad you made it before the weather turned. The thought of you out in the snow in that car…” Diana had made her dislike of Tom’s Jaguar plain from the moment he’d received it as a perk for his appearance in one of their marketing campaigns years ago.

 “Mum,” he groaned, unable to mask his annoyance, “It’s a perfectly safe car and you know fair well that I’m a good driver.”

 Diana huffed and shut the door behind him. “I’m still not a fan.”

 Settling in hadn’t taken long, he’d been placed in his old bedroom and had wasted no time in jogging up the stairs (Diana’s voice echoing after him with an admonishing “no running in the house!”) and dropping his bag on the recently made bed. The room hadn’t changed overmuch in the years since he’d lived in it; a new bedspread had been laid out but otherwise it was still very much the room of his teenaged years. Tom found an odd comfort in that. He returned downstairs and quickly found himself pulled into rolling around the floor with Alice and Cora while they laughed and screamed in delight. He could hear Emma and Sarah behind him, laughing hysterically at his antics.

 Dinner was a causal affair that evening, eaten mostly in the living room while everyone chatted and the children played with Bobby, occasionally sneaking him bits of food much to the spaniel’s delight. At quarter of nine the children were tucked into bed with the promise of a visit from Santa if they settled to sleep. He’d been roped into reading several bedtime stories because, according to Cora, “you do all the best voices”. The girls’ parents were quick to agree and so Tom settled on the floor between the two beds and read from the collection of bedtime stories that had been in the house for as long as he could remember.

 Once both girls were fast asleep, Tom rejoined the adults downstairs. He took the proffered glass of whiskey from his brother-in-law and settled on the couch. It was wonderful, getting to spend time with his family. He hadn’t seen Sarah nor her family since Emma’s wedding, something he promised himself to rectify in future. They sat up talking until well into the early hours of the morning, though Diana had turned in shorty before ten, and as they finally climbed the stairs to bed he heard Sarah grumble, “Cora will be up at first light and demand everyone join her.” And her husband grunt in response.

 Cora was in fact up at just before six Christmas morning. After waking her parents, she’d darted into Tom’s room and woke him as well by jumping repeatedly on the bed yelling “it’s Christmas, Uncle Tommy! It’s Christmas!”

 Startled into consciousness, Tom swallowed his heart and grumbled a “that’s lovely” while patting Cora on the back. He heard Sarah snort in amusement from the doorway and shot her an evil look, which only made her laugh harder.  He sat up in time to watch Cora dash from the room, grabbing her mother by the hand and dragging her towards the stairs. Tom chuckled to himself, stretched, and slowly climbed out of bed. God, it was far too early. He pulled on a jumper, as his mother tended to keep the house on the cooler side even in winter, and padded downstairs in search of coffee.

 Diana stood in the kitchen when he stumbled in, a steaming mug outstretched towards him which he took gratefully. It was a strong roast, rich and bitter. He drank it slowly, feeling the comforting rush of caffeine through his bloodstream. Gods above, he loved coffee. Excited cries soon echoed in from the living room, beckoning his attention. He made his way into the living room behind his mother and settled into one of the open arm chairs, watching as Alice and Cora were settled before their respective pile of gifts.

 The actual present opening portion of the morning lasted all of twenty minutes in Cora’s case. Alice took longer due to the fact she became easily distracted by the shiny paper. But all in all, they had their presents opened in well less than an hour. They saved the adult gift giving for later, once both girls were sufficiently distracted enough by toys to allow them a moment’s peace.

 Breakfast and lunch, much like dinner the night before, were eaten in the living room surrounded by bin bags full of wrapping paper. Tom had been drafted into throwing out said bags, very much without his consent he’d pointed out. No one, however, took his protests seriously. After he’d finished lunch and could put off the inevitable no longer, Tom threw on his coat with a grumble and grabbed the bags. Bobby was quick on his heels, sensing walkies afoot. The spaniel was hooked into his lead and headed out into the cold alongside Tom. Once the bin bags were tossed in the bins at the side of the house, they took a quick lap around the front garden then up and down the drive before heading back inside.

 He unhooked Bobby from his lead once he’d had the front door firmly shut and the spaniel had shot off back in the direction of the living room where moments later he heard the delighted cries of his nieces. Tom padded towards the kitchen in search of another mug of coffee, or if he was truly lucky, hot chocolate. He found his mother pacing around the kitchen, phone balanced between her ear and shoulder as she puttered around making hot chocolate. Bless her, he thought.

 “Oh, dear heart that is fine…Honestly, I know it’s a long drive and a short stop is perfectly fine. I just want to meet that little man of yours…Yes…Alright…Speak soon.” She turned to hang the phone back into its base and jumped when she caught sight of Tom in the doorway. “Goodness, Thomas! You gave me quite a fright.”

 “Sorry, Mum.”

 “No matter. Now that you’re here you can help me finish these up…And I mean get them ready not sample the lot, young man.” She wagged a reproachful finger at him and he laughed and ducked his head sheepishly. How was it his fault that her hot chocolate was so amazing that he couldn’t help himself? Chocolate was a weakness of his, surely she knew that by now.

 Diana shook her head and began passing him the mugs she had started and the various toppings they required. Tom worked dutifully at his task though temptation to sample was strong. “Mum…”

 “No, Tom, you may not test them out.” She answered automatically.

 Tom laughed. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

 Diana chuckled. “Anytime, my boy. Anytime.” She nudged him gently with her shoulder. “So what was your question then?”

 “Who was on the phone earlier?”

 “Amy,” Diana answered simply, offering Tom a look of understanding. “They can’t stay for lunch tomorrow, but are going to stop by on their drive home.”

 Tom smiled back. “I’m glad they can make it. I know you’ve been dying to meet Henry.” Her eyes narrowed just a fraction, and Tom let out a sigh. “Mum, honestly its fine. What happened between Amy and I is in the past. She’s moved on and so have I. Honestly.”

 Diana’s eyes studied his face, an unreadable expression in her eyes. It felt like an age before she spoke, “Then why, my boy, do you look so sad?” Tom opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off with a quick wave of her hand. “Don’t, Thomas. You forget I’ve known you all of your life. I see you. You might have accepted what happened between you and Amy, that I do believe, but I don’t know if you have truly moved on.” She shot him a knowing look. “You haven’t had a steady nor serious relationship since…And what happened that summer doesn’t count.” Diana came to stand beside him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “You are my boy and I just want you to be happy.”

 Tom blinked up at her, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes. “I am…I mean, yes, there are times I wish for things that I don’t have. But doesn’t everyone?” He let out a sigh. “I made some spectacularly bad choices and I’ve learned from them. Things aren’t…Perfect. But they are good. I’m good. You don’t have to worry about me.”

 Diana shook her head, “Oh my boy, that’s one thing you still don’t quite understand. I am your mother, I am always going to worry about you.” She leaned down and kissed his head. “No let’s get this drinks out there before the rest of the family starts to riot.”

 Both laughing, they worked together to place the mugs onto a tray and carried them back into the living room.

Next Chapter

[winterisakillerwrites]

Get Better - Chapter Three

Title: Get Better

Chapter: 3/18

Character: Tom Hiddleston/Cath Richardson (OFC)

Genre: Romance

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Love. Companionship. Family. These are all of the things Tom Hiddleston desperately wanted. But his life and his choices left that a distant and unlikely prospect. So he did his best to move on and live his life as is. When an opportunity to return to the theater arises, he jumps at the chance and along the way finds that maybe, just maybe, those distant and unlikely prospects are closer than he could have imagined. Sequel to Brave Face.

Authors Notes/Warnings: So as I was writing Brave Face I knew that Tom’s story wasn’t over, even if that particular part of it was. And while I knew, more or less, what the overall ending to the story would be, its taken me a while to figure out the time in between. Thanks to @redfoxwritesstuff for letting me continually throw ideas off and at you. I still can’t fathom why you put up with it, but I am eternally grateful you do.

Previous

CHAPTER THREE

A sharp wind whipped down the florescent lit tunnel, sending a sudden shiver down his spine. Tom pulled the blanket he’d been handed tighter around him, stifling a yawn. It had been an early morning and despite several cups of coffee, with more espresso shots than he’d care to admit to, he still felt the pull of sleep dragging on him. The excitement, however, was winning by leaps and bounds. He had been intrigued when the idea was pitched to him, of making a teaser for Betrayal and posting it as-is before formally announcing the show the following day. It was a creative and fun way of drawing attention to the production and getting buzz going around it.

The teaser’s premise was simple, Tom would come into focus walking down the aforementioned tunnel, something out of the camera’s range would catch his eye, and the viewer would watch his reaction unfold. Watch the shock, pain, anger, and finally defeat play across his features. No dialogue, no real explanation; just him and music. Beautiful in its simplicity.

He stood to the side, watching as the days’ crew reset the shot and fiddled with the lighting. It was their third, and hopefully last, take; the lighting have gone a touch fuzzy during the last set up. It was a bustle of controlled chaos and something he’d always found fascinating. The way in which the crew flittered around each other was almost an elaborate dance.

“Alright, places everyone!”  The director called once things had been set to rights. Tom nodded, took a deep breath and stepped onto his mark.  

The rest of the shoot passed with little issue. The fourth take had been the one Tom was certain he’d nailed. He’d watched the final footage with the director and found himself pleased with the initial result. The days’ footage, Tom was told, would be edited that evening and should be ready to go up the day after. With a warm smile, Tom bid farewell and headed out into the bustle of the now busy streets.

He’d taken the tube that morning, enjoying being able to sit and people watch. It helped keep him grounded, just doing the everyday tasks that so many seemed to take for granted. He could usually take the tube with little fuss or fanfare. That was one of the wonderful things about London, very few people seemed to care who or what he was. True, there would be the occasional fan who would approach him or the rare ‘sneaky’ photograph (which he never really understood the point of) but for the most part he was left to his own devices.

He’d fired off a quick text to Luke before he’d entered the station, letting him know all had gone well and that he was off home. Luke responded quickly, reminding him that his phone meeting with Marvel regarding updates for the Loki limited series had been pushed back until following afternoon. Which meant for the time being, Tom had the rest of the day to himself and he was greatly looking forward to the lack of demand. He made his way through the ticket barrier and followed commuters down the escalators and onto the platform. The train rumbled into the station a few minutes later and he joined the mass of people making their way into various carriages.

Tom quickly settled into the first available seat, letting his mind wander as he watched the eclectic mix of people filling the carriage. It was something he’d always enjoyed about the city; the mix of cultures and people that had always made it uniquely London. The carriage was busy but not packed, it was still early enough in the day that most commuters were still at work. Tom enjoyed the relative peace as the carriage jostled along, silently counting the stops until his own.

He made his way from the train onto the platform once the train had pulled into his station. A flash of dark hair and a familiar laugh caught his attention as he made his way through the busy station to the ticketing barrier. Tom turned his head in reflex and a jolt of recognition shot through him. Cath. The name materialized in his head without conscious thought. But she was gone before he could make a move, disappeared into the crowd heading towards the platforms.

Tom shook himself back into the present and carried on through the gate and then out onto the street. It was just as well she’d gone, he reasoned, pulling his coat tighter around himself as a swift breeze raced down the pavements. He didn’t actually know her, had no reason to approach her other than his own, admittedly overabundant, curiosity.  And that had often caused more trouble than it was worth.

Silently, he carried on down the pavements and back towards home. Bobby, none too pleased with being shut in the back room in his crate, barked repeatedly as Tom unlocked and pushed open the front door. “Alright, alright,” he called. “I’m coming.”

He shrugged out of his woolen coat, hanging it on the rack near the door, and jogged through the house towards the back room. Bobby, finally free of his confinement, let his displeasure be known with several more loud and growly barks. Tom rolled his eyes and let the spaniel out through the door into the back garden to do his business and terrorize the local wildlife.

The following day’s teaser release and subsequent play announcement were well received, which had been a major relief. The response on social media had been overwhelmingly positive and Tom was more than pleased. Zawe had begun talks to secure her involvement in the show and from what Tom had been able to gather, Charlie Cox was in talks to join as well. Nothing had been set in stone and probably wouldn’t until closer to the New Year, but Tom couldn’t have been happier. He’d known Charlie for years and was glad to at least have the chance of potentially working with him.

His phone had been ringing off and on throughout the day following the official announcement; friends and family sharing their well wishes and excitement. His mother had been particularly thrilled as she could talk more openly about the play now that had it been announced publically. His mother and her enthusiasm had become the stuff of legend in and around Suffolk.

“So someone actually took pity on you and hired your sorry face. I must send them flowers…and my condolences as well,” Benedict laughed. His call had come just after Tom had finished an impromptu afternoon run. He was in desperate need of a shower but hadn’t the heart to tell his friend to buzz off.

“Well,” Tom quipped back. “If they actually hire you on occasion, I figured I would be a shoe-in this time round. And,” he added as an afterthought, “there is a much better chance they can actually pronounce my name.” Ben snorted laughter at the comment which pulled Tom into a laughing fit of his own. “But in all seriousness,” Tom continued once he’d managed to calm himself, “I am ridiculously excited to be able to be doing this. It’s going to be a challenging role and I am looking forward to it.”

“So who are you playing? Robert or Jerry?”

“Robert.”

Ben laughed in delight. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. And they’ve cast Emma and Jerry?”

“Not officially no,” Tom answered, laughing as well.

“Unofficially?” Ben goaded.

“Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox, pending availability.”

“Very nice indeed, Mr. Hiddleston. You’re moving up in the world.” He paused, taking a breath. “Hopefully Sophie and I will be able to make it during the run.”

“Don’t feel obligated,” Tom admonished. “I know things are going to be a bit mad with the little one coming.” He had been beyond thrilled, and quietly jealous, when Ben had told him that he and Sophie were expecting again. The baby was due in late January and Tom was well aware that their lives would be chaotic for a least the first few months while their family settled into its new routine. The play would be the absolute least of their priorities. “If you make it, that will be amazing but don’t feel like you must. Honestly.”

Ben laughed. “I have a feeling that by the time your show opens we’ll both be ready for a break and grown up company.”

Tom laughed as well. “I can only imagine.”

A loud scream echoed from Ben’s side of the line. “I’m terribly sorry to cut this short but I need to make sure my sons aren’t killing one another. Sophie will be awfully cross if any damage comes to them in my care.”

“Yes. Yes. Go on, take care of your offspring. Talk to you later.” Tom ended the call and stretched his back, it having started to get a bit stiff. He really needed to make sure he stretched pre and post run now. God, I’m getting old, he thought with a grimace. Tom toed out of his running shoes and took the stairs two at a time, more eager than ever for a hot shower.

