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dilemmaontwolegs · 2 years ago

Note

hiiii, I'm new here. saw that your reqs r closed but I'd like to share one scenario idea. the choice is yours whether to write it or not.

Daniel (or Carlos) is your bff. You see each other rarely because of his career. It's summer break, he's back home and you've just had your heartbroken by an asshole. You convince you friend group that you need to go out & celebrate Daniel's (or Carlos') comeback in the hope of getting laid. As the night goes on the driver is more n more frustrated with the guys you choose. He get a lil too much to drink n becomes possessive of you, starts touching you intimately and doesn't care about people surrounding. The night ends in a bedroom where he fucks you slow and sensually like he thinks you deserve and none of those jackasses in the club could

hope you've a nice vacation

Peace out ✌🏾

This is for Carlos since Daniel hasn't gotten rid of that moustache yet

Red Flags || CS55

Warnings: 18+ only, NSFW, smut, oral, friends to lovers WC: 2.4k

It hurt a little that the first notification you received that Carlos was back home came from a gossip page you followed. Maybe it shouldn’t come as such a surprise when a distance had grown after you started dating Marco, you weren’t sure if Carlos even knew what had happened since the last time you spoke to him. Your families were close, but even your parents were reluctant to speak to anyone about the breach of privacy your ex had caused, the photos he had tried to leak. It had cost a huge sum to keep them from being published and you had been trying to get over the betrayal since.

Recent coping methods included the company of your friends and the string of nightclubs that lined the beachfront.

“I picked up a stray,” Liana called out as she walked into your house without knocking. You could always count on your friend to be up for a party and she had accepted the invite before anyone else. You stuck your head out of the living room where you had been pouring yourself a stiff drink and found her arm curled around the back of Carlos. “A handsome one too.”

You couldn’t believe it had been nearly six months since you last saw him and it looked like he had somehow matured even more. His beard had filled out to cover his entire jaw and his hair was lush and dark.

Excitement filled you and you rushed towards him as he opened his arms with a smile. “Carlito!”

“Bomboncita,” he replied with a laugh, his strong arms tightening around you as he picked you up and twirled in a circle. “Missed you too.”

“Come out with us, let’s celebrate your win!” You didn’t wait for an answer as you rushed back to get your clutch with your ID and cash.

“She just wants to get laid,” Liana whispered to Carlos. “You can help me keep her away from any red flags.”

There was one thing you could always count on and that was Liana to be the mother of the group. More mature than the rest of your friends put together, she always made sure you got home safe. Everyone else lived in the city but the mansion your parents had given you was out on the coast, thankfully she was more than happy to sober drive for you. Unfortunately, the only cars on the driveway were two seater sports cars.

That was how you ended up starting your night sitting on Carlos’ lap.

“This reminds me of old times, bombón,” he murmured as you looped an arm around his neck and held on tight.

“I don’t know how you passed basic maths,” you shot back with a laugh before looking at Liana. “He would always invite more people than we have seats for during the summer break.”

Liana shook her head with a smirk. “Maybe he just liked having you on his lap.”

“What guy wouldn’t,” you joked, well accustomed to the years of teasing over your close friendship with Carlos. But for all the times you sat in this very position, he had never seen you as more than a friend.

“Should we stop her?” Carlos asked, a quiet growl in his words as he watched you dance with another man. Your hips were too enticing, too sexy, and he had to look away to down his drink and quench the sudden thirst he had.

Liana didn’t seem fazed by your ability to hook a man in with a seductive smile and dance with them until Carlos interrupted or they said something that made you push them away.

“No way, she deserves to have some fun after what happened with Marco.”

He placed the empty glass on the bartop and turned his attention to Liana, a frown etched into his forehead. “What happened with Marco?”

“Oh, she should probably be the one to tell you. I thought you knew.”

A woman in a very low cut dress slipped between Liana and Carlos, interrupting their conversation as she placed a hand on his arm. “You’re that driver, right? Want to dance?”

Carlos shook his head with a polite ‘no thanks’ and brushed her hand off his, rubbing the spot on his sleeve to erase the feel of her touch. “What did he do, Lee?”

The tone left no arguing and Liana chewed her lip nervously before giving in and leaning closer so no one overheard.

Rage burned through Carlos in a way he had never felt before. He had felt anger, sure, frustration too, but this was white hot and liquid molten in his veins, deep in his core. He was lucky that Marco wasn’t in the same city or he would surely be finding himself on the wrong side of the law at that moment.

Carlos didn’t even realise he had crossed the room until his fist bunched into the shirt of the man holding you close and he pushed the stranger away, ignoring the protests he made.

“Carlito!” you giggled as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “Dance with me.”

Some of the fire eased as your fingers twirled the strands of hair at his nape and his hands came to rest naturally on your hips as he pulled you closer. “We have a lot of catching up to do, bomboncita.”

You looked up as the odd tone cut through your buzz and immediately knew what he knew. His own eyes were a little unfocused and you could smell the whiskey on his breath, not helping him to control his emotions. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The air hissed between your teeth as you sucked in a breath and dipped your chin down so you didn’t have to look him in the eyes. “You would have said I told you so.”

His hand slipped away from your body and you missed the heat of it instantly but then it was cradling your throat, his thumb pushing your chin back up and forcing you to connect with his dark irises. “I told you he wasn’t good for you, he wouldn’t treat you how you deserve.”

“Carlito...” It was a familiar argument every time you had a boyfriend. He would always find reasons to dislike them.

“Listen, please, bombón,” he said as he took a step closer so every inch of his body was flush against yours. His lips brushed your cheek as he turned your head away and whispered the secret he had kept all these years. “Let me show you how you should be treated.”

Surprise filled you and you licked your dry lips at the thought of what he was implying. “Here?” you asked breathlessly and his laugh warmed your cheek.

“No, bombón,” he all but purred as he teased the column of your neck with his nose and his hands danced over the curve of your ass. “What I want to do to you…no, not here.”

His eyes narrowed at someone behind you and you turned to see it was someone you had been dancing with earlier. You couldn’t remember his name, or maybe he hadn’t even told you it, either way you had no interest in taking the drink he offered.

“Red flag, mate,” Carlos growled as he pulled you under his arm and put himself between you and the stranger. “Walk away.”

The man wisely walked away and you laughed as you stepped back into Carlos’ arms. He had held you a thousand times over your long friendship but the way he held you now, possessive and jealous, it changed everything. There was no going back to how it used to be.

“I kind of like this new you,” you teased as you danced with him, turning in his arms and rocking your hips in time to the beat. “So commanding, Carlito, why don’t you try it on me?”

His lips cocked up in a smirk that you saw as you peeked over your shoulder and dragged his hands down your body. “Because you’ve never listen to anything I say.”

Turning to face him, you looped your arms around his neck and brushed your lips softly over his before you could change your mind. “Maybe you just never said what I wanted to hear.”

Carlos swallowed as he saw your pupils dilate with lust and the thin material of your dress did little to hide the fact you wore no bra beneath it, your peaked nipples begging him to take them in his mouth. “We need to leave,” he groaned as he squeezed your ass and bit his lip, “before I get us both into a lot of trouble.”

You barely remembered to thank Liana for dropping you off at home. You barely remembered the drive when every ounce of your brain capacity was spent trying to behave yourself while you sat on Carlos’ lap. You tried to keep still on the corners but you felt his hard length beneath you with each turn and squirm.

It seemed to take forever for Liana to finally pull into your driveway and your foot tapped the tile floor impatiently while she drove off and you slapped the button on the wall to close the gates. You didn’t wait to see them close as Carlos’ lips were on yours and his feet led the way blindly through your home.

Your bed was a mess. You hadn’t planned on bringing a stranger back to your place, but Carlos was no stranger, in fact, he knew you better than anyone ever could or would. He smiled knowingly as he laid you down on the sheets, kneeling between your legs as they parted for him.

His shirt had been abandoned somewhere on the stairs, your dress along the hallway, his trousers at the foot of your bed. You had seen him in this state of undress before, when you would sneak out as teenagers and go for midnight swims in the bay, but the moonlight had left the memory faded. In the light of your room, his skin glowed and shadows highlighted the dips of his defined muscles that lined his body. It was like seeing him in colour for the very first time.

“Are you okay, bombón?” he asked as his fingers danced down your legs lightly, tickling your skin and leaving goosebumps behind until he reached your heels. His thick fingers shouldn’t have been able to remove the delicate clasps so gracefully but he eased each shoe off before massaging the aching soles of your feet. “You look like you are thinking too hard.”

“I am thinking you are going way too slow,” you teased. His thumb hit the right spot in your arch and a moan parted your lips while he chuckled at your reaction.

“I told you, princesa, I’m going to show you how you deserve to be treated.” Tantilisingly slowly, he massaged his way up your legs, devoting his time to your relaxation until you were putty in his hands. Your legs were trembling in anticipation when his thumbs finally reached the laced edge of your panties and he let out an unsteady breath at the damp patch darkening the material. You lifted your hips for him as he hooked his fingers into the waistband and dragged them down your legs. “I want to taste you, princesa.”

“Please, Carlos,” you begged as he licked his full lips enticingly.

You recognised the look in his eyes, the one that told you to be patient and the groan that had been building morphed into a gasp when he grabbed your hips and pulled you onto his thigh. The pressure was teasing and you rocked your hips wanting more as he blanketed you with his body and sealed his lips around your breast.

“Fuck,” you moaned as his tongue flicked over your nipple, sending bolts of lightning to your core as you tightened your legs around his thigh and combed your fingers into his hair. “Oh god, do that again.”

He was more than happy to follow your command and you felt like your body would ignite beneath him. He sensed the change in your body as your breathing laboured and a sweat broke out across your skin. “Not yet,” he warned as he kissed his way up your neck and captured your lips in a blistering kiss. “I want to taste you when you come, princesa.”

Your eyes fluttered shut as you shamelessly rode his thigh, the pressure building. “Then you better hurry up.”

A whimper escaped with the disappearance of his leg but when you opened your eyes you were struck by his dark ones, watching you watch him make his way down your body. You sucked in a sharp breath as you felt him blow a cold breeze over your skin and you shivered as he warmed it again with his tongue.

“I’m starting to think you get off on teasing me,” you whispered with a strained voice.

“I simply get off on you,” he replied just as quietly.

The questions you had were erased with the leisurely stroke of his tongue, tasting you for the first time. He hummed at the reward he had earned with his teasing and his fingers gripped your thighs tighter as he held you spread open for him to devour.

The room filled with the sweet sounds that clawed from your throat as your head swum and your legs quivered. The salacious song grew louder when Carlos curled one finger into your cunt, then two. He pumped his digits as his tongue circled your clit and together they threw you over the edge and you came with undulating waves that rocked your body against his lips.

“Carlito…” you panted as he lapped at your dripping folds, indulging in the decadence he had been craving for years.

“I love you,” he admitted as he rose above you.

You reached for his face, your thumb tracing the shape of his swollen lips that were still shiny with your arousal. “I love you too.”

“No more red flags,” he said as he lined himself with your entrance. “You’re mine, princesa.”

“I’m yours,” you echoed as you pulled his face to yours and sealed the promise with a kiss.

“You always have been.”

#carlos sainz imagine #carlos sainz fanfic #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz x you #formula 1 fanfic #formula one fanfiction #formula 1 x you #formula one x reader #formula 1 x reader #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 smut #f1 x reader #carlos sainz smut

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gothic-aesthetic-gal · 1 month ago

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Old Scars (Part 24)

Ledger!joker x reader

Fem!reader is kidnapped by the joker and his henchmen while just trying to get a moment's reprieve from her boring, soul-destroying job ✨️

Tw: I mean, we all saw TDK, right? I'd say this is on the same level/rating. Kidnapping, violence more generally, some NSFW moments. In this chapter specifically, descriptions of violence, mentions of modern slavery/ST. Part of the plotline involves main character taking on a gang running a trafficking ring and trying to take them down, so anything associated with that. Probably not suitable for minors 🔞 MDNI

Part 24 -

"Who?! Who is this crazy bitch?" Yelled Alexe in frustration, clawing at his tie, trying to loosen it.

I could see the sweat starting to bead up on his forehead as the toxin was begining to take effect.

"Yeah, i'm not crazy." I replied bitterly.

"You're a fucking psycho, you belong in the looney bin," Brady argued in disbelief.

"Have you heard the news yet?" I asked casually, deciding to ignore his further insults.

"What news?" Snapped Alexe, wiping the growing sweat from his brow.

"The news that your little operation on Fiskin Avenue has burned to the ground. All the information on your hard drives is in the possession of the GCPD and the District Attorney's Office, oh, and that all of your men have all been arrested," I grinned.

I watched them intently as they cycled through all the stages of grief. Firstly, denial and anger, then eventually miserable acceptance.

"The Joker did this," Brady concluded finally, stunned.

"No," I snapped, my anger flaring up at his assumption, "No. I did this. Alone. Think about it for just a second and maybe you'll realise why."

"What the fuck is going on? Don't you know who you're dealing with?" Alexe blabbed in red-faced shock, his clenched fist slamming down onto the table.

"You stupid, self-righteous cunt. You have no idea what you've started. There will be consequences. And not just for you..." Brady laughed.

The way he was looking at me was enough to make my trigger finger twitch.

Meanwhile, Alexe rose up to full height in an attempt to intimidate me as he picked up where his associate left off. He was not used to being refused, in any capacity, by anyone and the unbridled rage taking over him showed it plainly. He was so incensed that spit was flying from his mouth.

"... Your family, your friends, hell, even your fucking dog if you have one. You've put a target on the backs of everyone you ever cared about, and when they are all dead, then we will come after you."

I patiently waited for him to finish, still holding him at gunpoint and unable to stop the grin from lighting up my face.

"Do you really think I would be here if I had any of that?"

He clearly did not know what to make of my response.

"Who are you? What, you - you work for one of our rivals? Is that it?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Then what - you wanted to extort us for money?"

"Wrong again. I don't care about money," I laughed as his face was beginning to show signs of growing fear and he sank back into his seat, clasping a hand to the side of his head.

Suddenly a new idea bloomed in my mind.

"Actually, on second thoughts, give me all your cash and I'll leave without killing both of you."

I had never intended to kill either of them in the first place, as tempting as it was. I didn't want that on my conscience or to attract the attention of the GCPD for a double homicide.

My demands for money seemed to make more sense to them than anything I had said before and they both reluctantly threw down 2 stacks of dog-eared bills which I quickly grabbed and stuffed into my purse. I tossed my calling cards onto the table as I backed away. By now the gang leader was beginning to look very disorientated and afraid, he trembled as he stared at me, wide-eyed. I recalled how it had started with my limbs feeling weak and my vision flickering. He was on the same path now... his eyes seemed fixed on my mask as he began to shake uncontrollably and point.

Before I could do anything else to silence him, Alexe began to scream for his men to help him. In the same moment, Brady jumped up from the table, trying to bolt. Crap. Things from here were less clear. All I knew was that I needed to get out of the club as quickly as possible. My life now depended on it.

I crashed into Brady as we both launched ourselves towards the booth's exit, sending our bodies tumbling through the heavy velvet curtains and onto the floor. The fabric was wrenched from it's fixings by the sudden impact and so we both found ourselves tangled in it as we scrambled to get back up. For the briefest moment our eyes met as I stared into the face of the man who had so recently tried to do the unspeakable to me. I managed to re-establish myself much quicker than him as he struggled with his injuries.

Back on my feet, I made ready to sprint back onto the club floor, but was suddenly met with the obstacle of the two enormous security men. Seeing that they were both reaching for their guns, only slowed down a little by the sedatives they had unknowingly taken, I made a split second decision to shoot first. My first shot missed completely, passing between them, but then I hit the first one in the shoulder, and the second in the leg, still determined to use non-lethal force if I could. They stumbled and ducked for cover, upturning two of the nearby tables. I needed to cause a distraction to make it past them without my back being an open target as I ran...

I looked up suddenly, thinking of the fire sprinklers. Sure enough I could see the line of heads dotted along the ceiling, and more importantly the pipe feeding them. I prayed that my aim would stay sharp as I fired a couple more rounds upwards. Sure enough, the pipe ruptured in two places, sending a cascading spray of pressurised water down over the two men. I hurriedly slipped my dislogded mask back down over my face and ducked away from Brady, who made a grab for me now he was finally back up. He caught me by the sleeve of my blouse, tearing the fabric as I struggled away.

"Aw fuck! I liked this outfit!" I muttered as I smacked him across the face with the gun in my hand.

I thought I might've felt a crunch as it impacted his nose, but I didn't have time to dwell on that, instead sprinting through the streams of cold water and past the two downed men for the entrance to the VIP section.

As I darted towards the horrified man who had let me in, I was amazed to see that no one on the club floor seemed to have heard anything, not even the gunshots. Everyone was continuing as though nothing was wrong, still dancing and boozing away unaware. A quick glance behind me let me know that all three men were now stumbling after me in pursuit.

"Stop her! She fucking shot us!" One of them bellowed.

My eyes darted to the man beside me at the gate, and his gaze quickly met mine.

"Get out of my way!" I yelled in panic, pulling the gun on him and gesturing him to back up.

He stood transfixed, glued to the spot like a rabbit in a pair of car headlights, so instead I skirted around him and out towards the bar with another desperate plan. As soon as I reached the panel on the back wall, I smashed the glass and pulled the little chain so hard it broke off in my hand. The fire alarms instantly triggered, blaring over the music which was still thudding away. Everyone looked around in confusion. Some began to run for the exits, others stayed stuck in their drunken stupor. I weaved quickly in and out of the jostling sea of bodies, still being pursued by the three men, towards the back way in and out of the nightclub.

Suddenly, presumably because of the alarm and maybe the damage i'd caused to one line in the system, all the sprinklers activated and it began to pour with rain indoors. This only worsened the club patrons' panic and now they were all operating on every man-for-himself rules, pushing and shoving like a herd of stampeding livestock.

The torrent of cold water quickly soaked me through to the bone as I navigated through people crashing into one another and screaming as they poured towards the exit at the front of the club. I was so close to the double doors that marked the secret exit, If I could just make it outside I had a real chance of getting away safely...

Another of the club bouncers caught me totally off guard as he slammed into me from the left sending me skidding onto my hands and knees. I cursed as the impact jolted my wrist and the gun slipped from my grasp. My teeth also clacked together as I was unable to totally stop my face from bouncing off the deck, stunning me enough to see stars for a moment. The strobing lights and lazers of the dancefloor only added to my dazed and disoriented view as my vision slowly began to pull back into sharper focus.

Then, as I frantically started to crawl forwards trying to regain my weapon, my assailant grabbed hold of me by the scruff of the neck. Before I could even try to get free I was wrenched clear of the ground in one swift movement. The grip he had was choking me as the fabric of my shirt pulled taught against my jugular. I gasped for air as the cold water continued to rain down everywhere around us. The screams, the alarms sounding, and the still beating music combined into one oppressive wall of sound as I struggled. He switched from holding me at the back of the neck to lifting me up by his free hand clamped around the front, threatening to crush my windpipe. My hands both shot up to pull down on his, desperately trying to keep my airways open.

I could taste the blood where my teeth had struck my lip, and was by now literally dripping with the water. My legs were swinging above the floor as I kicked them out as much as I could. Wriggling frantically, I prayed that I would be too slippery to hold on to, and I was right. The moment I got free I made a panic-driven grab for the first thing I could.

It was a bar stool. I put so much momentum into the swing and there was so little traction on the floor in the pooling water, that I went crashing down after it - but not before it hit him. It connected full force with his unguarded ribs, sending him into the concrete pillar beside us.

As I yet again picked myself up from the floor and this time successfully retrieved my handgun, my three pursuers were almost on me. I spun around just in time to see the fastest of the bunch charging towards me like a raging bull. I somehow managed to fling myself out of his path at the last second, sending him skidding full-force into the row of chairs behind us as he failed to apply the brakes. Seeing the window for escape rapidly closing on me, I kicked open the door into the back hallway and blundered through into the dimly lit space.

I knew there were mere seconds between me and disaster as I ran forwards, towards the sounds of the still-bustling kitchen of the Golden Dragon ahead of me. I could hear the shouts of Brady and the other men behind me and the confused murmerings of the restaurant staff as I made no attempts to hide myself this time as I tore by. I practically kicked the final door from it's hinges as I sprinted into the alley. A gunshot passed just overhead as I dove for cover behind the row of dumpsters. I wasted no time in returning fire randomly to try and keep them at a distance. I had to get to my backpack, and then get the hell out of dodge.

I fired two more shots towards the men's hiding spot and made a break for it, moving faster than I ever had to before. My legs muscles ached and screamed in protest as I grabbed up the backpack without even slowing, barrelling out into the open street where I was met with the huge crowd pouring out of the front of the nightclub.

Running right into an open space I hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do as I saw the men were almost caught up to me.

