#just because the show never had anyone explicitly say that he's part ghost rider the narrative literally serves it to you on a platter

[blackhholes]

teen wolf meme: [4/6] creatures -> chimeras

You found the perfect word, though, Scott... Because a Chimera isn't just a monster with different parts. It can also mean something impossible to achieve. An unrealizable dream.

[livingbythewords]

(not so) small rant about Theo, Liam and season six of Teen Wolf

I keep hearing on and on and on about how "Liam is the only person who trusts and supports Theo after he came back from hell" and I keep wondering if people who say things like that have been watching the same show as me, or maybe there is some alternative version I don't know about.

In the version of the show I've been watching, Liam's intentions were clear from the very beginning – he brought Theo back for one purpose only, to use him. I mention that, because sometimes I see people acting as if Liam did it from the goodness of his heart. The moment it becomes clear that Theo doesn't have Josh and Tracy's powers anymore, Liam is ready to send him back in an instant. It's only after when Theo asks about Scott and Stiles that he reconsiders, but his motivations don't include any sympathy for Theo. Liam distrusts and despises Theo – and it never changes throughout the course of the show.

Now, I won't argue that he doesn't have reasons for that. He has been hurt by Theo just like anybody else, although here I could argue that from the whole pack he is far from being the one who got hurt the most. Even Mason has more reasons to be distrustful and unforgiving towards Theo as he was a direct witness to Theo murdering Scott at the library. I'm not questioning it – I'm simply pointing out the way Liam is treating Theo, which includes constant threats, insults and yanking him around in chains. That last part is especially disturbing to me, as I've read posts where (apart from the constant "he deserved it", which I am not going to dive into here) people were jokingly claiming that Theo probably "enjoyed" it. Now, I agree that Theo has a significant masochistic streak in him. But the way the scene, which depicts degrading someone and treating him like less than a dog, let alone a human being, got tied here to something which is supposed to be a part of proper and healthy BDSM dynamics, makes me seriously cringe and wonder why people (and the writers) think that it's okay in any context to treat someone this way – especially an incredibly traumatized kid, who developed unhealthy coping mechanisms as a response to having suffered abuse for years – and then frame it as funny for some reason.

After Ghost Riders are defeated, we have Theo appearing at the police station. Liam's reaction – after Theo saved him twice – is that of relief and gratitude, oh hi Theo, good that you are here to help us… oh wait, not really. It's furiously blurting "do you want me to kill him?" to Scott (and I'm not even going into how ridiculously messed up is asking Scott of all people for permission to kill someone, even Theo. I wonder if Liam seriously thought Scott was going to say yes?), despite the fact that Theo already proved that not only he doesn't pose a threat, but is actively helping the pack.

And that continues for the rest of the season. Liam remains hostile towards Theo, constantly hurling insults at him and being violent towards him, which is another disturbing thing framed as funny and somehow 'romantic' (I don't even know what's worse). Even the infamous elevator scene, which people like to bring up as some kind of "proof of love" between Theo and Liam, doesn't offer anything particularly convincing here:

 THEO: Look, I'm not dying for you.

LIAM: I'm not dying for you, either.

[pause]

LIAM: But, I will fight with you.

That's it. Hardly an acknowledgement of anything, especially any kind of affection. Considering how constipated and bitter Liam looks the entire time, we can safely assume this declaration came out rather from "I don't really see any other options here, so I'll take whatever it is" than "I can see you've changed and I trust you". They do end up saving each other's lives and protecting each other, yes; nobody says otherwise, although it's not uncommon in the show to work together with one's adversaries to defeat the Greater Bad (when it comes to Liam, two examples on the top of my head are him saving Brett's life in Sinema in season 5 and the whole arc with Hayden, who treats him quite horribly in the beginning – see the pattern here?).

Even after the whole scene with Gabe (mind you, Theo is the one stopping Liam from killing Gabe in the first place!) everything that Theo did, all the sacrifices he made, remain unacknowledged. Liam is more willing to make amends with Nolan – the guy who actively tried to kill him many times and who participated in terrorizing him in the classroom trying to make him shift in front of everyone, which most certainly would result in his death – than even admit that Theo might be right in anything or that he changed.

Neither Theo nor Liam's actions at this point are motivated by mutual affection towards each other. Theo's main goal is getting back into Scott's good graces and into his pack. He comes back to the hospital explicitly because Scott asked him to, and there is no reason to believe that he had any additional motivations beyond that. He might have developed some sort of affection towards Liam, but even if so, it remained pretty much one-sided, and the argument here seems to be that Liam not only trusts and supports Theo, but is the only person doing so, which is not the case. Liam on the other hand is pretty much driven by his own enormous guilt, caused by the fact that he – as he himself admitted – not only attacked Scott, but at some point wanted to kill him even without Theo pushing him. Therefore, he is projecting his guilt and self-loathing onto Theo, and again, I'm not questioning that he does have reasons to loathe Theo. But that's not the point here.

