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#so i've been staying up until 4 or 5 or 6 am this past week or so
spacecrows · 1 year
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the ✨✨✨i can fix them✨✨✨ trope but it's just me talking about my sleep patterns
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l3irdl3rain · 3 months
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Come on, we all know you've gotten attached to The Flat One. I feel trying to argue against her eventual adoption is just gonna make it feel more silly when she does join the fray.
since you all think you're so funny (lighthearted) i suppose i should explain the situation. TLDR: I am planning on keeping The Flat One. It will be a few weeks before she is ready to be separated from her mother so I'm going to foster them all at my house for the time being. In the week we've had her she's continued to put on weight and she feels like maybe her chest is already starting to round out a little.
I'm going to talk more about her medical issues under the cut. I shared an article about FCKS and other thoracic deformities. If you're interested in that here's a link. Please remember I am not a veterinarian so my own explanation may get things wrong.
We did take some radiographs and it definitely appears to just be flat chested kitten syndrome (FCKS) and not pectus excavatum (PE). This sounds like it's the better case scenario, as PE often requires a surgical fix. FCKS on the other hand often resolves itself (if it doesn't end up being fatal). She does have a spinal deformity that is common in kittens with FCKS.
The Flat One is about 5 weeks old, generally if a kitten with FCKS can make it past the 3 week mark that means it will be okay. She's also survived without any veterinary intervention or any specialized care from her previous owner.
That doesn't mean there isn't still risk of something going wrong. Because her chest is so flat it can cause respiratory problems. When she plays hard with her siblings her respiration rate is much higher than that of a normal kitten's. If it gets bad at times she may need medications.
With some time her chest should naturally start to round out on its own. Recovery can take a long time, but usually by the time they're 4-6 months their chest has rounded out to almost normal. On the other hand, her spinal deformity is there to stay.
Even with how attached I've let myself get I probably could have let her go once she was old enough to be away from her mom. However, it's unlikely she'll be "normal" when her siblings are ready to go. We could potentially try to adopt her out anyways and just explain her issues to people. Or we could continue to hang on to her until she is more normal at the 4-6 month mark. I might not be too attached yet, but I definitely would be at that point.
Also, I have the benefit of having so many people who have been so generous in helping myself and my cats. And if this comes down to needing a surgical fix I've already got the funds from Persephone's gofundme.
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rosedere · 2 months
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The Liyue Lotus and the Merchant from Snezhnaya
(Pantalone x Fem! Reader)
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MDNI +18
Cw: kidnapping, Stalking, non con elements, Graphic violence (later chapters), Yandere content *will update as the series goes
Cross posted on AO3
Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4, Chapter 5. Communication lost in the mountains, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10~
Synopsis: Unfortunately, The Regerator develops a fixation with you while you are working undercover for Yelan. And there’s no one who can get in his way of his prized Lotus.
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The parts of me buried underneath
They're glowing, do you see?
I know that you feel me now
No I'm never going down
-
You didn't hear from Yelan again.
It was total static from everyone. 
A few weeks into your stay in your pagoda tower was when you had any sort of noteworthy event. Basking in the pouring sunlight from the opening of the balcony from the canopy bed, you only realized you were drifting off to sleep when the soft footsteps from the hallway began to grow louder in volume.
“Lián”
You felt something paper-textured land on your bloated stomach.
Eyes still closed in annoyance, you lifted your arm to shoo Galina away.
“Its from Your beloved~” she added as she sat besides you, pulling away at the curtain to allow more light in.
You only stayed silent, trying to relax into the cool silk pillow you were currently resting on.
“Lián, you've been sleeping a lot lately.”
Galina sighed, holding the back of her hand to your forehead. “Hopefully you didn't catch a cold when you went swimming,” she muttered to herself as she leaned back onto the bed, laying near your feet.
“Fine— let me see.”
Unfurling yourself from the confines of the sheets, you sat up to see a medium-sized box now toppled over onto your side of the bed.
The wrapping on the package was an intricate iridescent blue and white tissue paper encasing the box, topped with a small paper lily.
Carefully unwrapping the top of the bow, the rest of the package fell apart, revealing the contents inside the dark blue box. You reached for the envelope before observing the contents of the delicately wrapped items; the letter was a familiar Snezhnaya envelope you had handled in the past during missions.Delicate as you opened the envelope with your name written on it with a golden fountain dip pen, Piercing the letter with your sharpest nail.
The parchment was cold to the touch, several pages from first glance.
“So what is it, my lady?" Galina perched her hand under her chin.
"Unfortunately, I don't read as fast as Pantalone”
“Lián, 
I have finally made it to Snezhnaya. By the time this letter should reach you, I'd have been here already for several weeks.
Thankfully, the… unfriendly gathering has ended sooner than I anticipated. I am currently catching up on certain duties I neglected before I came home.
In the meantime, until I have a certain day of arrival, I sent you some items that reminded me of you, hopefully reaching you along with this letter.
Every day I've been thinking about you, Lián; hopefully Galina and Fedor have been treating you well in my absence. I can't resist letting my mind wander to our first night together. 
I can't wait until we are united again so we can share a few more nights like that one, my rooted lotus.
I have more to say and share with you about Snezhnaya, but I have been alerted to some issues involving one of my underlings that I must take care of, so I will leave the rest to your imagination until we both can come together.
The Regerator
You looked over at the gently wrapped items stacked neatly in a pile.
“Hmm, so it appears he could arrive any day now,” Galina mindlessly replied, now propped up on one of the smaller pillows on the bed.
“Any day? How did you get that from the letter?” you asked.
“I just know him; last time he said that he returned a week later,” she turned lying in the bed.
"Hey, did he also leave an extra envelope in there by any chance?”
You carefully laid the blue ink letter on the bedspread as you pulled the items out of the box; some you could immediately guess were clothes, while others felt like they were wrapped in a sturdy paper box.
Thinking that was it, two envelopes slipped out from the bottom.
One was on dark sapphire blue paper, and the other was a dusty violet color.
“Oh! That's it,” she reached over energetically for the dusty violet color before pocketing the other one in her hood pocket.
A smile graced her face as she eagerly opened the letter.
Humming as she read her letter, you noticed the back of the letter had a photograph of something—a few pictures from the thickness you could tell from the shape.
You didn't want to pry, so you returned your attention to the items strewn about now on the bed.
Reaching for a small rectangular one carelessly thrown on top of the several items now forming a small mountain, a silver ink print was on top as you further inspected the gift.
“To moma”
You were about to speak up, but Galina read your mind, grabbing a hold of the box in your hand.
"Sorry, my lady, you had to grab that~ hehe He must have packed them altogether,” she bashfully apologized.
“Ah no, its on me; I shouldn't have just assumed it was mine,” you smiled back at her, watching her handle the gift.
The photos on the back of the letter are now laying facing up on top of the letter as she unwrapped the gift eagerly.
You watched as she pulled the expensive wrapping off, again her mask concealing her face, but you could tell her mood instantly lightened as she held the now unwrapped gift.
“Is that?”
Galina nodded, holding the small statue.
You knew it was an ice creation—some vision holders becoming sculptors using their vision to create material.
But the place that was sculpted was somewhere you had never seen before.
The tall dome-like roofs and a small miniature garden with a snowy lake in front of the palace-like place. 
The amount of detail was truly inspiring.
“My daughter... finally got a vision while I was away." Galina smiled, holding the small miniature in her gloved hand.
"She had desperately wanted to become one so she could serve the Tsaritsa” 
She held the minature to her chest.
“I miss her so much.”
Galina's finger traced around the little pond that was sculpted into the side of the castle.
“The last time I saw her was when she was only a small toddler, barely able to stand,” she chuckled to herself.
Rolling on her stomach, she placed the minature on the wrapping, looking closer at it from behind.
“She told me in her letter that she will try to become an ice maiden under the tsaritsa as soon as her birthday comes next month.” 
She glanced back up at you.
“ah— this might be a bit boring to you, my lady; I apologize once more.” 
“No, it's alright, it's just-”
This is going to be awkward…
“Are you really a mother?” You blurted.
Startled by your blunt tone, you covered your mouth as you searched for any amount of offense in your words on her face.
Galina smiled mischievously at you before she rewrapped the small sculpture.
“Three”
“Including my younger sisters, so...”
Ten
Your eyes widen in surprise,thanking your hand for covering your mouth, as it was probably hanging down in shock.
“Its a long story, but im all they have; its why im here with Fedor,” she sighed, reaching for the photographs.
She grabbed the last photo from the back, placing it on your covered lap.
The photo showed three girls in some sort of igloo in the wilderness; the oldest sitting on the left of the embankment looked to be at least sixteen—a young teen—while the other two sitting in the poorly constructed igloo looked to be no older than six. 
Galina placed a finger on the oldest one.
“That one is my Victoria,” she pointed to the girl. “She looks more like her… father than I, but she is such a sweet girl.” 
She then pointed to the two girls inside the igloo.
“These two are my twins, Brki and Ivanna.” 
You looked closer inside the igloo to see the two smiling girls more in detail; their eyes, hair, and body structure were identical.
“I was so lucky to have them; I'm sure they're probably impatiently waiting for my return again,” she smiled, looking back down at the picture.
You watched her fondly touch the small photograph of her children; absorbed in her world that was depicted in the photo.
“I certainly hope I'm not overstepping since... "I'm not a mother and all.” You looked down at your hands before you laid on your side, facing Galina on the bed.
“Why don't you work closer to Snezhnaya instead of being so far from them?” 
“If I had my babies somewhere in a region all by themselves, I'd probably lose sleep knowing I was doing such a dangerous job.”
Galina's smile softened as she carefully laid the photo next to the minature.
“I would if I could, Lián.”
“I thought this might have been the trip my Lord Pantalone would have offered to take me and Fedor along back home,” she exhaled.
“But I guess I signed up a week too late to stay; now I work for the Regerator.” 
She tucked the letter and photographs inside the wrappings.
“I guess better this way; I'd probably be dead if I worked for the home harbingers like Il Dottore or Coloumbina…” she chuckled half-heartedly. "Ah, you haven't met them yet, but they certainly... are strange,” she smiled to herself. 
You smiled back at Galina as she tucked her gifts in her opposite coat pocket.
“I must write my babies a letter before the day ends,” she stretched out onto your bed.
“Hey—can I see what your beloved brought for you this time?” 
“Please~” she asked, propping her head up with her hands.
“Sounds fair to me since you shared what you were sent in the mail,” you sluggishly moved back up in a sitting position.
Checking to make sure nothing else was mixed up. 
You grabbed the top item; wrapped in a very sturdy tissue-like paper. Gingerly pulled the ribbon on top, making the whole wrapping come off.
“Oh wow, miss Lián! Its so beautiful,” her eyes lit up.
“Err.. but what is it?” You tilted your head.
The sheer cloth was so long that you had to keep unrolling the dark sapphire material at least 30 times until you could observe the full tapestry of cloth.
A white-tinsel lotus design ebbed all around the sheer fabric, reaching the ends of the ground. The horizontals had a very expensive tassel and metal accessories hanging low on the bottom all the way to the top.
"Ah, Miss Lián, that's a...”
Galina stroked her chin in thought for a moment.
“Oh! I remember the Liyue word for it… A veil”
“Like for….” You swallowed thickly. “A bride?”
“Oh no, at least not in our culture it isnt— women of high status wear them to mimic the Tsaritsa's own veil to shield her innocence,” Galina pointed at the fabric.
“If I wasn't so lazy, I'd show you right now how it's worn, but I have a feeling I might know what at least two of the other packages entail.” She glanced over towards the uneven mountain of gifts.
“It certainly is beautiful, but I don't know if I'll be able to wear it in our humid climate,” you sighed.
“You can always weave it into your hair like some of the previous Harbingers and some Harbinger spouses do,” she smiled. "But, to be honest with you, I think he mostly got it for you to wear as a shawl like the ones you adore so much.” Galina lowered her voice.
Letting curiosity get the best of you, the decision to wear the veil was all your brain was telling you to do as you carefully slid out of bed, standing on bare feet as you wrapped the fabric around your gown.
“So it just goes over me?” You questioned now standing next to the long fabric.
"Yup,” Galina quickly responded, looking over at you.
You began to unwrap the veil, opening it up like a bedsheet before placing it on top of your messy hair.
Dropping the veil to the ground, it laid around your feet gracefully, catching the light from outside as you twirled underneath the long fabric.
“Its beautiful.” You touched the inside of the veil, really feeling the soft netted material.
"Oh, but wait until you see the second piece that goes with it,” she chuckled, her belly crawling towards the mountain of presents laying where you had previously disturbed.
She began sorting through the gifts before she settled on the largest one, nestled underneath a few other items.
“Here, try this one.”
You approached with the veil still over your head, grabbing the package, now intrigued.“Id offer to unwrap it for you, my lady, but Id rather not get caught by Fedor,” she scratched the back of her head.
“If you want to, you can,” you held the gift back towards her. “You can be my assistant,” Your veil unintentionally jingled as you held it out to her.
Galina nodded before opening the carefully wrapped present for you.
She went quickly to work as she unwrapped the tightly bound package.
Another heavy-looking garment tightly folded; the white fur was mostly what you identified until you looked closer, realizing it was another long item of fabric.
“This part I'll let you unwrap,” she handed the item to you.
unfolding the very tightly packed item, watching a cascade of snow whites and icy blues sparkle and twinkle back at you.
The top silmy mantle around the collar reminds you of an artic fox; the fur is a second layer underneath the thick peacoat material; the tulle layer underneath acting like a long dress as it also pooled and complimented the robe part of the long splits that rain besides the ribs of the coat.
"Normally, women in snezhnaya also wear a layered robe underneath this coat, just like the Tsaritsa” Galina pointed to the sleeves.
“Im surprised why he bought you these specifically since normally that particular outfit is worn for special occasions.” 
“special meaning?” You trailed.
“Like an engagement or being pinned as a harbinger is the one I can think of at the top of my head,” she flicked her eyes towards the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room.
“I would show you Pantalone's, but it seems he took his winter formal coat on business with him,” she looked back at the coat still in your hand.
“He has one identical to that one, but it seems he custom ordered it while he was over there,” Galina sighed, “which is something not anyone is honored to receive from Snezhnayans.”
Astonished, you took a step back as you looked closer at the coat. You realized initially that what seemed to be sleeves was actually more of a split poncho with a lack of a better term. Deciding to try it as well, you opened the front of the insulated coat. The soft mink feeling inside was very warm, and of course it had the quality of something you have never been blessed to wear.
“It's kind of heavy.” You walked towards the end of the ornate gateway leading to the bedroom door, the crystal material catching more light than your veil. 
“They certainly are; the more layers, the better, my lady,” Galina watched as you carefully walked back towards the bed.
Sighing, you sat on the edge of the bed before lying back on the bed.
“My lady? Are you okay?” Galina sat up, sitting besides you, where the material cascaded down the tall bed.
“Just a bit winded—I think I just haven't been sleeping well,” you murmured before removing your arms from the sleeves. “I'll be alright once I close my eyes for a moment,” you replied, burying your face into the covers.
“Ah— but do you want to unwrap the rest of your gifts first? It seems there are about four more.” Galina began to neatly stack the few items left on the bed.
“Maybe later—” you yawned.
“My lady, at least let me take your jacket off of you.” Galina fussed as she began to carefully lift you up.
“My lord would kill me if he found out I let you roll around in them,” she began to carefully begin the process of undressing and disasembling your outfit.
“Galina? Are you in here?” Fedor's voice boomed from the walkway outside.
Your cheery guard looked towards the balcony outside; the pyro energy radiating around where Fedor had teleported.
"Ah, one moment—Im undressing our lords, beloved,” she finished unrolling the veil into a neat square on the bed.
“This is an urgent matter, my comrade; a crane has been spotted.”
Galina froze before dropping the fabric on the bed.
She quickly removed your long jacket and laid it on top of the bed, where the items were stacked, before she laid you back into one of the larger pillows on your bed.