"Don't let her get away!"

"Stop her!" They yelled.

People were staring at me now.

"Shit," I muttered, wracking my brain.

I needed another distraction. And fast.

In desperation I reached into my purse, grabbed the huge stack of loose bills I stole from Alexe and sent them hurtling up into the air. As the green paper fluttered down over peoples' heads the crowd suddenly became like shark infested waters: almost everyone was scrabbling around desperately grabbing as much money as they could, rushing into the gap between me and the men on my tail. It worked like a charm and I sprinted away from the scene of my crime on shaking legs, battered and bruised, but incredibly lucky to be otherwise unharmed.

♤ ♤ ♤ ♤ ♤ ♤ ♤ ♤

The further I got into the city, the more the overwhelming rush of adrenaline began to take over me. I had stuffed the mask, my gun, and my purse back into the rucksack and pulled the hoodie back on over my torn shirt. My body was already acheing with developing brusies from the fight and the demand on my legs for the cardio of running, which I was not at all used to. The realisation of what I had just pulled off was too much for my brain to really take in and I boarded the metro in a daze, slipping unseen through the crowds of people heading downtown. As much as I wanted to, I knew better than to immediately head for my hotel. It would be better to ride the metro randomly for some time, in case I was being followed. Sure, i'd have to go back there eventually, but for now changing trains and directions randomly would help me to stay safe.

My clothes were so damp that they were still uncomfortably plastered to my skin and I was sure I looked a sight with my running makeup and wet hair. Still, it was the kind of thing people didn't question in Gotham. They would much rather turn a blind eye, hoping that if they stayed in their own little worlds they were less likely to get sucked into the ever-present undercurrent of crime. I had been just like that. It hadn't worked out for me... Not since I'd decided to walk into a clothing store for rich socialites where I didn't belong. Why couldn't I have just walked on by?

As the city lights and the hours rolled by, I was beginning to feel a sense of relief. As I sat on the final train which would actually take me back towards the hotel, in a mostly empty train car, I stole a peek inside my backpack. I'd just remembered the money I had made it rain in my desperate escape was only half of what I'd liberated. I had thrown Alexe's stack, but Brady's still sat there - secured with a rubber band.

Glancing around to see if anyone was watching, and keeping my hands inside the bag, I started to count it. To my shock they were all hundreds. I had no idea I had taken almost $5000 dollars... and whatever amount the rest totalled had bought me my escape - a priceless trade-off. It also explained why people had become as frenzied as they did over the money, once they realised it was raining big bills. Suddenly, I was afraid for a moment, as I realised people had been killed over so much less, by far less hardened criminals.

I stuffed the money deeper into the bag, hiding it under the other things in there, and zipped it up tight. Thankfully the chances of any push back were slim to none given how low down the mob pecking order they were, and I guessed that my fear toxin attack on Alexe was also a good reason not to seek me out. No, instead some other hopefuls would just fill the small-time power vacuum I had created. Nothing long-term would change, I knew that, but at least those specific men's lives were never going to be the same: that was enough for me. I was done and wanted nothing more than to get out of this hellhole of a city.

I was careful to look behind me as I exited the train and descended the platform steps back onto the street level. Thankfully, no one was following. I felt my shoulders slowly drop as I finally began to relax. I had done it. I had really done it! Despite the growing pain I was experiencing, a smile worked its way onto my face as I climbed the steps to the old hotel, glad to be out of the rain.

I was surprised that for the first time since I'd arrived, the desk was unmanned: neither the aged man who liked to watch tv with his legs propped up on the desk, nor the younger one who sat smoking and filling out his crosswords were anywhere to be seen. I entered the murky stairwell, my limbs heavy and my body bruised from the trials of the past few days. It felt like there were twice as many steps. My legs protested each one. I paused as I reached my floor, pushed my still damp hair out of my face, wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand and resettled my bag on my shoulder as it started to slip.

I shoved through the difficult door to the hall, which by now I had figured out the knack to. It had clearly dropped on its hinges, requiring brute force to open it. I caught sight of myself in the dirty glass window set into the door. The makeup was extremely smudged. Mingling with the rain and sweat on my face it looked quite scary and was beginning to sting in my eyes.

I could hear muffled music in the hall, which was different to the usual songs I was treated to through the thin walls. It seemed to get louder as I approached my door, as though it was coming from a room close to my own. I had been fairly lucky that neither of the rooms beside my own had seemed to be occupied during my stay, until now. I was more than desperate to get inside and pack up. All I had left to do was disposing any evidence - of the handgun too, removing any traces I could of my involvement in anything criminal, and then I could finally catch the bus. I was finally free. I felt a sense of elation at the thought of watching the city disappear behind me.

As I turned the key in the lock, I could hear the swell of a piano, like waves on a distant shore and the trill of a woman's voice... Opera. It struck me as strange while the door gave way to the darkness of my room and I stepped inwards. I couldn't make out the words, not that you usually can with opera, but it seemed to me she was singing in a Slavic language. Maybe Russian? I frowned. The music was loud and clear, how thin were the walls between rooms?

I hurriedly tossed down my backpack by the dresser and closed the door behind me, sliding the deadbolt across and locking it with the key. I was so tired. I could barely see by the tiny amount of light seeping through the window. My hand found the lightswitch and clicked it down.

"Someone's been busy," a rough voice intruded, shattering my sense of relief and safety in an instant.

Tag List

If I forgot anyone or you want to be removed from the tag list - please let me know! 💕

@dis0rderly-cl0wn-nerd

@dance-like-a-clown

@furisodespirit

@heath-ledger-jokers-wife

@sunfyrejoker

@lightsabergirl

@clowning--around

@ruby-da-archangel

@harleenqvinn

@helchronicles

@ostricx

@knoepfl

@vampiiriic

@jumpingjellyfishhaha

@nicklet94

@torossosebs

@all-bi-myselfs-blog

@myassisasolarsystem

@secondminkoq

@mikuley

@robin-the-enby

Link below for the other chapters: ⬇️

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spunsugarmusings · 7 months ago

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"Dracula Flow" Sentence Starters

Sentence starters taken from plummcorp records' Dracula Flow series, entries 1-5. TW for profanity, drugs and alcohol, parental neglect, and sexual references. Change pronouns and tenses as necessary, and enjoy!

"This shit ain't nothin' to me, man."

"I had to do it to them, snipe."

"I'm not loyal to anybody, I'm a demon!"

"I have no loyalty for anyone, never did, never will."

"Shorty chose to be with a demon, sounds like her problem to me!"

"I have no sympathy, I live for this shit."

"Yeah, we gettin' that Pirate Bay, alien shishkebab, cordyceps money!"

"I hope them aliens are real, so that I have more things to fuck!"

"I just popped a whole garbanzo bean, fuck you mean?"

"I'm him, I been him, I will continue to be him."

They thought they could stop a demon, I'm back!"

"The zaza got me speakin' Esperanto."

"I don't even know who I am anymore, I'm gettin' too much money."

"Can you remind me who I am?"

"Get the president on the phone now, I fronted him a brick, I need my money."

"I'm moving different."

"They must have amnesia, they forgot that I'm him."

"I'm on them Broward County Tic-Tacs!"

"I don't give a fuck if I go blind, I don't need to see the price tag anyways!"

'"We're smokin' filtered crack, you stupid piece of shit!"

"I'll fuckin' kill you!"

"Call that pussy The Matrix, because I'm in this bitch and I can't get out."

"There are consequences to your crimes against Dracula!"

"I threw diamonds at the strip clubs under the Great Pyramids!"

"Tied the ops to the back of a Trackhawk and dragged 'em around the block for 24-hours."

"Motherfucker looked like a Resident Evil 5 campaign extra after we was done with him!"

"These cops are interrogating me about an ounce of weed, as if I didn't kill an Applebee's hostess two miles away."

"Reach for my neck, you'll get turned into an example!"

"I have seen the Magna Carta, I've seen the Eye of Horus, I was flippin' bricks for Mansa Musa before y'all even became a type-1 civilization!"

"They needed a stealth soldier, so I put my hands on the hibachi hot plate at Benihana and burned my fuckin fingerprints off. They will NOT find me."

"If I had a dollar for every time they said I gave a shit, I'd be broke, 'cause I don't give a shit!"

"I've got more percs than their are stars in the Leo cluster."

"How can I be homophobic? I blew his fucking brains out!"

"This Luger will send a Christian to Hell."

"I have no morals or belief system."

"I have no spirituality or anything that gives my life meaning or structure."

"They ask me to shoot, I do it!"

"I have no character."

"I fuck like it's for survival."

"I'm so violent and sick in the head, I can't tell if I want to kill my ops or fuck 'em!"

"Got a ruptured eardrum from having my ear to the streets for so fucking long."

"On a full moon, I'll fuck anything!"

"I'm a street creature."

"The weed will have you in purgatory, screaming for eternity."

"You will relive every key mistake you've ever made in your life, over and over and over again"

"They told me I wouldn't shake the city, so I shook that shit like a crying toddler."

"I'm a product of the gutter."

"The bugs are back."

"The worms in my head won't shut the hell up."

"They're telling me to go absolutely fucking stupid on 'em."

"I don't even need to brandish the nine!"

"Threw the opp into the particle collider, watched his ass get pulled apart into a million pieces."

"Turned his sorry ass into some data."

"I don't wanna kill them, shut up! I don't wanna kill anybody!"

"I ain't gon' lie, I'm kind of feeling myself right now, gang."

"I come from a low frequency environment, and I've only used cash my entire life."

"The only time I ever held a card was when I borrowed my cousin's Bank of America debit card to slice open a funnel cake at the county fair."

"I got the kid's ears pierced at two years old and she already knows what Red Bull tastes like!"

"I even wore my nice 8 Ball jean jacket to the last court hearing!"

"I've been fully consumed by hatred, jealousy and lust."

"I can't help but get thrown into a violent trance at the slightest hint of criticism or pushback."

"My impulsive nature causes conflict at any given time."

"I wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."

"I got to where I am today through violence."

"I have no backbone, I'm loyal to whoever pays the most."

"My character is so flawed, the only time I ever stood 10 toes on anything, was on the opp's throat."

Cops wanna detain me for aggressively hitting the claw machine."

"I'm trying to explain to him that we are all just atoms so he might as well let me go."

"You can't even imagine what the fuck I've been through."

"Humans will never understand their true abilities."

"Why the fuck did we kill off the Neanderthals? Those idiots could have easily worked construction and doubled our profits."

"The day I go broke will be the day hell freezes over!"

"Get your bitch ass up before I slap the dog shit out of you!"

"I can feel the fungi munching on my brain."

"The only time I feel something is when I look."

"I'm a fucking junkie cannibal, all I wanna do is sip mud and eat my ops."

#rp meme #askbox meme #inbox meme #roleplay meme #rp memes #ask box meme #ask meme #starter sentences #sentence starters #starter prompt #dracula flow #death tw #drugs tw #sex tw #ask to tag #nsft tw

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grapenehifics · 8 months ago

Text

Confession - Obikin Promptober day 17

Someday I will get back to the fics I'm meant to be working on, but not this day! Today, I was inspired to write a coffee shop AU (thank you @evieswips!) for the Obikin Promptober (thank you @paracosm-draw!) prompt, 'confession'. 2k of fluff and aprons below the cut:

"Uh, Obi-Wan? I...think somebody left this for you?"

Anakin wasn't sure why he phrased it as a question. A note labeled, 'to the cute redhead behind the counter' definitely wasn't for Anakin, and he and Obi-Wan were the only two who'd been working the shop that day. (They were the only two working the shop ANY day. Anakin was Obi-Wan's sole employee.) He shouldn't open it - it wasn't addressed to him - but Obi-Wan didn't reach for it, merely looked over his shoulder curiously and mumbled, 'oh, yes?' as he continued to sweep the floor, so Anakin unfolded the slip of paper. "I think she's asking you on a date," he said morosely, his stomach sinking down to somewhere around his sneakers. (Okay, so maybe Anakin DID know why he'd phrased it as a question. Anakin was hopelessly, catastrophically in love with his boss.)

"Again?" Obi-Wan asked mildly, and Anakin was so distracted by this response that he hardly noticed when Obi-Wan took the slip of paper from him and slid it into the pocket of the apron he wore around his waist. (Anakin had a crush on a man who wore an apron. What was his world coming to?)

"Again?" Anakin squeaked, so surprised he dropped the trash can he'd been emptying. His voice went high and unattractive, nearly shrill. "What do you mean, 'again'?"

"She's...asked before. I admire the persistence, if nothing else," Obi-Wan said, ignoring Anakin's mounting panic and opening the cash register. He pointedly was not making eye contact, but Anakin couldn't stop staring. He'd feel bad about neglecting his duties, except for the fact that he'd clocked out hours ago. He'd told Obi-Wan that the shop was a good place for him to study even after his shift, and it was...sort of. The coffee was good - it had better be; Anakin had ducked behind the counter and made it himself; not wanting to bother Obi-Wan, who was busy with paying customers, for a cup - and the atmosphere pleasant, but Anakin would definitely have been able to get more work done if he hadn't spent half his time sneaking glances at Obi-Wan's butt when Obi-Wan wasn't looking or pausing the clacking of his keyboard to listen to Obi-Wan's smooth, melodic voice as he took orders and flirted with the clientele or insisting that he was 'planning on taking a break for a while anyway' every time Obi-Wan stopped by to check on his booth even if he hadn't been anywhere near due to take a break. And then, when Anakin realized it was closing time and he'd (again) not moved for a solid four hours, he'd offered to stay late, helping Obi-Wan clean and close up. It was Anakin's favorite part of the day, despite not getting paid for it. The doors were locked, the lights were dimmed, and it was just him and Obi-Wan, puttering around, straightening chairs and taking inventory.

"And...you've told her no? That's not persistence, Obi-Wan; that's just...not taking no for an answer," Anakin said, getting his hackles up. No meant no, and if this lady couldn't take a hint...

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Oh, no. Nothing like that. I said I'd think about it."

Anakin picked the trash can back up again and frowned. It didn't sound like Obi-Wan to lead somebody on like that. "Don't you like her?"

Obi-Wan gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Difficult to say. We haven't actually been on that date yet." Anakin's frowned just from hearing Obi-Wan use the word 'date'. "I've simply been busy. Well, you know how it is," he quickly added, catching a glimpse of Anakin's expression. "Starting a new business..." He'd paused, mop dangling from his hand. "I poured my entire life savings and my father's inheritance into this place. I want it to work. I need it to work. Perhaps down the line - a few years from now - I can start thinking about dating again, but" -

"Wait, wait," Anakin interrupted. He set the trash can on the counter and put his hands on his hips as he stared the man down. "Obi-Wan. You're telling me that you're not going out with a cute girl because of work?"

Anakin was surprised to find himself so offended. He wasn't sure why he was coming to this woman's aid, when he very manifestly did not want Obi-Wan to date her. But even more than not wanting that, he did want Obi-Wan to be happy. And shutting himself up in his coffee shop was not the way to do that.

"I...you know that we..." Obi-Wan spluttered, gesturing with the mop handle. "You of all people know how hard we work."

(Obi-Wan desperately needed another one, maybe two, employees, in addition to Anakin, but Anakin had refrained from mentioning that fact, because then Obi-Wan might do it, and hire some more people, and then Anakin wouldn't be special anymore.)

"This place is my life," Obi-Wan continued, "and..."

"Bullshit," Anakin blurted out, and Obi-Wan pulled up in surprise. He looked so hurt that Anakin almost felt bad, but he barreled on anyway. "Look, Obi-Wan, you don't want to go out with this chick in particular, I get it. You know what, maybe you don't want to date at all. And that's fine; it's your life. But I don't ever want to hear you say that this place" - Anakin gestured over his shoulder to the rest of the coffee shop - "is all you have. Because it isn't. It's just a job. You have..." Anakin, surprisingly, felt his breath hitch and his throat swell. He hadn't expected to get so emotional over this. He suddenly thought of his mom, who'd worked nearly until the day she'd died, and how much Anakin would give for even one more day with her. "You have people who love you," he finished throatily.

Obi-Wan's face softened and he started to reach out, as if to take Anakin's arm, and then thought better of it and let his hand fall to his side again. "Many of whom I've met because of this shop," he added softly, and Anakin thought about the blonde woman who'd left the note again.

"You have to do something for you, Obi-Wan," Anakin said. He was in no fit place to be giving his boss - or anyone - life advice, but Anakin believed in what he was saying with his whole heart. "You've just gotta take a chance, sometimes, you know? Even if it's scary. Even if it" -

The mop fell to the floor with a clatter. Obi-Wan stepped forward, brought his hands up, closed the distance between them, cupped Anakin's face in his palms, and kissed the stuttered surprise right out of Anakin's mouth.

"Hmm?" Anakin said, or something very close to it, and his fingertips had just barely brushed the thick cotton of Obi-Wan's apron on either side of his hips when Obi-Wan stumbled backward, his mouth open and his eyes wide.

"I...I just kissed my employee," Obi-Wan said, sounding horrified, and he brought his hand up again, this time pressing the back of his wrist to his lips. His wet lips. That Anakin had just had pressed against his. "Anakin, I'm so sorry," Obi-Wan murmured, rushing to get the words out as he wiped his mouth with his hand. "That was a completely inappropriate overstep on my part. I...can we...can we please just forget this ever happened, and" -

"Absolutely not," Anakin growled, and he finished the motion he'd started and hooked his index fingers through the white cotton ties of the apron that held it snug around Obi-Wan's captivatingly trim little waist. He yanked Obi-Wan forward and stepped toward him at the same time, so that their chests and hips met in the middle almost painfully. Anakin had to duck his chin a little to catch Obi-Wan's eye at this angle. Obi-Wan looked back up at him. His mouth was still open, a little, but now instead of panting he seemed to be holding his breath. "Forget what I said before. Fuck all those other people I was talking about. It's me. I love you." Anakin unhooked his fingers just long enough to wrap his hands around Obi-Wan's hips instead. He could feel the warmth of him through his left palm, and the solid weight of him through the right. "Take a chance on me, Obi-Wan. Please." He knew he was begging, knew his lip was wobbling and tears were gathering in his eyes, but he stayed where he was, firm and resolute. If Obi-Wan didn't want him he was going to have to tell Anakin that himself.

"But what if I'm scared," Obi-Wan whispered, and he broke eye contact long enough to look down at the center of Anakin's chest instead, and at the same time brought his own hand up and placed it flat, fingers splayed, over Anakin's beating heart. Anakin half-hoped he could feel how fast Anakin's heart was beating under his ribcage, and half-hoped he couldn't. "This could go so wrong, Anakin; I'm so much older than you are, and I'm your boss, and" -

Anakin, a little reluctantly, took his right hand off of Obi-Wan's hip and wrapped it around his wrist instead, pinning Obi-Wan's hand to where it lay splayed over Anakin's sternum. "So maybe now's a good time to break some bad news to you," Anakin said lowly, and now it was his turn to hold his breath in nervous anticipation.

Obi-Wan's head snapped up. "What?"

Anakin couldn't bear to see him look like that, even in jest. He closed his eyes and gave Obi-Wan a quick, puckered kiss to the tip of his nose before pulling back. He rubbed the back of Obi-Wan's hand with his thumb. "I quit."

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. Anakin was gratified to feel his hand curl just a little possessively around Anakin's t-shirt. He wasn't sure Obi-Wan was even aware he was doing it. "You're quitting? Why?"

Anakin shrugged, feigning nonchalance even though his heart was in his throat. If this didn't work, Anakin was not only out a job but would lose the chance to see the love of his life every morning for a four-hour shift, doubles on weekends. "There's this really cute guy I want to take out on a date, but between my classes and homework and this really demanding job I have, I just don't know when I'd find the time to woo him the way he deserves." He slid his left hand, the one still on Obi-Wan's waist, back and to the side, until it was resting at the small of Obi-Wan's back, just above the knot in his apron ties. "He's worth it, though."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I don't want you to leave," he said, sounding almost as petulant as Anakin did when he was trying to get out of having to take the trash out to the dumpster, and Anakin was struck by the desire to kiss his nose again. "This is your job, Anakin, and I won't have you losing your apartment over this. We'll figure something else out. We'll..."

"Oh." Anakin shook his head. "I didn't say I wasn't going to work. I'm just not going to work here. I know when I answered that ad in your window I didn't know the difference between an Americano and a cortado but you whipped me into shape. Darling." Anakin rubbed Obi-Wan's back to try to distract him from the endearment he'd just let slip out. "I'm taking everything you taught me and I'm going to sell it to the highest bidder. I bet I'll have a new job by the time I come to pick you up on Friday for our date."

Obi-Wan gave him a shy, rueful smile, and Anakin was delighted to see the tips of his ears blush a very cute shade of pink. "I admire the persistence," he admitted.