Now I want to clarify, again, that the point of this post is not to tell people that they can’t enjoy the ship, or that it’s bad, or that Liam is a bad person. It’s simply to point out Liam’s canonical behavior towards Theo as a way to disprove the claim that Liam was the only person to trust and support Theo, which has no basis in facts whatsoever. 

I get that people have their headcanons and enjoy their ships, and I’m far from telling anyone who they can or can’t ship, or that one ship is better than the other. However, shipping someone and having fun with it is not the same as twisting into knots to try to prove that canon supports something, when it doesn't. Yes, there is a person who acknowledges that Theo has changed. Who trusts and supports him even when they have no reason to. Who is always there for him and tries to treat him fairly even after being incredibly hurt and betrayed.

But that person isn't Liam. 

[killthebxy]

          this verse is based on the idea that Jon was brought back from the dead by the Night King, rather than Melisandre, and it was inspired by this fanart: CLICK. it is a mix of book and show canon, with some points of divergence from both. as it is my only verse where i explicitly write Jon as a villain/antagonist, a disclaimer is in order before anything else:

while not present in this background, the threads and plots within this verse may contain references or explicit mentions of topics such as violence and cruelty, murder and genocide, humiliation and degradation, manipulation and abuse --- among others of similar nature;

i am not my muse, which is unfortunate because i would love to be Jon Snow; out of jokes, though, mun =/= muse and i am the first one clearly stating that i do not condone and will try my best to never romanticize any of the topics mentioned above. this verse exists for creative writing purposes only, as it allows me to explore ideas and scenarios that i could never do in any of my other verses --- considering that Jon is inherently a good and kind character.

          with this taken care of, let us get started. in this verse, the mutiny still happened but it took place beyond the Wall rather than at Castle Black --- more precisely, at the weirwood grove where the brothers who keep the old gods say their vows. as all attention was captured by the mutiny unfolding, they failed to notice the approaching of wights and the Others, which non-surprisingly did not end well for them. only one of the mutineers managed to escaped among the chaos that ensued, climbing on a horse to return to the Watch with the news. while everyone else was immediately turned into wights, Jon’s corpse was brought back to the Night King --- who, recognizing him from the events at Hardhome (this point will always follow show canon, even in book-based threads, as it is relevant for this verse’s background that the NK is aware that Jon has the power to destroy Others with his sword), decided he would be of more use if he retained his awareness, rather than becoming a mindless wandering corpse. therefore, the NK himself turned Jon into an Other named Snow --- symbolism of the cold and eternal winter, but as well of the stigma of being bastard-born, which is Snow’s ultimate drive for action and the grudge he constantly upholds (as will be explored in the next paragraphs).

          appearance wise, Snow looks like Jon but with the typical Other traits: deathly pale skin, hair mostly changed to grey and white, piercing blue eyes, cold black hands. while not visible, he retains the scars resulting from the stab wounds during the mutiny. his usual attire consists of armor also similar to what the Others carry, but his is entirely black --- and he continues wearing his lord commander cloak, as symbol of the role that brought him to his current state of existence. personality wise, and as a quick sum-up, Snow is everything that Jon was not: he’s cunning and deceitful where Jon was honest and honorable, heartless where Jon was merciful, ambitious where Jon was humble, selfish and egotistical where Jon was selfless. whereas he is aware of his origins and retains all of his memories as a human, Snow refers to Jon as “the boy” and as though they are two entirely separate entities; and, whereas he often refers to Jon as stupid and naive and gullible, he’s fiercely protective of Jon’s memory and his main goal is, exactly, to bring revenge upon every single person who once wronged Jon and caused him to suffer one way or the other. the main object of his hatred is, non-surprisingly, the Night’s Watch.

          Ghost was also caught up in the mutiny and, after being reborn, Snow himself brought him back as an undead direwolf whom he named Life --- a word play on his previous name and his current nature, but also symbolism for the very thing Snow wishes to eradicate from this world. Life looks similar to Ghost in everything, except he’s got blue eyes, and he’s as loyal to Snow as Ghost was to Jon. further along this verse, and after that one mutineer brought the news to Castle Black, they sent ravens both to the Iron Throne and to Daenerys --- seeing as how a lord commander turned to the armies of the dead isn’t as simple to ignore anymore, given his knowledge about the Night’s Watch and the Wall and, thus, the capacity to strike in all the right spots to bring them over to the realm. realizing this, an expedition was organized like in the show’s s07 (but far better organized lbr), and Danerys herself brought her dragons beyond the Wall to either somehow retrieve “Jon” or be rid of him for good. in this verse, it was Snow who tossed the ice lance that resulted in Viserion’s death and, as reward for his actions, the NK also allowed him to be the one to bring the dragon back to life. Snow named him Noiresiv --- it’s Viserion spelled backwards, as symbolism for his turning from fire to ice. based on the events that i’ll describe next, Snow eventually becomes the undead dragon’s rider and the one to have him bring down the Wall. all of the facts concerning Viserion/Noiresiv are also part of @qeldliie‘s own verse and headcanons.