“I'm sorry, my lady; I'll dress you properly later.”
“Please stay in your bedroom and do not open any doors until we arrive,” Galina calmly told you.
Your eyes, however, were already closing as you heard Galina and Fedor hurry out of the room before they closed the gate to the balcony.
Silence except for the occasional bird call or sway of wind passing through the bedroom.
As much as your body was dragging you down, however, you knew you had to continue your real mission.
Especially since Pantalone was already getting ready to come back.
Pulling yourself up, you looked around the room you had become accustomed to for the several days you lived here.
Unfortunately, you didn't find much in his various drawers, desks, and vases of scrolls; seemingly, he took everything with him on his business in the ever-frozen wasteland.
Walking over to the bedroom door unshockingly, it was very obviously locked from the outside.
No way out
Leaning against the door, you lazily looked over towards the bathroom.
On one of these absentee days at Pantalones Estate, you were tasked with washing yourself while Galina stepped away to figure out where the smoke in the lower kitchen was from.
You would have started by yourself drying your body off, but you noticed only a few washcloths left.
Sighing to yourself as you sat on the edge of the stone ledge that formed the natural tub, you felt one that was… out of place.
Not in appearance, but the large section of stone was loose.
Assuming it was just a loose stone, you pulled at the slate. A rumble occurred, and a wall was revealed below your feet.
A passage.
You carefully lowered yourself into the earthy passage, leaving barely enough room for one person to squeeze through. Wherever you landed, you were extremely unsure as you reached the end of your descent.  The walls were tall; you could feel a draft, but there was no light at all in the room. You cursed yourself for not having a pyro vision as you felt and touched everything until you ran your hands on a switch, the handle protruding in front of you.
Pulling it revealed a network.
Tunnels.
Each leading deeper into the mountain.
Only before you were about to decide which mossy-covered entrance to take, you were alerted by Galina's sing song voice from above.
Today was going to be different.
Grabbing a large stick that was lying in one of the various vases in the restroom, you began your descent once more.
Climbing down, you noticed the lights had been turned off once more. Doing the same as you did the first time you felt up against the natural wall of the cave before you hit the switch from the walls.
The light turning on revealed a much more disturbing scene from the last time you were down.
Dried blood.
Everywhere.
The rusty smell disguises itself under the moist and earthy scent of the cave.
It seemed something got attacked down here.
You carefully tread with bare feet on the earthy stone around the scene before you.
Most of the blood was concentrated in the middle of the cavernous area before a trail led to the utmost left cavern.
Maneuvering quietly, you thanked the archons. Your nausea was at bay for the first time all day, or you'd have surely vomited in the humid cavern.
Thankfully, it seemed the switch's power extended to the cavern, really illuminating the long trail as whoever or whatever carried itself this way.
Finally reaching the back of the long cavern, you found nothing.
Literally, not even a trail of blood remained in the area. no corpse or sign of the person left.
The iron bars surrounded the area.
A makeshift prison.
Chilled, you kept your investigation mode on, examining every rock and iron bar.
But nothing came of the cavern.
Or the one next to it.
It wasn't until you wandered to the last worn path that you heard the familiar breeze of the mountain create a draft as you walked further inside.
Eventually, you took a windy path before the natural sunlight of the sky poured into the passage.
Practically running, you raced towards the opening of the cave. cautiously approaching the edge of the cave, listening for any suspicious sounds. Cursing yourself for the lack of elemental energy, you armed yourself with the stick before you stepped one foot out.
Entering the sunlight by yourself was a right you took for granted.
Overwhelmed by the familiar image of the mountain ranges and various wooden bridges in the distance, you knew.
"It finally took you long enough.”
At first, you thought an annoying mirage had formed above you. Craning your neck up with your stick, you pointed up at your possible threat.
Her mauve lips only upturned in an amused smile as she giggled behind her hands.
“I knew it was bad, but not this bad; my last subordinate would threaten me with a stick." She brushed her hair behind her ear from her spot on the tall tree branch above. 
Patting on the tall branch as an invitation for you to come join her only made you scowl in response.
"Fine, stay down there, but those two annoyances are going to spot you and blow your cover.” Yelan pointed to the downward natural path beside you.
Lunging with your stick, you reached the tree branch with no hesitation, perching in a squat beside Yelan.
“Why are you here?” You asked, crossing your arms.
“Same reason you're here." She stretched her arms above her head briefly.
“I wanted to see if you took the Regerator down or if that blood was from you,” she quietly laughed.
“So you're saying the blood wasn't from you murdering all of the fatui down there?” You rolled your eyes.
“Not yet,” she smiled as she poked your nose.
Flicking her hand in retaliation, you both paused as you looked down the mountain path.
Eventually the laugh slipped from your mouth, leading Yelan to follow in your footsteps. Her infectious laugh a comforting sound, reminding you of the time before being undercover.
when you and Yelan were just subordinates.
“So I'm going to assume then you don't know what occurred down there either.”
You nodded, only shrugging.
“I can't be a useful source since when I first stumbled upon the passage leading to that makeshift prison, I couldn't wander further inside, but I do recall no blood was in there yet.” 
“It may be a good sign." Yelan interjected, “The passage you just came out of was manmade,” her finger pointed at the jagged edges the entrance had, “the prisoner escaped down the cliff to down the mountain.” 
“They must have had a vision,” you deduced as you looked down the misty mountain range below.
It was Yelan's turn to nod in silent acknowledgement.
“Hang on, how did you find this place? I don't even know where I am,” you exclaimed.
Yelan only raised a perfect brow.
“Im not kidding, I snuck into the prison from the bathroom in Pantalones master bedroom looking for an escape.” 
Yelan looked back at the cavern opening once more in thought.
“We found Dan, but he was dead at the base of this mountain, concealed in the amber." Yelan shrugged before looking down at the base of the mountain.
“I decided to scout the area to see if any activity would occur when I found camps of fatui surrounding this entire mountain.” 
You leaned in, listening intently with interest as Yelan looked cautiously around.
“Following a few of them led me to halfway to the mountain before I was somehow spotted, and now I'm here,” she pursed her lip.
“So what's the next step? I haven't gotten any word from inside the Fatui about what's going on or if they're involved as well,” you murmured. “Im essentially being watched everywhere I go inside his residence,” scratching your wrist out of nerves.
“Your my Fatui informant; despite what it seems like, you have a lot of value out of everyone right now,” Yelan placed a firm hand on your shoulder. “Trust me, I'll treat you to the best Liyue beer in the harbor once we catch The Regerator,” Yelan smiled.
“For now, you need to keep gaining all of their trust, no matter what it is, until you have definitive evidence and a plan. We can avenge our fallen and bring Pantalone to justice,” she passionately assured you.
For a moment, it grew silent. The mountains natural sound being amplified around the both of you.
“I have to head back, Yelan," you said as you stood up on top of the tall limb.
“As do I as well; I'm sure they assumed I slid all the way down the mountain by now at this point.”
You both laughed, Yelan rising to her feet as well, both being at eye level.
“Since I know now where you are, we can both converge higher up from here near the amber on the next waning moon this month,” she said, pointing at a small landing above the manmade mountain.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Until then, (name)” 
-
Note: Bad news and Good news:
Bad news: Im apart of the Boycotting Hoyo which means besides not playing the game and review bombing I will not be continuing this story until Hoyo stops pretending dark skin tones dont exists :D I will not argue about it as im firm on my stance and I hope everyone respects my choice and hopefully I can continue my genshin/and honkai stories once more as I really love the characters and such!
Good news: I wont be a complete asshole and since I have the rest of the 6 chapters written I will begin editing and posting those but I will not update anymore after the six one has been posted!
Again im sad I have to say all of this but I was already angry at genshin because of sumeru and then for them to do the same thing again to a group that already get talked over and their concerns and issues ignored makes me dislike them even more...
Petition + Review bomb tf out of the games on the app store btw
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purple-obsidian · 4 months
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pulling my dick out again, but i feel so nervous i gotta scream it into the void. ignore this if you don't wanna hear about relationship drama.
told my bf i needed some space after finding out some awful shit he did, both in his past and continuing up to the present. when i confronted him, he didn't express any remorse until he realized i was going to leave him over it, which only confirms to me that he doesn't really think his behavior is wrong, he's just sorry he got caught. and it was bad, y'all. not cheating but i almost wish it was instead. its embarassing, and i was mortified.
there's been some other underlying issues we've had regarding communication and him being irresponsible. went to couples therapy for 9 months and he showed maybe 5-10% improvement, but like bare minimum. this realization was the final straw for me.
almost 4 year relationship at this point, live together, all the shit that makes things complicated. i want him to grow and change and get better, but he's proven to me time and time again that he cannot (or will not) grow and self-reflect to be a better person.
i told him i need space to think. i've been staying with a friend the past week and a half. minimal communication between us during this time, just a few texts. he scheduled an individual session with our old therapist, which is a huge step for him and something i've been begging for him to do for a while since doing therapy as a couple has yielded minimal results. and tonight after work i'm going to go home to speak with him and let him know i'm going to move out completely. my thought process is, he will either realize how bad he fucked up and it will light a fire under his ass to get his shit together (if not for the sake of our relationship then at least for himself) with the help of his therapist and we can reconnect in a few months to see where we are at. OR. 6 months from now, he'll be in the same place, stuck in his ways, and at that point i need to move on too and stop wasting my time.
but i am so so so so nervous to talk to him, when I tell you my heart yearns for him, i am still so enamored with him and can't stop thinkingabout all of the good parts of our relationship and how much i miss him. i worry that i'll lose my resolve and go running back to him and just excuse his disgusting behavior, which objectively wouldn't be healthy for either of us.
speaking this into the void in the hopes of someone holding me accountable. hopefully i'll reblog this later and say the convo went well and i stood my ground.
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oscurascout · 5 months
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Y/N As A Doorman
From That's Not My Neighbor game
Part 3 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10)
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I got to my house, ate a delicious meal. After that, I took a shower and started to think about today. I then smiled, “Maybe this won't be so bad,” I thought as I finished taking the shower and went back to the kitchen to make myself lunch for tomorrow.
After I was done, I went to sleep, preparing for the next day.
~●~1 Month Later~●~
I got up from my very comfortable bed, got ready, and then went to work. A few things had happened in these past 4 weeks. First, that damn Hoon Francis; he came every week, sometimes staying for very long. One time the real Francis came and saw the doppelganger, but the surprising thing is that Francis didn't care! He even allowed the doppelganger to continue dressing as him.
Another thing was that even some random doppelgangers started to come. They just looked, and if I was lucky, they would talk to me, but then they would walk away. The third thing is that some doppelgangers are getting cocky and aggressive. One almost attacked Mr. Cappuccin, thankfully nothing happened. Perhaps it's because I don't call the D.D.D and let them leave; mmm maybe it is my fault. Besides that, everything is going great. I'm on good terms with everyone, except Elenois and Selenne since I like to annoy them. But I do feel like I'm friends with Mia, Francis, Nacha, and Margarette.
I got to the apartment and entered the office. Francis was also the very first one to leave. I don't know why a milkman needs to wake up so early, but oh well, not my problem. He said goodbye and went on. I grabbed the list of people expected for today. “Ok, only 7—mm, Izaack, Anastacha, Selenne, Francis, Elenois, Steven, and Angus. Ok, please make this an easy day,” I thought as I put down the list and got on my phone. In the mornings nothing usually happens.
At 8:35 am, the first person came in. Mrs. Cappuccin walked in front of the window and greeted me before passing me her papers. I started to look over them, and everything was correct. Then, I looked at the list and saw that Mrs. Cappuccin wasn't on it.
“Hey, I mean Mrs. Cappuccin, you're not on the list. May I ask the reason?” I said, and suddenly Mrs. Cappuccin's eyes changed to an angry red, and some sharp teeth appeared.
'Rafttellyn' - *angry* “Dammit! Why didn't I think about that damn list! … You caught me. It seems you're not easy to fool, unlike the other doormen.”
I looked at her surprised, but then I relaxed. “I can't let this one go,” I thought as I pressed the red button, and for the second time since I've been working here, I called the D.D.D. After they confirmed that they were coming, I put the phone back.
'Rafttellyn' - *chuckles, talking through the metal shield* “So you consider me dangerous, ha ha ha. I've heard about you, all of us have. About the little dumb human who lets us get away and doesn't call the D.D.D unless we are truly dangerous. Ha ha ha. Be careful, little human. Make sure to always look behind you because if you don't, we will catch you,” *walks away*
I stayed frozen. “What?” I thought as I got off the chair and went below the desk. I needed a place where I felt safe, yet there was nothing in this darn office. Then I heard knocking on the window. I got out and looked; it was the D.D.D agent.
D.D.D Agent - *with a voice changer* “Are you ok?”
I nodded and got back in the chair. “Yeah, I'm fine, just a little shaken up,” I said, putting on a professional smile.
D.D.D Agent - *nods* “Good work, agent. Unfortunately, we arrived late, and the doppelganger got away. But don't worry, we will patrol around the perimeter until it is deemed safe. You can continue working,” *walks away*
I breathed in and out, then relaxed and continued being on my phone. At 10, Mr. Gauss arrived and politely told me to be quick since he needed to attend a meeting early. Since he's not Selenne, I did my work quickly, and he immediately went up to his floor. A few minutes after I saw him running towards the front doors, I thought to myself, "Hmm, I wonder what he'll talk about in the news this time. Last time it was about the 'karen doppelganger' that once they were caught they threw a massive tantrum. It was honestly funny." As I got up and headed towards the kitchen for a snack.
I came back and sat down with my snack. As I was munching on it, a doppelganger walked in. It was pretty obvious they weren't human; they were expressionless, literally. They didn't have a face - no mouth, no eyes, not even a nose.
*Sighs* "Umm, papers please," I said and waited. They only gave me their entry request. "Umm, I'll also need your ID," I said, and I saw them shake their head. *Sighs* "Ok, well congrats! You are the first doppelganger of today that has gotten close to impersonating a resident of this building. Unfortunately, since I discovered you, let's do this. You can either leave, or I'll call the D.D.D.," I said as I smiled at it. They nodded and walked away, leaving the entry request, which I threw in the trash. "I seriously need a weapon, I don't want the same senerio to happen twice. Mmmm maybe a gun or something or maybe I should take some self-defense lessons, hmm," I thought as I looked at Mr. Ciprianni arrive.
Hours passed, and mostly everyone was inside their apartments, except for my good old friend Francis, who usually comes back at 10 or sometimes a little later. While I was on my phone, my other friend came - Francis's doppelganger, or how I like to called him, Hoon. He gave me his papers and waited. Every day he does the same, and every time I catch him, yet he always keeps on trying, ... or maybe it's something else that he wants.
"Buddy, your entry permit is wrong, but hey, that's the only thing," I said and threw the entry request in the trash. I gave him his ID back, yet he didn't looked happy, as he usually would. "To be honest, his ID and appearance are wrong, but I seriously don't want him to get mad at me like the first doppelganger, but it's weird why isn't he happy?" I thought as I noticed that he was not leaving. Usually, after I discover him, he leaves, well sometimes. The times he doesn't leave right away he makes "conversation" yet this time, he not only stayed but also didn't say anything.
*Confused* "Buddy, you know the deal after I caught you, yo-" *Interrupted* I didn't finish my sentence since what he said froze me in my place.
Hoon - "Beee, .. c-careeee, ful, … hoon."
After saying that, he left. "What?" I thought as I looked at him leaving.
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Im not sure if you're a hiking person, but How is hiking/nature in Catalonia? I've been learning the language for the past few months and i am interested in visiting and I really love being out in nature and hiking
Hi! First of all, sorry for the delay in answering, I've been very busy this week and I've left the blog on queue, I'm catching up today.
There's lots of cool places to hike!