That wasn't a yes. "Is that a yes?" Anakin asked, almost demanding.

Obi-Wan was still blushing, but he grinned mischievously at him and shifted - Anakin sprang back to release his wrist as quickly as if he'd been burnt - to wrap his arms around Anakin's neck. "We close at eight on Fridays."

"I know," Anakin said, appreciating the new angle and allowing himself the luxury of wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan’s waist and holding him close. "I used to work here, until about ten seconds ago, remember?"

"...but for a special occasion I might just manage to lock up before seven," Obi-Wan said, and once again Anakin only managed to let out half of a surprised, happy gasp before Obi-Wan kissed him again.

#obikin #obikin promptober #obikin promptober 2024

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ashwhowrites · 2 years ago

Note

Eddie going to a Halloween party for dealing, and then seeing a girl that's dressed like an angel (he's dressed like a demon) and then the girl (Reader) approaching to him, and she buys some weed from him and starts to tell him that they look like they're using couple costumes, and after, when a lot of people are wasted, Eddie decides it's time to go home, and Reader sees him going out of the party and she follows him, and she tells him that she wants to go out like in a date with him and he accepts, so they go to lovers lake and start talking and they end up kissing and swimming at the lake, after that night they continue seeing each other until Eddie asks reader out, and she says yes

Happy October!

I hope this is what you were looking for and that you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting <3

Halloween was a huge money maker for Eddie. People in disguise, can hide their identity when they buy from him. He almost gets double the amount of people.

He dressed himself as a demon, he felt like it was fitting while he sold the devil's grass to a bunch of snobby rich kids.

Eddie didn't pay much attention to the people he sold to, he didn't care. But his eyes kept finding this one girl, dressed in all white with a halo on her head. Eddie found her costume adorable, and the way it fit perfectly with his. She kept looking at him, moving closer but then ran off. No matter where she hid, he found her.

As he prepared to close up his small shop, she made her way to the table and sat down. She was more beautiful up close. The angel wings truly fit her angelic face.

"Are you still open? I kept trying to get the nerve to walk over." She said, laughing at herself from being so scared.

"I am, angel. What are you looking for?" He asked, he didn't want to embarrass her for being shy, easily moving past the topic.

"Cheapest but still good." She said, handing over the amount of cash she had available. Her eyes looked over his costume.

"Well considering you are dressed as my other half, I'll cut you a deal. For my angel." He flirted, handing over a bag of weed and only taking a five-dollar bill from her stack of cash.

"I guess we kinda match. Like we are in a couples costume" She joked, sliding the bag into her small purse and collecting the rest of her cash.

Eddie laughed with her and finished packing up. Gathering his things and heading out.

"Wait, are you leaving?" She asked, standing up.

"Yeah, I usually head out once people are too wasted to count their money," Eddie said.

"This might sound crazy. But I've been trying to get the nerve to talk to you all night. And I'd hate to only have five minutes with you." She admitted. She cursed herself for taking too long. She got the nerve and he had to leave.

Eddie was taken back from her interest. It wasn't common for sober girls to make a move with him.

"I'm Eddie, and you are?" He asked, throwing out his hand as she shook it.

"Y/N, I've seen you around school and this is very forward. But would you maybe want to leave and do something together?"

Eddie smirked at the nerves in her voice.

"Let's go." She followed behind him, getting into his van and trusting him. Was she dumb for that? She knew that people believed he was trouble and a freak. But she saw him with his friends, and he didn't look like he could hurt a fly.

She listened to his music as he drove up to Lovers Lake, she tried to shake out the nerves. She knew she was safe, all the bad things that were said about Eddie were rumors. If he truly was dangerous, people wouldn't use him for deals.

She took his hand and walked down the hill. He laid down a blanket he had in his van and helped her sit. He dug out a joint, held it between his lips, and lit it. She watched intensely as he inhaled, he passed it over to her. Her fingers glazed his softly as she took the joint. She inhaled it in her lungs, holding it as she passed it back. She exhaled as he took another puff. Her eyes were glued to the way his pink lips wrapped around the small paper.

"Why are you interested in being with the freak on Halloween anyway?" He asked, the smoke leaving his lips as he spoke.

"I don't think you're a freak," she said, her eyes soft as she took another hit. "I'm decent friends with Steve, and he's friends with Dustin. And Dustin only has amazing things to say about you. I've had a small crush on you for a while. Halloween is all about being scared, right? So I decided to scare the shit out of myself and ask you out." She confessed, handing him back the joint.

Eddie soaked in her words with a small smile. He wished he noticed her around school more because he felt like he missed out.

"I'm glad you did," Eddie admitted. He wasn't the type to run off with any girl, especially one at a popular party. But his gut told him to do it.

"Want to do something dumb?" She asked, standing up. Eddie watched as she slipped out of her costume, tossing her halo to the side and taking off her shoes.

"Um?" Eddie tried to say something but his eyes were captivated by her. He was confused about what she wanted to do until she ran straight into the water.

"Come on!" She said from the water, she splashed around and waved him over. She watched as he stood up. He laughed and shook his head.

He took off his costume and ran in. The cold water splashed against his legs. She cheered as he swam up to her, his arms wrapped around her when she began to shiver.

"You're already freezing!" Eddie pointed out, bringing her closer as he tried to warm her up.

"Yeah, but this will be a great first date memory." She said, smiling as she looked up at him.

"Indeed it is. I also think our first kiss story would beat everyone else." Eddie said, leaning in as he smashed his lips on hers. She smiled against his lips and kissed him back.

After a moment they pulled away, looking at each other as the moonlight settled on their skin.

After that night, they went on many more dates. He couldn't get her out of his mind and she was stuck on him. She never thought she'd find herself falling for the demon but hell, he was cute. It didn't take long for him to ask her out and for them to be official.

And for the next Halloween, their couple's costume was already planned.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergentreblogs @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie stranger things #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson request #eddie munson fluff x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie x reader #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson halloween #ashwhowrites #halloween blurb

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allmoshnobrain · 1 year ago

Text

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫: 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 06 of 06 | masterpost

word count: 9,8k | ao3 link | fic's playlist

✦ on this chapter: NSFW!!!, dave mustaine x female!oc, james hetfield x female!oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, pregnancy, breastfeeding, mxf sex, threesome mentioned/implied, poly relationship mentioned/discussed, oral sex, pregnancy sex, small pov change at the end, an actual happy ending ♡

✧ Blue hydrangea, cold cash divine / Cashmere, cologne, and white sunshine / Red racing cars, Sunset and Vine / The kids were young and pretty

Where have you been? / Where did you go? / Those summer nights seem long ago / So is the girl you used to call / The queen of New York City ✧

August 17th, 1992

I blinked open my eyes, letting out a sleepy yawn as sunlight crept through the curtains, brightening up the room. A small grin tugged at my lips when I realized Dave was still fast asleep beside me, snoring softly with his arms wrapped around me, his bare skin pressed against mine. With a groan, I stretched out, feeling how sore my muscles were.

Honestly, even though I’d caught some shut-eye, I was totally wiped out from last night. James and Dave hadn’t given me a break for a second, making it their mission to push me to one mind-blowing climax after another in a wild competition for my attention and pleasure that had lasted all night long. But I wasn’t complaining; in fact, it probably had been one of the best nights I've ever had up to that point.

I glanced over to the other side of the bed, sighing when I saw James wasn't there; reaching out, I noticed the mattress was still warm, so he probably had left not too long before. I carefully slipped out of Dave's arms, got up, and headed to the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I absentmindedly ran my fingers through my hair as I checked out my skin in the mirror. It was covered in bites and little bruises that were starting to show. I sighed; I'd definitely need to slap on some makeup to cover those up before we hopped on our flight back home.

I threw on one of Dave's t-shirts, my shorts, and my shoes before snagging my pack of cigarettes and lighter. I slipped out of the room quietly and made my way up to the hotel's terrace. The place was nice, offering a panoramic view of the city with a few tables and chairs scattered around. Surprisingly, even though it wasn’t that early, it was still empty, which was a relief. Leaning against the railing, I lit up a cigarette, taking slow drags with a sigh.

"Figured I'd find you here," a familiar voice chimed in. I glanced up, meeting James' eyes as he strolled over. Turning to him, I rested a hand on his chest as he wrapped his arm around my waist. Letting out a sigh, I melted into his kiss, his tongue gently exploring my mouth while his hand cradled my face.

"You bailed on me," I murmured against his lips, and he grunted, kissing me once more. I chuckled softly. "Jamie..."

"I couldn't sleep," he confessed, pulling back slightly, his thumb stroking my lower lip gently.

"Come back to the room with me," I whispered, and he raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips. "We don't have to split just yet. We've got until tonight. I'm sure Dave won't mind picking up where we left off yesterday."

"Now that he's sober? Doubt it," he murmured, then brushed his fingers gently across my face. I closed my eyes with a sigh, resting my hand over his. "Babe... You realize this thing between the three of us won't last beyond these walls, right?"

I blinked open my eyes, my reaction to his words written all over my face — a messy mix of feeling betrayed and totally lost. I shook my head no, and he responded with a smile, though it was a sad and resigned one that tugged at my heartstrings. He sighed as I reached out, cupping his cheek, drawing nearer.

"We can give it a shot," I murmured, my voice pleading. He clasped my hand in his, pressing a light kiss to my palm before letting go.

"And how exactly would that work?" he inquired, his tone gentle. "We're both public figures, Nore. You're making waves in your career now. What happens if the industry catches wind of you being with two guys at once? If just by you dating Dave, your face ends up plastered across magazine covers?"

"I don't give a shit about that," I shot back, and he scoffed.

"Well, I do. Not sure if you remember, but I made a promise. Promised Cliff I'd look out for you," he said, gently lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "Even if that means letting Mustaine win this round."

"So you’re walking away from me?" I questioned, my voice cracking, a scary emptiness gripping my heart. As messy as things were between James and me, he'd never thrown in the towel before. The thought sent a shiver down my spine, especially coming right after the high of last night — after finally admitting to myself that I didn't want to choose, that I loved both Dave and James, that I wanted them both, not one or the other.

He nuzzled into my neck, his hand sliding down to my hip beneath the t-shirt. Such a simple move, yet so familiar. A familiar vulnerability that reminded me of the boy he used to be.

If Cliff were still around, would things have gotten so strained between us? Would James' anger and my own self-destructive tendencies have wormed their way into our relationship like poison, tearing us apart until we barely resembled the young lovers we once were? I'd pondered that question countless times. Guess I’d never know the answer.

"I couldn't leave you. You know that," he murmured. "But I can't handle this, Nore. I can't share you. Especially when I know it could mess things up for you. Especially when I know it could fuck up your thing with Mustaine. I know you couldn't handle losing him again. You think I don't see how much you love him? How much he loves you?"

"But I love you too," I pleaded. "And you love me."

"I do. And that's why I'm doing this," he said, holding my face in his hands and brushing away the tears I hadn't even realized were streaming down my cheeks. "You're gonna be happy, Nore. As time goes by and the hurt fades, you'll find happiness with him. I know you will, 'cause you already did."

"I don't want to lose you."

"You're not losing me. I'll still be around," he whispered, pulling me into a tight hug. "I'll always be by your side. Always. I just can't stand to see you hurting anymore because of me. You've been through too much."

"It's not fair," I sobbed. "I want you to be happy too."

"I will. But I gotta get my act together first, so I can stop screwing things up for the people I care about," he said with a sad smile. I gripped onto his arm with one hand, wiping my tears away with the other. I didn't want this. It wasn't fair. But James' eyes held a determination I'd never seen before, and I knew I couldn't talk him out of it. James reached up to touch my face, running his thumb along my lower lip. "I gotta do this. You get it, right?" he asked, his voice shaky. I hesitated, but nodded before trying to force a smile — one last smile for the man I loved.

"Want to give me one last kiss?" I asked, and he laughed quietly. "You know, for good luck."

He leaned in, pulling me close, his lips brushing against mine slowly, savoring every moment. I tangled my fingers in his hair, closing my eyes and pressing myself against him, trying in every way to convey everything I felt; how much I loved him, how long I'd loved him, and how a part of my heart would always belong to him. How I wouldn't be who I was without him. He ended the kiss with two gentle pecks, then planted two small kisses on my cheek and forehead before hugging me tightly.

When I opened my eyes, he was gone.

When I got back to the room, Dave was there, fresh out of the shower, his hair still wet and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hey, babe," he greeted me with a smile, but it faded when he saw the look on my face. "What's up? Something happened?"

I nodded, heading over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest. Dave hugged me back right away, holding me close as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Hey," he murmured, lifting my chin so I'd meet his gaze. "What's going on? Did I fuck anything up?"

"No, no," I reassured him, pulling him into another hug and nuzzling into his neck. He let out a soft, worried sigh, holding me close.

"Tell me what's going on, honey. I'm freaking out here," he urged, his voice filled with concern.

"I'm being selfish," I murmured, my voice shaking. "I'm being selfish because after yesterday... I thought... I thought that you, me, and James could figure it out. I've been torn up for so long about having to pick one of you, and… And yesterday it hit me, I don't really want to choose. But James... He's not on board. He said it wouldn't be good for my career if people found out. That I'd be better off without him." I pulled back, meeting his eyes, pleading. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you with this, Dave..."

"You're not hurting me," he said, cupping my face in his hands. "Do you really think I don't know you love him, Nore? After all these years together? I was the one who walked away, and he's the one who’s been there for you this whole time. As much as I hate it, I get it. I'm not mad at you. It's okay."

He helped me sit on the bed, pulling me close against his chest. I let out a sigh, giving him a light kiss, and he let out a low, contented sound as he held me tight. He smelled nice, all warm and woodsy; just being near him helped me relax.

"I love you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss me gently on the lips, his fingers brushing against my tear-stained cheeks. "But you know it's different for people like us," he said softly, studying my face as he traced it with his fingertips. "Behind the scenes at a gig, a private party... We can get carried away in those moments, do things we wouldn't do anywhere else. But then we go back to the real world. We put on our masks. We're their idols, babe. And those private moments become vulnerabilities that these media vultures would kill to get their hands on, to twist who we are into whatever they want. A wild drunk. A messed-up junkie. I get why James wants to shield you from that, I'd do the same. But if you wanna go back to him..." he furrowed his brow, his brown eyes filled with a restless sadness that tugged at my heart. "There's still time. And I won't hold it against you."

"No way. I'm not ditching you. Don't even go there, Dave," I said, my tone firm and cutting. James had a point about one thing: I couldn't handle losing Dave again, and I wasn't about to take that chance. I looked at him, pleading. "You know I love you. Don't even think about telling me to bail."

Sure, part of me was hurting and torn up, but I wasn't about to do anything that might push him away.

If it came down to choosing, my decision had been made long, long ago.

"Then stay with me," Dave said softly. "Stay with me, and I swear, even if you're still hung up on him, I'll love you just as much."

"I love you. I'm not going anywhere," I replied, locking eyes with him and holding his face in my hands. His breath hitched, relief and longing shining in his eyes as he pulled me effortlessly into his lap, his lips edging closer to mine. "Don’t ever dare to push me away again. You're stuck with me, Mustaine," I whispered, our mouths almost touching, and he grinned.

"You know you're the only one I love... Losing you is the last thing I'd ever want," he said, his hand tangling in my hair and pulling me closer as his lips met mine.

✧ But if you send for me, you know I'll come / And if you call for me, you know I'll run / I'll run to you, I'll run to you / I'll run, run, run / I'll come to you, I'll come to you / I'll come, come, come ✧

October 9, 1992

Ever since I was a kid, the ocean had been a great presence in my life. Growing up in Long Beach and then moving around to San Francisco and Los Angeles meant I was always near the beach. Whether I was feeling great or down, the sea was like a silent companion, there for me through thick and thin. So when Dave suggested we hit up a beachside cottage in San Francisco for the weekend, I was totally stoked.

The past couple of months hadn't exactly been easy. After Leanne's wedding, James and I went back to being cool with each other, but his choice to step back still stung. Trying to keep up a friendship after being together for years was bittersweet, and way tougher than I thought it'd be. But having Dave around made it all a bit smoother. Even when I still felt down sometimes, I knew I'd rather deal with that sadness over and over than go through the heartbreak of losing him again.

Things were looking up for our careers. On my end, I was hashing out the details for a role in my first movie, which was gonna be a whole new ball game compared to everything I'd done before. The series I was headlining was wrapping up filming, and it seemed like smooth sailing all around.

Dave had been riding high with all the concerts he'd been doing since Megadeth had dropped their latest album, Countdown to Extinction. The album had been a hit, which was awesome news for both of us. The following year, the band would hit the road for an international tour, and although we knew it was gonna be tough being apart for that long, we figured we'd make the most of the rest of '92 by squeezing in as much time together as we could, starting with our little weekend getaway.

At Dave's urging, I’d let him take the reins on planning everything. I grinned as he pulled up to the small beach cottage, instantly recognizing it. Even after all these years, some things in San Francisco still remained the same.

"That's the cottage you took me to that time, right before you went on that trip to New Jersey with the guys," I said, grinning at Dave as he pulled the car to a stop. He flashed me a smile in return.

"Yep, that's the spot. Good memory," he leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. "Wanted to whisk you away to a place that's got some history for us both."

And he’d totally hit the mark; the little cottage was quaint yet comfy, a throwback to the best days of my life, a time when we were just two young lovers, exploring what it meant to be together. Back when I was learning what it meant to have a family beyond blood, with all my friends by my side, back when Cliff was still around, all witty remarks and calm smiles. Back before Dave and the guys had their falling out and things had changed forever, for all of us.

Dave tossed me the key, asking me to pop open the doors and windows for some fresh air while he hauled our bags inside. I happily obliged, instantly recognizing the layout of the small house: cozy living room leading to the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The bedroom had an old double bed and a wardrobe, plus a TV that definitely wasn't there last time. And then there was the balcony, right out to the beach, where I could see the sea glimmering in the morning light.

I grinned as Dave strolled in, dumping our bags on the bed before coming over to wrap me in a hug and plant a soft kiss on my lips.

"You like it?" he asked softly. I nodded. "Yeah, it's a bit smaller than I remembered, but I hope it’s still cozy enough."

"It's perfect, Dave," I said, cupping his face in my hands and giving him another kiss. He grinned, looking like he was about to say something, but then hesitated, which caught my attention. "What's up?"

"I was just curious... if you had any cool stuff planned for this weekend," he said, trying to keep a straight face, but I could tell he was about to crack a smile. I grinned back, a bit puzzled.

"I didn't plan anything fancy, babe. You were supposed to take care of all that, remember? But we can chill at the beach and then figure out something fun to do together, sound good?"

"Well, actually..." he started, his grin spreading. "I had something else in mind."

"Oh, really? You know I'm down for whatever," I answered, and he smiled playfully before taking my hands in his, leaning his forehead against mine.

"Even marrying me tomorrow?" he asked, his tone low.

I blinked, totally caught off guard, wondering if I'd heard him right. I leaned back a bit, a shocked grin breaking across my face as my heart started racing. Was he serious? Dave grinned back at my reaction, giving my hands a gentle squeeze, his soft touch grounding me back to reality.

"What do you mean, tomorrow?" I asked, dumbfounded, and he laughed.

"I mean tomorrow," he replied, genuine happiness and excitement in his voice. "Nore, I... I've spent too much of my life away from you already. And it sucked," he chuckled, and I couldn’t help but laugh too, feeling my heart completely out of sync as butterflies fluttered in my stomach. "Next year, when I go on tour... I want to know I’m coming back home to you. Every single day of my life, I want to be sure I'll come back to you."

I gasped in surprise as he knelt down on one knee, still holding my hands before letting them go and pulling out a small box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a beautiful ring, gold with a large dark blue stone and small diamonds around it.

"This might just go down as the quickest engagement in history," he whispered with a smile. "But seriously, I've never been more certain about anything in my life than wanting to spend it with you. Eleanore Marie Burton... Will you mar-"

"Yes," I blurted out, barely letting him finish, a grin spreading across my face as I brought my fingertips to my lips, giggling like a little girl with tears brimming in my eyes. Dave beamed, his own eyes misting up as he got to his feet. "Yes, I’ll marry you," I confirmed, and he took my hand in his, slowly slipping the ring onto my finger before pulling me in close by the waist, drawing me into a slow, passionate kiss.

"Thank goodness you said yes," he whispered, his breath warm against my lips. "I mean, I've already forked out for the whole thing. Would've been a bit awkward if you'd turned me down."

I couldn't help but laugh, joyous tears streaking down my cheeks as I cupped his face in my hands, his arms enveloping me tightly, our lips finding each other's again, and again, and again.

✧ The power of youth is on my mind / Sunsets, small town, I'm out of time / Will you still love me when I shine / From words but not from beauty?