          as i mentioned above, Snow is extremely ambitious and power-hungry and, from the moment of his revival, he was not satisfied with simply acting under the NK’s orders --- he actually wanted that role for himself, and to become the supreme ruler of every living and undead being in Westeros (and eventually beyond). therefore, while overtly acting dutiful and obedient, Snow conspired at every step to overthrow the NK and eventually succeeded --- this event may be susceptible to changes according to threads and plots, but the default will follow ideas i have discussed with @cerbinwen. with this goal accomplished and the Wall destroyed, all that’s left is to bring the Long Night to the realms of men. based on what what i just mentioned, plus everything else above, it’s easy to see that Snow is thoroughly narcissistic and demands unconditional and unfailing worship --- to the point of referring to himself as God. he considers humans as infinitely inferior beings and has no love nor mercy to offer to them, though he may be open to keeping a few of them around --- either for recognizing some usefulness to them, or simply for his own amusement and sadism.

          Snow is as skilled with a sword in hand as Jon was, but he’s ruthless in combat and, therefore, very difficult to overcome. on the other hand, he’s considerably less agile than Jon, considering the weight of his armor and also his weapon of choice. because, obviously, an Other cannot wield Valyrian steel without risking to accidentally destroy himself at each move, Snow has discarded Longclaw and instead kept an ancient weapon he unearthed at Hardhome. i headcanon that it is similar to Pyramid Head’s Great Knife (CLICK) --- a huge, heavy, rusty sword that grates and shreds rather than actually slicing. its size makes it sluggish and relatively easy to dodge for somebody who’s fast --- though, if the blow is not stopped right at the start, then it becomes impossible to parry or block against. because the thing is huge and Snow isn’t exactly tall (as Jon wasn’t), he’s got the habit of simply dragging it after himself; which he does very casually and like it’s the most natural thing, often provoking that characteristic, nerve-wrecking noise as the blade grates over the ground. Snow is impervious to wounds made by any sort of common weapon, no matter how sharp or powerful, which also explains his choice of sword and how reckless he is in combat. as with all the Others, his only weaknesses are fire, Valyrian steel/dragonsteel, and dragonglass/obsidian. Snow is effectively a dead being, having no blood circulation and no beating heart. whereas it is unnecessary to him, he usually continues breathing out of habit. and, due to the death of his human nature, he’s incapable of feeling positive emotions for the most part --- he completely ignores the meaning of empathy or mercy, and the joy he feels is solely derived of twisted motives and actions. as a final curiosity, he’s actually thoroughly confused and/or entranced by anything that is innocent and chaste, such as a child’s toy for example --- as he has lost the capacity to understand anything of that nature, or its use and usefulness.

          ONE IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE: please be aware that Snow is a terrible, wretched creature in every aspect and he’s not to be approached lightly and much less disrespectfully. unless your muse is of similar power (e.g., a deity, a supernatural being), if you get to him with a cocky attitude, you will get stabbed right through the throat and that thread will be over as soon as it starts. as well, don’t expect to be able to “change him back” or make him “good” again --- it’s not going to happen. the only person who is able to make Snow feel a semblance of human emotions is Arya, considering she’s the only one who was ever unconditionally on Jon’s side. Snow actually is afraid of/very uncomfortable around Arya, and avoids her presence as much as he can --- because she’s the living memory that he once had a heart. towards persons like Ned or Robb, Snow is indifferent for the most part but also a bit ambiguous --- because, while they were dear to Jon, they didn’t actively go out of their way to stand up for him like Arya did. towards anyone who ever wronged Jon in any way (like Sansa or Catelyn), Snow will be downright hostile at the very least. Snow is inherently cruel, manipulative, vengeful, heartless --- and i will not tame him nor tone him down. so, if you ever want to plot/write anything in this verse, please always keep his nature in mind.

[thetygre]

30 Day Monster Challenge - Day #20: Favorite Song/Musical Monster

1.       The Phantom of the Paradise

Phantom of the Opera has spawned plenty of spin-offs and parodies, but none are weirder and cooler than The Phantom of the Paradise. Born in that stage-musical wasteland between the sinking of Hello Dolly and the rise of Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Paradise was a bizarre rock-opera that was a mixture between the Phantom of the Opera, Faust, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Our Phantom this time around is named Winslow; he didn’t start off deformed, but got that way through prison experiments and a record press accident. Winslow just looks and sounds awesome; his teeth are made of iron, and he talks through a voicebox that sounds like a ghost screaming through a CB radio. The entire movie has a bird theme to its characters, so Winslow’s helmet winds up looking like a hawk. In fact, a lot of people probably only know about this musical through the comparison between Winslow and Griffith from Berserk. It doesn’t help that their stories are kind of similar; locked in prison, mutilated, deal with the forces of evil. It’s probably just a coincidence, but I’m not gonna’ lie and say it wouldn’t be a cool reference if it wasn’t. Still, people should give this movie a chance on its own merits, just because of what campy fun it is.