—

The rest of November passed in a blur of various appointments and meetings cumulating in an appearance at Tokyo Comic Con. Tom always thoroughly enjoyed being able to attend Asian events, especially fan ones. The welcome he received was always warm and the fan base vocal and tremendously supportive. It made the long flight and horrendous jetlag worth it. And this time had been no exception. He’d thoroughly enjoyed talking with fans and participating in numerous panels. But he had to admit, he was grateful to be going home. He’d joked with Luke about the real possibility of him sleeping for at least a week on the way to the airport.

“Good,” Luke deadpanned back. “Please do. Less chance of you causing me headache.”

The flight home had been a long one, with just enough layover to make his usual jetlag feel a hundred times worse. He’d practically fallen into the car awaiting him at Heathrow and slept all the way home. It certainly wouldn’t do his re-acclimation to British Standard Time any good, but he’d been far too tired to care. How he’d made his way from the car and into the house, he still didn’t know. Nor how he’d fumbled his way from the entry way, up the stairs and into his bedroom. He’d woken late the following afternoon still in his clothes and momentarily unaware of just where he was.

Tom blinked around the room several times before the familiar shapes of his dresser and the door to the ensuite came into focus. Home. He pushed himself upright, a jaw cracking yawn escaping him. He was still tired, still a bit fuzzy-headed, but now that he was conscious he could sense the grime of several hours confined in a small space with far too many people all over him. With a fair amount of effort, he pulled himself to his feet and padded into the bathroom, stripping as he went.

Freshly showered and feeling much more like himself, Tom climbed downstairs nearly twenty minutes later and set about fixing both coffee and food. Plate of egg and toast in one hand and a steaming mug of coffee doctored to his liking in the other, Tom padded into the living room and settled himself on the couch. He let himself revel, selfishly, in the silence of the house.

Bobby was still at Emma’s; she and her husband had volunteered to watch the little devil while he’d been out of the country. Why they’d agreed, Tom still wasn’t entirely sure. And while he’d missed the little bugger, it was nice to be able to eat a meal without having to face those large, pleading eyes. He’d never been able to completely resist them, and he knew Bobby knew.

Tom took his time eating, he had nowhere in particular he needed to be and fully intended to laze about for as long as possible. He pondered actually taking on his ever-growing ‘to-be-read’ pile. It had been ages since he’d allowed himself the luxury of just sitting and reading a book. Yes, he still read as often as was possible, but it was usually during filming breaks when he wasn’t going over lines or blocking or a few moments before falling asleep. Actually sitting about and just reading, that was a true rarity. Possibilities.

Once he’d finished the last of his meal and drained the very last of his coffee, Tom pushed himself to his feet and padded to the kitchen. He contemplated simply leaving his used plate and mug in the sink for later, after all it wasn’t as if he won’t have the time later. But the impulse was quickly abated; his mother would box his ears, metaphorically speaking, for doing such a thing even now. He shook his head and laughed at himself, washing and drying them quickly before heading out of the kitchen and into the main hall.

As Tom made his way down the hall his suitcase and backpack, left carelessly by the door the night before, caught his eye and he groaned. He should take his clothing out and get a load of washing started, knowing if he put it off it wouldn’t get done. With a muffled curse, he lugged the case towards the laundry room, setting it on the floor and sorting through his clothing. He’d gotten a load in the wash and started the sorting of the next when the sharp ring of his mobile echoed from the front of the house.

Tom sighed and padded back into the hall, finding this mobile vibrating and ringing away on the table; Emma’s number flashing across the screen. He had to have pulled it from his pocket by reflex the night before as tended to keep in beside him the majority of the time unless he purposefully needed a break from the outside world.

“Yes, little sister?” he said as way of greeting after he’d grabbed the offending object and slid his finger across the screen to accept the call.

Emma snorted a laugh. “He lives! I was wondering if you’d be conscious and functional yet or not.”

“I do live, the conscious and functional part is debatable. Now what can I do for you?”

A loud, piercing cry echoed through the line and Emma sighed, wearily. “Take my child off my hands for the next…I don’t know…Eighteen or so years?”

“Somehow I think Jack might have a few objections to that idea.” Tom chuckled, padding back into the living room and dropping onto the couch.

“He’ll live,” Emma grumbled. “I’ve got to dash. Just give us a call when you’re ready to swing by for Bobby. And if you want to take Allie with you, feel free.”

“I think I’m good. One adorable yet demanding creature is more than enough for me at this juncture,” he reasoned adding, “And Bobby doesn’t scream” as an afterthought.

“Oh ha bloody ha. See if I agree to help you with anything in future….Allie no, put that down…Alice Marie…Sorry, Tom, I’ve got to go.” The line clicked and Tom let his phone drop beside him on the couch. He scrubbed his face with his hands before standing and heading back into the laundry room. He’d finish sorting his laundry and then call her back, letting her know he was on the way.

The drive across town wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d feared it would be; London traffic being what it was. He pulled his car to a stop in the drive leading to the house forty minutes later, almost reluctant to turn the engine off and lose the heating.  Emma had the door open, his niece on her hip, before he’d climbed out of the car.

“She’s calmed I see,” he called, reaching out to take the little girl from her mother’s arms. She smiled in delight and clung to her uncle, babbling excitedly. “Hello there, angel.” He kissed the top of her head before returning his attention to his sister. “And how has my boy been?”

Emma laughed and shook her head, ushering Tom inside. “He’s been his usual self. Luckily he hasn’t dug up the back garden…again. Only because it’s been so bloody cold.”

Tom threw back his head and laughed. “Well thank goodness for small miracles.”  The aforementioned spaniel, upon hearing his master’s voice, came sprinting out into the hallway, barking. Alice let out a squeal, clapping her hands together and reaching for the excited dog jumping at her uncle’s feet. Tom bent down and gave Bobby an affectionate scratch behind the ears. Alice reached out and grabbed at Bobby’s ears. “No, sweetie. We need to be gentle with the doggy.” He demonstrated by petting Bobby softly on the head. Alice mimicked his motions and Bobby tossed his head up, licking her face. She squealed in delight and wriggled out of Tom’s arms.

Behind him, Tom could hear Emma laughing. “You are a natural, you know?” He turned around, blinking at her in puzzlement. “With kids,” she continued, “have been for years.”

He shrugged, turning his attention back towards his niece and his dog to ensure neither was misbehaving. Alice was contentedly patting Bobby on the head and babbling at him. “So are lots of people.”

“I’m just saying…You are great as Uncle Tommy and I think you’d made quite a good father in your own right.”

“Em.”

“I know you want that, Tom. It’s plain as day to anyone who knows you,” she pressed, giving him a knowing look.

“Of course I want that, Em. I just…Sometimes we can’t get what we want.” He let out a resigned sigh. “Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want and we’ve no one to blame but ourselves. I’ve come to terms with it.”

Emma folded her arms over chest, “You and I both know that’s a boldfaced lie.”

Tom pushed himself to his feet, turning to face his sister, frustration clear in his eyes. “Just let it go, Em. Seriously.” His tone brooked no argument. “Do you have the rest of his things gathered or do I need to go into the back and fetch them?”

“Tom…” It was clear though that Tom was no longer willing to entertain the conversation at hand. “All his stuff is gathered in the back room.” He gave her a nod and headed down the hallway towards the room in question. Alice who had until that point been contentedly patting Bobby on the head, raised her attention to her mother and inquired, in her own fashion, after her missing uncle. Her mother sighed, “Uncle Tommy’s gone to get Bobby’s things then they are going bye-byes. But we’ll see them again soon.”

Alice pouted at this, “No bye-byes!”

“It’s alright Allie,” Tom spoke, dropping the bundle of Bobby’s things carefully by the door and settling on his knees beside her. “Bobby and I will come back soon. But I think right now mummy and daddy want a little time with just you.” Alice sniffled and grabbed at Tom who pulled the toddler into his arms. “I know, I know.” He kissed her head, and standing, handed the girl to her mother. “You be good for your mummy and daddy okay?”

Emma looked at him over the head of her still sniffling daughter. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

Tom nodded and mouthed, “It’s alright.” Picking up the bundle once more, Tom leant down and hooked Bobby’s lead to his collar. “Come on, boy.” He pushed open the front door and led them out into the dark and cold December evening. Bobby had hopped into the backseat of the car willingly enough but throughout the drive home insisted on sticking his nose further and further between the two front seats, nudging at his master’s arm.

“You, my lad, are a menace,” Tom laughed as he pulled back onto the main road and into traffic. The drive home took twice as long as the initial trip. Tom hadn’t been surprised; London traffic was a nightmare, regardless of the time of day. As they sat, Tom’s mind wandered back to Emma’s earlier words. She’d meant well and he’d known it. And he’d hated being so short with her. But they’d had the conversation far too many times over the last few years and he was tired.

There were things he wanted; someone to come home to, a family of his own, the things he saw in the lives of his sisters and friends. And yet here he was inching ever closer to forty and still, more or less, alone. Most days it hadn’t bothered him. He had more than enough to fill his life. He had friends, nieces and honorary nephews aplenty. He had a rewarding and engaging career that he still loved, despite its pitfalls and stresses. But somedays…Somedays that nagging voice inside his head reminding him that he was alone grew loud and became difficult to ignore.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to concentrate on the road before him. Behind him, Tom could hear Bobby’s incessant whining. “Fine, come on up.” He patted the seat beside him and Bobby let out an excited bark and quickly leapt into the front seat where he sat, watching the traffic around him.

                                                           —

Christmas, as always, came far too quickly. Tom had spent the week before scrambling to make sure he found the bits and bobs he’d purchased throughout the year and hidden away ‘for safe keeping’. Why he never bothered to use the same spot twice, he’d never understand. Though, if pushed, he could admit it most likely came from a lifelong habit of trying to hide his things from nosey and inquisitive sisters and later from intrusive school mates.

But he’d found them all in the end, and the evening before he’d been set to drive to his mother’s, Tom sat in his living room surrounded by wrapping paper and sellotape, wondering just what he’d been thinking. Despite his ability to master almost anything thrown his way, Tom had always been rubbish at wrapping and practice, he’d found, made little difference.

Cursing and muttering under his breath, he fumbled his way through. The end results were far from perfect, but they were wrapped. Bobby had taken great pleasure in chasing the loose paper, gleefully tearing it to shreds. Watching this, Tom wisely made the decision to pack the gifts away where the spaniel could not reach. He didn’t think Bobby would actually go after them but experience had taught him that trusting the playful spaniel in that regard was not a risk worth taking.

With a jaw cracking yawn, Tom pushed himself up to his feet. A quick glance at the clock informed him that it had just gone one in the morning. Much later than he’d intended. “Bed,” he murmured to himself. Bobby fast on his heels, Tom climbed the stairs and, after a quick detour to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, fell into bed.

He set out for his mother’s at a little before noon the following day. Traffic wasn’t nearly as hectic as he’d thought it would be, especially for the day before Christmas. Bobby sat contentedly in the front seat, every so often barking at passing motorists. He had tried, and failed, to keep the spaniel in the backseat and as they left the city limits, he’d relented and allowed Bobby what the spaniel firmly believed was his spot. Christmas music rang out of the speakers, Tom had always had a soft spot for these songs, and found himself humming along quietly as he drove.

It hadn’t snowed yet, which was a blessing. But darkening skies loomed low and threateningly. Tom only hoped it would hold out until he was safely in Suffolk and inside with the hot beverage of his choosing before they broke. His luck, and the weather, held and he pulled into the drive only half an hour later than he’d planned. Bobby barked excitedly as Tom killed the engine, his tail a blur of motion. “Alright, alright. I know you’re dying for a walk.”

Once he was certain Bobby’s lead was tightly fastened, Tom climbed out of the car and darted to the passenger side. Bobby hopped out and took three laps around the front garden before Tom led him back to the car. Pulling his backpack and the bag of gifts from the trunk, Tom headed up the walk and to the front door, the spaniel following closely behind.

The door opened and a chorus of warm welcomes and a loud and enthusiastic “Uncle Tommy!” from his eldest niece, Cora, greeted him.

He was pulled into a tight hug by his mother as he crossed the threshold. “So glad you made it before the weather turned. The thought of you out in the snow in that car…” Diana had made her dislike of Tom’s Jaguar plain from the moment he’d received it as a perk for his appearance in one of their marketing campaigns years ago.

“Mum,” he groaned, unable to mask his annoyance, “It’s a perfectly safe car and you know fair well that I’m a good driver.”

Diana huffed and shut the door behind him. “I’m still not a fan.”

Settling in hadn’t taken long, he’d been placed in his old bedroom and had wasted no time in jogging up the stairs (Diana’s voice echoing after him with an admonishing “no running in the house!”) and dropping his bag on the recently made bed. The room hadn’t changed overmuch in the years since he’d lived in it; a new bedspread had been laid out but otherwise it was still very much the room of his teenaged years. Tom found an odd comfort in that. He returned downstairs and quickly found himself pulled into rolling around the floor with Alice and Cora while they laughed and screamed in delight. He could hear Emma and Sarah behind him, laughing hysterically at his antics.

Dinner was a causal affair that evening, eaten mostly in the living room while everyone chatted and the children played with Bobby, occasionally sneaking him bits of food much to the spaniel’s delight. At quarter of nine the children were tucked into bed with the promise of a visit from Santa if they settled to sleep. He’d been roped into reading several bedtime stories because, according to Cora, “you do all the best voices”. The girls’ parents were quick to agree and so Tom settled on the floor between the two beds and read from the collection of bedtime stories that had been in the house for as long as he could remember.

Once both girls were fast asleep, Tom rejoined the adults downstairs. He took the proffered glass of whiskey from his brother-in-law and settled on the couch. It was wonderful, getting to spend time with his family. He hadn’t seen Sarah nor her family since Emma’s wedding, something he promised himself to rectify in future. They sat up talking until well into the early hours of the morning, though Diana had turned in shorty before ten, and as they finally climbed the stairs to bed he heard Sarah grumble, “Cora will be up at first light and demand everyone join her.” And her husband grunt in response.

Cora was in fact up at just before six Christmas morning. After waking her parents, she’d darted into Tom’s room and woke him as well by jumping repeatedly on the bed yelling “it’s Christmas, Uncle Tommy! It’s Christmas!”

Startled into consciousness, Tom swallowed his heart and grumbled a “that’s lovely” while patting Cora on the back. He heard Sarah snort in amusement from the doorway and shot her an evil look, which only made her laugh harder.  He sat up in time to watch Cora dash from the room, grabbing her mother by the hand and dragging her towards the stairs. Tom chuckled to himself, stretched, and slowly climbed out of bed. God, it was far too early. He pulled on a jumper, as his mother tended to keep the house on the cooler side even in winter, and padded downstairs in search of coffee.