Historically, hiking has been very important for keeping alive the culture and language, ever since the 19th century (as a way to getting to know the country and its history, since the population had been denied its own history) and especially until the Franco dictatorship (we have mentioned before how people used going hiking as a way to get away from the police and being able to speak Catalan during the times of illegalization).
There are many hiking associations in Catalonia, you can find them with names like "centre excursionista" or "grup excursionista". I don't know how long you're staying, but if you were to stay for a relatively long time I'm sure you could probably find some hiking association near wherever you stay.
Otherwise, you might also be interested in Wikiloc. It's a website (created by a Catalan) where everyone can upload the routes they like. It's very popular and there's lots of hikes in all areas, and it shows you the route and all the information and what you can see in the way.
There's many places to hike in all around the country. There are many natural parks, with 16 being recognised above the other in (Southern) Catalonia + 1 in Northern Catalonia.
From North to South, by type of landscape:
IN THE PYRENEE MOUNTAINS:
1. Regional Natural Park of the Catalan Pyrenees (Northern Catalonia).
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Includes the Canigó mountain, legendary and symbolic mountain for Catalans. If you go there for Sant Joan festivity (June 23rd), you can join the hike to go get the fire on top of the mountain (we explained it in this post).
There's many hikes in the websites Tourisme Canigou and Sud Canigó.
2. Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
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This is another beautiful park in the Pyrenees and the Sant Maurici lake. It's the only natural park in Catalonia that is considered a National Park in the Spanish system.
3. Parc Natural de l'Alt Pirineu (High Pyrenees Natural Park)
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Beautiful mountains and, just like for all the other parks in the Pyrenees, near valleys with beautiful villages of Medieval origin with a heritage of Romanesque churches (the ones in Vall de Boí are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
4. Parc Natural de les Capçaleres del Ter i del Freser
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Where the Ter and Freser rivers are born. It includes the Núria Valley (Vall de Núria).
5. Parc Natural del Cadí-Moixeró
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Includes the iconic Pedraforca mountain.
ASLEEP VOLCANOES:
6. Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa (Natural Park of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone)
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Includes the Fageda d'en Jordà (Jordà birch tree forest) and cool Medieval towns like Santa Pau, Besalú, Castellfollit de la Roca, els Hostalets d'en Bas, and more.
COASTAL PARKS:
7. Parc Natural del Cap de Creus (Creus Cape Natural Park)
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Beautiful coastal area in the Costa Brava, also includes the Medieval monastery Sant Pere de Rodes. In the area there's lots of typically Mediterranean-style towns with white walls, some of them very touristic and some of them less so.
8. Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter
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In the coast of the Costa Brava, it's very beautiful. Also near lots of cute towns of Medieval origin.
9. Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà (the Empordà Wetlands Natural Park)
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And on the opposite end of Catalonia:
10. Parc Natural del Delta de l'Ebre (Ebro Delta Natural Park)
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Where the Ebro river reaches the Mediterranean sea. Famous for its rice fields and birdwatching. It's very flat, so it's a good idea to hire a bike and bike through the paths among the rice fields to the sea.
OTHER MOUNTAINS:
11. Parc Natural del Montseny
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12. Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac
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13. Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat
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Montserrat is one of the most famous and sacred mountains in Catalonia. It has a very characteristic shape and landscape and is home to a monastery over 1000 years old that guards the Moreneta (black Madonna, patron saint of Catalonia).
14. Parc Natural de Collserola
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Collserola is the mountain range that overlooks Barcelona city.
15. Parc Natural de la Serra de Montsant
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Located in the Priorat wine area (to take into account if you are wine lovers), the Monstant mountain range is located in a very rural area with lots of vineyards cultivated on the mountain slopes and also lots of historical tiny rural chapels, as well as the ruins of the Escaladei Carthusian monastery.
16. Parc Natural dels Ports
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Mountains and lots of natural swimming pools you can bathe in.
You'll be able to find hikes in the websites of all of them.
I hope this was useful and that you enjoy your holidays!
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rscroogedraws · 3 months
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Here are a couple of my favorite (not too spoiler-ific) scenes from a couple of my in-progress fan fics.
I've had an uphill battle with bad writer's block and inconsistency with any kind of creative fiction for the past several years now. It hurt having such a hard time with that since I've wanted to become some kind of fiction author since I was six and I used to actively write analyses for YouTube stuff. So the fact I've eked out a couple chapters for each of these feels like a huge accomplishment to me.
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I appreciate all of the feedback or interest I've gotten for pretty much any of my projects over the past year or so. Seriously, even if you're just leaving a like, it's made a difference to me knowing someone enjoyed my work enough to take a second to interact with them in that kind of capacity.
A03 is down for maintenance at the time I'm posting. I'll update these with links once they're back up later today or tomorrow.
Edit: Links have been added!
Not Quite an Elevator Pitch
O.K. K.O. Let's Be Heroes! Fan Fic
Synopsis: Professor Venomous is back in Lakewood Plaza Turbo! He thought returning would be as easy as move back into Boxmore and start attacking the Plaza. Instead, he's not quite sure what to do next and is trying to find himself. Then he gets stuck in an elevator with someone unexpected and they give him a much-needed reality check.
A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56784448/chapters/144365029
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Snippet from Ch. 2: Definitely Not Silver Spark
When Venomous awoke the next morning, he was surprised he slept at all. He wandered into the living room and read 9:08 AM on the digital oven clock. That was a personal achievement after the last week or so of staying up until 4:00 AM, hanging in there long enough to pull together a bare bones breakfast and box lunch for Fink, and then crashing until 5 or 6 before Fink returned from school or Boxmore.
He padded into the kitchen as he mentally cataloged notes to send with Fink on why she was late as well as easy but actually nutritious lunches to send with her. So much of him hated that he’d relied on Snackables so much the past few days. He kept imagining an okay-ish tuna sandwich next to flimsy cardboard packaging with crackers, dubious lunch meat, plastic cheese, and radioactive colored candy. Fink loved it. She bragged that her friends were jealous with a big grin on her face. That was now. What kind of look would she give him when she was in her early 30’s and remembered that he knew how to competently cook but opted for shortcuts instead?
That train of thought wasn’t even needed. Today was Saturday. Fink said she’d be gaming. Then Venomous found a note attached to the fridge: Hey Boss! The tournament got rescheduled. So I’m helping Raymond and Shannon raid a cruise liner today! They have lobster. I’ll make sure to bring home leftovers.
A mix of hurt and pride panged through Venomous. Previously, Fink asked to join him on every villainous caper, business trip, or big event. Lately, if she wasn’t gaming with friends, she was hanging out with her step-siblings or new friends somewhere “irl.” She still said hi, let him know where she was going, and kept a generally friendly rapport. After the horror stories Venomous heard from other parents about teenagers, that had to mean something. Fink was just starting to enter her teenage years though. There was still time for heLinkr to develop resentment towards him.
That’s probably how K.O. felt right now. He had every reason to hate PV and never talk to him again. That’d been earned. Very painfully earned. The part of him that still gripped his head on straight with little ribbons of hot glue and sticky tack knew he should leave all of that alone. The part of him that was itching to throw back a full bottle of absinthe before 11:00 in the morning was making a beeline for his phone.
He’d dialed the number before stronger self-control would have stopped him.
“...hello?” Silver Spark’s voice drifted in from the other line. “Carol speaking. Sorry for not recognizing your number. I think it’s been long enough since we exchanged numbers I don’t remember. Who is this?”
“…Lase-Professor Venomous.” He swallowed heavily and felt like he’d been hit by an intense bolt of lightning. “Professor Venomous.”
“Um...oh. Ahm, okay.” She didn’t sound completely upset but her tone wasn’t as pleasant as before either. “Did you need something for paperwork?”https://archiveofourown.org/works/56784448/chapters/144365029
“….no.”
“Okay….” Carol cleared her throat. “We got all of your child support payments. If that’s what you were calling about. Everything on that front has been smooth sailing.”
“Good.” Venomous stared intensely at the nearest kitchen counter. There was a marbling pattern over everything he hadn’t noticed before.
“Yeah….” Impatience was starting to creep into Carol’s tone.
“I’m sorry.” The words just tumbled out. “I’m sorry….about everything.”
It felt like time itself stopped. If the oven clock digital display wasn’t flashing, Venomous would have started entertaining the thought of a time wizard or a highly-advanced lizard creature with space-time warping powers crawling around the apartment. Almost two agonizing minutes passed. Carol’s breathing on the other end of the phone became a little strained.
“Are you okay?” Of course he had to follow up dropping an emotional bomb with an equally stupid foot-in-mouth comment.
“Professor Venomous,” Carol said with a slight stutter. “I-If we’re talking about this, I’d rather do it in person.”
“I...understand.” He felt his heart start fluttering around his rib cage like a hummingbird desperately trying to break free.
****
Our Beloved Docktor Frogg
League of Super Evil Fan Fic with some O.K. K.O.! crossover references
Synopsis: Docktor Frogg is starting to feel stagnant towards his overall life and career as a mad scientist. He wonders if the grass is greener somewhere else working for someone other than Voltar the Saturday morning cartoon flop.
A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56704720/chapters/144145309
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Snippet from Part II: Sandwich Artist Gene
“Can I take your order?” The waitress’ voice was familiar but Frogg couldn’t quite place why.
“Lizzy?” Frogg immediately shot up at Voltar’s excited tone of voice. “It’s been awhile! How are you?”
“It’s Elizabeth, Voltar.” Lightning Liz, sans her trademark yellow exo-suit, stood behind the counter in a light blue polo shirt, washed out capris, a black apron, and a nametag with her name written in the same crude scrawl as the sign out front. It’d been a few years since Frogg had seen Liz in person instead of the newspaper or videos on various news sites. So it floored him a bit how much older she was now. Didn’t she just graduate from high school not too long ago?
He remembered Voltar gushing about Liz graduating as class salutatorian as if she was his younger sister.
“I’m doing great!” Liz continued with a small and genuine smile. “You got the invite for Tiff and I’s wedding, right? You better RSVP. Soon.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Voltar flapped his hand. “I saw the many, many links for your wedding registry. I haven’t RSVP’d yet because I’m working on getting that-”
“Don’t tell me what you ordered! It’ll ruin the surprise.” Liz squealed. “I have something fantastic in mind for your birthday later this year too. You better keep that day open if you know what’s good for you.”
“I have it marked on my planner. Whole day is open.”
“Good.”
“So, we have this coupon….” Voltar pointed towards Red and not so subtly shifted his gaze towards the thin strip of paper in Red’s big hand.
“Yeah, yeah.” Liz returned the sass Voltar dished out less than a minute ago. “So, I’m getting the vegan sandwich for him.” She pointed at Red. “An extra meaty sandwich for him with extra provolone cheese.” She pointed at Frogg. “And you want the meatball sub with the works?”
At that, Voltar gasped and his antennae started shaking with his excitement. “You guys have that extra spicy mustard?!”
“Of course!” Liz nodded, but her cheerful disposition immediately turned sour. “I skimmed the 4-page essay you sent me about it.”
When Voltar whooped and started doing a victory dance in the middle of the restaurant, Frogg visibly shuddered and looked around Red to see if any other stools were open.
“You’ll be happy to know you’re not the only one that has a weird fascination with that mustard.” Liz sighed. “There was a weird woman in here the other day raving about it too.”
“From now on, I’m the only one getting that mustard here!” Voltar declared with an anime gesture fist to the air. “I get exclusive rights to it. Exclusive.”
“I still think you’re the only one that actually likes it,” Frogg said. “I don’t-”
“Don’t. Get. Him. Started.” Liz jabbed a finger in Frogg’s face for emphasis on each word and matched the points with a warning glare.
“How did you know what sandwiches we wanted?” Red tilted his head. “Are you psychic?”
“No.” Liz placed her hands on her hips. “Voltar writes about you guys on his blog.”
“You have a blog….” Frogg scratched his scalp. The past 5 minutes had revealed a lot about a side of Voltar that Frogg didn’t know much about, except for the spicy mustard obsession. Metrotown might not know that L.O.S.E. existed but random strangers definitely knew how particular Voltar was about his condiments.
“It’s not a blog! It’s supposed to be a newsletter…” Voltar grumbled.
“I told you that Zitter would get more reach,” Liz said with a self-satisfied smirk.
“I’m hungry. Can we place our orders now?” Voltar deliberately looked anywhere but Liz’s face.
“SANDWICH ARTIST GENE!” Liz yelled. “Order up!”
That’s when a painfully familiar face appeared at the order window in the kitchen. There was a surprisingly jovial Justice Gene with a wrinkled paper hat sitting on his head at an awkward angle. He had a couple of deep shadows under his eyes but otherwise, he had a legitimate smile on his face instead of the haughty, try-hard smirk Frogg was used to.
Liz rattled off food service industry shorthand that Frogg would never be able to translate despite his best efforts. Then Gene looked up a moment later. Recognition flashed across his face and Frogg was tapping his claws in a vain attempt to prepare the laser engraver setting he installed there a few days ago. Maybe it could be used as a laser gun with the right angle and a little imagination.
“Hey guys!” Gene said, emulating the friendly and personable air that came naturally to Red Menace but was really awkward on him. “Didn’t expect to see you at opening week of my new restaurant. I’m happy you’re willing to bury the hatchet to support a budding young entrepreneur!”
“I don’t know about young…” Frogg muttered under his breath while thinking about the gray hairs he’d pulled out of his scraggly tree of hair earlier this morning.
“What’s the catch, Gene?” Voltar snapped. “We haven’t seen you in almost a year and now you’ve lured us out with delicious subs. I demand to know what you’re planning!”
“There’s no catch,” Gene said. “I just got tired of not getting anywhere in the hero biz. Even for the five minutes I was a hero, I was still the guy that cleaned toilets and picked up fancy coffee orders. It was worse with an official costume because even though I’d technically made it, nobody respected me. I think you guys of all people know what that’s like…”
Both Gene’s personal account and the way his face fell struck an unnervingly deep chord with Frogg. The mix of sympathy and existential dread hit his heart hard enough it felt physical. He looked down and saw himself gripping the fabric of his lab coat right over his heart.
“The one thing everybody liked were my sub sandwiches.” A dreamy expression drifted onto Gene’s face. “The only time I got a real compliment from Glory Guy was for my magic touch with the panini press. I got demoted to trash collector one day and just started thinking ‘Is this the rest of my life?’ As I spent the day collecting trash, all I could think about were sandwiches. How sourdough is the king of bread. Flatbread is a perfect base for a classic BLT. I realized then: Instead of a superhero, maybe my calling is...making the perfect hero sandwiches for superheroes!” Gene gave an awkward laugh. “And everybody else, of course! Villains included. Everybody deserves a good, home-made sandwich.”
“I didn’t ask for your life story, Gene,” Voltar scowled.
“I’m so happy for you!” Red gushed and his affirmation drowned out Voltar’s snark. “You deserve to be happy. I hope you’re successful!”
Gene’s face was red and he bashfully ran a hand through his hair. “Thank you.”
****
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fiveisnumber1 · 1 year
Text
The Worst Isn’t The Worst When I’m With You - A “Remembering The Past/Fixing The Future” Side Story
Timeless Fanfic Main Story Parts:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35
Hi everyone! Sorry that it's been a bit since I posted. I've been focusing very hard on finishing my master's degree, but now that I know I am officially graduating I will have plenty more time to write. To make up for things though here is a side story that I have slowly been working on in between portions of my final paper. I will be getting back to the main storyline and start working on the next chapter sometime next week. I'd also like to thank my trans bestie Georgia for her assistance on the last section of this side story, her advice and input were very much appreciated.
Thank you all for your patience, and much love <3
Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse (section 1/Lucas) and deadnaming/misgendering (section 7/Viktoria). If those topics are uncomfortable feel free to skip them.