2.       Lilith Immaculate

Cradle of Filth is a symphonic black metal band with a distinct gothic horror bent to their albums. They’ve done several concept albums, including one based around Gille de Rais and another on Elizabeth Bathory, but Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa was an original story. At the center of the album’s story is the monstrous goddess Lilith, trapped by the Knights Templar during the crusades and now possessing a girl sent to a nunnery. It’s all so incredibly gothic; sins of the past, sexual frustration, religious oppression, graveyards, doomed love.

I might not be the best judge of character, but Lilith here hits the nail with the hammer as far as gothic monsters go, reminding me a little of The Great God Pan or Gormenghast. Part of Lilith’s appeal is that, for all intents and purposes, she wins; the album ends with her former lover realizing that he has unleashed something he could never control, and now the world is doomed. Lilith heralds the dawning of a darker age, the antithesis of everything Victorian values holds dear. You can’t help but cheer for her as she readies to make war on the world.

3.       Stanton Cree

Ghoultown is a gothabilly band, which means that it’s like rockabilly but with some Southern rock and it’s about ghosts and vampires and werewolves. Needless to say, they’re pretty great. Their best known song is probably Drink with the Living Dead, which tells the story of a cowboy forced into a drinking match with an undead gunslinger. The ghoul, Stanton Cree, shot a man for his beer and can’t rest until someone beats him in either drinks him under the table or beats him in a duel.

I love ‘Weird West’ songs, and Ghoultown is the epitome of that. Stanton Cree has gone insane from eternal life and is determined to find somebody to beat him, but he won’t go easy on his opponent. It’s the kind of story that belongs in Deadlands or some other cowboy horror setting. It lacks the morality tale aspect of Ghost Riders, but that’s a deliberate decision to emphasize just how bizarre the story is. It’s a perfect mood piece for a dark night out on the Wastes.

4.       The Erlking

Schubert’s Erlking is an old-fashioned fairy, the dangerous and wild kind that need to be feared. As a father rides through the forest at night, his son sees the Elf King trying to seduce him to come away with him. It’s always nice to be reminded that fairies and elves aren’t nice, that they can be as dangerous as any monster or demon. But it needs to be done with a certain degree of subtlety, at least for a while, a delicate touch before the other shoe drops.

The Erlking is of course also a metaphor for death, and the father believe his son is only hallucinating as he dies in his father’s arms. It reminds me of the old medieval stories about how Fairyland was sometimes just a trap made by Hell, or how fairies would appear in afterlife narratives for children. Whether death, fairy, hallucination, or all three, the Erlking is still a chilling figure.

5.       The Phantom of the Opera

I don’t claim to be in the Phandom, I only have a surface knowledge of it, but I feel like the Phantom is still an important monster/horror icon, even before becoming a musical star. The Phantom’s story, even from the beginning, has been about toxic people and learning to grow up. Born deformed, the Phantom embittered himself against the world, becoming a genius at music, engineering, and just about everything else, but a child socially. The lesson he learns is about putting another person’s wants and needs before your own, and that’s still a vital lesson that is incredibly painful to learn. Naturally, I don’t care about that; I just enjoy making fun of Love Never Dies and deciding which Phantom is the best based on grodiness of deformity. Obviously, that’s up to objective taste, but it’s Ramin Karimloo. Karimloo has the most extreme deformities, and is prone to fits of ACTING, so Karimloo takes top spot for musical Phantom. The best non-Musical Phantom is, of course, Lon Chaney, followed by Charles Dance, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. Again I’m… I totally don’t care about this musical. I swear.

6.       Mefistofele

I would argue that Boito’s Mephistopheles is the definitive version of the character, even more than Goethe’s. If nothing else, Boito’s Mefistofele defined the look of Mephistopheles, casting him in his famous red cavalier’s outfit. Mephistopheles here is also much more analogous to the Devil than his own separate entity here, since the opera begins with Mephistopheles challenging God to a bet over Faust’s soul. While Mefistofele might not be where the devil started enjoying his work, it’s definitely a far cry from Marlowe’s Mephistopheles urging Faust not to give up Heaven.

Still, despite the loss of complexity, Boito’s Mephistopheles is more personable, more charming, even a bit more human. There are situations he can’t control, and his relationship with Heaven is more casual. In the end, when Faust repents, you get the feeling that Boito’s Mephistopheles was enjoying the ride, and is almost as upset about not being able to have fun anymore as he is about losing his bet with God.