My father's love was always strong / My mother's glamor lives on and on / Yet still inside, I felt alone / For reasons unknown to me ✧

October 10, 1992

We got married the next day, on a sunny autumn afternoon. The morning was a whirlwind of activity as we scrambled to get everything just right: first, a crew showed up bright and early to set up the beachside ceremony, arranging tables and chairs, decking out the altar with decorations, and pitching tents for the guests to hang out in during the reception. Then came the chefs Dave had enlisted to whip up the feast; our little cottage just couldn't contain the festivities, so it was all hands on deck to get everything outdoors-ready.

Soon after, the guests began trickling in. My family was the first to arrive: Uncle Ray, Aunt Jan, and my parents. Then, to my utter delight, Leanne and Joe made an appearance. I hadn't expected Leanne to come, with her pregnancy moving along, but clearly, I’d underestimated her determination. When I mentioned my surprise, she just chuckled.

"Are you kidding? Wouldn't miss it for the world. Plus, you're gonna need a maid of honor, right?" she teased, and I couldn't help but beam with genuine happiness.

Leanne and my mom pitched in to get me ready; Mom tackled my hair while Leanne took charge of my makeup. The master bedroom turned into a makeshift beauty parlor, and before I knew it, the clock was ticking away as I was treated like royalty: my hair was coiffed and styled before a quick snack break, then Leanne got to work on my makeup before I slipped into the dress Dave had taken me to pick out the day prior.

All of this happened amidst all the hustle and bustle of getting the party ready and Dave getting himself sorted in the tiny bathroom. The cottage turned into a bit of a madhouse, mostly because Leanne and Mom were on strict guard duty, keeping everyone out of the bedroom until I was good to go. But, despite the chaos, the vibe was just pure joy, and nobody seemed to be sweating the small stuff.

Finally, when I was all dolled up, Leanne swooped in and covered my eyes with her hands, while Mom propped up a full-length mirror against the wall. Turns out, she'd had the foresight to pick one up just for the occasion. When I asked her about it, she just gave me an exasperated look.

"Imagine not being able to see yourself in the mirror on your big day. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, and I wasn't taking any chances on there not being one around. So, I came prepared," she explained.

Well, this time Mom had definitely hit the mark. The cottage was pretty basic, and a full-length mirror wasn't exactly on the inventory list. When I finally laid eyes on myself, I couldn't help but gasp in amazement. My hair was swept up into a loose bun, with bits of it cascading around my face, adorned with these adorable little yellow flowers nestled into the brown locks.

Leanne's makeup skills were on point, giving my eyes, lips, and cheeks just the right pop. And the dress was like it was made for me, light as a feather, sleeveless and elegant, hugging my curves in all the right places, even making me feel a bit taller. Grinning ear to ear, I took the bouquet from Leanne — a gorgeous mix of white roses and sunflowers, just like the ones Dave had handed me that first time we caught up after reuniting.

I was stunning. But it wasn't just about the looks: this overwhelming sense of pure joy seemed to radiate from every inch of me, lighting up my eyes and my smile. And for the first time in forever, there wasn't a shred of worry weighing me down.

"You know, when your fiancé called, I'll admit, I thought you two might've been rushing into things. But now... seeing you like this... You really love him, don’t you?" Mom asked, giving one last gentle tug on the dress zipper. All I could manage was a silent nod.

In that moment, one thing was crystal clear, and it was my love for Dave.

"Okay, it's showtime," my dad barged in out of nowhere, freezing in his tracks as he caught sight of me. His eyes welled up with a mix of shock and pride, his jaw practically hitting the floor. I couldn't help but grin, the excitement sending shivers down my spine, my heart pounding, and tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "Ellie, you... You look stunning," he said, grasping my arms and beaming at me before turning to my mom. "Clémence, sweetheart, you and Leanne better get a move on... The ceremony's about to kick off."

"Okay," Mom gave my hair one final tweak before she and Leanne settled my veil in place. Lea squeezed my hand tight.

"We'll be right there, Nore. See you in a bit," she said reassuringly.

I nodded, but inside, my stomach was doing somersaults. All morning, I'd been riding the excitement train, but now, with the ceremony about to kick off, a tidal wave of nerves hit me like a ton of bricks. Dad noticed, gripping my arm a little tighter, offering silent support as he sensed my jitters.

"You got this, Ellie. Dave's just waiting on you," Dad whispered, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

I nodded, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins, a nervous smile breaking out on my face. And with that, the music started up, and Dad guided me down the aisle to where Dave was waiting at the altar.

As I emerged into the back of the cottage, I couldn't help but be taken aback by the sea of familiar faces gathered for the ceremony. Charlotte and her boyfriend were holding court, joined by a bunch of my college and work buddies, along with Dave's band mates. Lars, Kirk, and Jason flashed me a grin. But my heart dropped a bit when I realized James wasn't among them. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd opted out, if my wedding would just add another layer to the hurt between us.

But all of that was shoved to the backburner the second I locked eyes with Dave. He had this intense, serious expression on his face, which might've been a bit intimidating if I didn't know it just showed how emotional he was. His gaze was glued to mine as I made my way over, and when Dad handed me off to him, Dave let out this deep breath, a huge grin spreading across his face that I couldn't help but mirror.

Our vows were straight from the heart, short and sweet, but bursting with love. I gotta admit, I tried my hardest to keep the waterworks at bay, but a few rogue tears still managed to slip out. And when the officiant asked if I took Dave as my husband, I found my voice all choked up. But I managed to squeak out my acceptance, which just melted Dave's eyes into a puddle of warmth and affection.

When he slid that ring onto my finger, it was like everything clicked into place. Like I'd finally found my spot in the universe. Through all the rough patches, all the time we’d spent apart, I guess deep down, I always knew we'd find our way back to each other. I always knew that I loved him, had loved him all along, right from the start, and that love wasn't going anywhere till my very last breath.

I let out a soft chuckle as Dave leaned in for a kiss, pulling me close, his hand gentle on my cheek, brushing away the tears of joy that had welled up. I sighed contentedly, wrapping my arms around his neck, never wanting to let go.

It was done. And in that moment, it hit me — I'd never have to go through losing him again. Our love had seen us through, brought us back together, helped us learn to forgive, and most importantly, to fall for each other all over again.

I was his, and he was mine.

The party after the ceremony was nothing fancy, but it was a blast. Our wedding wasn't a huge affair, just our nearest and dearest, but honestly, it couldn't have been any better in my book. I was practically beaming with joy as everyone came up to chat with me.

"Nore!" Lars burst out, champagne in hand, with Kirk right by his side, sporting a grin. I couldn't help but smile back, chuckling when they both practically tackled me with hugs. "Congrats, Mrs. Mustaine," Lars said with a twinkle in his eye, and I let out a laugh.

"Mustaine-Burton," I smiled. "I'm going with a double-barrelled name... Didn't want to ditch the Burton part, you know? It's got history with Cliff," I explained, which earned approving smiles from both of them.

"You know, I never really got what's up with you and Mustaine until I saw you two in the same place at the same time," Kirk mused. "It's like you two are in your own little world when you're together. And seeing him all smitten like this is a funny sight. Congrats, babe," he continued, pulling me in for another hug. I let out a soft chuckle in response.

"Can I crash the congrats party?" a familiar voice piped up, and I lit up as I spun around to find James, a hint of a smile on his face.

"James!" I blurted out, pulling him in for a hug, which he met with a soft laugh. "I thought... I thought you were gonna bail on me."

"A dude can't even be fashionably late these days?" he teased, and I laughed. "Of course I was gonna show up. You think you can shake me off that easily, Burton?"

"Mustaine-Burton, actually," I corrected him, and he just rolled his eyes.

"As if I'm gonna go with that," he quipped, caressing my hair softly, which made me giggle. "So, where's your... husband?"

"Last I saw, he was chatting with my folks. Ah, there he is," I grinned as I caught sight of Dave, shooting the breeze with his sister while clutching a flute of champagne. He spotted me, then James by my side, and immediately made a beeline over.

"Hey, honey. Hungry yet? I had 'em whip up that salad you're into," he said, slinging an arm around my waist, pulling me in snug. It was a sweet move, not without a hint of claiming me as his own.

"Oh yeah, I'm starving. I was just chatting a bit," I answered, planting a light kiss on Dave's cheek. He grinned and then turned his gaze to James, who met it without saying a word. I watched their silent exchange, feeling a bit on edge, but my eyebrows shot up in surprise when James reached out his hand to Dave, who shook it.

"Congrats, dude," James said, and Dave shot him a tight yet polite smile.

"Thanks."

"I'm thinking of snagging a brew... Catch you later, Nore," James said, giving me a nod. I returned it as he made his way towards the makeshift bar set up for the guests.

"Hey, James!" Dave called out, stopping him in his tracks. James turned back, eyebrow raised in question. Dave hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "I'll take care of her, man. You have my word."

"I know you will," James replied, offering a faint smile. I watched with interest as the two of them seemed to reach some unspoken understanding. Then James turned and headed off.

The party dragged on till way past bedtime. By the time the guests cleared out and the crew tore down the setup, I was beat. My eyes were practically glued shut with exhaustion as I wiped off my makeup and let down my hair. I couldn't help but laugh when I felt Dave sneak up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and planting a slow kiss on my neck, my body warming up at his touch.

"You happy?" he whispered, and I grinned, turning to meet his gaze, our hands intertwining. I couldn't help but smile at the cool touch of his ring against my skin.

"Over the moon," I murmured, letting out a soft chuckle as he fumbled for my dress’ zipper, planting a kiss on my shoulder and pulling me close. His lips trailed up my skin, and I couldn't help but smile when they met mine. "And you?"

"Absolutely," he murmured back, gently nipping at my lower lip.

I let out a sigh as he lifted my dress' hem, settling me on the vanity while taking off my panties. A quiet laugh escaped my lips as he started undoing his pants. He pressed his forehead against mine, parting my thighs with one hand. I moaned softly as he pushed into me, my fingers tangling in his ginger hair as he moved slowly. I tilted my head back as his lips traced the curve of my neck and collarbone.

"Couldn't even wait to get me in bed?" I managed to gasp out, and he smirked, easing himself inside me with slow, deliberate movements.

"What makes you think I won't fuck you in bed too?" he countered with a low growl, and I couldn't help but laugh, the sound melting into a moan as his lips crashed against mine, his thrusts growing more urgent by the second.

I melted into him, fingers tangling in his hair as my lips trailed down to his neck. He let out a deep groan, his hold on my hips tightening as his breathing grew heavier, his movements getting more frenzied by the second. I couldn't help but moan as he slipped a hand down to my clit, working it with such skill that sent shivers down my spine.

"My beautiful wife," he growled, burying his face in my neck as I clung to him. He grunted as he felt me tighten around him, my climax building rapidly. His movements grew more urgent, and I shuddered as the pleasure became almost overwhelming, my body convulsing with each wave as I moaned his name. He pulled me close, his rhythm faltering as he released inside me, his forehead resting against my shoulder, his breath coming in heavy pants. I giggled as he peppered kisses along my shoulder, then my neck, nibbling lightly on my ear before whispering again, "My beautiful, beautiful wife."

I had never been happier.

And if you call I'll run, run, run / If you change your mind, I'll come, come, come ✧

December 31st, 1992

Two months later, we headed back to San Francisco for Lars' annual New Year's Eve bash. Dave wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the thought of ringing in the new year with his old band mates, but I promised him he didn't have to mingle with them if he didn't feel like it. I mean, Lars' parties were notorious for being massive. Dave was trying his best to wrap his head around the fact that having me in his life also meant having some sort of contact with Lars, Kirk, and James. Surprisingly, he was handling it better than I thought he would.

I let out a sigh, a little smile playing on my lips as we pulled up to Lars' vacation home. Last time I’d set foot there, getting back with Dave wasn't even on my radar. If someone had told me then that a year later we'd be married, I'd have probably burst out laughing. It was like in the past year, all my wildest dreams had decided to come true.

I grinned as we stepped into our guest room and spotted Lars' handiwork of choosing the perfect outfits for his guests; this time, a stunning blood-red gown for me, paired with a slick black suit and shirt in the same shade for Dave. Dave let out a low whistle at the sight of our getups, slinging an arm around my waist.

"You’ll look absolutely gorgeous in that dress, babe," he said with a smile, leaning in to brush his lips against my ear. "Can't wait to take it off you later."

I laughed, giving him a playful shove, and he planted a kiss on my lips before stepping back.

The party was off the hook, as usual. Even Dave seemed blown away by the spread of food, drinks, and all the big shots milling around, though he tried to play it cool, which just made me smile. We worked the room together, hand in hand, stopping here and there to shoot the breeze with some familiar faces.

At one point, we split up when Dave went to grab us some drinks. That's when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I turned around, a smile spread across my face at the sight of James. He was rocking an all-black outfit, his blond hair flowing and his face looking healthier than I had seen in years.

"Thought you were gonna bail this year. You know, since your husband's not our biggest fan," James said, a slight grin playing on his lips. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, James. I wouldn't miss hanging out with you guys for anything," I retorted before pulling him into a hug. He let out a satisfied sigh, keeping me close for maybe a bit longer than strictly necessary, his hand resting at the small of my back as he buried his face in my hair.

"You look stunning," he whispered in my ear, and I swear I could feel my cheeks flushing. "Missed you, Nore," he grinned, those blue eyes twinkling with a certain mischief that sent my heart into a flutter.

Guess I wasn't entirely immune to James' charms after all.

Later, after the party wrapped up, Dave and I ended up back in our room, his hands all over me, his body pressing me against the wall, his tongue tangling with mine as I let out soft moans, my fingers entwined in his soft ginger hair. He suddenly pulled away when we heard a knock on the door. I blinked, curious. Dave groaned, irritated, rolling his eyes, and I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath.

"I'll get it," I offered, and he grunted, stepping aside to let me reach the door. Swinging it open, I was taken aback to find James standing there. His eyes swept over me, a faint smile playing on his lips as he noticed my flushed cheeks and mussed-up hair.

"Bad timing?" he quipped, and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks once more.

"James, what's up? Need something?" I inquired, and he let out a low laugh, that same hint of mischief as before flashing in his eyes.

"You know why I'm here, sweetheart. Mind if I come in?" he murmured, his voice dropping. My skin warmed when Dave's arms wrapped around me, pulling me close as he planted a kiss on my neck.

"What do you think, babe?" Dave murmured, his proximity sending my pulse into overdrive. James observed, desire flickering in his blue eyes as he let out a soft sigh. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I realized what was about to happen. "Should we let him in?"

I glanced at James, who flashed a playful grin before closing the gap between us, lifting my chin with his fingers before pressing his lips to mine.

Believe it or not, that was the kick-off to some of the happiest times of my life. James, Dave, and I kept our meetings going for a few months, and I gotta say, it was pretty amazing to experience loving both of them at the same time.

But James had a point in the end; keeping our thing under wraps, away from the public, got tougher and more draining by the day. And even though he didn't outright say it, I could tell Dave wasn't thrilled about sharing me. Plus, James and Dave still had a lot of resentment between them; not even the possibility of both of them having me eased the wounds they still needed to heal. So, as time went on, our three-way nights became rarer until they just fizzled out completely.

Surprisingly, that didn't wreck my bond with James, thanks to something totally unexpected: him falling for someone else. Strangely enough, it didn't bug me as much as I thought it would. I had a long history of feeling jealous of James' girlfriends back in the day. But now, it was like our connection had matured into something peaceful. I was genuinely glad to see him finding happiness, just like he was glad to see how happy my marriage made me.

So, believe it or not, I found myself happy. I had a husband who adored me, a successful career, and friends who were like family. Sure, Cliff's loss was like a shadow that never quite left, but I wasn't going through my mourning alone. Some days hit harder than others, but ain't that just life? We all coped in our own ways, not always the healthiest, but bit by bit, I learned to live again.

Bit by bit, I allowed myself to be happy again.

✧ Blue hydrangea, cold cash divine / Cashmere, cologne and hot sunshine / Red racing cars, Sunset and Vine / And we were young and pretty ✧

November 14, 1993

It happened not long after my first wedding anniversary.

The past year had been smooth sailing for both me and Dave. Hardly anything threw a wrench in the works; I kept climbing up the ladder in acting, and Dave was killing it in his music gig. His band was hitting new highs, even if that meant he was on the road more and we were apart a bunch. But, in the end, it just made every second we had together even sweeter.

Somewhere in the last few months, I’d ditched the birth control pills. Not 'cause Dave and I were mapping out parenthood or anything, but just because we figured we'd want kids somewhere down the line. Seemed like a good time to let nature take its course — if it happened, cool. If it didn’t, that was okay too.

I just wasn’t ready for it to happen that fast — but the two lines that appeared on the pregnancy test didn't lie.

I was pregnant.

Maybe it wasn't the smartest move to take that test while Dave was still laying down tracks at the studio. Because now, a full-on panic started to set in as I stared at that little plastic stick. I only grabbed it because I'd been feeling like garbage — tired as hell and sick to my stomach round the clock. Plus, I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had a period. But even with all those hints, the result still caught me off guard.

I rested a hand on my belly, staring at my own nervous reflection in the mirror. I had no clue how I was gonna break the news to Dave. And with the band gearing up for another album, I couldn't predict how he'd take it either. Albums meant tours, and I was freaking out, thinking I might mess up Dave's whole career and plans.

Chill out, I told myself. He's been wanting this as much as you have.

And it was true. Actually, it was Dave who'd thrown out the idea of me ditching the birth control pills. I tried to keep that in mind, shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath. It kinda eased some of my nerves. I absentmindedly noticed my face was all flushed.

"Nore?" I jumped when I heard Dave's voice. I hadn't even noticed he'd gotten back home, but then again, I was holed up in the bathroom upstairs. I heard a couple of taps on the door. "You in there?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" I called out, shoving the test back into its box and tucking it away in the cabinet under the sink before swinging the door open. Dave grinned at me, his ginger hair pulled back into a ponytail, and reached out for a hug. I chuckled softly, some of the tension melting away as I wrapped my arms around him, nuzzling into his chest. "Hey there, baby. Welcome home."

"You feeling any better?" He ran a gentle hand through my hair.

Now it was clear why I'd felt so sick — another day where I just couldn't drag myself to work because of the nausea. Dave would've stayed put if I hadn't practically pushed him out the door to the studio. Didn't want to throw a wrench in the works of the band's new album. The idea of being a hassle to him brought tears to my eyes, which kinda ticked me off. Guess my hormones were already all over the place.

Which meant one thing: I had to tell him.

"Dave..." I started, my voice shaky, meeting his gaze. He brushed his fingers over my face gently, a flicker of worry in his eyes.

"What is it?" he whispered. I tried to speak, to put into words what I needed to say, but I found myself speechless. Instead, I reached for his hand and pressed it against my stomach under my shirt. He looked at me, puzzled for a second, before realization slowly dawned in his eyes.

"Wait, seriously? Is this... Is this what I think it is?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief. I nodded, a grin spreading across my face.

"Yeah, it is. We're... We're gonna have a baby," I confirmed, finally managing to say it. "I'm pregnant... You're gonna be a dad."

"Holy shit, are you serious?" he beamed, cupping my face in his hands and planting a bunch of little kisses on my lips, making me giggle. "I can't believe this!"

"It's true, Dave. Just took the test."

"Oh man, we gotta tell everyone!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "And we gotta start prepping the baby's room... You think it's gonna be a boy or a girl?"

I smiled, feeling my heart light up at Dave's enthusiasm. I'd been worrying for nothing, I realized. He'd never see this pregnancy as a setback. That guy had shown me his love time and time again, way more than I could ever measure, way more than I ever thought I deserved.

I knew he was gonna be an amazing dad.

July 27, 1994

Elise Rose Mustaine-Burton came into the world in the early hours of a summer morning.

When I finally got to hold her, sweat and tears mixed as my whole body ached, it was as if my world had shifted for a moment; holding her, I just knew – life would never be the same again.

I fell for her right away, a fierce, raw, and unconditional love that just flooded through me. It wasn't like I had to make room for her in my heart; it was more like her arrival had stretched it wide open, carving out a piece of my soul that was hers and hers alone, forever.

I could tell Dave felt it too. When he held her, a grin lit up his face, tears welling in his eyes as he cradled her against his chest. She was so small, and so unmistakably ours — her little tufts of hair already matching Dave's, her eyes a deep blue that could only have come from me.

First time breastfeeding hit me harder than I thought. I sat there, cradling her close as she suckled vigorously, trying to push through the pain. But the hormonal roller coaster I’d just gone through suddenly overwhelmed me. I blinked, tears welling up, and Dave slid in beside me on the bed, planting a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"You alright?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

"Yeah, just stings a bit," I answered, my voice shaking. He gave me a gentle squeeze, careful not to jostle me too much.

"Want me to buzz the nurse?"