_____________________________________________________________________
This is the story of Lucas Alexander Klein. Born June 16th, 2001 at 1:37 am to Austin and Meredith Klein. With two older siblings, Jackson and Katherine, he was the youngest and last child of the Klein family. From the outside life in the Klein household looked as golden and shiny as the hair on all their heads, but inside it was much darker. Rules and standards were engrained into the family structure and stepping outside those bounds led to one thing. Punishment. Physical punishment. But in the house, those rules were arbitrary and ever-changing. What was fine one day was wrong the next and it was entirely at the discretion of Austin Klein. He was an abusive man who relished the power he had over his children and his wife Meredith felt no need to step in as she idly let him parent the way he did.
Their children however were completely unlike them. Jack, Katie, and Lucas stuck together doing their best to keep each other safe rather than leaving each other alone to face things themselves. They were kind and empathetic to each other and other people because none of them wanted others to feel the way they felt. None of them wanted to be like their parents and did everything they could to make the world a better place, from activities, to volunteer work to just helping random people because they all knew how terrible it could be sometimes. Being the oldest, Jack took the brunt of the punishment in order for his siblings to face less. But when he turned 18 he knew he couldn't stay any longer. No matter how much he loved his siblings, for his own sake, he had to go, no matter how much he wanted to take them with him. And so he left.
Lucas was 12.
It was then that Katie tried to step up to protect Lucas just as Jack had done for them but as Lucas got stronger he instead stepped in to protect Katie even if it meant he got hurt more. But that didn't last long as two years after Jack left at age 18, Katie did too. She cried the day of her birthday as she packed her bags to leave and go live with some of her friends. She wanted to take Lucas with her, she told him she'd find a way to get him out, but Lucas refused. Jack had tried the same thing and Lucas remembered how their parents made his life a living hell until he stopped. Lucas, still trying to protect his sister, told her that he was strong. Strong like Luther Hargreeves, his hero and inspiration. Strong like he was in all the comics she and Jack gave him since he was six. He didn't want her life to be difficult because of him and he would be okay. And so she left.
Lucas was 14.
And so Lucas was all alone, with four years left til he too could leave and never look back. But until then he was stuck in his shitty situation. He stayed away from home as much as possible to try and minimize his time in his father's presence. Between school and sports and activities and friends he managed to stay away for the most part but not entirely. And it was on those days that he was stuck at home with no excuse or got home before his parents went to bed that times were tough. Very tough. But he never told anyone, not even his closest friend brushing stuff off as a thing he got from football or at the gym or being clumsy. Except for one night, when he was 16 and he finally came clean to one person. You.
June 16, 2017:
Today was a good day celebrating Lucas' 16th birthday.
Your friend group had a tradition of always saying yes to whatever people wanted to do for their birthday. It made for the best celebrations and always made the birthday person happy. And for Lucas, he decided he wanted to get away and go to the beach. And so you did. Getting up early everyone had piled into Dean's car and driven to Rockaway Beach. Together you swam in the warm salty water, collected shells on the sand, and even indulged Lucas in an impromptu game of capture the flag. You soaked in the sun and watched as Dean used a toy shovel to scoop up a tiny crab and fling it toward Kenny. It was hilarious. And once Lucas was satisfied with his beach day you moved on to the next thing.
And so after washing off in the bathrooms at the beach, you piled back into the car once more before coming back to the city and going to your favorite comic shop. You all scanned through all of the vintage comic collections looking for more Umbrella Academy comics for Lucas to take home and add to his collection, especially the ones that focused on Luther. Lucky for him you were able to find one, which of course you and all of your friends paid for him.
And then finally to end the day you went to the local arcade pizzeria to eat shitty pizza and play overpriced and definitely rigged games. And as you sat cramped together in a booth you presented your birthday gifts to Lucas. He loved every single one of them but you knew he really liked yours. You had gifted him an astronomy book that had Luther's signature in it. Granted, all you did was steal the book from Luther's room, but it's not like he was using it anytime soon and it made Lucas happy so what was the harm? As the day ended you had all gone your separate ways but you knew that you had given Lucas the best birthday you could. But as the night drew on, and you wrote about your day in your journal for Five to read one day, your phone began to ring.
Looking at the caller  ID you saw it was Lucas. It wasn't odd that he was calling you but the timing was. It was 11:18 pm. The latest he had ever called you before was 9 pm. Picking up your phone you could hear his voice on the other line.
"(Y/N)?" He questioned
He sounded out of breath and clearly upset.
"Lucas? Are you okay?" You asked concerned
"Can you come to the park?" He asked quickly "To the sitting area by the pond."
Something was off. Something was very off. You had never heard Lucas sound so panicked. Your heartbeat began to pick up its pace as you worriedly asked,
"Lucas, what's going on?"
"Please," he begged, "Please just come to the park."
He sounded like he was crying. There was no time for questions. Something was wrong and you needed to get to him. Immediately, you sprang from your seat and quickly replied,
"Don't move. I'll be there soon."
You could hear Lucas whimper a tiny sound of acknowledgment before the call ended. Rushing to your closet you quickly threw on a pair of shoes and a jacket before dashing out of your room and towards Reggie's office. Entering you looked around before finding the key to Hermes, the car the academy used to drive around in. Everyone was asleep at this point so no as was going to stop you from taking them. Running out of the office you transported your molecules outside and into the car. Placing the keys in the ignition you turned on the car and peeled out of the driveway behind the academy and onto the road toward the park. It took you practically no time and if Eudora had seen your reckless driving she would've been highly disappointed but the urgency was needed. Parking the car you immediately jumped out of it and ran down the pathways to the area he had told you to meet him. The park was dark and empty and your voice echoed throughout the area as you called,
"LUCAS? LUCAS?"
As you neared the area by the pond you could see a figure stand up and look your way.
"LUCAS!" You shouted
Quickly you spatial jumped over toward him but as you regained your focus and looked up at him the sight you saw shocked you. His face was wet with tears, streaks of dried blood ran from his nose and he had the beginnings of a black eye.
"Oh my god, Lucas what happened?!" You asked panicked
But instead of saying anything he just hugged you and began to cry. Wrapping your arms back around him your heart broke as you heard him sob into the quiet night. Just a few hours ago you both were having an amazing day together with your friends, what happened to make it go so wrong? Pulling away from the hug only slightly, you guided him over to one of the tables and had him sit down. Gently, you placed one of your hands over his black eye and made it colder in an attempt to quell the swelling and bruising. You could feel the wetness of his tears on the palm of your hand as he placed one of his hands over yours and pressed your cold hand against his eye more.
"Lucas, what happened? Who did this?" You softly asked
Lucas tensed up for a second. The fear of being honest was so ingrained in him that even the mere thought of opening up scared him. What if he was found out? How screwed would he be? But then he let out the breath that he was holding in and his shoulders dropped. He called you for a reason.
"M-m-my dad..." Lucas stuttered out "He did it."
His dad did this? Why the fuck would he do this? What reason did he have to harm his son like this? Not that any reason would be acceptable in the slightest but you needed to know what happened so you could help.
"What? Why?" You questioned more urgently
"Because I apparently got home too late." Lucas answered
"He did this because you were home too late? You've gotten home later before though." You mentioned
"I know...I- he's always changing his mind on what's allowed and not. It's always been like this..." Lucas responded sadly
Even with one eye covered, you could see his thousand-yard stare. You recognized that stare not only because you had caught glimpses of it on him before but because it was the same one you would get when you thought about the pain of your past. When he said it's always been like this he didn't just mean his dad changing his mind, he meant this. The injuries were not new. And that's when it clicked. The long sleeves in summer, the last-minute canceled plans, the way he would occasionally flinch if you approached him from behind or called his name too loud.
Your brain felt like it was running at a million miles per hour. Sadness and anger filled your system with adrenaline as you sprang to your feet and began to pace back and forth. You needed to help him. He didn't deserve this. Nobody did, but especially not your friend. Especially not when you could help.
"Oh my god, Lucas. We- we need to tell someone about this. We can go to Eudora, she's a cop-" You ranted your thoughts
"No- I-" Lucas tried to interject
"I mean I know the whole department. The detectives, the chief, the district attorney. They all like me and would be willing to help." You stated
As you paced past him Lucas grabbed your wrist catching your attention. You stopped and looked at him, tears in his eyes and the hand that held you visibly shaking.
"(Y/N), please. No." Lucas begged, his voice trembling "I can't go through the hell Austin put Jack through."
Jack was Lucas' older brother. You had met him a few times before he had moved out of Lucas' house but it was never for long. He was nice but also stand-offish, wary of people, and very protective of Lucas. But now it all made sense. You had no clue what type of hell Lucas was talking about but if he was begging you not to do anything you would put the subject aside for now. Even if you hated the thought of doing so, Lucas came first.
Relenting you sat down next to him once more, his hand still shakily gripping your wrist. And with a question nagging at your mind, you quietly asked,
"Dean is your best friend and Addison is your girlfriend so why did you call me?"
"Dean and Addison would be on a war path the minute I told them my dad did it regardless of whether I wanted them to or not." Lucas explained quietly "But you- I know you can keep a secret."
You looked at him confused and slightly concerned. How did he know you kept secrets? Did he know the truth and hadn't said anything?
"What makes you say that?" You asked
"When you talk about your past, you choose your words carefully so you don't lie, but I know you also don't tell the full truth. You have habits with seemingly no explanation like how no matter how old you are you insist on only 8 candles, the way you start to panic when it snows unexpectedly, or the way you grab onto people tightly if they walk too far ahead of you. Without fail, you refuse to leave the house on November 22nd every year but won't tell anyone why. Certain topics cause you to have a 1000-yard stare and I know on occasion you've hidden power-related injuries from the group." Lucas explained
You were taken back. He had seen all of that? You knew some of the things he mentioned were things you were actively hiding but you didn't expect him to notice. It seemed like none of your friends had noticed. And then there were other things you never realized you did. You grabbed onto people if they walked too far ahead? You would stare off blankly occasionally? He had noticed these things the whole time?
"You noticed all of that?" You questioned
"I did. Because it reminded me of myself." Lucas replied "And I don't know what it is and I don't expect you to tell me, but I know that whatever it is, it's something you feel you can't talk about. So I felt like...I felt like you would understand."
You did understand. Maybe not like how Lucas had experienced, but you held a lot of pain within you that you felt you couldn't talk about. You didn't know how people would feel or what they would think if you told them, especially your friends who knew the bare bones of your past. And for the people who knew a bit about your situation, like Diego, they already had their own biases so you'd never be able to have a true discussion with them. It was tough keeping all of your pain to yourself. You could feel tears come to your eyes as you somewhat understood how Lucas felt. How he was probably feeling now. Gently pulling your wrist out of his hand, you then took his hand in your own.
"Whatever you need, I'm here for you." You stated
"I just need you to hold on to this for two years. I'm used to it, I have strategies and I can get through. Once I turn 18 and get out there's nothing else my dad can do. And he never bothered Jack or Katie once they left and didn't bother him." Lucas explained "I don't know how he's going to react when he has no children to directly control but we'll get there when we get there. And if he does pull some shit I promise I'll let you get involved then."
"If that's what you want, that's what I'll do," You replied softly "But if you ever change your mind before then I'll help. Whatever you need I'll be here to support you."
Lucas looked at you. There was sadness in your eyes and the light of the lamp illuminated the tears that were beginning to form. There was something about seeing the pain reflected in your eyes whether from calling you out about your own secrets or finally admitting his that made him feel overwhelmed. He tried to hold it back, to not worry you further but sadness washed over him as he began to cry once more.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Lucas apologized through tears
"What are you sorry for?" You asked confused
"F-for crying and making you s-sad. For being scared an-and waiting this out. For not being st-strong enough to deal with i-it now." Lucas cried
Without even thinking, as those words left his mouth you let go of his hand and pulled him into a tight hug. You loved your friend dearly and to think he thought he needed to apologize for wanting someone to be there for him, for someone to let him be vulnerable, it broke your heart. He didn't deserve to feel this way. He never should've had to feel this way. You couldn't go back in time to change it, as much as you wish you had the power to, but you would do everything you could to help him now and going forward. As his head rested on your shoulder and tears stained your shirt, you stroked his hair gently trying your best to calm him. He wrapped his arms around you tightly once more, his body vibrating from the weight of his emotions. You had trouble breathing from the strength of his hold but it didn't matter. What mattered was Lucas.
"Lucas, you have no reason to be sorry." you cooed "You're the strongest person I know."
The strongest person you knew? Lucas couldn't believe it. There were way stronger people than him. He could think of a few but especially, one. Pulling back from the hug to look at you Lucas quietly questioned,
"As strong as Luther?"
"Stronger." You stated firmly
Now Lucas was especially confused. Not only was he the strongest person you knew, but he was stronger than Luther Hargreeves?
"How?" He asked
"Because even through all the unjustified malice you've faced you still choose to be kind." You answered softly "And there's a lot of strength that comes from still trying to be good even when everything seems so bad."
"I just don't want anyone to feel the way I feel or experience what I do." Lucas explained
"I know and if it means anything, you're doing a great job." You mentioned
"It does." Lucas replied before slumping against the picnic table and remarking "What a way to end my birthday, huh?"
You watched as he looked up at the dark sky above. The vast expanse of space covering the sky, but no stars to be seen with the lights of the city surrounding you. And then an idea hit you. Looking at the clock on your phone you saw it was 11:51 pm. You still had time. Quickly standing up, you exclaimed,
"Come with me, I have something to show you."
Lucas looked at you surprised but stood up anyway. Grabbing his hand, you ran off towards the hill at the center of the park, Lucas keeping pace with you. As the hill got closer you called back,
"Run to the top and look at the sky."
Lucas nodded his head and when you both got to the base of the hill he began to run up it. But when he saw you weren't following he stopped.
"Aren't you coming?" He questioned
"No, I need to be here." You quickly replied
You saw as Lucas still hesitated. Checking the time once more you saw it read 11:57. You were running out of time.
"Lucas trust me." You told him
Seeing the pleading sincerity in your eyes Lucas finally turned around and ran up to the top of the hill and looked up at the sky like you asked. Rushing over to the closest lamp post you dropped to your knees and phased your hand through the locked electric plate at the bottom. Placing your hands on the wiring inside you hoped you could recreate what you had done once before by accident. Looking at the clock once more you saw it said 11:59. It was now or never as you focused on the electricity inside the wires. Taking a deep breath you closed your eyes and then-
It was dark.
Lamp by lamp, building by building the lights shut off.
Lucas saw as the sky grew brighter and brighter. New stars became visible by the second as the world above illuminated with twinkling lights. It was so bright. It was so beautiful. He had never seen anything like this before except in pictures from his space books. Never did he think he would get to experience a sight like this let alone on his birthday. And as he watched a shooting star fly across the sky emotion overcame him again. A smile came to his face and tears welled in his eyes once more, not from sadness, but from joy. Closing his eyes, a few tears of joy ran down his cheeks as he made a wish on the shooting star above. When he was done wishing he opened his eyes and looked towards you, his friend who gave him the greatest gift of all.
Hope.
It would take time but Lucas knew from small moments like these, with the love and support of his friends, life could get better. No. Life would get better.
"(Y/N)!" Lucas called
You looked toward him trying to keep your focus on suppressing the city's electricity. It was taking all of your efforts, and you knew you couldn't hold it much longer.
"Make a wish!" He shouted excitedly pointing at the sky
Looking up you saw the same shooting star that Lucas had wished on and made a wish yourself. Closing your eyes, you wished that one day all of your friends would be with you and that they'd all be happy. Truly happy. As you finished your wish, you opened your eyes and looked up the hill toward Lucas.
"Happy birthday Lucas!" You shouted back
Lucas smiled. And as the lights of the city began to come back he knew that today was still a good day and with you as his friend, he knew no matter what every day after could be too.
________________________________________________________________________________
This is the story of Decano Francisco Sebastián Hernandez. Born December 4th, 2000 at 9:26 pm to Sebastián and Liliana Hernandez. With older brother Antonio and younger brother Matías, Dean was the forgotten second son. Although his mother attempted to show him he was remembered, he still did everything he could to try and climb into his father's graces and earn his praise. But as time went on Dean realized that praise would never come nor would his family fully remember that he was around. And even on the rare occasion they did, it was never as special as Antonio. He would always be second best.