7.       The Water God

Anything by Dethklok kind of feels like cheating, since they were explicitly made to be a parody band of death metal. At the same time, though, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the entire underwater setting where sea monsters have race wars with mermaids isn’t the dopest shit. And then one of these sea monsters finds a deep sea oracle and they turn into some dark ocean god and it’s all so freaking cool. It is unnecessarily cool for a joke band meant to shill for an Adult Swim show. But the entire epic of the water god here is genuinely more compelling to me than a decent chunk of the fantasy characters I have read about. Maybe I need to read better fantasy stories, or maybe everyone else just needs to get with the program and starting writing Metal epics about killer tritons.

8.       Ghost Riders in the Sky

Now this is the original Weird West song. Demon bulls, undead cowboys, nightmare horses; this song has got it all. And of course, this all goes without saying about how the song is also the unofficial theme song for Ghost Rider, one of my favorite superheroes. The song has that same ‘weird tale’ feel that Drink with the Living Dead has, which is probably because it’s based on an actual Texas folk tale. The image of a special Hell for cowboys is interesting, but I’m more fascinated by the prospect that Satan has livestock. Are all the Devil’s farm animals Metal like his steer? What about his chickens? Does Satan live on a giant dude ranch? Now I want some kind of Western/dark fantasy story where the Devil is a cattle baron all dressed in black and red.

9.       Red

All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was… God, I’m really putting this on the same list as Mefistofele good lord, but All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was, well All Dogs go to Heaven 2. I mean it wasn’t the worst direct-to-video cartoon sequel of anything ever, it kind of just drifts there around the middle, but like many DTV cartoon sequels it has, unfortunately, a really great villain with a really great villain song. Designated antagonist Red is a demonic cat who’s after the angel Gabriel’s horn. His design is actually pretty good, and I appreciate the implication that if all dogs are heavenly, then all cats are therefore demonic minions. This is of course a known truth to anybody who has ever had to clean a litterbox, but it’s always nice to be reassured.

However, that alone would not let Red make the list; it takes more than being the redeeming feature of a DTV cartoon sequel to get here. What clenches it is Red’s pedigree; Red is voiced by Broadway musical veteran George Hearn, who has been in everything from Camelot to Wicked, but is most famous for being Sweeney Todd during the musical’s performance in 1970, and stayed with the production through its national tour and its Emmy-winning TV performance. In short, this man was the definitive Sweeney Todd, at least until Johnny Depp. All Dogs 2 even acknowledges it by having an entire sequence set in a demonic barber shop and theater. And I’m just a sucker for that kind of reference, so the evil red cat edges his way in.

10.   The Beast of Pirate’s Bay

There are plenty of Voltaire songs I could have picked, but it figures I would pick the one about a sea monster. A variety of leviathans are conjured up to describe the Beast, without any actual answers given. It figures that like any good tall tale, the Beast changes from teller to teller. The truth is, though, that I find this to be one of Voltaire’s more sympathetic songs, and I can’t help but identify with the ending. Once upon a time there was a little me who loved sea life more than anything else too. The song takes a lower spot because of the actual nature of the monster, but the feeling still shines through.

[imaginexmeintheuniverse]

Bring Me Back

Pairing: Robbie Reyes x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Some violence

Word Count: 3, 688

Summary: Can the reader stop Robbie from doing something he'll regret?

tags: @coltcas thanks for letting me tag you sweetie~

Masterlist

A/N: So... I've recently binge-watched the last half of season 4 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and inspiration struck. As per usual it wasn't supposed to be this long but since I'm Extra AF™ this is what happened. Not exactly my best work so I may edit it in the future or try to redeem myself with a better Robbie Piece. (Enzo is not a reference to anyone in particular, I just randomly chose it from a list of names.) Also I feel like the world needs more Robbie love.

You, Enzo, and Robbie were inseparable. From the hang outs at the arcade in Little Tokyo after school, to your days at Garfield High, you three did everything together. You had always felt something more than friendship for Robbie, but ended up dating Enzo in high school after he asked you out before Robbie, eventually breaking up with him when you went to college.

As you all grew up, you also grew apart. You were the only one out of the three who went to college, Robbie had to take care of his brother, and Enzo got caught up in a local gang soon after high school. You still kept in touch, but it wasn't after graduating and moving to a nicer part of town that you started seeing your best friends again. Despite still being stuck in the same neighborhood, Enzo and Robbie were never the same after the former got involved with what you three swore you'd never stoop down to. They stopped talking, other than the occasional encounter that consisted of stiff smiles and awkward greetings.

Although you did have your degree and a bright career ahead of you, you didn't want to move too far away from your family, and after what happened to Robbie's brother you did everything you could to help him out. You helped Gabe with his homework, gave him rides to and from school, and made sure they always had food in the fridge, ignoring Robbie's stubborn protests that he could handle it on his own. You knew that something was off with Robbie. You figured he still felt guilty about Gabe becoming paraplegic, wishing it were him instead so his little brother wouldn't have to suffer, so you didn't pry.