Diana stood in the kitchen when he stumbled in, a steaming mug outstretched towards him which he took gratefully. It was a strong roast, rich and bitter. He drank it slowly, feeling the comforting rush of caffeine through his bloodstream. Gods above, he loved coffee. Excited cries soon echoed in from the living room, beckoning his attention. He made his way into the living room behind his mother and settled into one of the open arm chairs, watching as Alice and Cora were settled before their respective pile of gifts.

The actual present opening portion of the morning lasted all of twenty minutes in Cora’s case. Alice took longer due to the fact she became easily distracted by the shiny paper. But all in all, they had their presents opened in well less than an hour. They saved the adult gift giving for later, once both girls were sufficiently distracted enough by toys to allow them a moment’s peace.

Breakfast and lunch, much like dinner the night before, were eaten in the living room surrounded by bin bags full of wrapping paper. Tom had been drafted into throwing out said bags, very much without his consent he’d pointed out. No one, however, took his protests seriously. After he’d finished lunch and could put off the inevitable no longer, Tom threw on his coat with a grumble and grabbed the bags. Bobby was quick on his heels, sensing walkies afoot. The spaniel was hooked into his lead and headed out into the cold alongside Tom. Once the bin bags were tossed in the bins at the side of the house, they took a quick lap around the front garden then up and down the drive before heading back inside.

He unhooked Bobby from his lead once he’d had the front door firmly shut and the spaniel had shot off back in the direction of the living room where moments later he heard the delighted cries of his nieces. Tom padded towards the kitchen in search of another mug of coffee, or if he was truly lucky, hot chocolate. He found his mother pacing around the kitchen, phone balanced between her ear and shoulder as she puttered around making hot chocolate. Bless her, he thought.

“Oh, dear heart that is fine…Honestly, I know it’s a long drive and a short stop is perfectly fine. I just want to meet that little man of yours…Yes…Alright…Speak soon.” She turned to hang the phone back into its base and jumped when she caught sight of Tom in the doorway. “Goodness, Thomas! You gave me quite a fright.”

“Sorry, Mum.”

“No matter. Now that you’re here you can help me finish these up…And I mean get them ready not sample the lot, young man.” She wagged a reproachful finger at him and he laughed and ducked his head sheepishly. How was it his fault that her hot chocolate was so amazing that he couldn’t help himself? Chocolate was a weakness of his, surely she knew that by now.

Diana shook her head and began passing him the mugs she had started and the various toppings they required. Tom worked dutifully at his task though temptation to sample was strong. “Mum…”

“No, Tom, you may not test them out.” She answered automatically.

Tom laughed. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Diana chuckled. “Anytime, my boy. Anytime.” She nudged him gently with her shoulder. “So what was your question then?”

“Who was on the phone earlier?”

“Amy,” Diana answered simply, offering Tom a look of understanding. “They can’t stay for lunch tomorrow, but are going to stop by on their drive home.”

Tom smiled back. “I’m glad they can make it. I know you’ve been dying to meet Henry.” Her eyes narrowed just a fraction, and Tom let out a sigh. “Mum, honestly its fine. What happened between Amy and I is in the past. She’s moved on and so have I. Honestly.”

Diana’s eyes studied his face, an unreadable expression in her eyes. It felt like an age before she spoke, “Then why, my boy, do you look so sad?” Tom opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off with a quick wave of her hand. “Don’t, Thomas. You forget I’ve known you all of your life. I see you. You might have accepted what happened between you and Amy, that I do believe, but I don’t know if you have truly moved on.” She shot him a knowing look. “You haven’t had a steady nor serious relationship since…And what happened that summer doesn’t count.” Diana came to stand beside him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “You are my boy and I just want you to be happy.”

Tom blinked up at her, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes. “I am…I mean, yes, there are times I wish for things that I don’t have. But doesn’t everyone?” He let out a sigh. “I made some spectacularly bad choices and I’ve learned from them. Things aren’t…Perfect. But they are good. I’m good. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Diana shook her head, “Oh my boy, that’s one thing you still don’t quite understand. I am your mother, I am always going to worry about you.” She leaned down and kissed his head. “No let’s get this drinks out there before the rest of the family starts to riot.”

Both laughing, they worked together to place the mugs onto a tray and carried them back into the living room.

Next

[hunnywrites]

Chapter One: What Goes Bump in the Night

Summary: The town of Hawkins has been turned upside down with the news that Will Byers has suddenly gone missing. Teddi Larsson and Billy Hargrove are gonna get to the bottom of things. Season one AU.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: I just really wanted to write a fic where Billy and Teddi have lived in Hawkins their whole lives and take on Demogorgons because they take their babysitting duties too seriously. Teddi is gonna be the token horror movie character that’s always saying “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” and Billy is gonna hate every minute of it. Greg Larsson and Neil Hargrove are gonna be mentioned but those assholes are gonna be taking a backseat this time around because let’s face it: we all hate them. So I hope y’all enjoy! 

Sunday nights in Hawkins were usually quiet, but this one in particular was a little too quiet for Teddi’s tastes. It was almost hard for her to believe that only a half hour ago there had been three fifth graders arguing with Keith at the prize counter. “We’re tired of the shitty finger traps, Keith!” one of them had nearly spat up at him. 

“Not my fault that your little baby fingers are too small for the trap to do the trapping. No prize refunds.” that of course ended with a cherry slurpee getting thrown at Keith’s ‘75 Hyundai Pony and Teddi secretly trading out the finger traps for three lightup yo-yos. 

 Now they had closed up shop for the night, and Keith had headed home to give his car a hose off. Usually Teddi didn’t mind closing out the Palace Arcade. Ever since Keith had promoted her to assistant manager about a month ago, Teddi would stay behind about an hour after all of the kids had gone home and clean up for the next day. It was an excuse to stay away from home a little bit longer, and an extra five bucks in her pocket.

 But for some reason tonight she was filled with dread, and it seemed like she couldn’t sweep the floors fast enough. Maybe it was because she watched too many horror movies. This cold November night felt like it was straight out one of those slasher movies she loved so much. “Yeah, like Leatherface is roaming around Hawkins looking for teens to kill,” she muttered to herself. The idea was silly. Imagining some killer hiding behind one of the games waiting until her back was turned so he could strike when she least expected it. 

Still, Teddi couldn’t help but throw a quick glance over her shoulder and out the front windows and into the empty parking lot. Just to make sure. Her van sat alone under one of the street lamps waiting for her, but other than that there wasn’t a single person or car in sight. It was almost like everyone had just vanished and she was the only person left in town. Teddi shook her shoulders to try and get rid of the goosebumps that were forming on her arms and tried to hum along to the music she had playing over the radio. 

The feeling had nearly gone away. She was crouched down, singing along to the Romantics and sweeping the pile of dirt, dust and other miscellaneous things that seemed to fall off all the kids that came in for the day when the radio cut out. The voices sounded garbled at first, like the signal had been lost suddenly, before the music turned into total static. The lights overhead whired and flashed, and the screens of the game consoles popped and crackled before they all went black. Suddenly the only thing she could hear was how heavily she was breathing. 

“What the fuck?” Teddi jolted upright, gripping onto the broom and ready to use it as a makeshift weapon. But before masked killer could come running out with a knife, or before Teddi could even fully comprehend what was even happening, the radio’s signal cleared, the lights came back on and the arcade came right back to life. Teddi blinked. Maybe the rest of the cleaning could wait until tomorrow. Keith wouldn’t care. He might just tease her a little for being such a scaredy cat. Which was rich coming from him, but she could handle it. Teddi didn’t bother to pretend to be calm. She rushed around the prize counter, stashing the broom and dustpan aside and grabbed for her keys so she could open unlock the break room door. There was a knock at the front door. Teddi screamed. 

She whirled around, her hand on her chest to try and steady her heart, and glared at the front door. Billy Hargrove was on the other side, grinning wildly. Teddi and Billy had been best friends since they met in swim class at the Hawkins public pool when they were six. They were the best swimmers in the class and Billy thought Teddi was cool because she was the only kid in class aside from himself that wasn’t afraid to jump off the high diving board. After that they were pretty much attached at the hip. 

Billy had been Teddi’s first...everything. Her first kiss. The first guy she had sex with. Her first love. They had hit puberty and the pair basically used each other a trial run for everything and anything. “What, I’m gonna humiliate myself in front of Cheryl Burns because I’m shit at kissing? I don’t care if I humiliate myself in front of you.” Billy had said before they’d shared their first kiss. Romantic, right? Now Teddi was trapped in this friends with benefits sort of situation with a guy she was way, way too afraid to confess her real feelings to. 

Teddi rolled her eyes at Billy. She stomped over, unlocking the door and swinging it open. “A little jumpy are we?” he asked with a laugh before strolling inside. Teddi locked the door behind him and glared at her friend. Billy shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket and leaned up against Dragon’s Lair. He watched her with an amused expression. “What are you so freaked out about, Larsson?” 

Teddi ignored the question and walked past him, heading once again for the break room. Billy followed after her. “What are you doing here?” she asked. She unlocked the door and Billy held it open for her while she grabbed her bag out of her locker. 

“I came to give you a ride home.” he shrugged.

Teddi shot him a look. “Uh huh. That’s sweet, but I drove myself,” she said, pointing outside to her van. Billy’s Camaro was parked next to it. She couldn’t believe that she had been so freaked out by the power going out that she hadn’t heard the engine when he pulled in. She eyed the Camaro and noticed that it was empty. “Where’s Max?” 

Billy rolled his eyes. “Off with her dork friends playing their dork games,” he said with a short laugh. “She rode her bike over to the Wheeler’s.” usually Max and her friends spent Sundays over at Mike Wheeler’s playing Dungeons and Dragons. Teddi babysat for the Wheelers pretty often and usually found herself playing through a campaign with them. It was why they all preferred her to babysit over Billy.  And she never let him forget that. 

“Did you notice anything weird on your way here?” she tried to sound as casual as possible. But of course Billy could see right through it. He fell into step beside her, the pair making their way through the arcade as Teddi shut everything off for the night. Teddi felt the goosebumps returning once they were out in the parking lot. She told herself it was just the cold air. 

Billy smirked over at her, swinging his keys around his finger. “You gettin’ paranoid on me again, Teddi Bear?” he asked. He blamed her wild imagination for all of the times she’d get like this. She read so many of those fantasy books, watched too many movies with monsters, and read too many comics. Her brain was always coming up with the wildest and worst scenarios. 

Teddi let out a soft huff. “I just have a bad feeling.”

Billy raised an eyebrow. “Heebie jeebies or the willies?” Teddi opened her mouth to scold him for teasing her, but he held his hands up to stop her. “Alright, alright. I’m done. Look, how ‘bout I give you a ride home and we can come pick up your van tomorrow after school?” Teddi barely even thought it over. She hurried over to the passengers side of the Camaro and slid inside as soon as Billy unlocked it. Billy almost made a joke about how quickly she buckled her seatbelt and locked her own door, but decided against it. 

They took off down the street in a comfortable silence. Well, it was for Billy. Teddi couldn’t seem to sit still. Her leg was bouncing wildly and her fingers were drumming against her bare legs. Billy reached over and placed a hand on her knee. “Hey, he said lowly. “You okay?” Teddi didn’t answer right away. Billy rolled down her window a little in hopes that the fresh air might help.

“I don’t know.,” she finally said with a loud, tired sigh. “I freaked myself out is all. I kept thinking about serial killers and then the power went out…” she laughed a little and shook her head. “It sounds really stupid when I say it out loud. I’ll be fine.” she waved his concern away. Billy didn’t move his hand. As the Camaro blurred past the woods, the kids called it Mirkwood, Teddi heard a horrible screech coming from deep inside the forest. It didn’t sound human. It didn’t sound like anything Teddi had ever heard before. Horror movies included. The goosebumps were back. 

Teddi looked over at Billy to confirm she hadn’t been imagining things. Billy shifted uncomfortably. “...It’s probably just an animal. Maybe a coyote got a deer or something.” but he quickly rolled the window up and flicked on the radio. They didn’t hear the sound again. Billy soon pulled into Teddi’s driveway and she let out a sigh of relief. The lights inside were off. Her parents cars were both in the driveway. Thank god for small favors, Teddi thought.  

She realized they’d been sitting there for awhile and she hadn’t moved yet. She unbuckled her seatbelt and smiled weakly over at Billy. She felt embarrassed about being so freaked out. “...Thanks for the ride.” she said finally.

Billy smirked over at her, and she knew he was holding in some dirty comment. “No problem...you know, if you want I can always come in with you. Make sure there aren’t any monsters in your room…” The way he was looking at her, casually stretched out in the driver’s seat with that dangerous glint in his eyes almost made Teddi want to take him up on his offer. She could probably use the company, and fooling around with Billy for a few hours wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Instead she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “It’s a school night, perv.” she teased.

Billy groaned and sunk in his seat. “Fiiine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Good Girl.” he sighed. Teddi was grateful it was dark and that he couldn’t see how flushed her cheeks probably were. She mumbled a goodnight and quickly went inside. Once the door was shut behind her she heard the rumble of the Camaro’s engine as Billy pulled out of the driveway. 

Teddi crept downstairs to her room. Her parents had turned the basement into a bedroom for her when they’d moved in over ten years ago. The house had four bedrooms total, but her mother had claimed two of them to be turned into a giant closet/dressing room and her father had claimed the third for an upstairs study. She had been more than fine with it. It was an excuse to stay away from them and she had her own bathroom. Plus, eventually she would learn that it made sneaking out a little too easy. 

She made quick work of taking off her makeup and changing into her pajamas. It was a little childish, but when she flicked her bathroom light off she rushed across the room and dove into bed like she had when she was little. Like if she didn’t hurry and get into bed some monster would crawl out from under the bed and grab her ankles. Teddi pulled the blankets up to her neck and immediately regretted turning Billy down. She thought of that horrible screech she heard in the woods. Her mind started trying to imagine what sort of creature that the sound belonged to. 

Teddi groaned. If she kept this up she would never get any sleep. “It’s just a coyote,” Teddi told herself, repeating Billy’s words. “You’re freaking out over nothing.” and of course she was. This was Hawkins, Indiana she was talking about. There wasn’t anything going bump in the night. No monsters. She thought of her father who was sound asleep upstairs and Neil Hargrove. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. 

Eventually she fell asleep peacefully, dreaming of her father and Neil trapped out in the woods with whatever creature had made that horrible noise. 

---

“Wittle Stevie boy is in woooooove,” Carol taunted as she and Tommy H practically cackled. They’d been at this for the entirety of lunch. Steve had already ditched them once that morning to go meet Nancy in the girl’s bathroom and the two hyenas wouldn’t let it go. Steve, Teddi and Billy were all annoyed. They’d gotten a good laugh at first. They always did whenever they’d rag on each other. But Tommy and Carol definitely didn’t know when to quit. “Steve and Nancy, sittin’ in a tree!” 