He tried his best to accept it. If Diego Hargreeves from the Umbrella Academy could be number two and still be cool then he could too, right? He could still be a hero and make a change without his family's approval...no matter how much he wanted it. And so he worked and trained every day he could. His combat skills were much more than the average citizen, his knowledge of law, history, and mechanics was impressive for someone of his age and his archery skills became unmatched. But even with that he still compared himself to his older brother. Dean had far greater skills and knowledge but Antonio only had to exist to be number one. It felt unfair. He hated that he had no family to notice him.
That was until you came around. You noticed him. You noticed his skills, his knowledge, his talents. You saw it all and you praised him for it. The praise he had never gotten before. It was amazing. You were the closest thing he had to actual family.
No. You were his family.
You never rejected him, you never ignored him, you never not cared for him. You were his sister and he was your brother and together you were an unstoppable twin duo even if you weren't actually related. If neither of you had anyone else, you'd always have each other. Dean would protect all of his friends with his life, they were the family he chose, but especially for you. And especially after The Incident.
March 23, 2018:
School was boring today. In early March there's not much going on and today was no different. Typically, a slow school day with no tests or quizzes, or presentations was desirable, but after having days like this for the past 3 weeks it started to become mind-numbing. Dean was just itching for something to happen. But today was Friday which meant that he and the rest of your friend group had time to go off and do something exciting and he had the perfect idea.
For seven months at this point, your friend group had been going out across the city fighting crime just like the Umbrella Academy did. Just on a smaller scale. Dean and the rest of the group had received more in-depth training from you and they all learned how to work like a team. Each of you playing up each other's strengths and filling in the gaps where there were weaknesses. Together you ran like a well-oiled machine of seven highly competent fighters all under the direction of their talented and super-powered leader, you. And so like many other days as the final bell rang and your group of friends met up by the front doors of the school Dean proposed,
"So what do you guys say we take a little cruise around the city today? See what's up?"
Most of your friend group perked up with excitement at the thought. They loved going out to fight crime just like the Umbrella Academy did. They felt so cool and like their heroes. Hell, they didn't just feel like heroes, they WERE heroes. Even if nobody knew so besides the seven of you.
"That would be awesome!" Kenny exclaimed
"I've been dying for an adrenaline rush." Addison added
Dean felt excitement grow within him. Finally, the action that he had been looking for. He had heard rumors from some guy at his MMA club that there was some seriously shady business going on at the abandoned warehouse downtown. That would be the perfect place to shoot some arrows, fight some criminals, and get him out of this slump. Looking at the group as they all walked toward his car he shouted,
"Alright, the seven of us taking on the town once more!"
While the rest of your friends cheered for the adventure they were about to have, you gave a wary smile.
"What's that face for sis?" Dean questioned
"I don't think that's a good idea..." You mentioned reluctantly
"Why not?" Bren questioned confused
"I'm really tired." You replied
It was true, you were very tired. For years you had been working on some theories on how to use your powers to manipulate space-time. You had been tweaking one specific idea for the past 8 months now and you thought that you had gotten it to a workable place. All last night you had been trying to rip molecules apart in a specific fashion that would open a wormhole without creating a black hole. Over and over you tried again with no results, but then you started to get the hang of it and for one instance you could actually see something forming. It had been working up until the moment it snapped back closed causing a huge burst of energy and sending you flying into a wall knocking you out. When you woke up, your alarm for school was going off, your head hurt, and you felt mentally exhausted and physically tired. It was as if that burst of energy had knocked all of the energy out of you. You felt weak in a way you never had before. Granted, you had never pushed your powers to the point you did last night but you knew that you didn't have it in you to fight today. You had a regenerative nature to you so you knew that a day to relax and sleep in would fix you right up and you could go out fighting tomorrow, but today you just couldn't.
"I can't protect you guys as well as usual if I don't have the energy to." You added
"C'mon Ringmaster you've been training us constantly for eight months and we've been killing it every time we go out." Lucas reminded
"Yeah, but-" You began to say
"But nothing. We're practically professionals." Dean interjected
"If you want to take it easy this time when we go you can do that. I'm sure we can handle it." Viktoria suggested
As you all made it to Dean's car you stopped and stood in front of your friend group. It felt like they weren't listening to your concerns or what you were saying at all. You didn't have the energy to fight and you could not guarantee their safety like other times. The last thing you wanted was for something to go wrong because the outcomes were disastrous. Look what happened to Ben...
Most of the group was already his age. Hell, Bren had turned 17 nine days ago and Kenny had nine days until he turned 17. You were all around that age and it just put a bad taste in your mouth to have your concerns ignored.
"It's not about me wanting to take it easy. It's about me being at the power capacity to keep you safe." You emphasized, "We're not the Umbrella Academy."
"No, we're not the Umbrella Academy because we'll never be as cool as them." Dean stated, "But we sure are close!"
The rest of your friend group nodded ecstatically at Dean's sentiment as they all opened the back seat doors and slid into the car. Opening his door Dean looked at you as he asked,
"You coming?"
Letting out a reluctant sigh you knew you weren't getting out of this. You were just going to have to pool your strength as best you could and hope that you couldn't find any trouble around. Nodding your head you watched as Dean got into his seat before opening the passenger side door.
"They weren't even that cool..." You mumbled to yourself as you got in the car "They were lonely dorks who just happened to have powers..."
As you closed your car door Dean turned on the car and began to drive out of the high school parking lot. Speeding down the city streets he made his way toward the downtown sector of the city. And specifically toward the old abandoned warehouse that he had heard stuff about. If the rumors he heard were true there was some type of group or organization that was utilizing the warehouse to hide and guard something. As he approached the building, he slowed down and parked the car behind a dumpster. The anticipation built in him. Something big was going to happen he just knew it.
You however weren't excited about being here. From the times that you had spent in the police precinct waiting for Eudora to get off of work, you heard that there was some "underground" organization moving into the downtown area of the city. It was recent, so they didn't have enough evidence to confirm and were waiting on warrants to go investigate places such as this abandoned warehouse. You didn't feel right about being here but obviously, that was not the sentiment of everyone else.
You watched as they reached into bags and pockets pulling out the masks you had given them months ago and placing them on their faces. One by one, they got out of the car pumping each other up for what came next, but you lingered in your seat. Pulling Five's mask out of your bag you held it in your hands and stared at it. If he was here would he agree with this? Would he tell you to deny your gut feeling?
You knew the answer.
"You coming, Ringmaster?" Dean asked
You snapped out of your trance and looked away from the mask. To your right you saw your brother leaning over, the passenger door open, looking at you from behind the mask. Looking back at him you thought,
Dean, I don't know about this...
You don't have to come but the rest of us are going to go
From behind Dean, you could see the excited looks on your other friends' faces. Looking down at the mask in your hands once more you pushed your concerns down. Perhaps it would be alright. You had trained your friends well and they were competent in their abilities and working with each other. They were your friends and you trusted them with your life. Looking toward Dean you relented,
"Yeah. I'm coming."
Getting out of the car you closed the door behind you and placed the mask on your face. Things were going to be fine. Everything was going to be...
Fine.
And so you were off as you had done many times before. Going in solo, you scouted the building invisibly before reporting back.
"12 guys in total. Two are guarding the doors and the rest are inside. 8 in total are armed, the two at the door and then 6 more inside. Three of the men inside are arguing so tensions and adrenaline are high but it might give us the element of surprise since they're distracted with each other." You explained
"Not too bad," Bren mentioned
"We've definitely faced more guys before," Addison added
"So what's the plan?" Lucas asked
"Marksman and I will take out the armed guards swiftly and quietly. Once that's done I will sneak you all through the walls and to safe places to ambush. The first objective is for me to get the guns away from those that have them and then it's business as usual for everyone." You replied
And with the nodding of your friend's heads acknowledging your plan, you headed off. Taking Dean's hand you transported the two of you behind a parked car. A pinching feeling ran down your spine as you bit your tongue to keep yourself from making a sound. Peering very slightly through the windows of the cars you turned to Dean.
On my call, we take them out. I'll take left, you take right.
Dean nodded his head back as you shifted yourself closer to the front of the car while he stayed behind the trunk. You took a moment to center your self and then you thought,
Now.
Both you and Dean popped up from behind the car, a knife and arrow immediately flying from your position across the alley towards the two guards and lodging in their hearts. You watched as the men collapsed to the ground, their guns dropping from their hands. Using your powers you swatted the guns out of their reach if they were even still alive to reach for them. And once more the shooting pain you felt a minute ago raced through your body and caused you to stumble for a second. Regaining your balance you rushed towards one of the men on the ground and pulled your knife from his chest while Dean ripped his arrow from the other one. Tapping the one next to you with your foot you saw there was no response or reflex. Two fewer guys to worry about.
With the coast clear you waved the rest of the group over to you. Carefully, they snuck over and arrived at the doors with you and Dean. Grabbing onto Kenny and Bren's wrists you flashed them inside and behind a large boiler of sorts quietly making hand motions to signify for them to stay there and keep quiet. Returning back to the front door, you stumbled a bit as you materialized in front of the group, your knees feeling slightly weak. Grabbing onto Lucas and Addison, you repeated the process for them as well, placing them behind a pallet of crates and giving them silent instructions before going back and repeating the process once more for Dean and Viktoria.
With all of your friends in place, you moved yourself to a different location behind the group of gang members and hid behind a pillar out of view of everyone. You leaned up against it for support and you could feel your stomach begin to churn in such a way that you were becoming nauseous. Pressing your back against the wall you slowly slid to the floor and your arms wrapped tightly around your waist. As you sat there waiting for your gut to settle you could feel the sensation of something running down from your nose. Wiping your nose with the back of your hand you could see a slight trail of blood. Great. A bloody nose. Using your powers you slightly cauterized your nostril which did get the bleeding to stop but it also made your stomach jump. You just wanted to get this over with so you could rest for a while.
Peering around the corner you could see the few men from before talking as the others stood by. Closing your eyes you took a deep breath as you focus on the guns in the room. Most of them were holstered either on the hip or inside a jacket except for one man who held his weapon in his hand. One by one you used your powers to melt the holstered weapons to the point that they would be unusable. You knew that the molten plastic and metal were going to hit the skin of the men with holstered guns very soon so, to cause a distraction you finally melted the gun that was being held directly in hand. Poor guy decided on an all-metal one though. Oh well. The gun immediately turned into molten metal that had a bright orange glow. The man who held the gun cried out in pain as the others became distracted and turned to look. The action of the turning spilled the molten liquid from the other guns onto the men carrying them while the 6 unarmed men looked on in confusion.
As you tried to stand up a searing pain ripped through your thigh causing you to stumble back down, before finally forcing yourself up. You leaned against the wall you hid behind as you could feel your other nostril start to bleed and pain stab in your side. Taking deep breaths you tried to concentrate on the task at hand and push past your physical pain. And it was at this point with all of the men distracted that the rest of your friends sprung into action.
Quickly, Dean shot off two arrows taking out two of the men and causing them to drop to the floor. Addison had convinced a guy to run away from her only to be surprised picked up by Lucas and slammed into the concrete ground below. Viktoria had found some type of pipe and slammed it against the kneecaps of one of the men sending them to the ground before cracking it against their skull. The sounds of clanging metal and crackling of bone rang through the air like a loud soundwave. Kenny went back and forth fighting with one guy before finally managing to grapple him and bash his head repeatedly into the ground while Bren use his whips to grab and snap the neck of two other guys. In a matter of a few minutes what was once a room of ten men was dwindled down to three.
You finally stepped out from behind the pillar as you became more aware of your surroundings and the damp humidity of the space making itself known. It gave you an idea. Looking at one of the men left standing you pulled the water molecules from the air and redirected them into the body of the man before you. Slowly the water molecules began to fill his lungs as he gasped for air finding none. You pulled more moisture from the air and into his body as he began to drown from the inside. You watched as he doubled over pressing on his gut and trying to cough up water but it was no use as you began to fill the rest of his organs with water. His body began to swell from the fluids as foamy blood ran from his nose and mouth. And then he collapsed. Dead.
As he dropped though, so did you. You fell to your knees as you felt a tearing pain rip across your right forearm. You couldn't see what had happened though as your jacket covered the skin and before you could get a chance to tug it up you saw a man rushing towards you. With a flick of your hand, you sent him crashing into a nearby pillar, his head and neck crunching against the concrete, but you could feel a tearing sensation rip across your collarbone as you did so. You grunted in pain as you reached a hand up to touch the area, only to be met with the sight of blood as you pulled your hand back to look at it. You stared blankly at the red on your fingertips. This had never happened before.
But then you heard the sound of fleeting footsteps. Looking up you saw as the last man began running towards an exit, Bren quickly pursuing him. You watched as the man slowed slightly as he passed a large gas tank and everything that came next felt like it was in slow motion. You saw as the man pulled out a lighter and tossed it into the tank that Bren was about to pass. You didn't even notice as you pushed yourself up from the ground, your body reacting on instinct as you shouted,
"BREN!"
Flashing in front of him you pushed him to the ground behind you before turning your body towards the tank. Mustering all your strength you forced your powers to work overtime blocking the explosion from harming your friend. Energy coursed through your body as you tried to redirect the explosion and flames away from him. Searing pain ripping across multiple parts of your body until all you could feel was the sensation of your body being torn apart. You could feel the energy of the explosion dwindle and as you looked back, you caught a glimpse of Bren's terrified face before the world went blurry and then completely back.
From across the large warehouse floor, the rest of the group heard the sound of an explosion and a blood-curdling scream, and then...
Nothing.
There was of course the crackling of some flames but nothing else except haunting silence. Dean looked around before seeing Bren across the room kneeling in front of something. Concern shot through his body. What if it wasn't a something? Taking off toward Bren, Dean's heart raced but as he approached he was met with a horrific sight. There he saw the corpse of the last man burnt to a crisp, but that's not what terrified him. It was seeing Bren frozen in fear as he kneeled in front of a separate body.
Yours.
Rushing toward you, Dean dropped to his knees by your side as Bren remained frozen. Blood ran from your nose and seeped through parts of your clothing as you lay still on the ground, the area surrounding you and Bren blackened and charred. Your mask had fallen from your face only to reveal your eyes were closed. Grabbing your shoulders he gently shook you calling,
"(Y/N)?"
But when he received no response he shook you harder. This wasn't funny. You needed to get up now. Harder and harder he shook trying to wake you, but it wasn't working. His heart began to race and he could feel his hands shake as he held your face in them.
"C'mon sunshine, open your eyes." He begged, his voice cracking "Open your eyes please. I need you to."
The rest of the group found their way over to you as Kenny and Lucas saw the scene first. This wasn't good.
"Oh shit," Kenny said turning on his heel to go grab his medical bag from the car
"Don't look." Lucas exclaimed quickly pulling Addison and Viktoria in towards him shielding their eyes from the sight
Dean picked your motionless body up and held you tightly in his arms as he sobbed. This was all his fault. You told him you were uncomfortable and he let his own wants outweigh your concerns. And now here you lifeless in his arms. He was a failure of a brother. He promised himself he would keep you from getting hurt and yet he was the one who caused you to get hurt.
"I-I killed her." Dean cried, tears streaming down his face and leaving behind messy streaks "It's my fault I killed her."
The rest of the group recoiled in pain hearing those words. No. You couldn't be dead. They needed you.
Rushing back over with his med bag Kenny dropped to his knees next to Dean.
"Dean I can help. Let me help." Kenny stated trying to pull you from Dean's arms
"Back off!" Dean shouted pushing Kenny away
Kenny knew Dean's emotions were getting the best of him. He wasn't thinking straight and it was actively preventing you from getting help which is the opposite of what you needed right now. Kenny hated to do it, and he knew he would face Dean's ire at some point for it but he didn't care. You were his main concern right now. Looking back at Lucas, Kenny commanded flatly,
"Grab him."