You fell in love with Robbie all over again like when you were kids. All the times he'd walk through the front door late at night after Gabe was already asleep, you lit up when you saw him no matter how tired you were. When he'd apologize profusely for coming home so late and tell you that you didn't have to stay, you'd give him a genuine smile and assure him that it was okay. But just like when you were younger, you never told him how you feel because you always thought that if he wanted that he would've said something.

What you didn't know was that Robbie had been hopelessly in love with you since the first time you met him. The two boys were playing in Enzo's backyard when your frog hunt had led you there. You caught a pretty green one and they had approached you to see the frog. Even back then, you were unlike anyone he had ever met. You mother soon came chasing after you since you had run into a stranger's backyard, and started apologizing to Enzo's parents who instead offered for her to stay for coffee while you played with the boys. You pulled the two boys into your frog hunt, teaching them all the best tricks to catching them since you were a little expert. From that moment, you were all attached at the hip.

The sad truth was that you had always felt that way about him, but only dated Enzo because he asked first. In high school you had a lot of suitors because much like Robbie and Enzo, everyone could tell that you weren't like the other girls, and despite growing up in a sketchy area, you always maintained a bright energy no one else had. You thought you dropped enough hints to Robbie that you were interested in him, always rejecting the guys who asked you out in favor of hanging out with your best friends and always hanging back with him after Enzo had gone home. At some point, you thought he'd never feel the same way, so when Enzo asked you out you accepted because he was in your comfort zone. What actually happened was that even though Robbie never explicitly said anything, Enzo knew his true feelings and asked you out hoping it would motivate Robbie to tell you the truth. Robbie being the good friend he is, decided to lock up his feelings to give his two best friends a chance at happiness. It killed him, watching you with someone else, but the important thing was that you were happy.

Over the past few months of you being back in town, you had run into Enzo a few times at first, occasionally going out for coffee and talking like old times. Something was missing because Robbie wasn't there, but you knew better than to try to force them to reconnect. You enjoyed your conversations with Enzo, but he was different now. He was never the strong silent type like Robbie; he had always been more outgoing and reckless. You knew it was better to distance yourself from Enzo with everything he was involved in, which is what you started doing until he told you that he wanted something more than friendship with you.

Yesterday, when Enzo had asked you to meet him, you were ready to tell him that it would be best if the two of you didn't see each other anymore. You were clinging to the hope that you could restore the friendship the three of you shared, and rekindling the old flame was tempting, but you knew that couldn't happen. Enzo wasn't the same person; he wasn't the same boy you used to hide in a blanket fort with, but then again, neither were you and Robbie. The former was now a dangerous criminal and highly unpredictable.

As it turns out, Enzo is part of the same gang that caused the car crash that nearly killed Gabe and Robbie. As soon as you found out, you knew it was time to cut the ties. When Robbie discovered you had been seeing Enzo on a regular basis he told you this, wanting to protect you at all costs. Of course you knew Enzo was with the local gangbangers but you never thought he'd get so deep in. Your life was in danger by being in contact with him and to have you be collateral damage to his former friend's actions was the last thing he'd allow to happen. He didn't want to tell you who you could or couldn't see, but he wasn't going to have you in a position of danger when you had worked so hard to get away from this kind of life. You understood why Robbie hadn't told you sooner; trying to protect the happy memories you held dear to your heart and you also understood that if you were going to move forward, you had to let Enzo go.

Before you could tell him, he had to run off to attend to an issue with 'business' as he called it. The Ghost Rider had interfered with his gang, killing some of the members. The vigilante had started to become known around town, the man with the flaming skull. When you thought about all the times Robbie would come home late or how Robbie seemed to leave whenever there'd be a Ghost Rider sighting. You pushed those theories to the back of your mind, not being able to grasp how a man could burn peoples' souls, but with aliens and super-powered humans, anything is possible. However, there were moments of silence between you and Robbie where unspoken words were exchanged and you just knew.

Since you didn't get to confront Enzo yesterday, you called him earlier today, telling him that you're sorry and you how wish things could be different. He didn't take it well, responding with angry texts after you hung up when he got angry on the phone. You ignored his text messages the best you could but it was like a switch flipped. Then, all at once the messages stopped. You were relieved, but you left with a sense of uneasiness. He was aggressive like you've never seen before. It wasn't the first time you've witnessed this type of behavior. When you once tried to leave when his fellow gangbangers started showing up, he grabbed your wrist and only let go when you told him he was hurting you. You had chosen to temporarily forget it because you knew he meant you no harm, but now you weren't so sure his intentions mattered anymore if his actions spoke louder.

After dropping Gabe off at his friends house where he was staying the night, you go to the auto shop where Robbie is finishing up his work before he closing down the place. You wave and greet his fellow mechanics as they are on their way out before walking into the shop where you find him half under a truck with only his legs sticking out.