Billy rolled his eyes, blowing out a cloud of smoke before handing his cigarette over to Teddi. They were both leaned up against the side of the Camaro as they tried their best to ignore the peanut gallery. 

“Come on, Steve. We’re all friends here. You can tell us. What the hell do you see in that prude? ‘Cause you can’t tell me she’s putting out.” Tommy said, throwing his arm around Carol’s shoulders. 

Billy can’t help but chuckle at that, smirking over at Steve. “Oh, I can probably think of a reason he’s so interested.” Teddi let out a scoff, handing the smoke back over to Billy. Steve’s lips twitched into a grin and he rolled his eyes playfully at his best friend. 

Teddi hated the way they talked about Nancy. She didn’t really know which was worse; when they talked shit about her behind her back, or when they teased and tormented her to her face. She guessed it was a good thing that Nancy never let it get to her no matter what they came up with. Ignoring Tommy and Carol was definitely the best way to deal with them. Teddi and Nancy weren’t really friends per say. She knew her through school and from babysitting Mike. But she was always nice to Teddi. And she liked to think if the roles were reversed Nancy would stick up for her.

“Leave him alone guys,” Teddi said, pretending to sound stern. “Maybe Steve just wants to date someone nice for once.” she offered. 

“Thank you, Teddi. She’s very nice.” Steve smiled, his mind clearly drifting to thoughts of Nancy. Teddi thought it was sweet. She briefly wondered if Billy ever looked that way when he spoke about her. Not likely, she thought with a sigh.

Carol let out a loud snort and she and Tommy fell back into a fit of laughter. “Nice?” she asked. “Steve doesn’t like nice. He likes easy. And Nancy wheeler is the complete opposite of easy.” it was to the point where Steve wasn’t able to find the humor in the situation anymore. It wasn’t often that Teddi saw Steve truly annoyed, but she did notice that Tommy and Carol were usually the reason for it happening. 

“Maybe he’s looking for a challenge this time,” Tommy offered. “Maybe he’s getting bored, eh,  Steve?” he snickered. 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Tommy. I’ll see you guys later.” Teddi offered an apologetic smile while Billy lifted his hand in a short wave. 

“Gotta go find Nancy?” Tommy asked. Carol started making kissing noises. “See ya later, Lover Boy! Give her a kiss for me!” he called after Steve. Steve threw a middle finger over his shoulder, the pair only laughing louder. 

Teddi felt like she had a headache coming on. She almost wished she could find some sort of excuse to get Billy away from them and enjoy what was left of their lunch in peace. Tommy and Carol were joking around with each other now, so thankfully it was easier for her to tune them out. She let out a slow breath of smoke as she surveyed the parking lot around them. She could see the middle school from where she was. She and Billy usually waited there for Max after school whenever she needed a ride home. 

There were two cop cars parked out in the front of the school. A patrol car and Chief Hopper’s Blazer. That paranoid feeling from the night before was back. She nudged Billy’s side with her elbow and nodded over to the other school. “Cops.” was all she said. 

Billy didn’t say anything. But she could see the flash of worry in his eyes. Tommy quickly broke the silence. “Whoa! What do ya think happened?” he and Carol moved closer to the fence that separated the two parking lots. 

It couldn’t have been anything too bad. There hadn’t been any news travelling the halls at school. Nothing on the morning announcements. Maybe some kids just got into a fight or something and the cops were there to scare them straight. 

“You know, Johnathan Byers wasn’t here today,” Tommy said with a nearly evil looking grin. “Maybe he finally snapped and offed his whole family. Hop’s here to break the news to the principle.” Teddi felt a chill up her spine at the way Tommy and Carol laughed at the suggestion. 

Teddi knew that there wasn’t a chance of that happening. Johnathan was a good guy. Just quiet. Still, this whole thing was starting to make the goosebumps come back.

“Tommy, will you shut the fuck up?” Billy asked in a tired tone. “Do you gotta be so fuckin’ morbid all of the time?” he glared over at his friend. Tommy only grinned and shrugged. Teddi stepped on what was left of the cigarette and excused herself. She didn’t give Billy time to say anything or follow after her. It was like that for the rest of the day. Teddi hid within herself and wondered why the cops were over at the middle school. And why Johnathan was absent. 

When it was time for Billy to give her a ride back to the arcade, he decided to try and ease her worries. “Hey, Max. We saw Hopper was over at your school. What happened? Henderson finally take my suggestion and kick those little assholes in the balls?”

Max had been uncharacteristically quiet since getting into the Camaro. It definitely didn’t make Billy feel any better. She shifted around in the backseat, her eyes trained down at her shoes. Teddi frowned and turned to face her. “Max? Is everything okay?” 

“...Will didn’t come home last night. His mom said he never made it back from Mike’s. They can’t find him anywhere.” an almost sickening silence filled the car. Teddi felt her stomach drop. She thought she might get sick. She turned back in her seat, staring hard down at the dashboard. 

Billy’s eyes flickered between the two girls. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He almost wanted to blame Tommy for making that stupid joke at lunch. Like somehow it was his fault that Teddi and Max were so upset. “...It’s only been a few hours,” he finally said. “Maybe...maybe he tried to take a short cut and he got lost. They’ll find him. No problem.” he didn’t really believe that. That sort of thing never happened except for maybe in those stupid lifetime movies that Susan liked to watch. He felt a wave of nausea roll over him as he imagined what might have happened to the Byers kid. 

The girls were silent for the rest of the ride to the arcade. Billy noticed that Max was trying to hide the fact that she was crying. He didn’t say anything. Teddi face had nearly turned white. She was just staring straight out at the road. She barely blinked. He knew that on some level she had probably found a way to blame herself. That bad feeling she had last night had been a sign and she had ignored it. Like somehow she was supposed to just know that Will Byers had been in trouble. Just like the night before, Billy reached over and placed his hand on her knee. She didn’t move. 

When they made it to the Palace Arcade’s parking lot, Teddi wordlessly got out of the Camaro. “I’ll be back, Max,” Billy muttered, following Teddi over to the driver’s side of her van. “Hey, hey. Are you okay?” he took her by the elbow and turned her to face him. “You’re freaking me out, Larsson.”

Teddi looked up at Billy’s nervous expression. She smiled a little. “Are you saying you’re worried about me, Billy?” 

Billy let out a relieved breath through his nose and grinned down at her. “...If I say yes does that mean you’ll let me come over tonight?” he wasn’t very good at this. Talking. Comforting. More often than not he just ended up hitting on her and hoping for the best. 

Teddi was quiet for a moment, and Billy was almost worried that he had upset her. “...Come over at ten. My parents will be asleep by then. Just park down the street so they don’t see your car, okay?” Billy nodded. 

He watched Teddi drive off before getting back in the Camaro. Max crawled into the front seat and roughly rubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie. Billy didn’t look directly at her. He drummed his fingers nervously against the steering wheel. “...You wanna get ice cream or something?” 

Max nodded, smiling a little. “Ice cream sounds good.” 

[moviestorian]

Les Mis BBC final thoughts

Alright, on monday I finished the 6th and last episode of the most recent, mini-series adaptation of Les Misérables. I was slightly hesitant about posting my thoughts (mostly because of the tag being largely dominated by negativity; any effort to post anything else seemed kind of pointless to me), but I eventually decided to go for it. I still wanted the entire show to sit in for a while (I also want to do a rewatch, because I can't guarantee that my feelings remain the same; I might just as well change my opinions completely). But let's begin!

Tldr; Also, unpopular opinion alert: I actually enjoyed it. A lot. I genuinely liked the miniseries. Yes, there were some choices and things I wasn't exactly fond of, but I have the same thing about literally every single adaptation I have seen so far (mostly thinking of the stage musical and 2012 film). Cause you know, you can like something and still see its flaws, and the other way round - you can dislike it and yet admit it is not inherently bad.

Now, the longer "review" comes in. It's gonna be reaaaally long. Also: spoilers.

The negatives/things I'm indifferent about/what could have been better:

- I'm following the popular trend of disliking that font. I care a lot about cinematography and visual parts of films and shows, so I wasn't satisfied with this particular choice. They could do better, honestly.

- For most of the time, the music was a bit meh. Nothing really striking or to hate, but compared to the War&Peace 2016 soundtrack (which was amazing!), this one was very undermining. There were some individual songs I liked a lot, though.

- The overall cinematography was ok. Again, nothing super special, but there were some pretty nice shots, too. I had some minor objections about cgi in a few scenes, but let's that the 2012 film wasn't exactly flawless in this aspect, too... If not worse.

- Ok, confession time & another unpopular opinion alert: I genuinely think the script is not half as bad as some people on this site try to tell everyone and the majority of their issues is either exaggerated to an enormous extent or comes from a huge prejudice. Or a general but pretty clear misinterpretation of certain scenes. Having said that, I had issues with the script, too. Davies did a waaay better job with his W&P, really. Although I actually like some of his changes or narrative choices, there is one thing I can't exactly ignore: how certain scenes were pure exposition. I think it got better in the later episodes, but I spotted at least two(!) examples just in episode one alone. Davies, being the experienced author as he is, should really know that it's not a good way to write scenes, especially in the first episode (which is supposed to encourage the viewers to keep watching). There's nothing more annoying to me than being treated, as a viewer, as a person who needs a straight-in-your-face explaination of what’s happening on screen.

- Another fairly popular trend: the brothel & the wet dream sequences. Even though I expected both of these to be A LOT worse, given what the fandom was saying (exaggerating again), and I don't think they are "out of character" or unrealistic in terms of the setting, I tried to cut these out from the episode (in my head ofc). And I think we could do without them; the brothel scene could remain in the final cut, but I would make it way shorter.

- What I REALLY disliked: a minor thing, but it bugged me a lot. I mean the main dialogue being in English, and the background dialogue in French. Christ, how I hate when they do such stuff in the movies...(thankfully the main characters didn't try to pull off their fake French accent, that would be even worse) Either you do it in French, or in English. One has to be consistent.

- The pissing scene in ep1 was...weird.

- Valjean being mean to Gavroche.

- The timeline was sometimes a bit odd, if not crazy, but could’ve been way worse (nothing can surpass P0ldark and its weirdly ageing children and even more weirdly, or not at all ageing adults)

- Valjean firing Fantine left me with very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I think it makes sense narratively, in this particular adaptation, it’s also not the first one who makes Valjean responsible for Fantine’s misery (to a smaller or bigger extent). On the other one, it’s not a choice I’m super happy about so...

Now, let's move on to the positives!

- Excellent choice in casting. I think all of the actors did a solid job. Obviously they had some veteran, experienced or acclaimed actors like Bradley, Sumpter, Jacobi, Colman, West... You couldn't expect any less from them. BUT there were also some younger and fresh faces, who's interpretations of their characters I really loved - Lily Collins, Erin Kellyman, Reece Yates, Josh O'Connor. Liked Joseph Quinn and Ellie Bamber a lot, too, especially the former. Obviously, I cannot NOT mention David Oyelowo! He was particularly impressive in the last episode.

- You have no idea how grateful I am for the entire Pontmercy storyline, honestly. I have so many feelings about Georges Pontmercy it's not even funny. Also baby Marius!!! Huge props for the Marius/Guillenormand dynamics.

- Fantine's storyline. I love the focus on her in this adaptation, and instead of merely showing her "downfall", we got to see her entire background story and many faces of her character. From naivety and joyful innocent to her determination to survive, and, finally, her desperate attempts to feed her daughter. I love that we got to see a glimpse of her relationship with Cosette. I love that, heartbreaking as that scene was, we got to see the moment of her leaving her child with the Thénardiers. Loved that she was also outspoken at times. I really felt for her in this series. Naturally, I always do have tons of empathy for Fantine, she's one of my favourite characters in general, but I found Lily Collins' version to be particularly relatable.

- Btw: I disagree that Fantine and Cosette were overly "sexualized" or fetishized. And don't even get me started on the supposed "sexual undertones" between Cosette and Valjean, cause this is utter bullshit.

- I actually liked the relationship between Cosette and her Papa, especially when she was little!

- I loved Gavroche in this adaptation. I'm usually not a huge fan of his, but Reece was so charming and impossible to resist!

- All the side characters (good or bad) we finally got to see at least for a while! I already mentioned the Pontmercies, but I also mean: Petit Gervais, Tholomyès and his gang (+Favourite and Zephine), Azelma, Gavroche's little brothers, Mabeuf, even Victurnien. And Sister Simplice, I love that woman. And Rivette. 😁

- Huge thumbs up for portraying the Thénardiers as the evil/malicious people they were (but not one-dimensional, esp. Madame Th.) instead of as some comic relief only.

- Contrary to the popular opinion, I count Les Amis as the positives. I actually think that narrowing down the number of the students to focus on was a good choice (like, excuse me, but giving a few lines to a character in an ensemble song is not enough to give them personality. Even in the book some hardly had one). And guess what? I legit cared more about this Enjolras or this Courfeyrac than in other adaptations. I liked Quinn's version of Enjolras more than I like Hugo's original character. This is obviously a personal preference, but to me personally Quinn's slightly toned down version, sort of a hybrid of Enjolras and Combeferre was way more appealing (I also think Quinn had more innocence and wide-eyedness in his eyes and face than some most popular actors who have played the role. To me, the accurate hair colour is the least sygnificant thing, honestly. Especially that some of the fans' favourites hardly fit the book description in that aspect).

- The Enjolras/Grantaire execution scene.

- Small interactions between Enjolras and Courfeyrac. Especially the ones in the final moments of the resistance. Oh my...

- Overall, the barricade scenes were very good.

- I liked Marius a lot, which is quite a thing! I loved that we got the awkward, but still adorable side of his. I had seen Josh in The Riot Club and I remember him being good but not memorable; I was impressed with his performance in Les Mis, he was so different!

- Erin's Éponine broke my heart. Especially in episode 5, she was fantastic. So many expressions in her eyes; I loved her fidgety hand moves, too!

- I appreciate that they started the show with something other than the galleys/bishop Myriel. That was a nice and quite refreshing take.

What else do I like about this adaptation? That it revived my passion for Les Mis; that it made me want to reread the book (or certain chapters at least), rewatch the 2012 film, listen to songs from the musical, check out other adaptations. That it’s gonna bring new people to the fandom. And, whether you like it or not, it DOES offer new interpretations of the characters and actually does give a fresh take. Every adaptations gives us something new to discuss, this one included. I also don’t believe it’s the worst thing that ever happened to Les Mis or whatever; I happen to think it actually is a good adaptation overall. Is it flawless or 100% accurate in everything? No, because it’s impossible to turn such a huge and detailed book into a 100% faithful adaptation; also it’s really not what the adaptations are for. I too would have added/cut out some stuff from various versions of Les Mis, but this is because it’s my interpretation; the fact that we imagine some things differently does not mean that other people’s interpretations are bad.