Lucas hesitated for a second but saw the seriousness on Kenny's face. Stepping away from Addison and Viktoria, the two girls grabbed onto each other for support as Lucas wrapped his arms around Dean's waist and pulled him away from you and Kenny pulled your limp body from his arms.
"No No No!" Dean yelled, "Let me go!"
"I'm sorry." Lucas apologized pulling Dean further away from you
"LET ME GO!" Dean shouted
He needed to get back to you. He had to be there for you. You hated being alone. He wasn't going to let you be alone. He promised you so. Kicking Lucas in the shin, Lucas momentarily loosened his grasp enough for Dean to break free, but as began to run back toward you he was tackled to the ground. Lucas held his body against the floor, his face pressed against the cold concrete. And from where he laid he could see you. With one arm that he was able to get free, he reached out to you even though he knew he was too far to reach.
"THAT'S MY SISTER!" Dean cried out "GET OFF ME! THAT'S MY SISTER!"
Tears silently fell from Lucas's eyes as he held his best friend down. he knew how much Dean cared for you and he hated having to hold him down like this. Dean's shouts and cries were filled with heartbreak and pain that all of them were experiencing and it only made him feel worse for not allowing Dean to have the comfort of being near you.
"She's our friend too, Dean..." Lucas said, his voice cracking as he spoke
Dean did not respond and continued to cry out for you, but Lucas knew Kenny wouldn't be able to work on you if Dean wouldn't let him get close and so all Lucas could do was keep Dean tackled and hope that maybe he would calm down.
"I'M SORRY (Y/N)! I'M SO SORRY!" Dean wailed, his pleas echoing across the room
Kenny tried his best to tune Dean out as he was distracting him from providing you medical attention. Pulling out a stethoscope Kenny placed it in his ears and put the flat portion against your chest. Dean was wrong. You weren't dead. You had a pulse, but it was low. Very low. Same with your breathing. It was shallow. But you were still alive. Kenny had been in plenty of high-stress situations before in terms of medical crises, but this was different. This wasn't some stranger, this was you. His friend. Nevertheless, he had to put his emotions to the side and think of something quick. He couldn't let it get any lower or else there would be severe complications. Quickly wrapping up the cuts on your collarbone, arm, and waist he now needed to get your heart rate up. Flying by the seat of his pants he reached into his bag and pulled out a syringe and a vial of epinephrine. Pulling the syringe out of its sterile packaging, he placed it within the vial and pulled out 0.6 milliliters of epinephrine into the syringe. The standard dose in most cases was 0.3, but you were not a normal human and therefore he believed that following most standard procedures was not going to be beneficial. Pressing the depressor he made sure all the air was out of the needle before taking a deep breath and lining up the needle between two of your ribs and pressing it down directly into your heart.
Was it the best plan? No. Was it the standard? No. Did it present risks that would not come up in a typical case? Yes. But you were different. Unlike most people, you had a quickened regenerative factor, and he believed that as long as he could keep you alive your body would do the rest.
As he released the epinephrine into your system, he slowly pulled the needle back out, placing it back in the sterile packaging and into an empty pocket of his bag. Placing the stethoscope to your chest once more he could hear your heartbeat pick up its pace more and your breathing steadied out. With your vitals seemingly stabilized, for now, Kenny began to figure out the severity of your unconsciousness. Pulling out a mini flashlight he lifted up each of your eyelids and shined it into your eyes but found that your pupils were not responding to it. Kenny tried to get the limbs of your body to move but the only time they would do so was through intrinsic reflexes. And on top of it, even if unconscious there was no reaction to the needle he had just put in your chest.
"Oh, that's not good." Kenny said to himself
Slowly Bren, who had been kneeling there silently the whole time, looked over and asked,
"What's wrong?"
Kenny could see the look on Bren's face. Kenny knew his best friend since birth better than anyone else and it was evident that he was completely broken by this sight. Bren was blaming himself and while Kenny wanted to comfort his best friend he couldn't confidently reassure or comfort him until he knew you were okay.
"She's not just unconscious. She's comatose." Kenny answered trying to mask the concern in his voice "But I have some old medical equipment that my job let me take to practice using at home."
Standing up Kenny turned on his heel to face the rest of the group as he stated firmly,
"She's alive but we need to get her to my house now."
Lucas finally stood up which allowed Dean to spring to his feet and rush over toward where Kenny stood, the rest of the group quickly following behind.
"I'll drive." Dean stated, pulling his keys out of his pocket
"You're not driving." Kenny rejected
"It's my car!" Dean shouted
"I said you're NOT driving!" Kenny yelled back "You are in no condition to drive now give Lucas the keys!"
Dean grasped his keys firmly in his hands. Why didn't Kenny get it? He needed to be the one to do these things. He needed to help somehow to make it up to you. This was his fault. He was the one who caused this and now he had to try and figure out a way to fix it and he wasn't letting him.
Seeing how Dean was not relenting, Addison stepped forward and put herself in between Kenny and him. Grabbing his face she made sure that he was looking her directly in the eyes.
"See that fire? It's spreading, this place will come down on us if we don't leave including your unconscious sister and I can bet that police are probably headed this way due to the sound of an explosion. If we don't leave we're going to have more than a medical emergency on our hands so give Lucas the keys NOW." She commanded
Dean attempted to look away and tried to fight the urge to listen to her but he just couldn't seem to do so. She was too persuasive and he never knew how to not do what she said. Tossing the keys to Lucas, Dean looked behind Addison at Kenny and said,
"At least let me carry her."
"Fine." Kenny replied urgently "Now, we need to go!"
Placing your mask in his pocket, Dean scooped you up in his arms as he quickly carried you out to his car with the rest of the group with him. Lucas slid into the driver's seat while Addison and Viktoria shared the passenger seat and then Bren, Kenny, and he sat in the back seat with you laying across their laps. Lucas, who was typically a more responsible driver than Dean was, actually sped away from the warehouse and back to Kenny's house. Dean carried you inside and placed you on Kenny's bed as he and the rest of the group stood by and watched as Kenny pulled out some medical machinery and hooked it up to you along with putting a clear tube in your arm that dripped some clear liquid into it.
"What is this stuff?" Lucas asked
"That's an EKG heart monitor machine and this is a pole for the saline drip so she doesn't get dehydrated or lose important nutrients while she's unconscious," Kenny responded as he fiddled with the saline drip bag
"How did you get this stuff?" Viktoria asked
"My job just upgraded the stuff we had, and it's still functional so I took the old machines. Just in case." Kenny explained
"And the saline?" Addison questioned
"You can buy medical grade saline electrolyte solution in bulk on Amazon. I sometimes like to saline drip myself as I sleep after a night out 'cuz it diminishes the hangover the next day." Kenny added
As Kenny finished up and moved away Dean pulled up Kenny's desk chair next to the bed and sat in it. Brushing a strand of hair from your face, he looked down at your unconscious form and quietly asked,
"How long will she be like this?"
"Some people wake up in a few hours. For some people, it takes.....longer." Kenny responded quietly
"Well, then I'm gonna wait here until she does," Dean replied
"I don't know I think someone else should take the first watch, Dean." Kenny mentioned
"No." Dean retorted "I can't let her be alone. She gets scared when she's alone."
"Okay, so we'll rotate so she's not alone," Viktoria suggested
"No." Dean rejected once more
Lucas could see how poorly Dean was doing. He had stopped crying but he had sadness in his eyes and his tone was filled with worry. Placing a hand on Dean's shoulder, Lucas looked down at his best friend and tried to comfort saying,
"Dean it's not your fault. We couldn't have anticipated it."
"But it is my fault." Dean replied, "I'm the one who pushed going when she said we shouldn't."
"Dean, we all encouraged going," Addison stated
"And if it's anyone's fault it's mine." Bren mentioned quietly "I was the one who was in harm's way and if I didn't pursue that guy it wouldn't have happened."
"But I'm her brother." Dean stated, "I should've listened from the start...and now this is my karma...and I'm going to stay by her side no matter how long it takes."
The rest of the group knew there was no convincing him otherwise. Dean was Dean, loving yet stubborn. Seeing as nothing was going to change anytime soon the rest of the group knew that the only thing they could do was sit and wait.
"Okay, if you need us we'll be in the den, I guess." Lucas replied as he walked out the bedroom door with the rest of the group
And with the door shut, Dean took your hand in his as he said quietly,
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."
Hours passed and then days as your friends waited worriedly hoping for you to wake up. No one left Kenny's house, and instead, they resorted to sleeping in different places. With Kenny's mom away on a business trip, Lucas and Addison slept in her bed. Viktoria took the air mattress and Bren and Kenny each took a couch. Kenny would go into his room to check on you at regular intervals and make sure you were still okay and each time he did so Dean's eyes would watch intently hoping for any sign that you were waking up. The rest of your friends would rotate in every once in a while they had the emotional capacity to do so, but Dean never left your side except to go to the bathroom. And he'd only ever do that if someone else was there. With each day he became worse for wear as he forced himself to stay awake in case you woke up and needed an explanation. But exhaustion is something that can only be fought for so long and Dean had fallen asleep. But on Monday morning, three days after the events at the warehouse, Dean who had fallen asleep was woken up by his alarm on his phone of Heat of the Moment by Asia. But as his, eyes opened he could see yours open too.
You put a hand over your eyes to cover them from the bright light of the morning sun pouring through the window.
"What the fuck..." You mumbled
"You're awake. Oh my god, you're awake!" Dean exclaimed sitting upright
"Are we late for school?" You asked slowly sitting up
Tears welled up in Dean's eyes seeing you with your eyes open. You were here now. You were okay. Moving from his seat he immediately went to hug you as he replied choked up,
"We're not going to school today. I'm just so glad you're awake."
It was then that you began to remember the events that had occurred. You and your friends had all gone out to "save the day" and Bren almost ended up getting hurt. You had jumped in front of him and then after that, it was all black. You had told them it wasn't a good idea and you were about to say so when you smelled a pungent stench of body odor
"Dude, when was the last time you showered?" You gagged
"Three days ago." Dean replied still hugging you tightly
"Gross." You remarked, gently pushing him away
Seeing more clearly, you could see how red and puff his eyes were, shiny lines where tear streaks had run down his face, and his messed up appearance. Knowing your brother, you knew he blamed himself for this. He was taking on all the blame for you getting hurt even if that wasn't the case, and you could only imagine how many times your friends had tried to tell him the same. You let out a soft sigh as you took your brother's hand in your own.
"I'm okay now." You whispered
"I'm sorry." Dean replied quietly, his gaze turned away from yours
"You don't need to be sorry we couldn't have known, but if it makes you feel better I forgive you." You replied
Dean turned his head back to look at you as he gave you a small smile. Things were going to be okay. As you held your sibling's hand you could hear the door open as Kenny exclaimed,
"(Y/N)! You're awake! Guys (Y/N) is awake!"
Immediately the rest of your friends ran up the stairs and into the room as you were flooded with chatter and hugs from them all.
"Oh my god! you're okay!" Addison exclaimed
"Yeah, yeah. I just needed a power nap." You joked sarcastically "But next time you fuckers listen to me when I say no, I can't today."
"We will." Dean stated, "I'll make sure of it."
"I know you will." you replied giving him a smile "Because you're a good brother."
Dean gave a small smile. He was a good brother but this was never going to happen again, not if he could help it. He was going to be the best brother.
________________________________________________________________________________
This is the story of Addison Pheobe Evans. Born July 27th, 2001 at 10:13 am to James and Taylor Evans. Everything was just perfect in their life. Their marriage was perfect. They had been college sweethearts and met during their orientation college tour. They dated all four years and then got married soon after. And then they bought a perfect home. A large two-story house with high ceilings and white walls. A high chandelier in the entranceway, rigid beige furniture, and decor that was curated for the current trend filled the rooms. And then they had their perfect family. One older son Caleb, and a year and a half later a younger daughter, Addison. They had the perfect nuclear family in the perfect picket fence house in the perfect gated community. There was not one thing out of place and there would never be anything that wasn't perfect in the Evans household.
Including the people.
From day one the standards were set high for Addison. You MUST be perfect. You must get perfect grades. There was no room for laziness in the Evans household. You must look presentable at all times. If you did not look like you could host guests at the drop of a hat then you were not up to the dress standards for the Evans household. You must excel in any activities you do and those activities must be respectable. People had to see how talented and successful the children in the Evans household were. You had to make others jealous of how perfect life was by being an Evans because if you weren't perfect you weren't anything.
She had seen the shitstorm her older brother Caleb had to deal with when he brought over his girlfriend, whom her parents did not vet, to see if they were permissible to be with him. Apparently, she was perfect in terms of grades, activities, looks, and manners but the only issue was that her family lived in an apartment. Addison knew it was superficial, but because that girl wasn't perfect to her parents she wasn't good enough for Caleb.
Addison had to have her friends be interviewed to see if they could go over to her house to hang out, but the only people she felt confident would be acceptable to her parents were you and Viktoria. She was right but it was awful to put you both through an interrogation just to have you enter her home. And when Lucas asked her out she said yes but told him that he'd have to go ask her parents first before they could officially go out. Fortunately enough he passed in their eyes but the standards of perfection made her life a living hell.
The only times she felt she could be herself were when she was out of her parents' view. She preoccupied herself with being anywhere but home. They were the times she was happiest. But still, she wished she could be like Allison Hargreeves, have powers to make everything she did perfect without the effort by just speaking it into existence. Life would be so much easier.
It was immense stress on her but Addison managed to be "perfect". She did everything her parents expected of her, but it made her nervous. She was constantly worried, looking over her shoulder for the time that she would not be perfect. The time when she would fail at being an Evans.
July 30, 2015:
It had been three days since Addison's birthday, and three days since her parents had told her that they had enrolled her in Aria Cadence's Music Performance Camp. Addison was so excited at the prospect of going to the camp and she had told everyone in your friend group about it. And when she found out that Viktoria was going as well her excitement grew even more. The performance camp was one of the most renowned summer programs in the area and the ability to go to it was an honor.
But as she was planning for a month of music and theatre and performing her skills, her parents had given her a condition in terms of her participation in this camp. Get the leading role in the camp theatre performance or else they would pull her from the camp. The excitement she had felt for the past three days had drained in an instant as anxiety filled her brain. Wanting the comfort of someone with her she invited you over and you sat on the floor scrolling on your phone as she slowly packed her bags for the camp. As she stood in her closet you asked aloud,
"You still excited about your camp?"
Addison paused. She used to be excited, but now all she was was a bundle of nerves. She wasn't going to say no though. She wanted comfort but she didn't want to get into the details of why.
"Yeah, it's a month-long of musical fun." Addison answered, "At least that's what their website says."
"I mean, you'll have Viktoria too so even if it somehow sucks at least you've got a friend." You remarked
"True." Addison replied turning to look at you, "I still don't get why you don't want to go."
You looked up from your phone and gave her an expression that was a mix of annoyance and disgust. You hated rich kids. Granted, you too were rich and always had been. You were at the level of having fuck you, fuck around, and find out money but your parents taught you that someone's wealth was not as important as their character. What mattered most was how a person treated others, the good they put in the world, and the value of their character and beliefs.
"What? And be surrounded by a bunch of pretentious, talentless, rich kids whose parents bribed their way in?" You complained "Yeah no thanks. You know how I get around other rich kids."
"Aggressive," Addison commented
"Hate them." You stated firmly
Turning around the face you, Addison looked at you confused. You had never explained your reasoning behind disliking other rich kids and anyway, the more she got you to talk about yourself the less likely she'd have to talk about her own issues.
"Why?" She asked,
"As you know before I transferred to Argyle Public Middle School I went to Argyle Academy from kindergarten to seventh grade. I was surrounded by pretentious assholes who bullied me for being nice and quiet and smart. After a while of that, you develop a certain attitude toward those types of people." You explained
"Right, well it looks like you're not getting a rich boyfriend, huh?" Addison teased
You rolled your eyes at her statement. Money was the last of your concerns when it came to getting a boyfriend. Your first concern was hoping he came back...