"Nah, I'll tough it out," I said, sniffling, and he wiped away the tears from my cheek. I let out a sigh of relief when Elise finally finished feeding, and Dave scooped her up while I got myself together, handing her back to me soon after.

"You're crying," he noted, and I looked up to meet his worried hazel eyes. "You sure you don't want me to call the nurse, babe?"

"I'm good," I said, wiping my face with one hand while holding Elise close with the other. "Just blame it on the hormones. Can you believe she's finally here?" I asked softly, my voice still shaky, and Dave grinned. "She looks just like you."

"She's got my hair, but that cute face is all yours," he remarked, gently holding her hand. Elise latched onto one of Dave's fingers right away, and I couldn't help but marvel at how tiny she was — five small fingers so delicate they almost looked like they belonged to a doll.

"How can you tell? Babies all look so similar at this age," I wondered, and Dave chuckled. I glanced up at him, tears welling in my eyes again as I smiled. "She's just perfect, Dave."

"She sure is. Just like her mom," he replied, and I let out a quiet laugh before resting my head on his shoulder. Feeling Elise's warmth against me was something entirely new, yet utterly wonderful, calming me down completely. Dave traced a finger lightly over her cheek, and she stirred in her sleep.

"My sweet Lizzie," he murmured, and the nickname sounded so perfect on his lips that I knew he'd hardly call her anything else from then on. He grinned, his eyes brimming with pure love as they met mine, and he planted a gentle kiss on my temple. "Can you believe we made her?" he whispered against my skin. "I didn't think it was possible to love you more than I already did, but you keep proving me wrong. How do you do it?"

“It’s easy,” I smiled. “You do the same for me.”

Dave smiled softly, giving me a light kiss before drawing me in closer. I let myself sink into his embrace, with our baby snug against me, and let out a contented sigh.

"I think I'm about to fall asleep," I mumbled, feeling my eyelids drooping.

"Course you are. You need some shut-eye," Dave chuckled, his smile practically audible, before gently transferring Lizzie to her crib. I grumbled softly, already missing the feel of her in my arms, but knowing it was best to wait until I was more awake to hold her. Dave settled back beside me on the bed, wrapping me in his arms, resting my head on his shoulder, and I let out a contented sigh, soaking in the warmth of his skin against mine. “I love you, Nore.”

"I love you too," I mumbled back, already drifting off, smiling as his lips brushed my forehead, and letting out a quiet laugh.

"What's on your mind?" Dave asked, grinning, and I shook my head.

"Just feeling damn lucky," I murmured, blinking open my eyes with a yawn. Dave cupped my face in his hand, stroking my cheek gently, a gesture so familiar, so him . I grinned, giving his jaw a light kiss, and he sighed. “I'm so lucky to be loved by you.”

It was actually kinda funny, you know, how lucky I was. The world might see Dave as this guy with a short fuse, sharp tongue, and a chip on his shoulder from all the crap life threw at him, but I didn’t. My Dave was not like that.

My Dave was sweet, affectionate, and thoughtful. He loved me, and he made damn sure I felt it, every single day of our lives.

And me? The longer I spent with him, the more I was sure that some things between us were simply meant to be.

We were always meant to fall in love. We were always meant to find one another. We were always meant to be together, for me to save him, for him to save me, every day, again, and again, and again.

We were always meant to love each other.

And I loved him.

God, how I loved him.

September 29, 1999

It was early morning when I finally rolled back home, tour fatigue dragging me down like a ton of bricks. No matter how many times I'd done this, coming back after weeks on the road always hit me like a truck. It was like all the exhaustion caught up to me at once, weighing me down.

The only thing stronger was the longing to see her.

Stepping inside, her voice coming from the kitchen welcomed me right away. I grinned, feeling like a kid again, head over heels in love with her. It was like my heart couldn’t quite wrap its head around how lucky I was to have her as my wife. Every time I laid eyes on her, it was like seeing her for the first time all over again — pure excitement and enchantment that I'd never felt with anyone else.

"What’s next?" she chirped as I strolled into the kitchen, her voice all sing-songy, setting off giggles from Lizzie, our little girl. I grinned at the sight; Nore was at the table, ingredients scattered about, while Lizzie sat on a stool, peeking over the table, her ginger hair tied up in pigtails, her blue eyes sparkling as she beamed at Nore.

"An egg!" Lizzie answered, so hyped up it cracked me up, catching both of their gazes. They both lit up with identical smiles when they spotted me, one a bit smaller and with a few less teeth than the other. "Daddy!" Lizzie squealed, beaming as I walked over, and I chuckled when she slapped her tiny hands on my chest, bouncing in her chair until I scooped her up, settling her on my lap. "We're making pancakes! Mommy said you get super hungry when you come home from work."

"No kidding?" I grinned, pulling her in close to my chest. She seemed taller and heavier since the last time I’d held her, but still the same gorgeous girl, a perfect mix of me and the woman I loved more than anything. "Well, she got that right. I am super, super hungry!" I nuzzled my face into her tummy, and she erupted into giggles, grabbing onto my hair as she cracked up, tossing her head back. Nore joined in, her laughter contagious, plastering an immediate smile on my face.

I plopped Lizzie back on her stool and turned to my wife, who flashed me a sweet grin as I cradled her face in my hands. I was itching to kiss her, to wrap her up tight in my arms and feel her melt against me, to trace every inch of her skin with my lips and my touch because no matter how close we got — it never felt close enough.

But Lizzie was watching us, so I settled for a quick peck on her lips. The more intense kisses would have to wait until night, when I’d take her clothes off and shower her with love, turning her into the most delightful mess of moans under my touch. She grinned into our kiss, her smile sweeter than ever (though honestly, every smile of hers just kept getting sweeter to me), and I couldn't resist kissing her one more time.

"Good to have you home," she said, and my heart swelled with warmth.

Later, after Lizzie had crashed out and we'd retreated to our bedroom, I finally got to pull Nore close, my lips trailing along her neck while she giggled softly, her arms snug around my shoulders as she perched on my lap.

"So, it's just you and me now?" she asked, all sweet-like, and I grunted, my hand drifting down to the little bump already poking out from her belly with our second kid on the way.

"Just you and me," I confirmed. With the tour wrapped up, I'd be sticking around until the new baby was born and the tough early months were behind us. Balancing the rockstar life with being a present dad and husband wasn't always easy, but I gave it my all. And man, was I lucky to have an understanding wife, who was also a wonderful mom, and one hell of a strong woman. No idea what I’d done to score such luck.

That night, every kiss I planted on her skin was filled with nothing but worship. I soaked up every second I got to touch her, her hushed moans echoing in the room as my tongue delved into the wetness between her legs, then her heavy breathing brushing against my cheek as she rode me slowly. Her chest pressed against mine, her arms locked around my neck, my hands guiding her hips in a steady rhythm as we moved together. Slow, tender kisses mixed with the sweetest moans I could ever wish to hear.

And then, after we finished, she cuddled up next to me, her bare skin cozy against mine as she lazily traced patterns on my chest with her fingertips. That had always been my favorite part — having her right there with me, knowing she was mine, that she wasn’t going anywhere, that her love was like a safe haven I could always come home to.

"I love you," she whispered, and I grinned, locking eyes with her. Eyes so blue I drowned, being pulled right into her soul.

"And I love you," I replied, my voice low and raspy. She laughed softly as I planted a gentle kiss on her lips. How damn lucky was I to always have her to come back to, no matter what, no matter where. To know that I'd always find her, over and over again, no matter the distance or the obstacles.

To know that if I had a hundred lifetimes, I'd choose to love her in every single one of them.

And by some miracle of fate, she was mine.

Mother of my children.

Light of my days.

Love of my life.

✧ the story's over, but if you'd like to be tagged on any eventual extra chapters, let me know and I'll add you to the tag list! ❤ ✧

tag list: @killazilla777 @whatsupvic @70srogah @genswine9 @twice360noscope @ilovepapahet @decemberm0on

✦ a/n: And that's a wrap ❤

If you've been following along with this story, I just want to thank you with all my heart! It's been quite a journey for me, taking over a year to finish this fic. I've grown a ton as a writer, and I've had a blast interacting with all of you along the way. Honestly, when I first started posting, I never expected anyone to read it, so getting feedback from you all has been an awesome surprise. Your presence here has really kept me going, so thanks a million for that! 💖

So, we've reached the end of Nore's adventure, and it's been a happy one (just like I promised)! I might come back with a few extra chapters set in this universe down the road, but for now, I'm shifting gears to some other projects. If you want to stay in the loop, I'm always sharing updates about my fics right here on my blog!

If you've got any comments, feedback or reviews about the story, I'd love to read them. Thanks again for diving into Heartbreaker and enjoying the ride with me.

Catch you later! ❤

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little-pondhead · 1 year ago

Text

The Folly of Men -

Chapter 2: #78866B

AO3 - MASTERPOST

[GENERAL TW: Swearing, lukewarm violence, lots of POV changes, and mild body horror.]

[I sacrificed Damian's POV for more time of Jazz, and everything jumps around a little, but I refuse to feel regret. Notes on the timeline are at the bottom.]

Two hours went by way faster than Jazz thought. Between gathering the emergency bags, counting cash, and raiding the lab, she barely managed to herd her parents out the front door on time. Luckily, the two doctors didn't put up a fight, so she still had ten minutes to lock up. Like she said, Jazz hadn't touched the portal besides locking it down. The portal's power supply had been re-routed to an emergency shield, blocking anything from getting in or out. As long as it was still on, that shield would hold.

Jazz blew a strand of hair out of her face as she sat on the front porch for a moment. The door was locked, she had everything, and her parents were waiting like scared kids for her a few feet away. All she had to do was arm the security system using the bug Tucker had sent her. It was relatively easy; she had to take off the casing to the alarm next to their doorbell and use a connector to plug her phone in. It took her a moment, admittedly. It wasn't easy to mash tiny buttons when her hands shook with adrenaline.

While she waited for the virus to load, Jazz glanced at her parents, watching them. They looked lost. A little guilty, perhaps? They both looked gaunt and had unshed tears in their eyes, looking positively miserable for all the world to see. They hadn't said a peep after she had stormed off. Not even when she came back to clamp 'Shade Shackles' onto their wrists, hissing something to them about behaving. The shackles were heavy and bulky, restricting them from their wrists to their elbows and locking their arms together.

The shackles wouldn't hold Jack for long, she knew. Not if he was actually trying to escape. But honestly, the man was probably worse off than his wife. He just kept staring into space, dissociating.

Jazz thought they deserved it. After a few more seconds of fiddling, her phone finally beeped, indicating the upload was complete. She unplugged her phone, packed the cord into one of her bags, and stood again to close the alarm casing. Shutters slammed shut over every entrance into Fentonworks. Maddie flinched at the loud noise.

"And now," Jazz muttered, picking up her bat. "We can't go back." The redhead swung like a professional, slamming her weapon into the alarm, setting it off like a loud pig. She took her anger out on the plastic, smashing the buttons and hardware to bits, sending wires flying. Even the brick beneath the alarm was chipped in many places. Well, if there was one thing her parents did right, it was make a decent bat. The creep stick didn't have a scratch when she finally stepped back.

Wiping sweat from her brow, Jazz took in her handiwork. Getting some extra aggression out of her system slightly cleared her head, and she smiled at the ruined building. The alarm was going off at max volume, and some of the floodlights her parents had installed a few years ago lit up the whole neighborhood with flashing red. If the Fentons hadn't had people’s attention before, they sure as hell did now.

"What'd you do that for?" Maddie said, horrified. Guess she was breaking her silence.

Jazz scoffed, turning to pick her bags up and sling them over one shoulder. "Because while I'd love to burn this place to the fucking ground-"

"You can't!"

"Shut up. It's not up to you, Maddie." Jazz spat. "And it's not up to me. Danny gets to decide what happens to Fentonworks. Whether you like it or not, this is his final resting place. I'm not going to rob him of closure."

Maddie snapped her mouth shut.

"Final resting place?" Jack finally returned to himself as he cried at his daughter's words. Thick tears dripped down his face. Jazz had never seen her father so distraught, not even when Vlad moved away to Europe last year. He looked heartbroken.

Jazz sneered, poking her father in the chest with her bat. "You heard me. That fucking portal, your goddamn pride and joy, is what got Danny killed in the first place. That lab is where he died in front of his friends because you two are idiots who refuse to follow any sort of rule."

"No, that's not-"

"Not what?" Jazz rounded on her mother, who shrunk back in the face of her fury. "Not right? That's not what happened? Is that what you were going to say?"

They were attracting a crowd. People were being drawn out of their houses by the alarms and shouting, staring at the two Fenton parents with mild distaste. Everyone knew their children put up with a lot, even if the doctors were well-meaning. Did they finally cross the line?

"It was hard for us too!" Maddie insisted. "All those late nights, his avoidance of us, how he looked at us! It was horrible."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU KILLED HIM!" Jazz roared. She was as red as her hair now, and the little ectoplasm that ran in her veins made the edges of her form blurry. As if she was a heat mirage. "YOU KILLED HIM, AND NOW YOU'RE KILLING HIM AGAIN BY HANDING HIM TO THE GHOST INVESTIGATION WARD!"

"Th-they just wanted to study him," Jack sobbed. "T-to avoid and prevent any ghost disease breakouts."

"BULLSHIT!" Her voice echoed down the street. It boomed unnaturally, drowning out the sound of sirens that were a few blocks away. A few neighbors were going pale as they realized the severity of the situation. "You two are doctors! You know how science works! You two built and sold weapons to them! Don't pretend to be ignorant and blame it on the fucking ghost flu."

"You disgust me," Jazz continued. She descended the steps and shoved past her parents. Maddie landed on the ground with an oof! "I hope I never have to see you two ever again." She adjusted her bags and started marching toward Nasty Burger, cutting through the crowd like she was fucking Moses. The police were a block away now. She didn't want to be there when they got to the house.

"Where are you going?" Her mother called. Pleaded, really. "We can talk this out!"

Jazz ignored her calls and walked on. When they spotted the murderous look in her eyes, everyone on the sidewalks quickly got out of her way. She had two minutes now, but the others probably wouldn't mind her tardiness. Her phone buzzed, and she snapped it open.

From: TheFuck

4:12pm yo ms evie just blasted ur rant 2 myspace and yt

4:13pm for an old lady she sure has quick fingers

4:13pm dani just showed up at nb we just waitin on u

Rather than replying, Jazz pushed the door to Nasty Burger open and beelined towards the trio's usual table. Tucker was glued to his phone while Sam and Dani mumbled, pouring over several sheets of paper. She tapped Tucker on the head, making him jump.

"I'm already here."

Tucker spun around. "Nocturn's starry underwear, Jazz!" He whined. "You could have just texted me!"

"Didn't feel like it," she shrugged, suddenly feeling very tired. The restaurant was mostly empty, so she threw her stuff into the booth beside them and slid in next to Tucker. The Fenton creep-stick was rested against the edge of the table, acting as a warning. The others had already set aside their bags and weapons in the other booth. Not a single Nasty Burger employee came over to tell them they couldn't have swords at the table, so Jazz didn't bother thinking about it.

Danielle, her free-spirited youngest sister, glanced up at her with a weary smile. She looked rough. The wind had tangled her shorter hair, and her clothes seemed horribly displaced and damp. (She'd passed through a tropical storm half an hour ago.) Dani was swaying where she sat, desperately trying to stay engaged with Sam even though exhaustion was no doubt clawing at her mind.

Jazz felt her mood soften. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that Dani was only a few years old by human and ghost standards. While Danny was also a baby ghost, he had a lot more stamina as a human to make up for it. Flying from New Zealand had taken its toll on the girl.

"Here, Danielle, switch me." Jazz stepped out of the booth, guiding her little sister to sit next to Tucker, who wouldn't mind if the girl fell asleep on his shoulder. Dani didn't protest and conked out almost immediately, soft snores being the only indication she was alive. Sam nodded her greeting and shuffled some papers Jazz's way.

"Here's everything so far," she stated. "We're doing this on paper until Tucker can set up a server."

Jazz flipped through the pages. Each one had a little tab in the corner sticking out so things wouldn't get mixed up. The pages were even color coordinated, just how she liked it. She scanned through sheets of numbers, reports on agent activity, stolen research, manufacturing contracts, and so on. Everything she saw was dated back at least a year, and Sam had taken the time to highlight the discrepancies between all the paperwork. It was the very definition of thorough.

Time for business, I guess, she thought. "To start with, how's the town?"

Tucker got right into it. He turned his PDA around to show her the screen. A tiny map of the town was displayed, with red dots pinned to random spots. "All the monoliths Danny set up are primed and ready. They'll tap into the ley lines in the area to power the ghost shield we set up. I'll set it off when we leave the city borders."

"I called Cujo and Wulf," Sam added. She had a paper version of the town map with more random spots marked in green. "They are rounding up the ghost animals, and I got Grandma Ida to scare a few more human ones into helping. Some of the A-listers are doing a sweep to drive out anyone who stays behind."

"What about the GIW equipment?"

"Dash is getting his football and baseball teams together. Wes is going to load them with a virus before they smash it all to bits."

"Teenage boys are always destructive no matter the species." Jazz remarked dryly. Sam gave her a Look, but she ignored it. Yeah, she was being hypocritical. Who cared? "How's the tracking going?"

Tucker patted the sleeping Danielle on her head. "Thanks to a little miss, I got a lock on his ecto-signature much faster this time. But his aura is big, and we'll still need to raid at least four locations before I can pinpoint him."

Jazz sighed in relief, tilting her head back. Everything was falling into place, and soon, Danny would be safe by her side.

Danny woke up with a knife in his chest.

He choked, breathing in the air for the first time in a while. He couldn't feel a heartbeat, but the knife was too close to his core. It was too close to his fractured core. The weapon twisted, digging itself deeper, and he screamed silently in fear. His limbs spasmed, knocking into whoever was standing over him and throwing them across the room with a thud.

Free of the pressing weight, Danny rolled to the side, dropping to the floor and scrabbling at the knife still in his chest. Fabric was tangled with his legs, making it difficult to stand. Had he been placed in a bed? He jerked the knife out, letting it clatter to the ground.

Danny keened as precious ectoplasm leaked from his chest. From his core. Flaps of skin that hadn't healed yet tore back open, ripping fresh scabs and making him lightheaded. Half-formed organs were trying to slip free of his body, and he could barely scoop them back in. His fingers felt thick, and the task seemed endless. What if his core slipped out? How would he know? Could he catch it?

Was this how Dani felt when she was melting? He briefly wondered. A sob tore its way out of his throat. God, everything hurt so much. He tried to inhale, to breathe through the panic attack, but his lungs were either shriveled from disuse or missing. He couldn't breathe. Oh god, he couldn't breathe. The fabric felt like shackles against his legs, stiffing and trapping him further as ice crept through the room. He couldn't feel his lungs, he couldn't feel his heart, he couldn't feel his core. His core was here; he knew it. Where was it? Where was his soul?

Danny curled in on himself, letting go of his skin in favor of shoving a hand into his chest, searching for his tiny core amongst all the ectoplasm and body parts. It was like trying to find a ping pong ball in a pool of Oobleck. The base of his head felt heavy, and he just wanted to cry even more than he already was.

where is it where is it where is it

His body shuddered as Danny started folding in on himself. The heavy feeling got worse. Bones slipped from his joints and pressed oddly against his skin, making it poke out in strange positions. He screwed his eyes further shut as he kept reaching past his ribs. His fingers were ice cold and sent shocks up his spine, making him spasm again. Flimsy organs were slipping past his arm; he tried not to pierce them as they landed back onto the floor with an ugly splat.

Danny kept crying, even as he felt the tips of his fingers finally brush his core. It was ice cold, colder than his skin. He could feel a deep crack in the surface, and he mourned for himself as he pulled his arm back out of his body. He wanted to scream so bad. To yell. To wail. To call for his family and friends and heal in his haunt surrounded by love.

But he didn't have any of that right now. His parents had given him away to the GIW, saying he just needed help, that he just needed to be fixed. That he needed healing. His haunt wasn't safe anymore, and Sam and Tucker had to stay behind to protect the other ghosts. Jazz wasn't even home the last time he checked. And now he was somewhere new, having a meltdown as he lost more blood than he cared to think about. He felt so goopy.

Danny's ears twitched as footsteps rushed towards his room. Was he underground? Everything was echoing. The person he'd tossed sat patiently against the far wall, probably staring at the mess he'd made. He was still whining in a high-pitched kind of way, which was his version of a ghost sob. The door burst open, making him flinch, but he was too weak to defend himself with ice. Danny could only lay there and try to pull himself back together.

"The boy is awake."

One of Ra's messengers bowed deeply to him, eyes cast to the floor. The papers he'd been going over were forgotten as he shoved them aside and focused on the messenger.

"I heard he was not due to wake until his organs regrew." Ra's commented lightly.