Since films and tv shows belong to the visual media, I think that Les Mis BBC could have done better in that aspect - I wasn’t exactly satisfied with it, as I wasn’t exactly over the moon about some choices in the script. It’s not a masterpiece, but I never expected it to be one; neither it is a “piece of shit”. Despite its flaws, I still found the miniseries to be very enjoyable and I will gladly rewatch it in the near future. I feel that it might even become one of my favourite adaptations(I will decide once I’ve seen them all, or most of them!), save for the interpretation of JVJ, which could’ve been better tbh. For me, it’s a nice 7,5/10

[fanfictionized]

Help Me Help You - The Tingle In My Bones (12/?)

Character: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced!Reader / OFC

Chapter summary: Annabelle gets to meet Bruce and they take her blood sample to get closer to answering the question as to what had happened to her.

Meanwhile Anna relives the same flashbacks from when she woke up in the lab.

Warnings: None, description of wounds?

Words: 3.1k

Previous Chapter // Help Me Help You - Masterlist

Bucky and Annabelle stayed up until the sun rose, just watching TV and enjoying each other’s company. They didn’t talk much after, only some occasional questions from Annabelle, asking him to change the channel or some coming from him, asking her to explain some pop culture references to him, which she did gladly and overexcitedly.

They both saw the house beginning to show life, Steve being the first one to greet them as he entered the living room. “Well, hello there.” The corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk, his brows raised at both of them. “I see you’re doing alright.” He stated and strolled into the kitchen. Bucky huffed and Annabelle smiled before she yawned. “You know you can go back to bed, right?” Bucky asked her with a gentle voice. She shook her head as tears formed in her tired eyes. “It’s better if I don’t…” They both knew what she meant “But I also want to have some sort of a sleep pattern, you know?” She stood up from the couch and stretched her limbs. “I think I’ll have to meet the rest of the group eventually.” She sighed and let the joints in her back pop. “I probably have a lot of their questions to answer.”

“You wont have to say anything you don’t feel comfortable with.” He assured her and she laid her hands on each of her shoulders, bending her head back, yet still looking at him through her lashes. “I’m only afraid that I’ll be useless. I don’t know shit about anything that happened back there.” “Then you’ll just tell them that.” She suppressed a smirk of her own. “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.” She started walking backwards, still holding eyes contact and pointing her thumb at the stairs behind her. “I’ll go take a shower…okay. Yes.” She answered her own thought and walked off.

He continued to stare back onto the screen.

Bucky was glad about what he had said to her back in the kitchen. He needed her to know she had someone to talk to if she wanted to. He hadn’t expected her to remember him, though. She had already stared at his metal arm various, numerous times. For so long, he had projected his fears onto those stares. Because he felt like she knew about all the horrible things he had done. The things he had done for Hydra. But the way she had talked to him and the little information he gave her to make her feel a little better about herself, didn’t give her enough to paint the whole picture. It made him feel like she only knew half of the story, that he had been their victim, too.

Which was right, after all. Still, he felt like he was lying right into her face. And the crazy thing about it was that he felt the need not to do that. He cared. Because he let her down one time and after that his only mission left would be making sure that it would never happen again.

Of cause he was curious about what had actually happened in the lab upstairs and what the new serum had done to her entirely, but first; she seemed normal to him and second; he was convinced that she wouldn’t know or remember more than him as well.

He would be there if she needed him to be, but until then he would keep his distance for her own good. He couldn’t have her knowing that he had worked for the enemy for over seventy years. She couldn’t know that such a man was living under the same roof as her. He couldn’t do that to her.

She’d find out eventually, but they all knew that she had enough to deal with at the moment as it is.

So he’d just linger in the shadows behind her like a fucking creep. The thought crawled through the back of his head and a blush crept up his neck.

The bad side of his brain always had to get a word in. Be it in the form of crippled anxiety or self-degradation.

But he still believed in good intentions and those were the thoughts he wanted to keep.

***

The shower had felt good on her abused skin. Her hair had already been greasy as fuck and she had no longer endured her own smell. It had fallen from her mind and her attention for a long while until she sat on the couch for more than a few minutes, sitting in her own stew. Sounds more disgusting than it actually was. She was mostly still crusty with blood in some places. Dirt as well. She watched the pink-colored water flow down the drain. And yes, sure, she had begun to sweat wildly again during her “sleep”, but thank god that had been all. Her injuries that included cuts and puncture wounds with bruises around them which had mostly healed and faded. She was still a little discolored altogether, too pale as her body was still adjusting to not only the environmental change but her guess was the internal one as well.

She still didn’t feel it though. The only strange thing until now had been the scene in the lab, although it had felt more like a panic attack or an adrenaline rush. Her instincts taking over instead of real, actual conscious actions.

She had stepped out of the shower and wiped her palm over the fogged mirror. She looked so drained of everything. Her collarbones stuck out like they never had before and her cheekbones and defined jawline were shaping her face dramatically. Her belly had gotten flatter and even her tits had shrunken.

To her it felt like she had been gone for way longer than just five weeks. She couldn’t believe all of that had happened in so little time.

She sighed and looked away from her reflection, draping a fluffy towel over her wet skin.

She remembered as they cut her hair. Her second day after her abduction and one man had come up to her with a blade. She had never been more afraid, more convinced that this was how she was gonna go. But he just walked up behind her and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back. She had been screaming throughout the whole process. Then she heard the sound and felt the sensation that made her realize he had just cut it all of. Well, most of it anyway.

Remove any inconvenience, she realized that after.

It still felt weird, not having it hang down her back and it still looked like someone had cut it off for her. Longer there, shorter on other ends and altogether aggressively shaped.

She actually didn’t mind the length. Just the way it reminded her of how for five whole weeks her life and body had not belonged to her.

Can’t think about it, Anna.

She reminded herself and walked out of the bathroom, the chilly air there rising goose-bumps on her skin. The closet was fully equipped with clothes. She let out a sigh of relief before she pulled out a sports-bra, panties, a t-shirt, jeans and socks. With each item of clothing she put on she felt her weight-loss even more, the clothes all a size too big which would have normally fitted her just fine, but now she just looked like a sad potato sack.

Stop pitying yourself, the voice in her head snapped back at her. Just eat a few pizzas more and you’ll be right back to normal, if that’s what you want to call it…

She shook her head as she aggressively brushed her wet and knotty hair. Out of all things, this would be the last to be dealt with. She sure as hell had more important things on her plate.

She stormed out of her room and whirled around, observing the rest of the hallway. Last time she checked it was just after eight. She didn’t know when the rest of the Avengers would get up and start their day, but she had already heard more voices coming from downstairs behind the closed door of her room. She stepped back downstairs and immediately locked eyes with another man.

“Hello.” She spoke and approached the man in his forties who was sitting at the table, eating breakfast, surprisingly sitting there all by himself. He looked at her almost comically timidly, yet his eyes were kind and he pushed his glasses farther up his nose. “Good morning.” He stammered in a soft voice and managed a hesitant smile. His face looked familiar. Well, he was an Avenger after all, but which one…

She sat down on the opposite seat of him. He looked at her like a puppy. Pretty lost, with big eyes and messy curls of dark hair on his head.

He cleared his throat “Are- I mean, how, how are you doing?” He finally managed. “I’m… good. Thank you.” Considering… “So” She squirmed in her seat, watching him wipe his hands on his pants “Which one are you again? I’m sorry for asking, I’m really bad at remembering faces.” She chuckled. “Oh, no worries. It happens all the time actually. I guess my green and big alter ego is perhaps more popular than I am, huh?” He smiled nervously, clearly uncomfortable with the sad truth. Of cause.

“You’re-“ “Bruce Banner.” He reached out his hand across the table and she shook it. She was astonished by how similar their facial features were despite looking completely different once he had changed into this Hulk-man…

“It’s very nice to meet you, Annabelle.” He said and she wasn’t surprised that he knew her name. They all had to know after all. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” She smiled and sat back into her chair. “So, when do they usually get up?” She looked around. Bucky had vanished from his previous position on the couch and wasn’t in the kitchen either.

“The others? I don’t know, Steve is usually the first one to get out of the house to take a jog in the park or something…” He looked over his shoulder as well. “But the others should’ve been here already I think. I- I don’t know, really…” He muttered. “Okay.” She sighed “I just hoped I could-“ “Finally get it over with?” He chuckled. “Oh, no. It’s not-“ “Don’t worry, I get it.” He reassured her. “It can be strange, coming to a place like this. Seeing all the others and thinking; why am I even here?” She scrunched up her nose and smiled back “Yeah. Sort of.” “Well, then. Welcome to the club.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Hm. Is this what this is, though.” She mumbled more to herself than to anybody else, but he still heard her question. “I don’t… I’m not sure, really.” He sighed, looked almost guilty. “We are here to help you; I don’t know what comes after that.” “So you don’t know what will happen to me?” “Well, that’s” He shook his head, looking down at his plate and letting out a desperate laugh “That’s difficult to answer. They- we don’t know what Hydra did to you and… it’s kind of a priority to figuring out the next step. We need to know what they did, what it did to you and what their next approach to this is.” Her mind began to drift away. “What they were planning on doing or the advantage you might’ve given them.”

She sort of figured.

Hydra.

She had heard it on numerous occasions. Bound to a chair, while floating in and out of consciousness, singing in the back of her head like a mantra. Soldiers raising their fists above their heads while screaming that same word as a salute. It all had seemed very Third-Reich-ish.

Her tormenter’s face finally had an unmistaken name.

“Annabelle?” Dr. Banner’s gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Yes?” She didn’t realize her eyes had begun to fill with water until she blinked at him and tears rolled over her face. “Hey, uhm. I- I’m sorry. Gosh, I knew I shouldn’t have said it like that, I mean they just got you out-“ “It’s fine.” She rushed and wiped a hand over her face. “I just, uh…” She looked back at him, the gears inside her head turning. “You’re… the doctor around here, right?” He nodded hesitantly, folding his hands together in front of him. “Well, yes…” “How would you tell what happened to me? Exactly?” He raised his eyebrows at her and shifted in his seat. “Uhm, well. I would start with a blood test, I assume.” “Good.” She nodded and let out a deep breath through her nose. “Then we’ll start with that.”

***

She sat on a treatment couch. Her legs were swinging in the air nervously since she couldn’t bounce them and her hands were gripping onto the leather underneath her. Her heart rate had begun to pick up the minute she had entered the lab. His lab, presumably. It was a different one from when she had woken up the first time in this place. She assumed it was because there were still too many reminders of the places of her captivity. High ceilings, medical equipment, fluorescent light that penetrated her retina… Although everything was way more spacious and the walls were not white and cold, but glass and see-though.

“I guess it’s a lot to get used to at first.” He said, his back turned to her as he gathered a swab and splashed some anti-bacterial, clear liquid onto it.

“The real fun begins once you meet all of them.” He smiled sheepishly to himself “They can be a handful, but I’m sure you will grow to love them.” He turned around and took her left arm into his hand and she bent it to display the crook of her arm to him. He momentarily stopped talking as he saw the partly faded bruises in the whole area that came from the multiple punctures and pricks of the needles, accompanied by a few tiny, tiny wounds where those needles had actually gone under her skin.

He swallowed and pushed his glasses back onto his nose. It truly seemed to be a nervous tick with him. He looked her into the eyes.

“I, uhm… I think it’s better if we take the other arm for now.” He muttered, his voice suddenly very quiet. She nodded.

The right one wasn’t unscathed, but certainly in better condition and he rubbed the pad over her sensitive skin there.

Her heart beat was in her ears by the time she saw the needle and she turned her head as her breathing faltered, then picked up.

“We don’t have to do this right now, Annabelle.” She heard him say, but didn’t look back, just squeezed her eyes shut.

“Anna is fine. Or Annie or something.” She let out a shaky breath “Please just- I want to get this over with.” I need to know what they’ve put inside me.

Bruce heard her unspoken plea and nodded, lining up the needle.

She let out a hiss at the all too familiar pinch. She imagined the blood running out of her in a steady stream and she almost felt like she was going to puke with everything she was holding back. With all those memories wanting to replay themselves in that moment.

Her eyes were closed, yet she suddenly saw a different kind of black filling her vision. The kind she had only felt once before, in the other lab. Before, her eyes were closed, but she still saw the source of light from above her through her eyelids, but suddenly there was a deeper, opaque shade to it and she tore her eyes wide open at the feeling rushing through her veins and into the needle. She was gaping down at it, at Bruce who was still focused on it, but not her. She didn’t know exactly why but she was grateful for that, because something felt off and she had a feeling that if he’d been looking, he would’ve seen it too.

The whole room had changed another shade, but not in color. Something else. The way she perceived things was different. Everything was. The adrenaline made her heart jump and she groaned as she squeezed her eyes shut, covering her hand with them to keep them that way.

“Are you okay?” She felt Bruce’s eyes on her but she couldn’t look at him just yet. “Fine.” She gasped, trying her best not to act out the rush that was coursing through her limbs, making them vibrate with needed action and the tips of her finger tingle almost painfully. She had to keep it in, suppress it, whatever it was.

And just as it subsided, settling back into her unshakable bones she heard his calming voice.

“All done.”

She peeked one eye open. It seemed as if everything was back to normal. He was holding a tissue onto it, putting on a Band-Aid immediately after. Her fingers were still shaking, she realized, so she dug them back into the leather seat.

“You’re pretty pale, should I bring you something? Do you want a glass of water- “? “I’m okay, really.” She smiled at him and he eyed her for another moment before he let go of it and her smile dropped again.

“You’ll tell me if you feel or notice any changes, okay? Any whatsoever.” He looked at her earnestly. “I will.” She replied and jumped off the table onto shaky legs. She played it of by swaying her body to an imaginary tune inside her head.

“I will tell you if I see any changes to your system.” He smiled. “Thank you, Doctor Banner.” She tried raising her arm to shake his hand, but she hissed when she still felt the sting.

“I guess a fist bump will have to do.” She muttered and used her other hand to bump fists with him. He raised a brow at this, but eventually laughed.

“Alright, Anna. You can call me Bruce, by the way.” She smiled back. “Thanks, Bruce. For doing this. I’ll… see you around?” She scratched the back of her head. He nodded and sat into his office chair.

“I’ll see you around.”

.

.

.