"I don't care how much money a potential partner has or makes." You retorted "Love is not about money, it's about mutual respect, dedication, and connection."
"That's true." Addison replied, "But still when are you going to get a boyfriend?"
"When he falls from the sky, Addison." You remarked
It was a highly unlikely scenario that the "perfect" guy would just fall from the sky and become your boyfriend and Addison knew that. How was she ever going to do cute couple things, like double dates with you if you didn't have one?
"But (Y/N)!" Addison whined, "I want to go on a double date."
"I'm not gonna date just anyone so you can have your double date." You replied, "No one around is my type."
"Well, it's going to be hard to find a dark-haired, smart, sad boy with daddy issues and a good heart who might also have superpowers." Addison explained, "Who also really likes their girlfriend."
"That's not my type..." You mumbled looking away
It was absolutely your type though. How she peered into your mind and described Five without mentioning him by name was intimidating and you didn't like how she understood your own psychology better than yourself. It was a scary power to have. Granted, the only part she got wrong was the really liking his girlfriend part. Yeah, you were a girl and his friend and he liked you but it wasn't like that...
"Oh really?" Addison questioned sarcastically "Tell that to the numerous fanfictions you have open on your phone of redeemed Zuko, Robin from Teen Titans, and Spider-Man."
"I don't like being put on blast like this."  You snapped back
And then somehow, in the middle of your frustration, it hit you. You had asked her about camp and she somehow deviated that conversation into your non-existent love life. She was deflecting. And when she deflected, something was wrong.
"Wait! You're deflecting onto me." You remarked, "You always do this when you're worried about something."
Addison's eyes when wide as she realized you saw through her conversational ruse. Shit.
"No!" She exclaimed
"Yes!" You shouted back before asking "What is it?"
Addison paused. She knew she wasn't going to be able to deflect again because now you were on notice about it. Letting out a defeated sigh she quietly mentioned,
"I'm worried about the camp."
"Why?" You asked, "It's the camp you've been begging to go to and Viktoria is going to be there too so what is there to worry about?"
"My parents." Addison answered
"What about them?" You inquired
Addison slumped down in front of her dresser, sitting defeated on the floor as she looked over at you. Her head fell into her hands as she explained,
"My parents told me that if I don't get the lead in the camp's musical performance they're pulling me out of it because it would be embarrassing for the family for me to be at such a prestigious camp and not have a worthy role."
Anger began to form within you as you heard that statement. How dare they. How dare her parents present her with an amazing opportunity as a fucking birthday present, A GIFT, and then dangle it over her head like a carrot if she doesn't live up to some pre-determined standard.
"That's bullshit and you know it." You snapped
Addison didn't say anything though. She didn't even lift her head from her hands to acknowledge that you had said something. Her parents had such a grip on her that she was now obviously reeling from this. You needed her to recognize the truth though, this was bullshit.
"Addison look at me and tell me you know that's bullshit." You stated
Slowly, Addison lifted her head. It took her a moment, but quietly she spoke,
"I know it's bullshit..."
"Your parents are so superficial and egotistical that even Narcissus would pull his gaze away from the water to tell them to chill." You ranted
You were right. She knew you were right, but god it was hard to say so. She was so nervous. Her parents' judgment loomed over her just as it had for her entire life. What if she couldn't do it? What if she failed and became an embarrassment to her family name? Her parents still held things Caleb had done wrong over his head, and she saw how it hurt him. It was wrong, she knew so, but she also didn't want to be next.
"I just- what if I don't get the role? What if there's someone better?" Addison questioned
"Addison Pheobe Evans I don't know anyone as talented as you are." You reminded
"Really? Look at yourself, you can sing and dance and play the piano." Addison retorted frustrated
"Yes, but those were my parents' interests that they introduced me to and I just so happened to fall in love with them too." You mentioned "But theatre? You chose that. That's all you, Addi."
"It's never enough..." Addison complained looking away from you, "I do everything to make them happy and it's never fucking enough."
Letting out a small sigh, you got up from where you sat on the ground and walked over to where Addison sat before crouching down in front of her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, as nicely as you could make it sound, you said,
"Addi, I say this with so much love for you, but your parents don't love you."
Addison's head turned to look back at you hearing your statement.
"Huh?"
"Your parents don't love you, Addi. They love the idea of you." You elaborated gently "They didn't want children to raise them, they wanted children for show purposes to fulfill society's expectations of what the perfect life is. Your parents don't care about your happiness, they care about how they look to others and treat you and Caleb like decorations to make themselves look better."
Your words hurt. She knew you were only telling it how you saw it and you had never been wrong about things before, but it wasn't something she wanted to hear. For so long she at least believed that her parents' love could be conditional even if she believed conditional love was wrong. But now you had presented her with reality. A reality that she had been trying to avoid.
Her parents didn't love her.
They had no capability to love her, only themselves.
"It's not fair." Addison complained, "I wish I had Allison's power so I could rumor myself into a better life."
You were not surprised by her reaction to your words. The anger made sense, but you were taken aback by her statement. Allison's power, just like any power, was not something to be taken lightly. There were serious consequences if they were misused and the ability to control a person's mind just with one simple statement was a slippery slope that could lead to dangerous places if a person was cautious. One simple request could quickly turn into a series of more controlling ones.
"You don't want that." You replied firmly
Ugh! What did you know? You thought you were so knowledgeable on powers just because you had them. Standing up from the floor she began to angrily pace across her floor.
"I do!" She shouted "If I could rumor people I could make my parents actually genuinely love me and my brother! Or I could rumor the camp director into giving me the leading role so my parents don't throw a hissy fit and pull me out. I want that ability to control my life, make it better."
Addison was being ridiculous. She didn't know what she was talking about. You knew that she wanted to become successful in her parents' eyes and in her own but she was never going to accomplish that with the mentality she was having right now. You needed to get her to truly see what she was suggesting. Standing up you looked at your pacing friend and in a serious tone stated,
"Well, I guess you'll never be successful then."
"What do you mean?" Addison questioned, "Of course, I would be successful."
"It is really success if you never earned it?" You suggested
Addison paused.
"I- I mean-" She began to stutter out
"Because the way I see it if you had Allison Hargreeves rumor power, and you rumored people into giving you what you want you're not earning it, you're forcing it to be given to you." You explained
"But-" She tried to interject
You didn't let her though as you wanted to finish getting your point across to her. You felt bad as what you were doing was a bit harsh but she needed to hear it before she continued to bemoan the fact that she couldn't force people into doing what she wanted solely because her hero could do so.
"You will have proved nothing in terms of talent and any 'success' you have will always be hollow." You remarked "And one day you'll look back and realize nothing you got was actually yours and you will never know if it could've genuinely been yours."
Addison stopped. Once again you were right. God, she hated how you were always right, but you were. And if she had Allison's rumor ability, and made people give her roles to appease her parents' ideals of her, she would never be earning the parts. Just taking them. Why did life have to be so difficult? Why couldn't it just be easy and perfect? Allison's life was easy and she was perfect. Why couldn't she have that?
"I just wish I could be perfect like her..." Addison whispered looking down at the ground disappointed
You placed a reassuring hand on your friend's shoulder. As much as you wanted to explain to her how that was most likely wrong you didn't want to accidentally make things about yourself by talking about your past. This was about Addison and no one else. And so the best you could do was be supportive and work around the topic.
"I can promise you that she is not perfect. No matter how good it looks from the outside everyone has something going on. And with powers, I can only guarantee that fact because this shit," You said creating a small ball of flame in your hand "Only complicates life more."
"But her life looks perfect and I want mine to be too," Addison replied bringing her gaze to meet yours
"Addison, your parents want a 'perfect' life, is that really what you want? The same thing as your parents?" You questioned
"I don't know..." She replied quietly
"Removing your parents from the equation what would you change about your life?" You asked
Addison thought for a moment. If she excluded her parents there wasn't anything she could think of to change. She loved her brother, her friends, her boyfriend, and her life as it existed outside the realm of her parents' judgment. She loved it as it was.
"Nothing." She replied
"Then your life is already exactly how you want it to be." You responded kindly "You don't need to try and copy someone else's or have a superpower to make it any better."
Addison smiled as you brought her into a tight hug. You didn't want your friends to doubt themselves or try to change because of what their parents thought. That didn't work out well the first time and you weren't going to let it happen again. History would not repeat itself because you loved your friends and you were going to make sure they knew they were amazing and loved as they are.
"I believe in you, and all you need to do is believe yourself the same way." You said as you hugged her "You're perfect as you are and anyone who actually loves you can see that."
"Thanks, (Y/N)." She replied as she held onto you
After a moment, when it felt like Addison no longer needed a hug, you pulled back and gave her a wide smile.
"Now c'mon, you have a camp to pack for." You mentioned heading over to her closet "You're gonna need to look like a star after all since you're gonna get that leading role."
Addison smiled as she followed you to her closet to pick out clothes once more. You were a good friend and she was glad she had you to talk sense into her and keep her grounded. God only knows what kind of mess she'd put herself into otherwise without you here. Addison's life was great as it was, and with your reassurance, no one could tell her otherwise.
________________________________________________________________________________
This is the story of Kenneth Dearil Wagner. Born April 1, 2001 at 11:49 pm to Oscar and Clarissa Wagner. As an only child, he should've been his parents' focus. Unfortunately, that was not the case with his parents constantly arguing throughout his childhood. The shouting only stopped once his father walked out when he was seven. The screams still haunted him though. Like ghosts in his head.
During the day he was perfectly happy, especially when he was with his best friend and next-door neighbor Brendon Young. But when the sun set and it was time for bed the sound of those terrible fights returned plaguing his mind. If he tried to sleep he would have night terrors beyond compare and if he didn't he would experience severe insomnia for days. Seeing this his mom attempted to fix it by getting him a body pillow with an image of his hero Klaus Hargreeves in his Umbrella Academy uniform on it. She would tell him that Klaus would fight all the "ghosts" in his head as he slept. And when he was younger it really worked. He had Klaus to fight the ghosts and his mom down the hall to keep him safe.
But when he turned twelve his mom got offered a better-paying position at her job. The issue was that it was the night shift. Of course, she didn't want to leave her son, but she was a single mother and needed to make sure she could provide all that her beloved baby boy needed. Deciding that it would be better to have more money to take care of her only son she took the promotion and began leaving Kenny alone at night. If anything happened the Youngs were right next door anyway. But being alone in that empty house only made things worse for Kenny. While he still had Body Pillow Klaus, he was now completely alone. His night terrors got more terrifying and his insomnia grew worse. He was struggling and even his best friend Bren couldn't fix it, so he found a different solution.
He had overheard an eighth grader talking about how he had stolen some weed gummies from his older brother and had them in his backpack. Kenny had taken a drug prevention course in his health class and knew the possible outcomes of using weed. But honestly, at this point, he would give anything a try to get out of his own head, and without even thinking he very sneakily snuck the gummies out of the eighth grader's backpack and into his own. That night when bedtime came around he hesitantly took one, and for the first time since he didn't know when he actually felt at peace. His mind was calm and he was able to sleep well and from then on he never turned back.
The edibles helped him sleep at night and drinks from his father's abandoned alcohol stash kept him calm during the day. Granted he didn't let it affect his school work or his friendships, and he was always already a few days sober on the days he did his volunteer EMT job but together both items made life easier and helped him really open up with who he truly was.
But even though he had a supportive group of friends he needed more. He was still at home alone every night haunted by the ghosts of his past that hid around every corner. He could still hear the screams of his parents arguing even though both of them weren't present. He wanted to feel wanted. And so he went to parties. Became practically a king of the party scene and experimented more with some good results and some bad results. But at one party trying to forget his last few insomnia-ridden days he experienced one of the worst times he had so far.
May 22, 2016:
With his mom always working the night shift, Kenny was home alone a lot. But that lack of supervision turned out to be a blessing because it meant that whenever he wanted to, or more so needed to, he could just leave for a party. No questions asked, no lying necessary, just freedom to come and go as he pleased. And tonight was no different. He needed to get out of his house and needed to get out of his own head. And so, to a high school party hosted by one of the school's basketball players, he went. Consuming jungle juice, smoking what he knew to be sub-par weed, and making out with the Graves twins, Jasper and Jade, from the grade above him he was getting his mind off of things.
He had barely been sleeping, insomnia causing bad memories of the house he lived in to resurface. The shouting and screaming, the sounds of doors slamming, and the deafening silence when all was said and done. He could hear and see it all in his head even if it wasn't actually happening in front of him. But compared to the other times he had gone to a party to free his mind, this time, it wasn't working as well. And so he drank more jungle juice and smoked more sub-par weed. And the more he did so the more clouded his mind became. At first, it was a great feeling and he was having a good time, but as the night went on and he consumed more and more he began to feel ill.
Getting up from the couch he pushed his way out of the grasp of the Graves twins. As he walked away attempting to make it to the bathroom his view of the world doubled. It looked as if everyone had a twin. The world around him was spinning and the voices of the people he pushed past sounded muffled and distant. Kenny bumped into people and walls trying to find some type of support to keep him moving forward. As he finally found his way to the bathroom he saw no one inside. Thank god. Using that last bit of energy to push himself forward, he entered the room shutting the door and locking it behind him. But as he turned to approach the sink his legs could no longer hold him up. Falling towards the ground he hit his head on the side of the tub and everything went black.
Coming to, his eyes shot open and he sat upright, a chill running down his spine. But then all the feelings he had lacked laying cold on the floor flooded him at once. His head was pounding just like the distant sound of music playing outside the door. His vision was still blurred and seeing double. His muscles felt like jello and made him feel nervous to stand.
"You done fucked this time, Kenneth." Kenny said to himself as he leaned against the wall next to the toilet
He needed to get home, but there was no way he was getting home in this condition. The thought of standing up, let alone walking, was enough to make him nauseous. He needed help. Pulling his phone from his pocket, the screen lit up brightly causing searing pain to rip through his head. Quickly, turning the brightness down he struggled to type in his password but managed to do it before it locked him out. Tapping into the messages app he looked through the blurry names of the people he talked to who could help. He had his mom, but if he asked her to come get him he would never be able to leave the house again. Lucas, Addison, and Viktoria were definitely all asleep, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't be able to sneak out if they tried. Dean was probably asleep and wouldn't pick up because he's such a deep sleeper, while Bren was probably awake and although he would come to get Kenny there would be a whole lecture on the way home. Of course, the lecture would come from a place of care given that Bren was his best friend, but Kenny already knew his head could not take the talking to. At least not in this condition. Narrowing all that down, he was left with one option. You. With shaky hands, he tapped on your text conversation and tried his best to type out a message. Hitting the send button he watched as the blue bubble of his text popped up on the screen before placing his phone down on the tile floor. Resting his head back on the wall again, he closed his eyes as he tried to keep his head from spinning.
You however were looking at a wall of complex math in front of you in another attempt to figure out how you could use your powers to manipulate space-time. Matter and space-time were intrinsically intertwined so there had to be a way to get your abilities to work like that. There had to be...
Hearing the text chime of your phone from behind you, you looked away from your work for the first time in god knows how long. Seeing the time on your screen you realized it was 2:36 in the morning. Thank god it was a weekend or else you would be screwed in terms of sleep before school. Looking at the text on your screen you saw it was from Kenny. As you read it though, your head cocked to the side a bit confused.
pleade c0me hwre
It only took a few seconds to see that what the intended message was supposed to be was Kenny asking you to go to his location. Opening up the text you tried to figure out what was going on and replied:
Are you okay?
You waited a bit before seeing the bubble with three dots appear in the chat and then a blue message show up.
In bqthroom nedd hekp plz
He was obviously not okay. Looking at the find my friends app you saw his location pinned at a house that definitely wasn't his and you could only assume he was at the party that the Graves twins had been talking to him about. You looked back over at your work. You had been at it for hours, postulating and formulating some kind of theorem to work with. But at this moment faced with the choice of which problem to solve, the choice was simple. You needed to find Kenny now. You didn't even know if the other wanted to be found.