"Almost finished?"

"Just about," he answers from under the vehicle. You hear the clang of metal on metal and the twist of a wrench. He rolls out, grinning as he wipes the grease off his hands. You kneel next to him, grabbing the towel from his hand to wipe a black spot on his cheek. You can't help but get slightly flustered at your close proximity. You should be used to it by now, but he looks so cute in his mechanic jumpsuit.

"I, uh, dropped Gabe off at Theo's for that project they have to do," you say, standing up as an attempt to hide your reddening cheeks. You hold your hand out to help him up which he takes, nodding in thanks as he starts packing everything away.

"Y/N, you really don't have to-"

"Robbie, stop it," you smile reassuringly. "It's really nothing. I'm more than happy to help you out, and he's a great kid."

He gives in, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and pulling you into a hug. "Thank you," he mutters into your hair before pulling back. "I really appreciate everything you've been doing for us, especially for Gabe. I want to get him the hell away from here one day."

"He's so smart, and so, so strong, he gets that from you. He's going to be more than okay with a brother like you." He shoots you a thankful smile that makes your heart rate spike before he starts to close up shop. You stand next to him as he locks the doors when a familiar voice calls out.

"I knew you had something to do with this." You and Robbie whip your heads in the direction of the voice to see Enzo standing in front of his car with two of his 'coworkers'. You open your mouth to tell him to leave, but Robbie beats you to it.

"What are you doing here?" Robbie questions, stepping in front of you protectively.

"You've stolen something of mine, and I want it back." Enzo challenges, tilting his head as he looks him up and down.

"She is not your property." Robbie's voice wavers from his usual calm tone.

"You've always been jealous; you've always wanted to take Y/N away from me," he fumes, walking towards you and Robbie with his cronies following closely. You lock eyes with Robbie as though to ask him if it's true; if he could possibly share the same feelings you have for him. You catch a glimpse of what you barely make out to be both rage and sadness as he focuses back on the approaching trio.

Wanting to avoid conflict, you throw yourself in the middle, extending your arms to keep the two men from getting any closer to each other."Enzo, he has nothing to with this."

That's kind of a lie. Robbie has everything to do with your decision; the main reason why you know that having Enzo is a threat to the life you've work so hard to build and to the lives of the people you love. Robbie didn't make the decision for you, he simply aided you into realizing that you've all changed and open your eyes to who Enzo has become. "Please, just leave."

Enzo seizes your outstretched arm and yanks you towards him. His grip is so strong, you know it'll most likely leave a bruise. Watching someone threaten you ignites the fire in Robbie. Contrary to his glare, his voice is still perfectly composed which is what makes him that much more intimidating. "Let her go."

You try to squirm out of Enzo's grasp with no avail, as he tows you towards his car. He nods to the other two guys to signal them to take care of Robbie. You eyes meet Robbie's, the fear evident in your expression. You're terrified for his safety because he's outnumbered, but confused as hell because he still seems calm regardless of the fact that the two men approaching him have guns tucked at their sides.

You watch with a puzzled expression as Robbie unwinds the chain he was about to lock around the door just moments ago. He whips the chain towards the ground and metal instantly catches fire. He wastes no time in flinging it, the links curling around one of the men, and yanks it to take him down. The other man draws his gun and you let out a scream as it goes off, the bullet headed straight for Robbie's back. It hits his shoulder blade. You and Enzo freeze in bewilderment as it doesn't even seem to affect him. Robbie spins, taking the second man down just as he just did with the first. Before Enzo can process what's happening, he's being flung to the side by the chain and hits the ground with hard thud.

While Enzo is left dazed, slowly picking himself off the ground, Robbie rushes over to you. He places his hands on your shoulders as he checks for any injuries. "Are you okay?" he asks to which you respond to with a nod. You're still shaken up, but you connected the dots as soon as that chain caught fire.

"You're the Ghost Rider." He doesn't say anything which confirms your suspicions. Instead he averts his gaze from yours and turns back to Enzo. "Please don't!"

"He won't be able to hurt you anymore."

"Please!" You look up into his eyes to see that the Robbie you know is fading away. He flinches, avoiding your gaze because he can't stand to see you in pain.

"I'm not the one who decides." His muscles contort to suppress the fire coming from inside him. He looks back to you, his eyes glowing like blazing embers. You shout for him to stop, but you're too late. The skin on his face starts to boil, then his whole skull bursts into flames as his features fly away in the wind like pages of a burning book. That's when you know it's not Robbie Reyes anymore.

Ignoring your protests, the Ghost Rider fights the two men who've gotten up and charged towards him with their guns. Every shot is a bullet wasted. The fear on their faces grows with every step the Ghost Rider takes towards them until he places a hand on both of them, burning their souls.