Next Chapter

Taglist: 

@humanexile

[queen-sands]

My Beloved - Part 5

Summary: Princess Lyanna Avon of Planet Zirkon (OFC) had been hiding on Midguard for two peaceful years with the Avengers under the alias, Dr. Lillian Zane. That is until Loki showed up making demands and revealing the truth to everyone she cared about.

This chapter finds Loki and Lyanna attempting to negotiate a truce after he tricks her into being alone with her.

Pairing: Loki x OFC

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Tags: @rcarbo1 @thequeenofgood @ourheartsaregone @mcheung0314  @angyexoxo  @mischiefnevermanaged94

If anyone wants to be added to the Tag List for this fic, let me know via an ask or a message.

Feedback is ALWAYS welcome! <3

“Where’s the Queen?” she asked him, haughtily.

“In her solar, probably.”

  “You tricked me!” she accused in disbelief, as if she could not understand how he could dare to lie to her. He would never admit it but he found her shock quite endearing. He was used to lies. He had been surrounded with deception his entire life. He’s used it himself to compensate for things he lacked in a kingdom he just could not find a way to fit into. In a way, they both had that in common. Even though he was Asgardian, he had more in common with the little princess than he realized. They were both strangers in a world that should be “home,” all because they were different from everything and everyone else they knew.

 He shrugged. “Hadn’t you heard? That’s kind of my thing.” At her lack of comprehension, he realized that she probably actually hadn’t heard. “I am Loki, the God of Mischief. The ultimate trickster?” All he received in response was a blank look of confusion. “It doesn’t matter. Not important. Anyway...I just wanted to talk to you.”

  Her eyes narrowed, suspiciously, her wariness about him plain for him to see. He knew she probably thought she was very careful with her outward display of emotions but he could read her far too easily. He could see everything she felt reflected in her face. One had to be quick and observant though. It never lasted beyond a second. Or the veil of indifference would fall and you could miss it. But Loki’s eyes missed nothing. Even when he pretended not to notice, he saw everything.

 “What’s there to talk about?”

 “Us, for once.”

 “Us?” she scoffed. “Yes, I am very aware of what you think of me, Prince Loki.” Then she looked away briefly. He saw the hesitancy in her slight movement.

 “I am not your enemy, Lyanna. I never want to be,” he told her honestly – far too honestly than he’d ever been with anyone in a long time. And he meant it too. It wasn’t her fault why they were where they were. It took him time to accept it but deep down, he always had known that. “Let’s call a truce. What do you say?” he asked, holding out his hand in a show of camaraderie.

 Instinctively, she took a step back. She stared at his hand as if it would turn into a snake any moment.

 He wanted to get offended, but the look of plain disbelief mixed with wariness on her face was far too comical. The smirk on the corner of his mouth was involuntary, and probably did not help matters in gaining her confidence. “Don’t you trust me?”

 She raised a brow at him. “You are Loki, the God of Mischief. The ultimate trickster. You said so yourself. Would you trust you if you were me?”

 The smirk became a grin that he could not help hold back. She did have spirit indeed. Stuck alone in a land unknown, at the mercy of strangers and yet she wouldn’t back down. He had to admire it.

 “Fair enough,” he agreed. “I have an idea.” He walked past her, a little further into the library. “Why don’t you and I get to know each other a little bit. Trust has to be earned after all. So all I am truly asking is for the opportunity to earn it.” He turned back to look at her to see how she took to his suggestion.

 She seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Why?” she asked plainly.

 “We are going to be married. Clearly there’s no way around that. We are both helpless and resigned to our fates,” he said laying out the facts. “I will be honest – a rarity, so don’t get used to it, Princess... I can’t promise you true love. I don’t believe in it. I’ve seen far too much in this universe to ever believe in such nonsensical things. But we could be friends.”

 After a moment of staring into his eyes, she agreed with a nod. “Yes, we could.”

 She wasn’t making this easy for him. Not at all. “Would you like to be friends, Lyanna?” he spelled it out for her. His memories briefly flashed to when he was just a child – him trying, desperately, to make friends with Thor’s friends, and failing miserably. They never saw him as anything but a little kid. He wanted her to say yes but deep down he was too used to and too prepared for rejection. The brief hesitancy in her response prickled his pride but he held himself in check. She hadn’t said no. Not yet.

 “I suppose being friends would be something I’d like,” she finally conceded. “How do you suppose we start?”

 “Do you like books? Is reading something you enjoyed back home?” he asked.

 It was a complete shift in subject that Lyanna forgot to be wary of him for a moment. A genuine smile overtook her face and she said, “Yes, I do. I love books...very much so.”

 “So let’s start there.”

 And that was how she found herself, sitting on a very comfortable chaise by the large bay window, reading under the sunlight that gently streamed in with Loki deep in his own reading on the opposite side of the very same chaise.

 He even recommended the book for her to read – a collection of mythological tales about Asgard. It was riveting and she had to commend him for his taste in books. And yet, as enthralling as her reading material was, she couldn’t resist sneaking glances at him.

 He was in profile to her. His nose was very sharp, his lips naturally thin and pursed in thought. His eyes slid over the page so fast that she wondered if he was truly reading at all. His hair slicked black, in contrast with his pale complexion, he was quite appealing. Not traditionally handsome in the way that his brother was but there was something about him that drew you in. He was a stranger, and yet she was staring at the man who would be the rest of her life. It felt surreal.

 He was smiling, perhaps at something he read. His smile could be disarming. No wonder he was the God of Mischief. Anyone would be too taken in by his charm to not believe a word that left that mouth. Lyanna did not even particularly like him and still she found it difficult to resist his smile.

 “You are staring,” he pointed out, his eyes never leaving the book in front of him.

 “Can you turn into a wolf?” she asked before she could stop herself. She hadn’t meant to ask it right out. Who in the world does that? You can’t just ask someone things like that. But it had escaped her lips all on their own. She expected him to laugh in her face for her childish fancies. After all the idea alone was ridiculous. But he didn’t.

 He calmly marked his place in his book and turned to face her. He simply stared at her solemnly and said very distinctly, “Yes.”

 The look on her face made him want to laugh but he held it in, keeping his face impassive and seemingly serious. If her eyes got any bigger, they might take over her entire little face, he thought with secret amusement.

 “And do you...do you eat children for the fun of it?”

  “No,” he said. Then at her sigh of relief, he added, “Only for breakfast. If I am really hungry. Never for the fun of it though.”

  She stared at him in horror, refusing to believe her own ears. Then she saw the mirth on his lips that he was trying to keep at bay. “You are jesting with me!” she accused indignantly.

 “I am,” he confessed, finally letting the laughter take over. “I don’t eat children.”

 His laughter wasn’t tainted with cruel mockery. He just laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, head thrown back, and inviting her to find the humour in it too. She couldn’t help it. A little giggle escaped and she slapped a hand over her face to stop herself.

 In hindsight, perhaps she should have thanked Vinayana for trying to scare her. In the end, that was what broke the barriers between her and Loki. They were not magically best of friends all of a sudden, but as they laughed together, she could see it as a possibility.

 Maybe one day...

...to be continued.

[ianrosenberger]

Heather’s Game Changers Cast Ranking/Analysis

My Absolute Faves:

1. SANDRA

Okay I can’t even describe how excited I am that Sandra is on this season. She’s my favourite survivor player ever and is the EPITOME of a game changer. Sandra delivers the perfect combination of strategy and entertainment for me and the survivor franchise should consider itself blessed that she agreed to return. As for her chances of going far, everything in me is saying she’s bound to be a premerge boot, but it’s queen changa! In pearl islands and heroes vs villains she was still screaming premerge boot but clearly we know how that turned out. I’m rooting for her above everyone else which is redundant to say when she’s already #1 on the list but... had to let that fact be known again.

2. TONY

I think I would say Tony is my third favourite survivor contestant ever (behind mother sandra ofc and Kim Spradlin). He’s crackedt out of his mind and it’s pure entertainment gold. I’m never not fascinated by trying to figure out the logic behind what Tony is doing. I don’t see how it would be possible for him to get far again sadly, but whatever happens I’m sure he’ll go out in a blaze of glory. Apparently he’s already been jumping out of bushes and whatnot at the pregame ponderosa like . .. . crackedt legends only.

Love these casting choices:

3. CIRIE

Cirie really did THAT strategically in Panama and Micronesia. Unlike the other two legends I already talked about, I do see a good chance of Cirie going far in the game again. I haven’t watched Micronesia or Panama recently (and I lowkey forgot what panama was and typed casaya for the season name while making this post), so I don’t have a crisp memory of everything she did, but..basically I remember that I stanned it. The only thing I’m concerned with is her rivalry with Sandra or whatever their relationship could be called. I’m not gonna lie; when I heard that she said Sandra didn’t deserve to win either of her seasons, I was....disgusted. Tbh. That doesn’t take anything away from the fact that Cirie’s gameplay was everything but girl...don’t come for Sandra like that.

4. ANDREA

Andrea has really grown on me since she first played. I don’t think I had much of an opinion on her in redemption island because I really didn’t care for anybody in the cast at all dfsndjfndsj but in Caramoan I liked her! She gives me constant conspiratorial vibes which I need to really STAN a survivor contestant. I just think she needs to fix her social game a bit because strategically I do think Andrea has the capability to win. Other than that I just enjoy her presence on my TV. I don’t think she’ll be targeted for a while by anyone but dumbfucks like Caleb or Brad for the same reason sexually deprived men usually target her *eyes emoji* so..yeah I have high hopes for her!

5. MICHAELA

I don’t think I appreciated Michaela enough while MvG was on (also because I missed a ton of episodes for school and had to binge watch the season in chunks of like five eps at a time). But Michaela has the makings of a legend - she gives me the blend of entertainment and strategy that I referred to in describing Sandra. A different blend than Sandra of course, but Michaela is a unique character in my mind, and I think if she can get past the barrier of being an unknown variable to the rest of the cast, she could do really well. I’m excited to watch her on the season regardless.

6. HALI

MUVVA! The ONLY good thing that I remember about W*rlds Ap*rt excluding Carolyn. Honestly half the reason I love Hali as much as I do is because she’s hot and that’s just the tea. Her weird analogies in confessionals and unintentional comic relief at tribals are great and I’m looking forward to them, as well as her renewed motivation to actually be a strategic force in the season. In worlds apart she at least TRIED to do something strategically, so now I’m hoping she can maybe tune her social game up a bit in order to be able to implement some of her schemes.

7. MALCOLM

Yeah I absolutely am thirsty for Malcolm. Sure am. Is that why he’s this high on the list? Britney_spears_crying_yeah.gif . SNkjdsfhjdskh I’m only half serious about that. Based on the pregame ET Canada interviews, I think his ego either got bigger or he’s just more comfortable showing it now that he’s played twice and feels like there’s less to prove, so I could see him being more of a villain this season than an underdog like his first two seasons. He is strategically adept, and I don’t think there’s a chance he could become someone’s goat and get super uninteresting, so all in all I’m happy he’s coming back.

8. JT

Ohh JT. If I remember correctly, he was the first person to play a perfect game and I think that makes him a game changer. What bumped him up in my rankings was the fact that in his interviews, his passion for the game is burning up like Russell’s hat in the fire. JT is NOT here to play games this season. I liked him in both Tocantins and HvV; I think he gives a level headed and still insightful perspective into the game, and in spite of him giving Russell that idol, I do think JT is one of the smartest people on this cast in terms of not only being able to come up with good strategic moves but being able to implement them. I agree with what he said in his interviews that people will more remember his blunder in HvV and extreme loyalty to Stephen over him winning and probably be more inclined to work with him, so I think JT could definitely make it far and maybe win again.

Happy with these casting choices:

9. ZEKE

Something about Zeke’s personality I’m drawn to. I wasn’t a humongous Zeke stan in MvG (because I was rooting for David’s side I’m sorry Zeke), but as the game went on, he went from initially annoying me because he looked too old to be on the milennial tribe to being really endearing and pleasant to watch. Maybe it’s recency bias but seeing him and Michaela going into this season for some reason feels like two new players being cast into a season of allstars, and automatically makes me want to root for the two of them.

10. TROYZAN

Let me take a minute and fasten my wig on before saying this but um..I like Troyzan. dnsjkgfhjkhd if you want to block me after that I understand. He pissed me off in One World of course because he tried to act like he could compare to the legendary Kim Spradlin when he clearly could not, but now that Kim isn’t here I think he might be more tolerable. He’s an independent thinker which is the main quality that makes me like Troyzan. It’s a mess that the main thing he’s remembered for is screaming “this is my island” at a group of women who then steamrolled over his corpse, but it at least proved that he’s not only extra and will add some drama to the show, but he will pave his own way strategically.

11. AUBRY

No one can deny that Aubry was a strategic force in Kaoh Rong. That’s the main reason that I’m happy that she’s returning because I think she definitely earned it with her level of gameplay. For some reason there’s a disconnect for me with Aubry that I hope this season will patch up and I’ll be able to fully stan her. She doesn’t have that quality for me that I love in players like Sandra, Tony and Cirie, where they are not only amazing strategically but also have that entertainment factor. In summary, I have no qualms with this casting choice, but I’m going to have to wait until the season starts to know whether I’m going to root for her or not.

Lowkey not doing it for me:

12. SIERRA

I remember really liking Sierra in W*rlds Ap*rt until the moment she rejected Hali’s plan, then let herself get dragged behind the likes of D*n F*ley and W*ll S*ms. That was just sad. Her only moment of redemption was voting for Carolyn at FTC, but it was too little too late for me. I still really like Sierra as a person, but for me to sit here and start saying I think she’s a game changer in any way would be a complete load of shit. I don’t see why Carolyn wasn’t given her spot, but she wasn’t, so I hope Sierra can really prove herself this season as a strategic player, because at this point I wouldn’t give her that label.

13. CIERA

I’ve seen enough of Ciera. I understand why she’s a game changer, and as such I understand why she’s on the season, but I’m just tired of her. I think it’s because of her political views that I just haven’t been able to reconcile. I really liked her on Blood vs Water and she was pretty good during Cambodia, but every time I think about her I just start thinking about how she’s a Republican and I’m like okay................ . . . .. um.... I can’t. I’ll know that I’ll never root for Ciera over the top nine people on this list, but I don’t HATE her, so if she goes as hard as she did at the end of Blood vs. Water I think I’ll end up liking her more. I think my opinion is also based on the fact that I don’t see where her storyline could develop from here on the show. Anyways.. I like? Ciera? At least somewhat? So..I think she will at the least deliver some quality conspiracies on the show.