The messenger's frame tightened up a fraction. "The Demon's Thumb has returned," they intoned. "And has decided to greet the new Demon's Heir."

Ra's hummed, standing up. "I suppose I should have expected this. News does travel quite fast these days." He gestured for the messenger to lead the way, and they stood to do so. The walk from his main office to the medical wing was short as more of his retainers gathered around him. Dr. Vanessa, a thin woman with a vicious fire in her eyes, rushed to join his little circle as they passed the research hall.

"I apologize, sir." She seemed harried, if not a little ticked off. "My calculations must have been off. I-"

"It was not your fault, doctor." Ra's cut her off. "My granddaughter seems to have stopped by for a visit and wanted to pay her respects to the new heir, it seems."

"Ah." Dr. Vanessa's anger at herself vanished, and her face was carefully blank. "In that case, I shall adjust the boy's treatment plan accordingly."

They said nothing else as they approached the boy's room, admittedly at a quick pace. The bind around Ra's heart was urging him forward, to be faster and be by the boy's side when he awoke. The mere knowledge that the boy was in danger made his blood boil as his body revolted against this mind. By the heavens, he couldn't wait for this contract to be fulfilled. He hated magic so much.

Turning the final corner, a loud, keening cry assaulted everyone's ears. Dr. Vanessa flinched. A few guards pulled out their weapons, adopting a more defensive position. Ra's could barely stop himself from rushing through the group during the last few steps. He grits his teeth as another opens the door.

They were treated to the sight of a frost-covered room. The boy was on the floor, tangled in his blankets as he tried to shove unfinished organs, which was a gaping hole that led to nothing. Lazarus water was leaking from his body in copious amounts. His skin was practically translucent, and Ra's could spy his bones shifting unnaturally underneath it all, creating strange angles and planes that did not belong to a human. The boy's eyes were screwed shut, and he was crying even more Lazarus water, but Ra's would bet that his eyes were glowing that same bright green. The keening noise seemed to be coming from him, even though his mouth was shut tight.

Ra's glanced around again. A knife was on the floor next to the boy's head, covered in his blood. Mara al Ghul, his granddaughter and leader of the Demon's Fist, was sitting against the far wall with thick sheets of ice covering her from the neck down, trapping her in place. She was still wearing her mask, so Ra's couldn't see her face, but he knew she wasn't happy. Foolish girl.

Dr. Vanessa glanced at him. "May I approach the patient?" She asked. Ra's nodded his approval, and she cautiously stepped forward, trying to avoid the puddles of bodily fluids.

The doctor knelt, and she adopted a soft look to soothe the boy. "Hello, young man." Her voice dripped with honey. She reached out to tap the boy on his shoulder. "My name is Dr. Vanessa, and I'm-" She got cut off as soon as she made contact. A flash of light blinded everyone, and suddenly, Vanessa was encased with ice. She was essentially a statue now, still with a sweet look on her face.

Interesting. Ra's thought. One of his attendants moved the frozen doctor out of the way so he could walk forward, stopping right at the edge of the Lazarus water.

"Boy," he ordered. "Listen."

The boy's cry petered off at the sound of a human voice and he cracked his eyes open, staring straight at Ra's unblinkingly. He warbled something in a language that grated on everyone's minds. Ra's understood him, though, and switched tongues as easily as he would clothes.

"Boy," he repeated. His voice cracked, and Ra's could feel his granddaughter's burning questions engraved into his back. No one had heard him speak like this before. However, the boy finally opened both eyes wide, which he counted as a win. His interest was piqued. "Boy, listen to me."

The boy's mouth didn't move as he replied, "Hurts..."

"I know. But you are hurting others, and hurting yourself. Let us help."

The boy shivered. "Hurts. Can't. Pain."

"My people will not harm you," Ra's promised. The weight of the promise hung in the air like a bird, and the boy's eyes widened. Making promises in the tongue of the dead was a serious thing. "Calm yourself, and let us help you into bed. You are losing lifeblood. We cannot help if you freeze my people."

A humorless laugh was his reply. "Already dead." The boy informed him. "Almost dead again. It hurts. Please?"

Ra's motioned for the assassins to pick the boy up. He squeezed his eyes shut as hands touched his body but relaxed as one of them handed him his liver like it was a stuffed toy. The ice in the room started melting, releasing the two ladies from their bonds. The attending nurse quickly got to work collecting all the extra things that had fallen out of his body and placing them gently back inside the boy's gaping chest like he was playing Operation.

Once he was situated with all his goopy organs back in his body, the boy tried apologizing to Mara and Vanessa. "Sorry for the cold." He rasped.

Mara glanced at her grandfather, who didn't bother to translate. "I will be informing Mother Soul of this development," she said stiffly before turning and marching out of the room, two assassins at her heel. Dr. Vanessa was likewise escorted out to be taken care of.

Ra's stepped closer to the boy's bed. He didn't pay any mind to the blood, Lazarus goop, and now melting ice that stained his robes; they could be replaced. But he needed answers. He needed to figure out how to get out of this deal with the Gardener. And he needed to know how much power one child could offer him.

"Child." The boy looked lazily up at him. The effort of being awake was taking its toll. "I am Ra's al Ghul, the leader here. May I have your name?"

"Mmm." Some of the boy's bones shifted as he wiggled around, trying to relieve the weird pressure pressing against his skin. Ra's reckoned his whole skeleton might be out of place. "Call me Phantom," he eventually hummed.

Ra's knew that wasn't the boy's true name, but he'd work with it for now. He simply inclined his head in acknowledgment, watching as Phantom started nodding back off to sleep. Oh dear. He couldn't let him rest yet; Ra's needed answers.

"Do you know why you are here, Phantom?"

The boy licked his cracked lips, but still couldn't use his voice. His words were just echoing into the air like he was projecting his thoughts for everyone to hear. "No..."

"You were given to me. By a being who called themselves the Gardener. I am to take care of you."

"In exchange for what?" Phantom was struggling to stay awake. But he instantly caught onto the double meaning, which proved he had a brain somewhere.

Ra's considered his words. "Power," he said simply. "I care for you as if you were my own, and in exchange, you would be the key to granting unimaginable power and knowledge."

Phantom wrinkled his nose but seemed to accept that answer. "Undergrowth is so shady sometimes. But I'll acknowledge the deal between you two. Let me take a quick nap, and then you can let me know what you need..." He trailed off as sleep finally claimed him.

The Demon's Head wasn't pleased that the conversation was cut short, but the bind around his heart had loosened its noose, and he felt it was unavoidable. Now that his foolish granddaughter was out of the way, he would leave and return later. Phantom, while boyish in nature, seemed quite mature once he was lucid enough to talk. Perhaps Ra's wouldn't regret making him the Heir.

Jazz was getting antsy. It had been weeks, and they still hadn't found Danny. Raiding GIW bases with just the four of them took a toll on the group, especially since they kept losing supplies (like her beloved creep-stick, RIP). A few times, Danielle had to fly off and keep the peace in other cities, as the ghosts were finding different ways into the mortal realm now that Amity was shut off from the world. She'd taken up Danny's name as Phantom and was exhausted from flying across the country constantly. So, really, it was mostly the three of them.

Luckily, Kitty and Johnny showed up recently, and Dani got them to spread the word about Danny's disappearance and the group's country-wide manhunt. No ghosts had shown up since then.

"We're here," Tucker snapped her out of her thoughts, pulling her to an instant stop. This was one of the four bases Tucker had narrowed their search to. They'd destroyed the other three, gathering evidence and doing what was necessary to defeat the agents inside. And now they were standing in front of the final one, deep inside Yellowstone National Park. It looked like a rest stop with a bathroom, but Jazz knew that the compound was actually underground and most likely ten times the size of the shack.

Sam wrinkled her nose. "This place looks abandoned," She noticed. "At least the others had a front going on. I don't want to ride in a dirty bathroom that's really an elevator. I'd rather go back and fight those creepy clown performers from the pizza place."

"I can just phase us down." Danielle offered.

Jazz shook her head. "Nah, you need to save your energy, kiddo. Who knows how deep this one is."

Tucker crouched, fiddling with his PDA. "This spot does have a front," he told Sam. "It's a rare geocache spot. The only hint for it online that I can find is a shitty riddle that was posted, like, last week."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Uh, here. It says:

Below the keep, just six feet deep, lays a weathered path, born from wrath. A white beast rests, who troubles his guests, so find the key, and beware the banshee."

Danielle snorted. "You're right. That riddle sucks. Who wrote that? Skulker?"

Jazz smiled but considered the words seriously. "I mean, it seems pretty literal if you know the context behind it. Why not search for the cache and see if it has a key?"

"Good idea."

With that plan in mind, the four split up to scan the terrain. None of them had ever been geocaching before, but it was a popular tourist activity around Amity. It shouldn't be that hard, could it?

The answer was yes, it was. The group searched for an hour before Tucker finally gave in and sat on a log to take a break. The log promptly crumbled in half, and Tucker shouted in surprise as he landed ass-first on a hard tackle box.

"Oh, come on!" He groaned. "This log isn't even made of plastic! It's cardboard! Who makes a geocache out of cardboard?? It literally rained last night, my ass is wet now!"

Danielle giggled for the first time in weeks. Jazz ruffled her hair, earning a swat of protest, and then walked over to help Tucker to his feet. Sam swooped in to claim the first dibs on the box as soon as he was clear.

The lock was no issue for her as she simply bashed it open with a sharp rock. Sam seemed eager to find more clues and crowed triumphantly when she dug out a key card still attached to a GIW lanyard. "Fucking finally!"

"Good job, Sam." The four gathered around the tackle box. The card seemed legit, right down to the near-invisible security numbers engraved on the back. Their enhanced eyesight allowed them to spot that detail, which was a blessing when sniffing out fake leads.

Dani shot up excitedly. The fact that they were so close to finding Danny renewed the spark in her eyes. "I'll go look for the entrance!" She sped off, turning invisible to avoid any inside cameras. She found it within minutes, and returned to share the good news.

It was, indeed, in the tiny bathroom.

Sam groaned. "I need to learn to keep my mouth shut."

"I'm fine with that, honestly. You loud-mouthed mother-OW!" Tucker stumbled through the doorway to the bathroom, too slow to avoid the whack Sam had given him.

"That's 'loud-mouthed BITCH' to you," she scolded playfully.

The eldest shook her head and ignored them. The bathroom truly was tiny, and hadn't seen the loving touch of a mop in years. Spiders were making webs in the corners and Jazz was pretty sure something had been using the toilet as a litter box. It looked awful and smelled even worse. A smug look from Danielle told her that the girl had simply stopped breathing, and therefore didn't have to deal with the scent of actual bear shit.

She ignored Danielle, too. Jazz could feel her little sister's smugness radiating as they searched everywhere for the secret card scanner. Jazz couldn't stop her organs at will yet, and the twins always took full advantage of that to mess with her. They eventually figured out that the empty soap dispenser was what they were looking for, and the scanner beeped when they swiped the card. The whole room started to shake as they moved down.

Sam and Tucker stopped their petty back-and-forth as they heard the grinding of the elevator cable. "When was the last time this was used?" Tucker sounded alarmed.

"Probably when they built it." Sam grimaced at the sight of the dirty toilet water moving and pointedly moved to stare at the wall. "I want to set myself on fire right now. This is so gross."

"I'll hand you the match."

"I will douse you in gasoline, Tucker."

"Not the time, guys!" Jazz glanced at the ceiling, where she imagined the cable would connect. It squealed and screeched, but eventually, the world's worst elevator trip came to an end, and the one wall with nothing attached to it split open to reveal the pristine tunnel of a GIW facility. All four of them bolted for the hallway, and not just because they were eager to start trashing the place.

"Danny better fucking be here because I do not want to ride that thing ever again." Gasping, Sam rested her arms on her legs, breathing in stale, underground air. At least it didn't stink.

Danielle giggled again (that was twice now!!) and changed forms. "I'll go scout ahead," she informed them. Jazz bid her good luck before she faded from visibility. She wasn't too worried about the girl. Dani had her radio and knew to avoid GIW sensors as a ghost.

Tucker lay on the ground, staring into nothing while they waited. "My ass is still wet," he commented after a few moments of silence.

"No one needs to know that, Tucker."

"Too bad. I might get a rash from this. Did you know I ran out of underwear last week? I'm on my last pair, and now I'm gonna get a fucking diaper rash from them."

Sam gagged. "That's disgusting. Don't tell me this shit. I'm cursing your bloodline just for that."

"You gotta tell me these things," Jazz chided. "I would have gotten you a new set."

Tucker waved his arm in a 'whatever' motion. "Eh, honestly, it isn't that bad right now. I've done worse. Danny and I once tried to see how long we could go without showering or changing in middle school. I went two weeks before my parents hog-tied me and hosed me down in the front yard. Danny managed to go a full month before you did the same."

Realization struck Jazz and her eyes widened. "That's what that was about? Oh my god, he was yowling like a cat when I caught him, and it took three rounds of shampoo just to wash his hair! He's never forgiven me for it!"

"Sounds about right." Tucker shrugged. "I promised him a ticket to the observatory if he won, but you caught him the day of the showing, and he missed it."

"Why don't I remember this?" Sam demanded.

"It was right before y'all moved to town. It's the incident that caused the 'Fenturd' nickname."

Jazz put her head in her hands and groaned. Sometimes, she really wanted to smack her brother.

Danielle popped back into existence, making all three of them jump. Her mood had drastically changed, and she seemed really uncomfortable. "As interesting as that story is, and I definitely want to hear about it later," she said nervously. "This whole place has already been raided. There's no one here except a couple of soulless bodies. And an open portal. Someone was here before us."

All three shot up. "Lead the way," Jazz demanded. Everyone ran down the still-pristine hallway. Barely any dust had settled, and none of them smelled blood. Who had gotten here first?

They slid to a stop before a big metal door. Dani ducked through it to open it from the other side, and everyone was assaulted with the smell of rotting bodies and days-old blood as soon as it started moving. The door was literally so thick it had trapped everything inside. Including some agents, it seemed. A few bodies were pressed against the door and fell toward them when it opened. Tucker screeched and jumped back.

Sam, a true crime girlie at heart, crouched to examine the closest one. "Their fingers are worn through, almost to the bone," she noticed. "I bet if we closed the door again, we'd find scratch marks."

Dani floated above the corpses. "Yeah, it looks like something cut off all the exits and hunted them one by one."

"But what killed them?"

Sam toed a body until it flipped over. The eyes of the agent had been ripped from their skull, and frostbite warped their skin so bad she couldn't tell what their original features were. Danielle floated closer to Jazz, looking highly uncomfortable. "Danny's ecto is all over the place," she whispered. "He was definitely here."

"Right." Jazz hardened her heart. She was here to find her brother, not feel sorry for brutally mutilated government agents. "Let's get going. Stick to the battle buddy system, and keep your comms on."

They proceeded cautiously, only touching a body if it blocked their path or to find a key card. Tucker remarked that if this was a horror game, he probably would have played it, but living it was so much worse. Every single corpse had its eyes removed, and it was starting to wear on Jazz's mind. Dani mentioned their souls were gone, too.

Eventually, after some detours and backtracking, they reached the labs where Danny would have been held. Rage filled Jazz's chest as she saw ectoplasm mixed in with the bloodstains. A table had been set up to restrain a ghost with specialized handcuffs that had FENTONWORKS printed across them in bright green letters. Shattered glass was scattered across the floor and a few organs were decaying quite rapidly. A scientist was slumped across the table, a small knife still in hand. Jazz kicked the corpse.

Without Danielle telling her, she could feel it. This is where Danny had been tortured. Probably vivisected, too. Those were his organs that were rotting on the floor. His blood stains the ceiling. She was seeing red. She wanted to scream. Her baby brother had been tortured by these horrible people, and she didn't even get to kill them??

Danielle tugged on her arm, quietly bringing her back to herself. "The portal," she reminded Jazz. "It's in the next room."

"Sam, Tucker, see what you can recover from in here." Jazz gritted her teeth and let Dani guide her away from that room. "Dani's gonna show me the portal. Scream if you need us."

"Be careful!" Sam called back.

They left the room, going two doors down to what looked like a near-perfect copy of the Fenton's lab. She stiffened as she spied the portal. It wasn't set into the wall like the original but rather floated a few feet in the air in front of it. It looked like a tear in reality, similar to something Wulf could make, but on a much larger scale. She felt dwarfed by it, and dreaded to think about what could come through a portal this size.

Dani pointed out some blinking computers, the only ones still with power inside the entire compound. "They were working on a new portal," she said. "The Fentons sold their research. I'm not sure how we missed it, but they were really close to getting it figured out."

"This isn't from the GIW?" Jazz asked, gesturing to the behemoth of a disaster still swirling next to them.

"No, I don't think so," Danielle zoned out. Her eyes glowed, and she looked at things Jazz couldn't see. "This was opened from the other side. I think someone broke in, took Danny, and left after killing everyone."

"Someone from the Ghost Zone?" Jazz frowned. She bent over the computer, trying to click around for security footage. "But who do we know that is strong enough to kill everyone so physically? Vlad swore to never interact with us again, even if it was life or death. Undergrowth would have left plants behind, Nocturn doesn't like killing in the mortal realm, and Vortex can't sustain himself underground. None of the normal rogues are strong enough, either. Unless they got Desiree to help?"

"Nah, she may be a bitch, but she refuses to participate in murder of any kind. Plus, she's a neat freak. This isn't her work. It isn't Ghost Writer either; he doesn't like writing horror stories."

"What about Frostbite or Pandora?"

Dani wrinkled her nose. "Maybe? Frostbite is a pacifist who is more likely to rescue Danny without killing anyone. And the portal is too small to let Pandora through. She could've sent her warriors, though."

"It was Danny."

Jazz glanced up from the computer. Sam and Tucker were standing in the door, looking pale.

"We pulled recordings from the labs dating back two months. Danny was the one who killed everyone."

"...Pardon? It's only been a few weeks since he disappeared."

"I don't know." Tucker frantically typed away at his PDA, pulling up the downloaded footage and shoving it in Jazz's face. "But it's definitely him. I pulled their files, too. They were looking into time travel, Jazz. The day Danny showed up in their records, Operative K and Operative O were also logged in, even though they were 100% still in Amity during that time. They suddenly added on the time travel stuff a day later."

Jazz zoned out, numb to Tucker's near-hysterical rant. She just watched the tiny screen blankly as Danny was tortured over and over again but refused to give up the secrets the agents were asking for. Every time he refused, he was punished by having his organs taken away and put into jars for study. Then he'd be pumped full of pure ectoplasm, and just like Prometheus, he was back the next day with fresh organs for harvest. The dates in the recording went back weeks. Way before Danny disappeared.

Dani sobbed and looked away from the screen. Jazz couldn't even blink. The turning point in the experiments was when they brought in a little girl, a human girl, in front of Danny. The girl was about five, probably homeless or kidnapped, with pretty blonde hair done up in pigtails. Jazz noted she had been crying and had the number '27' pinned to her shirt. Danny was wary, sure it was a trick until he spotted something off-screen that they couldn't see. He jerked forward, straining to reach the girl, panic in his eyes.

But he couldn't reach her. Two scientists simply wrote down some observations before nodding in the same direction Danny was looking. Without asking a single question, the agents killed the little girl in front of Danny.

Jazz's hands shook as tears filled her eyes. Danny, her sweet baby brother, looked on in horrified shock as the cameras switched. Agents dumped the girl's body in a barrel of ectoplasm and waited patiently until a blue wisp rose from it. Then, using a Fenton peeler, they zapped the child's soul without mercy. Normally, the peeler stripped the disguise off a ghost to reveal their real form. But to a fresh soul as weak as that?

Her soul was burned into nothing.

Danny started screaming and imploded in on himself like a star.

The camera blacked out for a few moments, flickering between glimpses of her brother and blackness. She barely recognized him. His form had warped into something unrealistic. Something straight out of a movie. He was impossibly large now, barely able to walk on two legs when he stood amongst his broken restraints. His chest was a gaping cavern, and when he turned towards the camera, she could spy his tiny core exposed to the world. It was acting like a black hole, pulling at Danny's own skin and flesh like it was trying to suck him in. It was beautiful and strange in a horrible way.

He was too fast for the camera to really keep up with, but Tucker had doctored it to slow down each frame. Danny's face was splitting in two from a silent scream. His hair was flowing wildly, falling over his body, so it looked like he had a white, shaggy cloak.

His hunt never stopped. He didn't slow or hesitate to pounce on everyone he saw. His body was stained red from the gouging of people's eyes, which was the fastest way to reach a human soul. The group watched in horror as Danny leaned over his victims, opening his splitting maw even wider and devouring every soul he could, ensuring that they wouldn't even get peace in death. The churning of his core was getting worse, and at some point, he was spreading ice with every step he took. It looked like he was really struggling to stay standing by the time a few scientists were the only ones left in the compound. Jazz was afraid of what would happen if he collapsed completely. Would his core devour him?