Enzo shoots him in the back and attempts to run after running out of bullets, but the man with the flaming skull is quicker, once again throwing Enzo to the ground with the chain. You know what he's about to do when he slowly walks towards a disoriented Enzo. You know that if he did this, Robbie would regret it afterwards. Him and Enzo grew up together, they were best friends; would be like brother killing brother. So you hurl yourself between them.

"Robbie don't do this!" You hope to god he can hear you through your choked voice. You glance back to Enzo who has utter fear scrawled across his features. "He deserves to be punished for his crimes, but not like this- Robbie, please!" you plead, clinging to his chest and looking into the fiery eye-sockets hoping to somehow find Robbie's eyes behind the flames with your glassy ones." I know you're still in there. I love you."

His neck twitches and his head jerks in all directions as he tries to regain control of his body. You let out a shaky breath as his face slowly reconstructs itself. His features piece back together, bringing the real Robbie Reyes back to you.

He refuses to meet your eyes. You know him better than anyone; he's ashamed. You have no idea how to tell him that it's okay. You see it in his eyes; no matter what you say to him he won't believe that you don't think he's a monster. Abandoning words, you circle your arms around his waist and bury your face in his chest, releasing the tears that had been building up.

Your gesture takes him by surprise. He thought you'd never want to see him again after this, but he couldn't be more wrong. He drops the chain, letting it clink to the ground. He brings his hands to lay flat against your back, pressing your bodies together as you let his comforting warmth envelop you. Enzo can be heard frantically trying to get away from the scene, the rubber screeching on the asphalt as he speeds away. You feel Robbie's body tense at the noise and you know he's most likely glaring at the back of Enzo's car.

"Let him go," you say softly.

"I-I'm sorry," he murmurs into your hair.

"Don't apologize," you assure him. "You were just trying to protect me."

"I'm not sorry about that. I will never apologize for protecting the people I love, but I am sorry you had to see me like that." He never wanted you to find out like that. He knew you had your suspicions, so he knew you would have found out eventually, but he wanted to tell you his own way before that happened. He was terrified that he'd lose you if you saw the devil inside him.

"I love you." His whispers are muffled by your hair, but you hear him loud and clear. You step back, shocked at his statement. You cannot believe what you're hearing.

"What?" You scan his features, looking from eye to eye to see if he's speaking the truth.

He gulps down his insecurities. "I'm in love with you."It's now or never. "I have been since you taught me how to catch frogs."

Now it's his turn to search your face for an indication to what's going through your mind. Every memory you have with Robbie is replaying in your mind right now, so essentially your whole life. How could you have been so oblivious? Never telling your best friend your feelings because you thought that if he shared those feelings he would have said something, but you both followed that same flawed logic which resulted in all this wasted time.

"Roberto Reyes, why the hell did you never tell me?! We're best friends, were supposed to tell each other everything!" you shout as you punch his shoulder.

He rubs his shoulder, chuckling, "Why did you never tell me?" He stops laughing at your antics and his tone changes to a more serious one. "You were with our other best friend what was I supposed to do?"

Avoiding his question, you change the subject. "Why didn't you tell me about being the Ghost Rider?"

"I swear I was going to, but I was afraid."

"Of what?" You place a hand on his shoulder, worry etched into your features.

"I was afraid of losing you. I have the devil inside me. I thought that once you saw that; once you saw what I was capable of,  you'd never want to see me again. Sometimes he takes over and there's nothing I can do." He places his hands on either side of your face. "But you brought me back."

You're acting on impulse when you tug down on his shoulders to bring his lips to yours, but you both know this should have happened a long time ago. Your eyes flutter shut as he kisses you back passionately. You both pour everything into the kiss; every word that was left unsaid, every touch you held back, all the pent up feelings from all these  years. You eventually have to pull back from kiss that has left you completely breathless.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," he pants, releasing a breathy laugh as he speaks. Not caring how out of breath you are, you lean in for another soft kiss, smiling into it.

"We do have over fifteen years worth of catching up to do," you say, not being able to keep the grin off your face.

"Gabe is at a friend's house right?" Robbie raises an eyebrow.

"Don't get any ideas, hot stuff," you laugh as you shove his shoulder playfully. "You have to take me out to dinner first."

"That can be arranged."

Robbie picks up the chain, locks the door, and ushers you into his car, opening the door for you. "You've always been such a gentleman." He chuckles as he turns the key in the ignition and the car revs to life.

As Robbie drives off, your mind wanders. You think about everything that could happen now that you know he's the Ghost Rider, and so does Enzo. You worry that there might be backlash over what happened tonight. Your heart clenches at the thought that someone you've held close to your heart your whole life would hurt you and the other people you hold close. It aches knowing that you'll have to let go because clinging to the old memories won't do anyone any good. Robbie reaches over and give your hand a comforting squeeze, snapping you out of your daze. You look into his fiery brown eyes. They hold so much pain and passion, but also so much love and kindness. That's when you know you've tumbled down a road that there is no coming back from.

That's when you know everything is going to be okay.