14. TAI

I like Tai but the only thing I remember about him is him loving a chicken and him being very wishy washy at the end of KR. I could see him going far again for sure, but not on his own strategic merit; I think he could easily become the goat of a stronger player ie at least 80% of this cast. I mean if that has to happen I hope it’s Sandra :)) but yeah...in general...I don’t think he was THAT popular to merit a spot on this season in spite of not really being that great of a player. I’m sure he’ll have some other cute moments with animals and nature and whatnot so I’m looking forward to those I guess?

15. OZZY

Ozzy is the lowest person on my rankings that I would consider to be a game changer. The reason why he’s this low in spite of that is because I think even though he has changed the game, the game hasn’t changed him. He’s played THREE TIMES before this and I still get the sense that he’s going to use the exact same strategy this season...yikes. In South Pacific, he was being more strategic I think..but that may just have been because he felt like the leader of his tribe, so the narrative of the season centred around his thoughts for the tribe and his influence on the tribe. Were his ideas actually strategically sound? Not really, even though I think it’s good that he recognized that physicality was his biggest asset so he took advantage of that (referring to him getting himself voted out to go win duels on redemption island). At least Ozzy has gained some self awareness over ten years? Maybe? I hope so for his sake.

Yikes:

16. JEFF

I’m sorry but how is he a game changer. I can’t fully speak to Jeff’s abilities because I still haven’t watched Australian Outback but based on his game in Cambodia, he was serving some hot mess teas. He did deliver some entertainment like him calling Abi out at the challenge (or getting called out by her I lowkey dont remember), so my best hope for him is that he delivers some more of those. I could see him aligning with Sandra, so if that happens he will almost definitely shoot up in my rankings. As of now though, I don’t have any expectations for him. He’s at least not loathsome and completely deluded.

17. DEBBIE

I’m over Debbie’s shtick. I feel like she’s going to get herself embarrassed by the players this season who are ACTUALLY strategic. I think the reason she’s on this season is supposed to be for entertainment value, and in a regular cast filled with slightly more boring people that’s fine, but this is game changers. Everyone here is entertaining in their own right and Debbie is just annoying to me. Honestly she’s only above Sarah because I feel like she won’t last long and therefore I’ll have to deal with seeing her less and get less annoyed. If she targets players that I don’t like, maybe I’ll starting warming up to her and she’ll rise in my rankings, but for now I’m not hype about her.

18. SARAH

Girl. Her dealing with the Kass situation that resulted in her voteout was one of the most embarrassingly bad displays of strategy - or LACK OF strategy rather - in a minute on Survivor. Sarah really doesn’t entertain me at all and my impression of her from Cagayan leads me to believe she will probably not be that strategically adept. I’m in disbelief that she was even cast, like...really??? CBS couldn’t find anyone either more strategic or more entertaining than Sarah? damn. The one moment I can remember liking her was in Morgan’s ponderosa video when they were putting on makeup together because ok that was cute but it had literally nothing to do with the game. I could see her going far which annoys me even more because I wouldn’t want her to stay in the game over anyone higher on this list, maybe just Debbie. I hope Sarah can get it together this season because I’m almost done with her and the season hasn’t even started.

Good riddance:

19. BRAD

Brad is totally a game changer! He invented getting his wig torn off by Candice Cody and Marissa Peterson!! KWEENT Bread <3 God I can’t believe he’s on this season. Based on the previews, they’re going to try to give him a redemption arc of some kind which I’m already over. The good part about him is that I can’t see him winning even if he gets to the final three, so as long as a smarter player that I like can get control over him, I can support him being on the season as a meat shield. If Brad does manage to at least fake some humility and become a better player, good for him I guess. I just know it’s highly unlikely I’m going to end up rooting for him unless he targets the very last person on this list.

20. CALEB

Bye. Bye. Literally bye. Whose dick is Caleb sucking at CBS to not only get on survivor the first time after being a complete embarrassment on BB, but get to return?? ON A GAME CHANGERS SEASON?????? Mike Skupin got airlifted first and he did it in a literal blaze of glory so Caleb...hunty..please explain how you changed anything. His interviews are even more cringeworthy, with him saying dumb shit like “I’m just happy I can return so I can be a warrior for my tribe” GIRL......B Y E GO HOME!!!! Maybe he’ll become an actual game changer if he gets medevaced twice. That’s the only hope I have for his legacy.

[hunnywrites]

Chapter Three: Phone Home

Summary: The town of Hawkins has been turned upside down with the news that Will Byers has suddenly gone missing. Teddi Larsson and Billy Hargrove are gonna get to the bottom of things. Season one AU.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: Boy this is a long one. Billy has also become like the surprise comic relief in this fic and I sort of love it. Hope you enjoy!

Billy and Teddi both stood at the foot of the stairs of the Wheeler’s basement, arms crossed and looking sternly at the four kids that had formed a wall to shield the new girl. Teddi noticed how scared she looked. She was tiny. She almost reminded Teddi of a little stray kitten. Her intimidating demeanor nearly faltered a few times because she wanted to give the poor thing a hug. 

Mike held up his hands as if he was trying to keep Billy under control. Like that was even possible. “You have to promise that you won’t freak out before I explain anything. Both of you.” the thing about Mike was that he had never really learned the right way to talk to Billy (or vice versa). Teddi and Mike would butt heads pretty often, Max said it was because they could be so similar. But Mike and Billy could be a dangerous combination. Teddi was positive because relationships between a Sagittarius and a Cancer could be pretty volatile, but they both hated when she brought up her horoscope stuff. At least they could agree on that, she guessed. 

So all things considering, Billy was handling this situation really well. He glared down at Mike. “And why would we freak out?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell have you losers gotten yourselves into now?” there was a long pause as the group looked at each other, trying to decide who would be the one to explain. “I’m waiting.” Billy snapped.

Max let out a heavy sigh and stepped forwards. “We were out in Mirkwood, looking for Will,” she began. “She was out in the rain, so we brought her here. She knows something about what happened to Will. That’s why we haven’t told anyone. We can’t. There are bad men after her.” Billy and Teddi shared a look before Teddi turned back to Max.

“What do you mean by bad men?” she asked nervously.

The girl shook her head slowly before raising her fingers to the side of her head, mimicking a gun. “Bad men.” was all she said.

Billy let out a humorless chuckle and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jesus Christ…” he muttered. 

Teddi looked over at him pointedly. “Now do you believe me that something weird is going on?” she almost wondered if maybe this was a prank. Like the kids had gotten some girl from school to come and pretend to be some sort of runaway to freak them out. And while the kids liked to pull the occasional prank on Billy and Teddi, she knew that now wasn’t the time for that sort of thing. 

“Are you guys insane?” Billy asked through his teeth. “You can’t harbour some runaway kid in your basement. Especially with Byers missing. You’re gonna get caught and then we’re all gonna be in deep shit.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Chill out, would you? We have this under control. The only reason anyone’s gonna find out is if you can’t keep your mouth shut.” he spat up at Billy. Teddi let out a tired sigh as the two started bickering. She couldn’t really make out what they were saying. Just that Billy kept jabbing his finger in Mike’s direction and Mike standing on his toes to make himself as tall as possible as he shouted back at Billy. 

Teddi moved past the group and over to the girl, who was watching the two boys argue with wide eyes. She knelt down in front of her, smiling softly. “Hi. Um, my name’s Teddi. What’s your name?” she didn’t say anything. Teddi couldn’t really blame her. To be lost in the woods and then suddenly finding yourself in Mike Wheeler’s basement while he was screaming about government agents coming to kill him had to be a lot to take in. It was almost too much for even Teddi to handle. 

“Her name’s Eleven,” it was Dustin. “She doesn’t really talk much,” he explained with a shrug. “We’ve been calling her El.” 

“Eleven?” Billy asked with a scoff. “How the hell can her name be Eleven? That’s a number, not a name,” El remained silent. She held up her arm, pulling her sleeve up to show 011 tattooed in thick black ink on her wrist. Teddi felt her stomach drop. “Jesus Christ,” he repeated. “You little shits are really in it this time.” 

“This is just like ET,” Teddi found herself saying. Billy and the kids all turned to look at her. “What? Elliot finds ET in the woods and hides him in his house from his mom and the government. This is totally ET.”

“You can’t call her that,” Mike argued. “That’s totally offensive! She’s not an alien.” 

“It’s not offensive! It’s like one of the best movies ever made!”

“Can you two stop arguing about your nerd shit for two goddamn seconds? We have a feral preteen in the basement!” Billy spat. Mike and Teddi shared one last glare before Teddi turned back to El. She was sure that Mike and the gang were taking care of her. As much as four twelve year olds could. But Teddi felt like she needed to find somewhere safe for El to go. She just didn’t know where that was.

“...Should we tell someone? Maybe we should call Hopper, Billy. We can tell him about that screech out in the woods. And I’m sure he’d know what to do about El. We can trust him, can’t we?” 

Billy didn’t get a chance to respond, Lucas looked at Teddi with a frown. “Wait, wait. What do you mean that screech out in the woods?”

Teddi didn’t say anything right away. She chewed on her lip and looked over at Billy. He looked put out by this conversation. She almost wondered if he thought there was a chance he was dreaming. Like maybe he had passed out at Steve’s and this was all pretend. His eyes met Teddi’s, and he gave her a nod as if to say it was okay to tell them. 

“The night that Will went missing,” Teddi began. “All of this weird stuff happened. Like the power went out at the arcade. And the radio cut out. But it was all at once. Like all of Hawkins went completely dead for a few seconds. And then when Billy was giving me a ride home we heard this...noise out in Mirkwood. It was like a scream but worse. It didn’t sound human or like an animal.”

The group gave each other a knowing look. “The Demogorgon.” Dustin said quietly, his eyes wide. 

Billy’s face screwed up into a pissed off, confused expression. “The hell is a Demogorgon?”

The kids and Teddi rolled their eyes at him. “It’s a monster from Dungeons and Dragons,” she explained. She turned to the kids. “What do you mean it was the Demogorgon? How is that even possible? It’s a game.” 

Lucas moved over to the table El was sitting at and flipped their game board over. He picked up a small, metal monster. The Demogorgon. “This is what took Will,” Teddi knew that she was looking at him like he was speaking another language. “It’s out there in Mirkwood. El says that it took Will, but he’s alive. He’s hiding from it. She’s gonna show us where he’s hiding tomorrow.” the hopeful looks on each of their faces made Teddi’s heart hurt. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe them. If anyone in town was going to believe them it would be her. But the idea of a monster from a board game coming to life and essentially kidnapping Will was almost too crazy for even Teddi to believe.

“No.” Billy said behind her. “No way. You guys aren’t going out into the woods with some...science experiment to look for Byers.” he crossed his arms firmly across his chest. The kids collectively groaned. 

“Billy, come on…” Max pleaded. 

“I said no, Max. There’s no fucking way I’m letting you out there with whatever the hell it is that killed Will!” 

“He’s not dead!” Mike argued. 

“Well I don’t see him around anywhere!” Billy’s voice had taken on a cold tone. “Do you? Do any of you?” the kids wouldn’t meet his gaze. Teddi turned and placed a hand on Billy’s chest, gently pushing him away from Mike. 

“Billy…” she said gently. He was breathing heavily. His jaw clenched tight. Billy looked down at Teddi and let out a shaky breath through his nose. “Maybe...maybe we should go. You know they’re gonna go on their own regardless. At least if we’re there we can make sure nothing happens to them, right? And who knows? Maybe El can actually help. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen around here lately.” she reasoned.

There was a tense silence that filled the room. The kids were all still and watching Billy, like they were afraid he might snap again if any of them moved. Billy looked at each of them for what felt like forever before he swallowed thickly and pointed a finger in their direction. “We’ll pick you up tomorrow after school in Teddi’s van. If any of you leave without us, you’re dead. You hear me?” 

They all nodded at once. Billy rubbed roughly at his forehead and sighed. “Max, let’s go. We’re gonna be late.” he turned and headed back upstairs without another word. Max muttered her goodbyes and followed after her brother. 

“I’ll be there in a second, Max,” she called after the red head. Teddi cast a quick glance in El’s direction. “Mike, are you sure this is a good idea? What if your mom finds her?” 

Mike rolled his eyes. “Not possible. I could have El and ET down here and my mom wouldn’t have any idea.” Teddi believed him, but she was still nervous about leaving her. 

She let out a shaky sigh. “Okay...but you have my number. Call me if anything happens, okay?” 

Teddi couldn’t stop thinking about El for the rest of the night. Not on the drive home. Not when Billy got out and walked her over to her window to help her sneak in. Not when he kissed her and said he’d see her tomorrow at school. And not when she finally crawled into bed. 

Did she have anyone that cared about her? Parents? Family? Anyone at all? She didn’t even know her own name. And who the hell would want to hurt a harmless little girl? This was all so...much. And to add in the fact that the kids were convinced that Will had been taken by the Demogorgon? How was something like that even possible? How would El know that a monster had taken Will, much less where to find him when over half the town had been out looking for him?

That night Teddi dreamt of Will, El and the Demogorgon. 

---

Teddi picked up Billy and Max the next morning on her way to school. Most of the drive was spent with Billy lecturing Max about how stupid her and her friends were for going out into Mirkwood alone. At one point Teddi had flicked on the radio on just to shut him up. The kids had enough on their hands. Max didn’t need to add Billy’s over protectiveness to it. 

Now she was on her way to English. She hadn’t seen any sign of Steve, Carol or Tommy yet and she wondered briefly if maybe they had all stayed home with the hangovers they no doubt had after the party. 

“Teddi!” someone called from behind her. It was Nancy. She hurried down the crowded hall towards Teddi, her books hugged close to her chest. The nervous expression on her face didn’t do much for Teddi’s already shot nerves. “Hi, um have you seen Barb at all today?” she was trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, but Teddi definitely noticed how she could barely stand still.

“Oh, no I haven’t yet...is everything okay?” she asked with a frown.

Nancy bit her bottom lip and looked up and down the hall as if she expected Barb to magically appear. She finally gave an attempt at a casual smile and shook her head. “Yeah! Yeah, it’s fine. I’m having a weird day, I guess. Barb left the party early last night and I haven’t heard from her.”

Teddi felt a jolt of panic shoot through her chest. Will, Benny and now Barb? No. Barb was fine. There was no reason to think that anything bad had happened to her. And she especially couldn’t let Nancy know that she had any concerns. “Well, it was cold last night you know? And then with her cutting her hand...maybe she just stayed home sick? I mean I nearly stayed home myself.” she said with a small laugh that she hoped sounded convincing. It wasn’t so much for feeling sick reasons though. It was more for Mike Wheeler has a runaway in his basement reasons.

Nancy nodded and gave her a thin smile. “Right. Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll call her after school. Thanks, Teddi. I’ll see you later?” Teddi nodded and gave her a small wave and the two parted ways. Teddi spent her morning wondering if she, Billy and the kids would find Barb along with Will out in the woods. Her stomach wouldn’t stop churning. 