At some point, the cameras really did die, and the screen went dark. Jazz realized she was crying, and moved to give the PDA back to Tucker.

"There's more," he shook his head. "But we didn't watch that far ahead because an outside force added it when I downloaded everything."

Like he said, the screen crackled back to life after a moment. The group realized it was from Danny's point of view. All the agents were dead, and he was stumbling through the halls in a daze, unable to keep his bigger form. He finally made it to the room they were in now, probably drawn to the familiarity of the lab layout. Before he could reach the unfinished portal, however, the freestanding one opened and out stepped a very familiar figure.

"Clockwork?" Jazz muttered, surprised.

As if hearing his name, Clockwork looked directly through Danny, straight at her. "The flow of time has been disrupted." He said softly. "I'll take our young Guardian here to a safe place. We have much to talk about, Miss Jasmine. You, too, Samantha, Tucker, and Danielle. I'll see you soon."

Then, the older ghost's focus switched back to Danny, and it was like he'd never spoken to them at all.

"Daniel," he coaxed. "It's time to go."

Danny groaned but stumbled forward and passed out in Clockwork's arms, promptly ending the video.

Silence descended over the room. Jazz could hear blood rushing through her body, and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She thought over what they'd found in the facility, about the state of Amity Park, her parents, and most importantly, her brother. About how he was tortured to the brink of insanity and how he still found it in his heart to love others. To protect them. To care and grieve for someone he'd never met. He must be feeling so much hurt.

Deciding on the next step was easy.

"We need to find Clockwork."

[I realized the timeline is kinda confusing, and I promise it'll all match up in the next chapter, but here's a chart on what it looks like right now so it's easier to understand.]

[The top one is the timeline Ra's and the rest of the DC characters are on. The middle is Jazz and the others. Danny is separate from both timelines right now because of the Time Medallion that Dan forced into his core. Right before the start of the story, which is marked in bright colors, Danny and the agents he's traveling with get involved in a time anomaly and are transported two months into the past. The agents still take him to the Yellowstone compound, but the incident makes the GIW speed-run their research on the Ghost Zone and, now, time travel. The timelines sync up again when Tucker finds the video from Clockwork. The total amount of time that has passed since the start of the story to the sync-up is about three weeks.]

#pondhead writes #dpxdc #the folly of men fic #long post #really long post #why did i decide to do multiple POVs #living my worst life rn #lemme know if i made mistakes #i'm posting this at two am cause fuck it we ball

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askror · 5 months ago

Note

To Mayor Willett (or the towns people in general I suppose?), I've been curious, how did you end up modeling the statue Surge got? Was there a particular photo, or was it just everyone's best memory of her?

"Oh, that's easy." The old man smiled warmly, turning his back and fetching a framed picture from off of the table by the fireplace, which sported a surprisingly large collection of them. When he returned to aiming it at the viewscreen, what was on it was... Well, the pose was there. A tenrec with a great big jagged gash of a grin, pointing to the sky above in front of her. Yep, that's the statue!

Wait. Who are those screaming dudes?

---

"Now if a single one of you even breathes the wrong way, you're all dead!"

The five men waved their guns across the cowering crowd that had been unfortunate enough to be visiting the Winterburg Bank that sleepy Friday afternoon. It had been an easy job thus far; then again, that was to be expected in a podunk town like this. Two police officers? Was that really all they'd had? And they weren't even armed! They'd ended up hostages just like everyone else easily enough.

"Hurry up with the damn vault," the leader, a lanky stringbean of a weasel, called over his shoulder. The burly bear who was currently setting an explosive charge on the small vault door grumbled indistinctly over his shoulder; he was slacking because they were in the middle of nowhere. On one hand, he sympathized; ever since they'd escaped Central City prison, the swath of turned-over banks they'd left in their wake had sported a lot of close calls. But still! They had places to be and stolen money to spend. Just because nobody was going to interfere with them-

The bell over the door jingled.

"Drippy, I seriously don't see the point of opening a bank account. Are you gonna start making me wear a friggin' suit and tie next?"

"Ma'am, if we're going to begin going on the straight and narrow, we need to stop stealing things. Being caught is going to make upholding our reputation a lot more difficult. And I also think you'd look really good in a suit and tie!"

"Can't I just use cash? I just… Wait, you really think I'd look good all fancy and snobby-dressed? Huh. Well, maybe-"

"HEY!"

The fennec and tenrec were babbling back and forth with each other as they entered the bank, completely oblivious to the armed men and hostages at gunpoint they were walking past. When the pair looked up, they were greeted with a mass of men standing in a quickly formed circle around them, each holding a mismatched collection of firearms trained on them. Surge blinked several times in succession.

"Don't you move a goddamn inch! Get down on the ground with your hands behind your head!" The weasel shouted in annoyance, waving a machine pistol in her direction.

"…. Hey, uh. Drippy. Did we do something to piss the bank guards off?" Surge asked with a frown, hands remaining in her pockets. "I don't think I've ever even been in here before."

"Are you listening?! I said get on the ground!" The weasel applied his best roar, which admittedly sounded a little more like a nasal wheeze.

"I believe they're robbing the bank, ma'am," Kit said sheepishly. "None of them have uniforms unless you count ski masks."

"Oh, I thought they were like… Ski guards. Like if you get outta here with one of those big bags with a dollar sign on it, they'd do a big downhill ski chase scene with you."

"HEY!" The weasel shook his gun as his anger mounted.

"WHAT?!" Surge bellowed back, "I'M RIGHT HERE! WHY ARE WE YELLING?!"

And then he fired. The machine pistol rattled angrily, a spray of bullets barking in Surge's direction. The green girl's body became an imperceptible blur, sparks shooting off of her and the fresh smell of ozone filling the room. The majority of the shots simply flew past her and turned the front door of the bank into a spectacle of shattering glass. Guns were so… Slow. Sure, okay, not everyone could turn on their Overcharge and just boredly move around it, but still! Super unsatisfying weapons. As if to punctuate this, she stopped her movements by simply snagging one of the rounds out of the air.

"You really friggin' did it now, bozo." The weasel's jaw dropped; naturally, he hadn't seen any of that. She'd moved far too fast. From his point of view, it looked like his shots had just gone through her, and now he was staring at a very angry tenrec who had lighting coming off of her in jagged tendrils and her little friend who currently had two blood-red glowing eyes as slithering watery serpents began to slide from the contraption on his back.

"T-Those are our town heroes!" A small, faltering little voice came from somewhere in the bank among the hostages. "She's gonna beat you guys to kingdom come!"

"Heh. Yeah! Hell yeah! You tell 'em, Frank!" Surge grinned wildly with teeth so big and sharp and white that the bank robbers could very nearly see their faces reflected in them.

"And after it's over, Surge's gonna carry me right out of here and-"

"Uuuugh, shut up, Frank," she groaned.

"E… Enough! Let's see you dodge this, you talking bug zapper! FILL 'EM WITH LEAD, BOYS!" The men around her didn't really get a chance to fire after this command. At least not unimpeded. What followed was a blur, far too complex and involved for the weasel to follow, but for those with the benefit of superspeed sensory, it was quite a spectacle.

Those watery tendrils that had been rising out of Kit suddenly branched off into all directions, lashing and smashing at knees and ankles. Thugs aplenty screamed as they were knocked and flung into the air, breaking the ring they had built around the pair in an instant.

That part was chaotic and easy enough to follow, but not Surge as she began to blaze along the surface of Kit's hydro-tails, hopping between each victimizer-turned-victim. Cackling like a mad demon, she began to punch and kick each of them aside. Jaws slid as their owners were clocked with electricity-tinged hooks to the face. Several were sent rocketing not only towards the roof of the bank but through it as kicks and upward knees found their home. She danced from tendril to tendril as though they were platforms, and chaos and pain followed her every time she deigned to stop.

The weasel stumbled backward; once again, it had been a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but this time, the resulting blink had ended with all of his gang smeared across the bank. Men groaned deliriously as they lay draped under furniture or with their heads smashed through desks. A good five or six of them had been dumped into an ignominious pile, their guns stacked neatly atop themselves in a manner that seemed to suggest she was trying to see if she could jenga-tower them up there without having them fall over.

But worst of all, the tenrec was now walking towards him, fists clenched, eyes full of violent delight. Behind her, the fennec flowed like a shadow, feet not touching the ground as he went, arms to either side in a limp crucifix as a swirl of water carried him along like a chthonic terror of some sort.

He dropped his gun on the floor, hands flying up over his head in the most dramatic way possible as they reached a few feet ahead of him, his entire body shaking: "I surrender! I surrender! Holy crap, I give up, just don't kill me!"

The tenrec looked at his trembling face, then down at his gun for a moment, before her gaze settled on his face. Her razor-tipped grin seemed wide enough to swallow the room: "Pick it up."

"W-What?"

"Pick. It. Up."

The weasel, who at this point had begun to feel the world had become a waking nightmare, hesitated only a moment longer. He leaned down, hands out to scoop the gun up again as he was told. He made it about halfway through the motion before his head came into range for Surge, who promptly clasped her hand around his neck and proceeded to huck him over her head and slam him down headfirst. The weasel landed with a brutal impact on the tile, body momentarily going rigid and straight as though he were a lawn dart before finally wilting into a crumpled unconscious mess at Surge's feet.

There was a brief segment of silence before the eruption of cheers and cries came, as it always would.

—

"So, yes about, five minutes later, my wife and I walked in to make a deposit. Surge had gathered all of the bank robbers into a stack and was standing on top of it alternating between flexing like a pro wrestler and dramatically pointing at the sky while everyone clapped. Fortunately, my wife takes that digital camera I got her for the holidays everywhere she goes." He chuckled fondly, setting the picture back down.

"...She certainly made a lot of noise. But that was what was so fun about her, I think. Winterburg's such a quiet place… I think, outside of saving everyone's bacon one way or another through her stay, the best thing that those two did was remind us old timers how fun it can be to make a little noise now and then."

The return to a sleepy town was an inevitable thing, but the people wouldn’t forget, and that was important. And the statue? Not only did Surge deserve it, it would help them remember.

#road out of ruin #sonic idw #surge the tenrec #kit the fennec #Mayor Willett

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stardustandmeteors · 11 months ago

Text

home ✷ sylvie l. x fem! reader

SPOILER WARNING FOR LOKI SEASON 2 EPISODE 2

pairing: Sylvie & Reader (romantic)

summary: with the help of Brad, Loki and Mobius successfully found Sylvie, who worked at a McDonald's with the woman she couldn't imagine life without.

Literally just finished Loki season 2, and my love for Sylvie returned, so here is a little one shot of Sylvie on the timeline with the only person she truly trusts. I also don't own Loki, the characters, nor do I own the gif used in this.

Sylvie worked meticulously behind the counter as y/n worked alongside her up front, humming to a song that was stuck in her head. The blonde near her couldn't help but send the woman a small gentle smile, which y/n caught and grinned at her with adoration in her eyes. Sylvie really couldn't get enough of the love this midgaurdian would give her. "Hey, can either of you refill the straw dispenser when one of you gets a sec?" Jack spoke to the two women, Sylvie went past y/n and leaned on the counter in front of the cash register.

"already done it." Sylvie smiled at him.

"she's always on the top of things, Jack, you need to remember that." y/n laughed, bringing an order up towards the front. Jack shook his head at them. "Bill, order's up." y/n called out. She handed the tray to the man.

"Thanks, y/n" she smiled. The younger woman felt Sylvie tense beside her, the smile fading from the blonde's lips. y/n looked to her friend and gently touched her arm. "Syl?" The Asgardian didn't move or acknowledge her, her focus was on her male variant. y/n followed her gaze towards the door, to see a man with raven locks. Him and Sylvie looked so similar yet different it kind of creeped her out. He moved towards them, he glanced at y/n beside Sylvie, who tilted her head in confusion.

"hi." The man said, looking back at Sylvie, who was a little skeptical of her male counterpart.

"hi." Sylvie said a bit forcefully, taking y/n's hand and pulling it from her shoulder gently. y/n let it fall to her side as she watched them, curious. "Listen, I haven't got all day. You're gonna order something? Or, what?" She asked, agitated. Oh, y/n hates when she's agitated.

"can we talk?" He glanced at y/n, "privately." She raised a brow. She wasn't sure he noticed her anymore, considering the way he seemed to have his eyes set on Sylvie. The blonde sighed, putting a hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"you actually acknowledged me, and all this time I thought you were ignoring me cause you have the hots for my roommate?" She crossed her arms.

"charmed." The man couldn't help but say.

"my breaks in five minutes." Sylvie said, shoving away from the counter, her back turned to them. he looked back at y/n who stuck her tongue at him, turning away to help Sylvie. He stood there for a moment, processing what had happened, before leaving.

"so, Syl, who was tall, dark, and broody?" She pointed towards the retreating figure. Sylvie sighed.

"remember what I told you a few months back?" Sylvie asked. y/n hummed.

"yeah, about the TVA, and how you were a wanted Variant, and you ran into you -- oh. Oh!" Sylvie chuckled. "Wait, so that's your Male Variant?" She whispered to Sylvie.

"yup. Honestly, I have nothing to do with him or the TVA anymore. All I need right now is you and this timeline." y/n shied away and continued to work, a dorky smile on her lips. y/n's heart sored high into the skies at the declaration Sylvie did. This blonde woman didn't know what she did to the Midgaurdian.

"I'm glad you feel that way Syl, and I'm definitely glad I'm on your good side." She laughed, Sylvie chuckled, nudging her. "Hey, my breaks before yours, only a few minutes, but I could come and be your emotional support." y/n suggested. Sylvie smiled.

"yeah, I'd like that. To hell what he said," Sylvie laughed. y/n smiled.

✷

The two women walked out from the back, rounding the corner to where Loki had been standing, waiting for Sylvie. His brows raised when he saw y/n. "I thought I said alone?"

"you said privately. That's very different." y/n smiled towards him, her hands occupied with her launch.

"it's a short break, so talk fast." Sylvie chimed in, drinking some of her soda. She went to her truck and unlatched the tailgate, as y/n climbed onto it, sitting down as she drank some of her own soda. Sylvie sat down next to her.

"with her here?" He asked.

"with me here buddy boy," y/n was starting to get onto his nerves and she could tell. There was a long silence until he decided to break it.

"uh, I know I'm the last person you want to see." Loki started.

"correct." Sylvie said. He sighed.

"I, uh... I haven't come here to make trouble." He said, trying to calm her down. It didn't work of course.

"then why are you here?" She asked.

"uh... This is gonna sound strange. Stranger to her I'm certain," he pointed to y/n who was munching on her food. "But... There's been a problem. It's complicated." He looked at her then to y/n, "does she really need to be here."

"it's nothing I haven't heard before. TVA related I believe?" y/n smirked. It came naturally to her after spending so much time with Sylvie. The blonde tried to stifle her laughter.

"you told her?" He was completely astounded that Sylvie would trust a normal Midgaurdian with that sort of information. Sylvie shrugged.

"don't worry, space boy, I haven't told anyone. Plus, I'd be called crazy anyways," y/n shrugged, leaning slightly on Sylvie as she drank more of her drink. Loki shook his head, being sidetracked wasn't on his schedule.

"I've been pulled through time. Between the past and the present. I was in the past..." Loki trailed off, the word "space boy" echoing in his head as a memory he saw of Sylvie and y/n. He didn't know that this was her until she called him that.

He watched the elevator doors be pried open, two figures inside, both women. Sylvie and her companion y/n, who helped keep the doors opened with the pruning stick she had. "There you are, space boy. Was beginning to worry you got lost." He had watched her, tears stinging in his eyes as he saw the two women. He had been so scared, and was also mildly surprised to see a human with his female counterpart. Then he was pruned. His memory was hazy after being pruned, so he couldn't remember who the human was until now.

"oh, just get to the point, Loki." Sylvie said, adjusting a bit so y/n was comfortably leaning against her shoulder. Her hair brushing against the Blonde's cheek.

"Sylvie, I was in the future and I saw you. I saw you both." y/n sat up, her ears peeking at the mention of her being there to. Sylvie shifted uncomfortably. She wouldn't believe it. "The TVA is in danger. And you were there. She was also there. I need to know why." Now Sylvie knows she'd never let her best friend into the TVA. She'd never do it.

"so you see the future now? Cool." Sylvie said, sipping on her soda.

"it's not something I chose." Loki said.

"look, as much as I'd love to see the TVA burnt to the ground, I have no intention of going back there. My life's here now, with y/n, and I'm not running. I'm happy." Sylvie said. y/n gave Loki a smug look. "And no way in hell is she going there, ever." She put an emphasis on "ever" as she glared at her counterpart.

"explain what I saw, then." He said.

"I don't know. I don't care." She told him.

"it's the future. It's going to happen." He told the duo.

"is it? Really? Because that sounds a lot like the futures already been written. And we both know that it hasn't. Not anymore. I made sure of that." Sylvie was smug, and had momentarily forgotten her human companion who was now confused. What did Sylvie mean by that?

"enchant me. You can see what I saw." Loki said. Enchant?

"I don't want to see. I want nothing to do with this. I have no answer." She said. She was irritated and angry.

"if we don't work together, I can't guarantee how long this will be here. Or how long she'll be here." He pointed to y/n.

"you have some nerve coming here." She sneered.

"nerve? This is bigger than the TVA. This is about everything. You like it here? You like this place? You've made a home? You like her company? If what He Who Remains said is true, the TVA is the only defense. And if what I saw of you both is true, then there's nothing that stands between this world and utter destruction. Without THE TVA, all of this, everything... Is gone." y/n looked worried. Was her world going to unravel just like that? She knew her life was already altered when she met Sylvie, but would she end up like nothing with no home or timeline to go back to?

Sylvie hopped off the tailgate, helping y/n down as she put the gate up. "We've got to get back to work." She walked away, y/n following after as she gripped her wrist, trying to slow her down.

"Syl, slow down," Sylvie ignored her.

"you'll give everyone free will and walk away?" She turned to him, her fingers intertwining with y/n quickly. The Midgaurdian was surprised by the sudden hand holding. Loki's eyes locked onto their joined hand, also slightly surprised.

"that's the way it works. You're welcome." She said, gripping the other woman's hand.

"he shows up again, his Variants, what are you gonna do?" He asked.

"kill 'em." y/n looked at her with wide eyes. Kill them?

"sorry to interrupt. I think Brad's got something that he might want to get off his chest." The older man Loki came here and spoke, the duo turned to him, still hand in hand.

"Zaniac's getting a sequel. And you three are invited." Brad said. He wore the TVA jumpsuit.

"hey, we can wait all day." The older man said. She could only assume this was Mobius.

"no, we can't. We need to talk about this back at the TVA." Brad said as Loki came towards them.

"no. We can talk here. Now." Mobius said, grabbing his shoulder.

"now." Loki said. y/n grabbed onto Sylvie's arm, a little nervous. Sylvie grabbed her other hand and squeezed it lightly.

"fine. If we stay here, we're all gonna die. They're gonna die. Orange shirt, she's gonna die. Her little companion, dead. Most importantly, we are all gonna die. This is gone! Unless we..." Sylvie let her friend go and went to the man and used her powers to see what he saw. She let go.

"they're gonna bomb every branch." Sylvie said.

"yeah, including this one." Brad said.

"where do we go?" Loki asked.

"I'll show you." Sylvie said, she touched the pad on her wrist and changed her clothes.

y/n didn't care, all she cared about right now was to help save her home. Her family was her, and her friends. Everything she loved was here, and the woman she loved was gonna save their home, and she was gonna help.

After Mobius dropped Brad off to the TVA, y/n followed them through a Time Portal, all four ducked behind boxes. It seemed Sylvie noticed her friend next to her. "No, what are you doing?"

"you forget Syl, wherever you go, I go." y/n spoke. Sylvie groaned. She hated when y/n did that.

"what are they doing with the Time Doors?" Mobius asked.

"looks like they're connected to the Tempad's." Sylvie said, her dagger resting in her grip.

"maybe that's why Brad's was modified." Mobius said.

"they're killing everyone. Innocent people," y/n felt a tear slip down her cheek. The two Loki's and Mobius looked to the regular Variant human, all sympathetic towards her.

"minutemen are carrying reset charges." Mobius said, getting the attention from y/n.

"that's how they're bombing all the timelines at once. Connected to the control panel." Sylvie said, switching which hand holds her dagger as she rubs her friends back. She definitely owed y/n some ice cream and a movie night.

"that's our target." Mobius said, looking at an older woman behind a panel.

"I'll distract them." Loki said, which they agreed on. Loki got up and ran at a Minuteman and slammed him to the ground, whereas Sylvie used her magic to throw a ball of green at one of the Tempad pillars.

"our mission is compromised." The older woman said, as y/n ducked underneath an arm and kicked his legs out from underneath him, knocking him out in the process as she grabbed his Pruning stick. "Set off what you can!" She pruned one of the minutemen that came after her. All this time with Sylvie and she may have picked up a few things. She kicked another who came too close to her as he crashed into one of the pillars, breaking it.

"we're too late. Finish it!" y/n pruned another one, before roundhouse kicking another as she flipped her hair out of her face. She ran over towards Mobius and the two Loki's, swinging her Pruning stick with a smug smile as Sylvie held a hand out for Loki, her magic glowing in her palm.

"don't over think it." She said as Loki gripped her hand, before a sudden shock wave of magic knocked the rest out.

"holy shit!" y/n exclaimed. Sylvie and Loki smiled at her exclamation, glad someone liked their magic.

After some time, all of Dox's team and herself were captured by the TVA, with one of the minutemen coming towards Mobius. "Is this all of Dox's loyalists?" The man asked.

"everyone who did escape." He said. He turned to Loki and the two women, who sat side by side. "Loki, we need to go." Mobius said, going through a Time Door. Loki followed, glancing at the duo before entering.

Sylvie went after them along with y/n, who still held the stick tightly in her hands. The door closing on them as Loki looked at the two. y/n looked at the screen in front of them, knowing that those were branches. Those were people. People they could've saved. And now they're dead. What if her and Sylvie's home was dead too? "Those are people. Those are lives." A woman in the front said. Then beeping could be heard in the front.

"uh, guys, I got a hit on Renslayer's Tempad." One of the other people said, the other gathering around him as Loki looked towards the two women. Sylvie crossed her arms as she watched Loki come to them.

"Sylvie..." He started.

"is this the best you can do?" She asked, anger in her voice as y/n gripped the pruning stick in her hand. She was angry too. She could've saved them. They would've still been alive if that Bradley character didn't stall them.

"there was nothing we could do." Loki said.

"bullshit." y/n snarled, glaring at him. "We could've saved them, at least some of them." Her voice wavered. Loki looked at y/n and understood why Sylvie was so fond of her. She was carrying, even for people she has never met. She was a pure heart.

"some defense. The TVA is the problem. It's broken, it's rotten." Sylvie said, taking her Tempad and opening a door, "we're going home... If it's still there." She said, grabbing y/n and dragging her through.

"please, don't. It's harder..." The door closed, leaving him there. y/n and Sylvie didn't need this, any of it really. And they were one of the lucky survivors, because their timeline had been spared. They were home, finally, and they could forget about the TVA and all of its dramas. At least, one of them could.

I don't think I've seen anyone make a Sylvie x reader where the reader is on the same timeline as Sylvie, and I really wanted to make one. So here it is ^^ would y'all like this to be a series? Like chapters or keep it to a one shot?

#sylvie laufeydottir x reader #x reader #female reader #sylvie laufeydottir #genderfluid loki #bisexual loki #loki variant #loki series #loki god of mischief #sylvie goddess of mischief #lgbtqia #omni reader #found family

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byllsbytch · 11 months ago

Text

A Surprise Visit

I was at work yet again, it felt like I never left. I started my shift off the bat at the registers having to force a smile despite getting abused by customers. I stood at the registers serving, repeating the same overused script; “Hi, how are you? Would you like a bag? Are you apart of our membership? Cash or Card?”

I’d been working for 3 hours so far and my break was coming up, I'd kept glancing at the time in the corner of my screen, excited to step away from the repetiveness. It was fine because once I came back from my break another girl was coming in to cover me from the registers and I could begin to clean and mind my business. With such a repetative job i find myself just day dreaming most of the time. But it’s ok, makes the day go fast.

I looked again at the clock and seen I have 5 minutes till I can go on my break.

5 minutes till Freedom.

The queue seem to grow longer as I sighed and called the next customer to my register. In the background I'd seen one of my coworkers coming up to serve and a felt a grin tug at my lips, it was now officially real that I didn't have long till my break. She signed in and instantly started taking through customers.

“Hey, Y/N it’s all good, I can take it from here!” She chirped.

“Oh really?!” I replied excited then shook my head, “I have 5 minutes I can help shorten the queue."

“Nah, just go, I got it sorted.”

I smiled and logged off after serving one of the customers. I walked to the tearoom and grabbed my bag, heading out the store to go grab my Saturday treat - a coffee and muffin.

I kept my head down as I walked out of the store trying not to get held back by a customer asking for help. While looking at my phone trying to avoid eye contact I’d seen Gustavs name glow on my screen.

Before I opened the message I quickly glanced up at to make sure I wouldn’t run into the random massage chairs scattered around the mall, as it surely wouldn’t be the first time. After putting my head down after the quick glance, I immediately shot my head back up to search for the familar face that caught my eye. I gasped loudly as I seen Tom and Georg sitting in the massage chairs both of them in a deep state of relaxation.

“Oh my God!” I yelled, running to the pair with my arms out, “What are you doing here! You’re supposed to be on tour!”

Both boys immediately jumped up from their seats.

“Y/N! We’ve been waiting for you!” Georg exclaimed.

”What the heck guys! I’ve missed you so damn bad.”

The boys embraced me one at a time. Tom closed the space between us, holding me a little bit longer, I intertwined my fingers into his locs and burried my head into his neck taking in his scent that I so dearly missed. Georg stood awkwardly, clearing his throat to remind us he was there. We quickly pecked eachother on the cheek before breaking the hug. Tom continued to linger with his arm prompt along my shoulders.

“Gustav actually just texted me! Where is he? Where is Bill?”

Tom began, “Oh Gustav? He’s actually-“

Before Tom could finish a pair of arms had wrapped themselves around me.

I turned around into the envelope and seen Gustav with a smirk on his face.

“Oh hellooo!” He sang.

I swung my arms back around him and squeezed him tightly as we gave eachother a kiss on the cheek.

“Gustav!” I chirped.

"Long time no see.” He chuckled, behind him stood Bill who just waved and smiled.

I pushed past Gustav as Bill put his arms out to me. I dove my head into his chest and he squeezed me tight. We kissed eachother on both cheeks - a custom I long held with only him.

“I missed my bestie,” I hushed into his ear.

“I missed you too.” He croaked, holding his throat in discomfort.

“Shit! What’s up with your voice?!” I asked concerned which earnt a eyeroll from Bill.

“No seriously why are you guys here? You’re supposed to be on tour!”

“Just to go shopping, you know?” Gustav chimed. I playfully punched him in the arm.

“Just pulling your leg, Bill’s fucked his voice doing something.”

I looked at Bill concerned and he nodded at me.

“He has to go for surgery tonight, doctors over in france says hes got some kind of throat infection.” Georg chimed in.

“Oh my goodness! Are you ok? How did it happen? How are you supposed to treat it? What’s happening with the tour?!”

“One question at a time.” He joked with his raspy voice. “I’m fine, I’ve just been straining my chords too much, I just gotta let it rest but for now the tour is post-poned.”

“That’s a shame, is there anything I can do?”

Bill shook his head with a defeated smile.

“Well, how have the rest of you been?”

We spent my whole lunch break walking around and catching up. The band of boys were continuously being stopped by fans to take photos and sign autographs.

We didn’t really get up to much shopping while walking around.

My lunch break was quickly drawing to a close before I had to head back to work.

“Hey look, it's been absolutely awesome being able to catch up with you guys, but I need to start heading back, my break is almost over. I’ll definetly come over later though when I’m finished.”

“Just say you need to go home sick.” Tom suggested as if it was plain obvious.

“Tom! You know I can’t besides we’re short staffed and I need the money.”

“I’ll give you money, how much are you making for this shift?”

“Pft don’t worry about it because I’m not leaving. I still see you guys after work. As long as you don’t go clubbing… I cannot be bothered.”

Bill smirked.

"Don't get any ideas!" Gustav called.

“What girl wouldn’t want to skip work to hang out with the Tokio Hotel?” Tom said shocked.

“We’ll just spend the rest of your shift with you!” Bill announced.

“Seriously!? That’s so sweet of you to offer but I think you need to rest up and I don’t wanna get in trouble.”

“We’ll help clean! Let me talk to your manager. She’ll come around.”

“Yeah but what about all the people coming up for pictures?”

“It’ll boost the business, have more customers come in! You’re not getting rid of us Y/N.”

We started in the girlswear department; tidying all the racks and tables with folded shirts on them. The work was getting done surprisingly quickly, the boys were surely not mucking about.

Tom brought over a little denim skirt and pink top with minnie mouse on it. He smiled proudly.

“Look at how cute this would be on our little girl! With little piggy tails and pink hair ties!”

I looked up at him and fell even more in love.

“Our little girl?” Bill puzzled. “Puh- lease! You better keep your dick away from Y/N, that would be the end of the group.”

“Woah relax it’s a cute little fit and you know I want a daughter. Just looking at Y/N makes me want to have a daughter.” He stared me down with a smirk.

He then shook his head as to shake away his dirty thoughts of me. “But man… being in this store. Makes it hard.”

“Ok, noted, don’t let Tom in clothing stores, makes him was to have kids” Gustav joked.

“I just think Bill is jealous that he can’t be Tom’s and Y/N’s little girl.” Georg remarked.

“Or maybe he’s just afraid of losing Tom.” Gustav shrugged his shoulders.

Bill gasped in disbelief. “More like losing Y/N! Could you imagine loosing your bestfriend to this stud!”

I shook my head with a grin as I continued to fold the shirts neatly onto the table.

“Anyways, I’ve been meaning to ask you Y/N, The designer has really fucked my outfits, they look nothing like the drawings I sent through and approved, so because I’m like, you bestest best friend, could you please make up just a few fits for me. I kinda have already sent you the sketches.”

“Bill! Just because I work at a clothing store doesn’t mean I’m a costume designer! I haven’t touched a sewing machine since our home ec class.”

“Yeah well, it couldn’t be too hard, I just don’t have the time to be going to different countries for fittings, plus it would take to long to come all the way from the other side of the world!”

“Where is the other side of the world?”

“Italy.” He cheekily tried to avoid eye-contact.

I raised an eyebrow, “So you can’t pick it up from the next country over? Like maybe grab it on the way?”

He rolled his eyes in frustration, “Y/N I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need you to do it, please it’s just more ideal. It shouldn’t be too hard, mum used to sew us halloween costumes all the time!”

“Get your mother to sew it then!”

He threw a palm to his forehead and shut his eyes.

“Ok! Fine, but don’t expect it to be top tier gucci quality, I’ve warned you.”

He jumped nodding, “Yes, Yes! Oh thank you so much, you’ll have plenty of time while I recover to get it sorted, this is why I love ya!”

I crossed my arms and sighed.

Fuckin good luck to me.

#tom kaulitz #tokio hotel #bill kaulitz #fanfic #fluff #georg listing #gustav schäfer #tokio hotel x reader

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like-rain-or-confetti · 6 months ago

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Find Alice (Jervis Tetch)

It had been a three hour interrogation. The third in three days and Jervis was just as diffcult as ever. He gave no information as to the missing persin that the GCPD knew he had. The issue was, they didnt know where he kept you and it had yet to occur to Jervis that you could easily starve or succumb to the elements. Jervis nearly jumped out of his skin when Cash slammed his hands down on the metal table in front of him. The interrogation room in the GCPD was a very grim place to be. Only one light that shone directly onto Jervis and was oddly focused on the table and two chairs in the middle of the room. Behind Cash was a mirror and underneath that was two wooden benches. "We need answers Tetch!" Cash demanded. "Where are they!?"Jervis meekly looked at your picture in front of him on the table. His cuffs made small clinking noises as he shrugged slightly. "I cannot answer that." Jervis tried. "My dear Alice is counting on me! Yes, yes! I must keep Alice safe!" "If you don't, they'll die!" Cash fired back. "Goodness me, what a terrible thought! No. Indeed Alice will not perish! I'd never allow it!" Jervis cried, dismissing Cash with little belief. "Think about it, Tetch! (Y/N)-" "-Alice." Jervis cut in. "Whatever! They're in your care right? How much can you provide if you're here with us?" Cash demanded. "Only until you let me go! You need not worse so much. Not feed for such a fuss!" "We aren't letting you go, Jervis and you gotta tell us where you put them. You're not going back for them because you won't be leaving here!" Jervis looked taken aback by Cash's statement, blinking a couple of times with a look of surprise and then dread. "You must let me go! Yes! Yes! You must!" "Tell us where they are, Tetch!" Cash demanded. "You must! You must!" Jervis cried back in horror. "In me, Alice trusts!" "Tetch, you're pissing me off! Cash warned. "My dear Alice will be frightened as your clutches on me tighten!" Jervis pleaded. "You'd rather let them die than let them go!?" Cash demanded with disgust. He kicked his chair further away than he already had when he abruotly stood and snatched the files and pictures off the table and out of Jervis' sight. "You don't even deserve to look at them." Cash said venomous before storming out of the interrogation room, he slammed the door shut behind him.

He went next door where Commissioner Gordon was watching. Cash tossed the file onto the table at the two-way mirror. "He's gotta crack. He's gotta." Cash shook his head, arms crossed over his chest as he glared through the glass at the oblivious Mad Hatter who seemed distraught himself. "We're running out of time." "He's taking the pressure but it's crumbling him, not his intentions. He thinks that's Alice and that we're trying to take them from him." Gordon leaned against the table by his hands, scrutinising Jervis. "How do we convince him that telling us will save them? Save Alice?" "Gordon..." A dark thought crossed Cash's mind. "...what if he's too far gone? What if we can't reason with him?" "We can't think that way. The second we give up trying to get through to him is the second we give up on (Y/N)."

Jervis' mind swarmed with thoughts of you. It made him want to vomit. He could imagine the colour drained from you as your blood stopped circulating your body. Shadows around your eyes that threatened to sink in any day now. Jaw hung open as your last words were begging for Jervis to come back. He would have. Oh, he would have come back for you, his sweet Alice. Nothing would have stopped him if it hadn't been for the GCPD. He couldn't give you back, you must understand. You would understand...wouldn't you? Jervis was frightened to think otherwise but since its been so long, so many days now- he knew you were gone. There was no way you have not perished by now. His mind wandered to a sinister part of his imagination. Your body stiff and beginning the process of decay. Perhaps the wind tousling strands of your unkept hair. Sat in the dark, alone, bound by the wrists in chains to the wall and decaying. Oh his poor Alice. What have they done? Jervis covered his face and cried. He had to get out. He had to get back to Alice. Gotham was cold and cruel...no. The world was cold and cruel. The teuth was if felt like seconds ago he had escaped police custody but the sun setting behind gkthams high rises told hi. It had been hours. There was nowhere Jervis could hide and he never could run for long. Never in a straight line. Not when front was back, back was front, interchangeably at any given time as was every other direction. He pressed his face against the cold, wet stone ignoring the cold ache reminiscent of a brain freeze and taking in the sensation against his clammy skin. He had been running for so long that he had forgotten why he was running from the GCPD. What did Jervis have left? The Jabberwocky reigns and the GCPD took Jervis' Alice.

None saw the tear run down Jervis' face. Nor did they seem to notice Alice step out from behind ow of the cars. Tentatively, you walked towards him. Your face peaceful, the breeze brushing against you. He had been so used to seeing those eyes filled with fear that he hadn't had the time to appreciate your peaceful gaze. He envied that peace in that moment. Everything for you, his dear Alice, was still and calm. He never had such a luxury. Everything twisted and turned on itself. There really was no safe place to land- nothing for definite and Jervis never really understood how everyone else didn't scream at the madness until Jervis learned to embrace it. He decided to consider himself mad and chaotic, having learned how to be in this mad mad world.

Although sometimes, for brief glimpses of seconds that very few were observant enough to catch, Jervis was tired and sought that peace. Alice gave him companionship, made him feel wanted. In Wonderland it was Alice who was out of place, yet Wonderland was of her own creation. Alice would learn to adapt as so the story often went. Alice remembered to be Alice and Alice was wonderful. The best someone any someone could hope to be. Helping Alice find the muchness again is always a worthy pursuit. Alice was the constant in a constantly changing world and Alice had returned for him now. Smiling of all things. A gentle, knowing...perhaps even a forgiving smile.Alice crouched to his level, between him and the GCPD who didn't notice you barely a foot in front of them. Still too far from him to reach you. "Alice..." He mumbled to himself, the fight in him gone. Perhaps Alice knew and that was why Alice had returned to him- somehow. Just like that, his decision was made. Jervis slowly extended a gloved hand, reaching for Alice who rose to a stand with him in unison, hand still out expectantly and patiently waiting.Alice's expression assured him there was nothing to fear. The expression could have made him weep for Alice did not look at him as though reuniting. It was as though Alice had always been there. Maybe that's true. Who would Jervis be to say otherwise? He saw all kind of things others didn't. Why would this he any different? All that mattered that when gone, Alice always came back. No matter how long it had been. No ones Wonderland are ever truly forgotten and Alice clung to Wonderland with a tight grip that couldn't be broken. Wonderland was safe with Alice.With Alice...that sounded right. It always had. That made it all the easier to reach out.

The GCPD watched as Jervis reached out to them. To who he reached for, no one could be sure. Commissioner Gordon assumed it to be him. "It's alright now, Tetch." Gordon assured him. "Let's just stay nice and calm." Gordon had no idea that Jervis ignored all of this. Jervis hardly even heard him as he was so focused on his Alice who was inches away. Your hand grasped his and you took a step back, pulling him gently with you. "Alice..." Jervis whispered to himself and the second he blinked he came face to face with Commissioner Gordon. "Alice isn't here, Jervis. Come on now." Gordon carefully cuffed Jervis who looked around for Alice. When the car door opened he saw what the tinted windows didn't show before. Alice was sitting in the backseat, smiling at him and waiting for him. Jervis felt relief and let Gordon guide him towards the car. As long as Alice was there, it didn't matter what happened next. Not to Jervis.

The smell was indescribable unless someone knew what it was. Those living around the cellar couldn't describe the smell as they called the GCPD but nothing with such an odor could be anything good. Officers that arrived on scene clocked the smell immediately eyeing bystanders who used their clothes to cover the smell. The officers knew the scent almost immediately and got to work trying to clear the scene and discreetly called for back up. "It's in the cellar! None of us dare get close!"One called to them. "Something died in there." Another gagged as they mumbled to their neighbour who nodded in agreement. "What else could it be?" "Someone forget the cat? Or the dog?" Another called out jeering. Few grimaced in annoyance, others rolled their eyes. "No one lives in there!" Another neighbour huffed. "Then the previous owners left their pet. Or it's a stray that got in somehow. That's a dead animal." "Stupid! For all we know since there's no power in there that they've left meat in a freezer and it's rotting!" Came a scoff. Someone wretched. "Don't say that! I'm going to throw up!" "Everyone settle down!"Officer Bright tried to ease everyone. "Get back inside." "Hell no! The fresh air makes the smell bearable!" Another called back. "We were told it was the drains, yeah? But no ones been out to check the plumbing! What the hell do we pay taxes for exactly!?" Someone demanded. "Kent! With me!" Cash ordered as he moved towards the cellar doors. He tugged to find resistance. He shone a torch through the crack to see a chain on the otherside. "Gonna have to make entry through the house. This is chained shut."

The cellar was dark and freezing cold. He moved down the steps, gun drawn with Officer Kent close behind him. Kent covered his mouth as the offending odour got worse, practically clogging his nose. "Be prepared for worst case scenario." Cash grumbled with a grimace. "Do you think...?" Kent trailed off, immediately thinking the worse. "Dead strays are more often than you think, it seems most likely. No one has reported suspicious activity in the area. As for being chained on the inside, wooden doors aren't going to do much but nothing is getting out...other than the heat.Good thing this place has a decent door to the main house." Cash said as he looked over the dust covered shelves. "I'll check around the outside door- oh shit." Kent deadpanned. "What?" Cash turned to see what Kent was looking at. By Kent's feet was a shoe that still have a leg inside. A very discoloured leg. They followed the leg to be met with a grotesque sight.

"Damn. Good thing we called back up." Cash grumbled. "I...they're dead. Looks like they have been for a while." Kent mumbled "What do you think happened?" Cash wore a grim expression. "At face value, I think the elements got to them. Plus, we've had Tetch this whole time. He was the only one who knew where they were. The only one who could give them food. We failed them. We took too long." "He's disgusting...Tetch is a monster." Kent shook his head as he eyed the blue dress you wore. "Dressed them up and left them in the cold." Cash nodded. "He's sick. We've found them now. Best inform the family so they can be put to rest as (Y/N)- not as Alice."

((This has been done for ages and only now have I found the will to upload it. Yes. This is months if not nearly a year old.))

#batman #batman villains #one shot #oneshot #reader #jervis tetch #mad hatter

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