When lunch came around Billy was out in the parking lot, leaning against Teddi’s van with a cigarette between his lips. Teddi opened the back doors, hopped up inside and let out a heavy groan. Billy only looked on with a raised eyebrow. “Nany can’t find Barb.” she huffed out. 

“...Who the fuck’s Barb?” Billy asked with a blink. 

Teddi rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. “Nancy’s best friend? The red head that’s always with her?” 

“Oh, yeah. The lesbo...what about her?” 

“She’s not at school! Nancy said she left early last night and she hasn’t heard from her since. What if something got her like it did Will?” 

Billy flicked the rest of his cigarette away and hopped up into the back of the van next to her. He was giving her that amused grin he usually gave her when he thought she was being ridiculous. “Teddi, babe...you can’t actually believe that there’s some monster out in the woods.” they looked at each other for a long moment, like Billy was waiting for her to laugh and admit that she was only kidding around with him. 

That wasn’t going to happen. He knew that it wouldn’t. “Billy. Listen to me. I know that those kids have wild imaginations, okay? I know I have a wild imagination. But they don’t lie. And they don’t make things up,” Teddi looked around to make sure that no one was listening to them before lowering her voice. “And now with Eleven showing up? I’m even more willing to believe them. I’ve played D&D with them more times than I can count. I know that they know the difference between the real world and make believe.” 

Billy knew that Teddi knew those kids better than anyone in Hawkins. He knew that if he considered all of the facts that had piled up since Will went missing that he could admit that something weird was happening. But if he did that then he knew Teddi would only worry more. “...Whatever. I still don’t think we’re gonna find anything out there.” he muttered. 

Billy ended up convincing Teddi to skip her last period. He said it would do her some good to just relax instead of sitting in class worrying about monsters and calculus. She didn’t really have the energy to argue. So they sat in the back of her van smoking and listening to music until the bell at the end of the day rang. They were headed over to the middle school when Tommy and Carol stopped them. “Have you seen Harrington anywhere?” Tommy asked. 

“Not in a few hours, why?” Teddi asked. While Tommy and Carol had nearly permanent smirks on their faces, Teddi was surprised to see how annoyed the couple looked now. 

Carol looked around to make sure none of the other students walking past them could hear their conversation. “Nicole said that she ran into Byers in their little geek den and said that she saw he had photos of us at Steve’s last night.” she sneered.

Teddi frowned. Had it been Johnathan that she had seen in the bushes? What in the hell was Johnathan Byers doing hiding in Steve Harrington’s bushes? “What? No way. What was he even taking pictures of?”

“Who cares?” Tommy asked, crossing his arms firmly across his chest. “That freak thinks he can spy on us and get away with it? We’re gonna go find Steve and meet Johnathan out by his car. There’s no way he’s getting away with this. You guys in?”

Billy looked like the idea intrigued him. But before he could agree, Teddi stepped in. “We can’t. We have a thing. Call me and tell me what happened, okay Carol?” she didn’t give her time to respond. She grabbed Billy by the arm and practically dragged him over to the middle school’s parking lot. The last thing they needed was Billy, Tommy and Steve getting into a fight with Johnathan and the four of them getting detention or even suspended. 

“The hell is that little weirdo up to now?” Billy muttered. He angrily shoved his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket as he fell into step with Teddi. “His brother goes missing and he’s spying on us? What the fuck’s that about?” 

“I have no idea. We so can’t focus on that right now, okay? We have bigger issues. Do you see them anywhere?” she stood up on her toes to try and catch a glimpse of Max and her friends. Billy nudged her with his elbow and pointed. The kids were waiting at the school’s entrance. Mike was looking at his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. 

“Finally!” Mike said, throwing his hands up. “What the hell took you so long? We’re supposed to meet El at 3:15! She’s gonna get nervous if we’re late!”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Would you calm down? She’ll be fine! You just can’t wait to see your girlfriend.”

Mike glared over at his best friend and Billy rolled his eyes. “Get in the van, shitbirds. You can argue on the way there. I have better things to do than drive you and baldy around the woods.” 

Max gave her brother an unimpressed look. “Better things to do? Like what? Go home and lift weights in the mirror?” Billy shot her a look while Teddi tried her hardest not to laugh. Someone had to act like they were on Billy’s side. 

Billy jabbed an angry finger at Teddi’s van. “Get in the van.” he repeated. Max rolled her eyes dramatically and the kids followed dutifully. Teddi was helping each of them hop into the back when Steve came jogging over. Teddi stifled a groan.

“Wheeler, have you seen your sister anywhere?” Steve asked Mike, turning to scan the parking lot once more as if Nancy he’d suddenly be able to spot her. 

Mike made a face. “How the hell should I know? Do I look like her babysitter?”

Steve frowned. He looked slowly at Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Max before turning slowly to Teddi and Billy. To say he looked confused was an understatement. “...Why are you guys hanging out with a bunch of ten year olds?” he asked. 

“We’re twelve, asshole.” Mike spat. Steve recoiled a bit from him, muttering out a “jesus” before looking at Teddi with wide eyes. Billy let out an annoyed grunt and picked Mike up, tossing him into the back of the van before harshly slamming the doors shut. He stood in front of them as if he were trying to keep the kids in and Steve out. 

“We’re babysitting,” he said cooly. “Carol and Tommy are looking for you. Something about Byers being a pervert in your bushes.” Steve only looked at Teddi as if he were asking if Billy was telling the truth. She smiled thinly at him and nodded.

“Right…” Steve said, looking between his two friends suspiciously. “Okay...I’ll go find them then. I’ll see you guys later…”

“Bye, Steve!” Teddi called quickly, rushing around to the driver’s seat and hoping in. Billy climbed in with an irritated grunt and crossed his arms. Teddi turned and fixed a stern look on Mike. “You gotta stop cursing, Wheeler. You’re twelve.”

Mike only pointed an accusing finger in Billy’s direction. “He curses all the time!”

“I’m a fucking adult, I can do what I want.” Billy said firmly. 

“You’re seventeen,” Teddi and Max reminded him. Billy only scoffed, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out his cigarettes. Teddi yanked the pack out of his hands and threw them up onto the dashboard. “No smoking around the preteens.”

Billy glared back at Mike, his expression falling when he finally took him in. “Hey, what happened to your chin?” he asked, nodding at the large cut. Teddi whirled around in her seat with wide eyes.

Mike covered his chin quickly and shook his head. “What? Nothing.”

“Are those little assholes still giving you guys shit?” Billy asked. The party remained silent, but it answered his question. Troy Walsh and James Dante had been terrorizing Mike and his friends ever since they started middle school. Both Billy and Teddi had offered to scare the little shits off for them on a few occasions, but the kids were too proud to take up the offer. “You guys need to start sticking up for yourselves. If you stick up to a bully, they’ll know you’re not scared of them and they’ll leave you alone.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Lucas asked. “Hold him down and kick him in the nuts?”

Billy only shrugged. Four pairs of eyes were now trained on Teddi as if asking for permission. She let out a heavy sigh. “...I’m not really one for violence, but Troy could probably use a good kick to the balls,” she mumbled. With a small huff she grabbed Billy’s cigarettes, rolled down his window and tossed the pack at him. “You can have one.” 

The pleased grin on Billy’s face remained there for the entire drive to the Wheeler’s, then when they picked up El, and didn’t go away until Teddi parked at the edge of Mirkwood. “The first sign of any weird or dangerous anything, we’re out of here. You hear me? And I don’t want any of you out of my sight.” Billy said sternly. 

Dustin saluted him. “Yes sir.”

“Don’t call me that.” 

“...Sorry.”

The kids piled out of the van, Billy and Teddi close behind. “Alright, go...sniff Will out or whatever it is you do,” Billy said, waving a hand at El. Mike and Teddi shot him dirty looks. Eleven didn’t really seem to understand the joke. She only turned and walked off alongside Mike. Billy looked over at Teddi and blinked. “What’d I say?”

“She’s not a dog, Billy. She’s a little girl.” Teddi scolded.

“...You know, Max told me she can move things with her mind,” he said with an amused grin. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” 

Teddi only frowned, looking ahead of them to where El was. “...What do you think happened to her? Like, say she can move things with her mind. Or somehow magically track down Will. Where do you think she came from?”

“A school for kids with superpowers?” Billy offered with a laugh. 

“You’re so funny. Of course she’s part of the X-men. Why didn’t I think of that?” wherever it was that Eleven had come from, Teddi had a feeling it was a little more sinister than Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. “...What do you think is gonna happen once all of this is over? I mean, she can’t live in Mike’s basement forever.” 

“But I’m guessing she can live in your basement with you?” He asked.

“What? No. I wasn’t thinki-”

“Of course you were. It’s just who you are, Ted. But she won’t be anymore safe with you. Not with your parents around,” Teddi looked down at her boots and frowned. He was right. She knew he was right. “Look,” he sighed. “When all of this is over...if we do actually manage to find Will, we can figure out what to do with the kid, okay? We can tell Hopper about her. He’ll know what to do,”

He looked over at her, smirking and throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Teddi Bear. Turn that frown upside down,” he teased. Teddi shot him an unamused look and gave him a playful shove. Billy let out a laugh and fell back into step next to her. There was a short, comfortable silence before he spoke up again. “...Seriously though, what do you think Byers was taking pictures of? Think he was perving on Nancy?” he asked, wriggling his eyebrows. “Then again, the guy probably doesn’t have it in him.”

“I doubt he was perving. He’s not you,” Teddi teased. “...I don’t know what he could’ve been taking pictures of. Or why he was even out there,” even if he had been out looking for Will, what could he have possibly seen in Steve’s backyard? Maybe Billy was right. It was hard for her to imagine, but maybe Johnathan was just peeping at Nancy. It was obvious he had a thing for her. “...Maybe he was taking pictures of you.” Teddi suggested, barely able to keep her laughter in.

Billy shot her a glare and shoved her back playfully. “Real fuckin’ funny, Larsson.” he muttered, cracking a smile at the sound of her laughter. The spent the next few hours like that, joking around with each other and the kids. Anything to try and lighten the mood. Eventually it started to get dark, and Billy tried to persuade the group to turn back. 

“No! El says we’re close. We can’t go back now!” Mike said.

“Wheeler, your parents are gonna start freaking out if we don’t get you home soon,” Billy argued. “We’ll just have to start up again tomorrow, okay?”

“We’re not turning around!” Mike spat. Eleven took Mike by the wrist and pulled him along behind her as she broke into a jog. Teddi, Billy, Max, Lucas and Dustin were all quick to follow. There was a clearing up ahead that Eleven was headed towards. It was the Byers’ house.

“Here.” she said, coming to a stop. The group all looked at each other. 

“Yeah, this is where Will lives…” Mike said unsurely. 

“Hiding.” Eleven clarified.

“No...no, this is where he lives,” Mike argued. “He’s missing from here, understand?”

Billy only looked over at Teddi with a raised eyebrow. “...How the hell did she know where Will lives?” he asked. Teddi shook her head. Maybe there really was something special about Eleven. She was much more willing to believe that she could move things with her mind. 

Lucas let out an annoyed sigh from beside Billy. “What are we doing here?” he asked.

“She said that Will is hiding here,” Max said in an annoyed tone. “El, how’s that possible? I mean they definitely would’ve found him by now if he’s hiding at his house.” 

“She’s probably making it up!” Lucas argued with her. “That doesn’t make sense! She had us out here walking around all day for nothing! I told you guys she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about! I’m with Billy and Teddi. We need to call the cops and tell them everything that’s happened.” 

Teddi had moved around the boys and had an arm around Eleven. The girl was looking on helplessly as the boys argued. “Hiding.” she repeated, looking up at Teddi. 

“We’re gonna find him, okay? You just gotta wait for the boys to stop...being boys.” 

Mike and Lucas had broken into an argument and Dustin was trying his best to intervene and calm his friends down. The three boys voices had risen, and it was nearly impossible to make out anything they were yelling at each other. “Hey!” Billy snapped. “Will you guys shut the hell up for a minute?” the three boys glared up at him. He only pointed out at the road. The sound of police sirens was getting closer and closer before a police cruiser and a fire truck went whizzing past them. “Not to state the obvious, but I don’t think that’s a good sign,” Mike was off and running. Lucas and Dustin were close behind. “Goddammit, I said no one leaves my sight!” Billy boomed, following after them down the road. 

Teddi looked down at Eleven and Max and let out a sigh. “See? Boys.” the three girls followed after the group as fast as they could. They would never be able to keep up with the police cars or fire truck, but Teddi knew where the street would end. The quarry. Her heart was beating so fast she was worried that it might explode. 

Hopper was there. He was standing at the edge of the water. While Teddi was relieved to see the chief, she knew that that couldn’t be a good sign. Billy pulled the boys behind the fire truck as to not be seen by and of the adults. There were two men in the water, pulling something out along with them. A body. 

“That’s not Will. It can’t be.” Mike said quietly. 

It was. There was no doubt that it was Will Byers being pulled out of the quarry. He was so small. Teddi couldn’t get over how small he looked. Was this really it? This was how Will Byers died? It wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve any of this. Teddi wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But she couldn’t. Not in front of the kids. 

“Mike…” Eleven said softly, reaching to touch his shoulder.

Mike whirled around and smacked her hand away. He glared at her. “Mike? Mike what? You were supposed to help us find him alive! You said he was alive! Why did you lie to us? What’s wrong with you? What is wrong with you?”

Teddi stepped out in front of El. “Mike, stop it. This isn’t her fault, okay? This isn’t anyone’s fault.” 

“Yeah, kid. Back off, huh?” Billy said lowly, warily eyeing Eleven. The poor girl looked scared to death. Mike scowled up at the both of them before turning and running off back up the road. “Mike! Come back here!” he yelled. It was no use. 

Teddi wrapped her arm around Eleven again, pulling the girl close to her. “Just let him go...I think maybe we should all get out of here. I think it’s time to get you guys home.” her voice was coming out thick. She was doing everything she could not to cry. Dustin and Lucas couldn’t seem to pull their eyes away from the quarry. Max was crying. She threw her arms around Billy, who somewhat awkwardly did his best to comfort her. 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Yeah, we should go before the cops see that we’re here.” he said quietly. Eventually they got the four kids to head back to the van. It was a quiet ride home to say the least. Teddi felt like she couldn’t get her bottom lip to stop trembling. The image of Will’s body being pulled out of the water played over and over in her mind. 

Maybe Billy was right. Maybe Hawkins was just a shitty place where shitty things were always happening. She just wished that Will hadn’t fallen victim to it.