Turning on your heel you walked away from your work and toward the window across the room. Stepping out onto the fire escape you made your way down before hopping on your bike and using your phone to navigate your way to Kenny's location. After about 20 minutes you had made it to the house. Muffled music and the sounds of dozens of voices could be heard outside and only grew louder as you approached the door. Places like this weren't really your scene, but you put your feelings aside to get to your friend. Opening the door, you walked your way through the crowd of people drunkenly dancing and shouting their conversations over the blaring music. Looking around you tried to find where the bathroom would be located and after a bit, you saw a closed door that seemed like it would be one. Walking over you tried the doorknob but finding it locked you decided to just walk through the door. Everyone here was too drunk or high to comprehend or probably even remember you doing so. And there you saw Kenny leaning against the wall by the toilet. Walking over, you crouched in front of him and shook his shoulder a bit. You watched as he opened his eyes and looked confused for a moment before he finally smiled and said,
"Hey (Y/N), you came."
"Yeah, you said you needed help. What happened?" You asked
"I've been having a rough few days and went a little bit overboard." Kenny explained "I couldn't get home myself like this."
"It's gonna be okay. I'll get you home." You reassured before asking "Can you stand?"
Kenny looked at you for a moment before placing his arms on the ground and trying his best to push himself up. For a moment it seemed like he was going to be able to do it but then his arms gave out from beneath him and he slid back to the ground.
"No can do, buckaroo." Kenny groaned back
When he said he went overboard, he really meant it. You had been around Kenny when he was drinking or having a few edibles before but he had never gone off the edge. He knew his limits, which you could admit were high, but nevertheless, he typically stuck to those limits. You didn't like seeing him like this. You were going to figure out what was rough enough to make him forget his limits but first, you needed to get him home safe first.
"Okay, give me your hands." You replied extending your hands out
Nodding his head, Kenny held his hands out. Taking them in your own, you helped Kenny to his feet before throwing one of his arms around your shoulder to help him stand and walk. Once you knew he was stable you made your way toward the bathroom door but as you did Kenny planted his feet in place.
"I can't leave through the crowd." He mentioned
"Why not?" You asked
"I'll look like a quitter." Kenny answered, "It'll mess up my party king reputation."
Now, it was established that you hated the party scene but you weren't going to put your biases in front of your friend's desires. If he felt that it would affect him negatively, you'd find another way. It's not like you needed to walk through the house anyway. Turning to face the blank wall in the bathroom you said,
"This is gonna feel weird just for a second, okay?"
And with that, you walked you and Kenny straight through the wall and to the outside. The night sky above as you quietly made your way over to your bike. And then you realized there was no way you could get Kenny home on your bike in the condition he was in. That's it, next time something like this happens you're just stealing Reginald's fucking car. No license be damned. Looking around you saw a large child's wagon and a jump rope on the next lawn over and you got an idea. Sitting Kenny on the grass, you went over and grabbed the two items to bring next to your bike. Picking Kenny up again, you helped him into the empty wagon. He didn't quite fit as his legs hung out of the wagon but it was better than nothing. Tying one side of the jump rope to the wagon's handle, you tied the other side around your waist. Giving each side a tug, you made sure they stayed in place before getting on your bike and peddling away. As you peddled, you used your powers to make Kenny lighter making it easier to move. And with that, you were well on your way back to his house. The ride was relatively quiet besides Kenny's drunken ramblings from behind you.
"Y'know, I met god in that bathroom." Kenny stated
"Did you now?" You asked intrigued
"I did!" Kenny exclaimed before explaining "They were a little girl on a bike in a dress and floppy sun hat. She told me I wasn't supposed to be there but invited me for tea anyway. We had a good chat and she called me her silly clown creation before telling me that she was going to wake me up because I'm part of her earthly entertainment."
"So heaven is real?" You asked
"It's called The Void and it's just a place after death." Kenny answered
"I see...." You replied unsurely
He sounded very confident but Kenny sounded very confident a lot of the time. On top of it, he was highly intoxicated. And you were the type of person to like empirical evidence. It's not that you couldn't believe it, but you'd rather see it to believe it. Hearing the wariness in your tone however Kenny exclaimed,
"It's true!"
"Okay Kenny, whatever you say," You playfully relented "How about you tell me about that Lego Ninjago show you love so much."
Kenny's ears perked up at the name of his favorite show.
"Oh believe me, I'll fuckin' tell you about Ninjago." Kenny commented
And so for the rest of the ride back to Kenny's place, you listened to him explain the lore of Ninjago, his complaints about the writers adding Cole as a love interest for Nya, and his theories on what he thought would come next. As you pulled up to his house you rode your bike up the sidewalk path to his front door before untying the jump rope around your waist and getting off of the bike. Going round to the wagon you extended your hands out to Kenny and helped him up once more. As he stood he found his own balance without the need for you to support him. A proud smile came to his face as he proclaimed,
"Y'know I think I'm feeling better."
"Really? That's gr-" You began to say
But alas, you were cut off by Kenny leaning over and puking in the bushes in front of his house.
"Gross." You finished
Gently, you rubbed circles on his back as you let him finish emptying his guts into the bush. After he was done, he stood up straight once more and gave you a thumbs-up with a weak smile.
"C'mon buddy let's get you inside." You cooed guiding him toward the door
Letting you guide him, he reached into his pocket and handed you his keys. And when you got up the steps to the front door, you opened it and let both of you inside. Bringing Kenny over to the couch you sat him down before heading off to get some items to help him feel better. shuffling through the cabinets and drawers of the kitchen you find what you're looking for and collect the items. Coming back to Kenny you handed him a glass of half water and half Gatorade, a plate of some saltine crackers, and two ibuprofen pills. Taking the glass, Kenny grabbed the two ibuprofen and took them before grabbing the plate and beginning to pick at the saltines. Sitting down next to him on the couch you looked at him with concern as you questioned,
"So are you gonna tell me what happened?"
"I told you. I went overboard." Kenny answered curtly
"But why?" You pressed
You weren't going to let this go, were you? Granted, he couldn't fully blame you for pressing the issue, since he did call you in the early hours of the morning and you found him on the floor of a party bathroom incredibly unwell. The only person who had ever known about his insomnia and night terrors was Bren though. It was the reason he would've gotten a lecture if he had called Bren for help. While Bren understood the reasons Kenny did what he did, he thought they were destructive. He thought that Kenny would push his boundaries if things got bad and he would spiral. As his best friend, Bren was concerned, and perhaps he was right. If Kenny learned anything tonight it's not to push his boundaries again because the outcome was pretty shitty. Letting out a sigh, he looked up from his plate of saltines to you and explained,
"I've had really bad night terrors and insomnia for most of my life. I have some healthier ways to deal with it like melatonin and a um- specific body pillow to comfort me,"
"Yes, I've seen Klaus before." You interjected
"But they haven't been working and the night terrors were getting worse so I went to the party tonight and drank more than usual, had some shitty weed that was definitely more on the THC side, and made out with the Graves twins a lot to help me forget." Kenny finished
"You realize the Graves twins just use you as an incest buffer right?" You mentioned
"Whatever they do at home is their own business, all I know is they're both hot and are good with their tongues," Kenny remarked
"Didn't need to know that." You replied before adding sincerely "But you needed a distraction. I understand."
Kenny's head cocked to the side confused at your admission. You understood? How?
"You do?" Kenny questioned
"Mhmm. I have night terrors too." You admitted "And the occasional hallucination. Although those are much less frequent than they used to be."
Night terrors? Hallucinations? You never gave off the impression that you dealt with those things. You always seemed so put together. Even with the stuff you had told the group about your life before meeting them you still seemed like you were always on top of everything. How had he not seen it?
"I never knew..." Kenny whispered looking down at his plate of saltines
"I wouldn't expect you to." You explained "Only my mom, older brother Diego and his girlfriend Eudora know."
"I feel like I should've noticed though." Kenny replied still disappointed he never knew
"I hid it pretty well." You replied honestly "Never wanted to worry anyone."
"I'm sorry." Kenny apologized
"Don't be. I should've noticed what you were going through too." You stated
Kenny turned to look towards you. If he had never noticed you were going through these things then maybe you knew how to cope with them better than he did.
"How...how do you get through it in such a healthy manner?" He questioned
"I wouldn't call it healthy," You remarked "Just different than yours."
You were damaging yourself, just in a different way than Kenny was. You constantly were keeping yourself busy and even going so far as to sometimes stay up late until your body literally collapsed from exhaustion so you wouldn't have any time to think about the past. At least not in the way you didn't want to. You looked back towards Kenny, meeting his gaze.
"While you use whiskey and weed I just throw myself into learning. Books and theories and power training constantly so that anytime I'm alone I'm never without thought." You explained "If I distract myself I don't dwell as much and if I don't dwell I don't have nightmares."
"Does it work?" Kenny asked curiously
"Not all the time, but enough to justify doing it still." You answered
It wasn't the answer Kenny was expecting to hear but he understood it. While he numbed his mind to forget his past, you filled your mind to do the same. Kenny coped by making himself incapable of thinking properly about his trauma while you coped by making sure you thought of everything but your trauma. Kenny nodded his head slightly understanding your words.
"Yeah. I get that." Kenny replied trailing off "I get that..."
There was silence for a moment. A heaviness loomed in the air at the admission that both of you were far more broken than you let other people know. Of course, there was a feeling of solidarity but it stemmed from your unspoken sorrow. Kenny was okay with the silence. Honestly, it was nice to not have his head fill it in with the echoes of his parents screaming all those years ago. But looking over at you he could see the way you shifted uncomfortably. You must hate the silence. Trying to change the mood, Kenny put his cracker plate down on the coffee table before turning and laying down, his head now resting in your lap. Gently you stroked his hair, running your fingers through his dark curls. For someone with such a strong personality, you were always so gentle. Looking up at you he joked,
"We've got pretty messed up heads, huh?"
"Yeah," You commented looking down at him "But we have each other now and I think that makes them a little bit better."
You gave him a smile to which Kenny reciprocated with one of his own. But even so, as he tried to bring up the mood, he wondered,
"Why did you come for me?"
"Because you're my friend and you needed help." You responded
He would've accepted that answer outright if he couldn't see that it seemed like you had more to say. Your answer was a response on its own but it felt like you were holding something back.
"And?" He pressed
"And what?" You asked
"There's more. I can sense it." He replied
You let out a sigh. There was more. There was always going to be more because no matter what everything connected back to your life pre-time jump. It would forever influence who you are no matter how far in the past you wanted to put it. But you knew Kenny wasn't going to let this go and at almost 3:30 in the morning you had no reason to lie. Your voice dropped low and you spoke softly as you began,
"Before I lost my parents and had to move to my new house, I had a different group of friends. And I loved them so so much. They were the first friends I had and I did everything I could to have them know how much I cared for them but..."
"But what?"
"But I guess it wasn't enough." You lamented
Your eyes looked off at the wall ahead of you instead of at your friend. Your gaze tuning into a 40-yard stare as you rambled on,
"I thought maybe even though I left they still knew how much I cared and it would be enough to make sure they stayed okay...but that didn't happen. Last I heard, things went bad for all of them. Some came out better than others but none of them are okay and I fear it was my fault for leaving that they turned out the way they did."
"But you couldn't have known what would happen." Kenny tried to comfort
"I know..." You whispered before stating "But knowing what I know now, I swore to myself that if I ever made friends again I was going to make sure that there was never a doubt in their mind how much I loved them."
Kenny knew how much you loved him and the rest of the friend group. You made it known every day through your words and actions. Both explicit and implicit. You were an amazing loving person and none of them could've asked for a better friend.
"If it makes you feel any better I feel very loved right now." Kenny mentioned
"Good. You are." You said softly
"I hope you know that you're loved too." Kenny reminded "I love you. We all love you."
"I love you all too." You replied
There was silence again as you looked at each other. This time however it felt more peaceful. Nevertheless, Kenny didn't want you to get uncomfortable with the silence, especially after discussing something that you probably didn't want to linger on too long. Giving your brain something else to work with, he requested,
"Hey, will you sing that song I like? The one with the funny lyrics. I can't recall the name but the quiet kind of bothers me."
"Of course." You responded
You were happy to sing for your friend. You'd do anything to help make them feel better and loved and singing a song was not a difficult request to do. Gently as you continued to stroke Kenny's hair you softly began to sing,
I was scared of dentists and the dark I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations Oh, all my friends are turning green You're the magician's assistant in their dream
Kenny closed his eyes, a small smile coming to his face as heard you sing while stroking his hair. Taking your free hand in his, he held it close and placed it over his heart.
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ahh-ah-ah And they come unstuck
Opening his eyes back up, he saw you looking down at him softly and he smiled wide. You were an amazing friend, and after tonight he was never going to let you forget that. Joining you in the chorus together you filled the quiet house with song and the bond of your friendship.
Lady, running down to the riptide Taken away to the dark side I wanna be your left-hand man I love you when you're singing that song And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong
________________________________________________________________________________
This is the story of (Y/N L/N). Born October 1, 1989 at 12:00 pm to (M/N L/N) with the man who would become your dad, (F/N L/N), present at the birth. Raised in a loving home with parents who would give you the world you had all you could ever need. Your parents did everything they could to make sure you were raised happy, healthy, and with a good and caring heart. They tried their best to help you when your powers developed but that however came with a caveat. Nobody could know.
And for years nobody did until you became too curious about the house you were forbidden to go to across the street. And it was there that you met Five and soon after the entirety of the Umbrella Academy. For a while things were great, you had friends and family and there was nothing wrong in your life. Of course, that was until Five ran away through time, accidentally dragged you with him, and the rest was history.
You knew the story of what happened, you were the one who lived it. The one who was currently living it. But nevertheless, you picked yourself up off the ground, tried to brush away the pain as best you could, and move forward. The last thing you wanted to be was alone. You hated the feeling of being alone and so you started over, filling the spots where others used to be. Not intentionally of course, but it still managed to happen. And through that life got better. You returned to a sense of normalcy in a new fancy home, going to school, with six new friends Lucas, Dean, Addison, Kenny, Bren, and Viktoria. And while you saw all of your friends as family, Dean became like a brother to you. Which was perfect because someone had to take over the brother spot since you had subconsciously filled in the father figure role.
And of course, that unintentional father figure role was filled by none other than your older brother, Diego. He watched over and took care of and loved you just like your dad had! And his lovely girlfriend Eudora filled in perfectly for your mom. The world outside saw you as a happy little family and while you had never said it aloud, you did too.
The three of you did so much together. You took plenty of day trips to do fun activities, you would go out for meals, and you even would spend time at Eudora's house playing games or watching movies or just being all together. And at Eudora's house, you had your own room right across the hall from where she and Diego slept. When you had nightmares of your past they were immediately there to comfort you until you felt better. They would drop you off at school as many days a week as they could and they would always make time to see you perform at your activities. By the time you were fifteen, they were already discussing what colleges to take you to go visit and when you turned 16 they threw you a wonderful sweet sixteen party. You could still remember clearly your "father-daughter" dance you had with Diego and Eudora wiping a few happy tears from her eyes on the sidelines.
They reminded you so much of your parents. So happy. So loving of you and loving of each other. You just knew that you three would always be together and happy. Right? No. The thing was no matter how much you wanted them to be your parents, no matter how much you subconsciously thought of them as that, they weren't your parents.
Granted for a very long time things were good but a little after your sweet sixteen things went downhill. Eudora was getting further into her career and Diego had been kicked from the police academy and refused to stop or slow his vigilante work no matter how many times Eudora asked. And one night that all came to a head, but the one thing they never expected was you finding out that night.
November 4, 2016:
After a long day of school on a Friday, most kids would've headed home when the final bell rang. But you however were not one of them. For you, you had been working with Dean on your history presentation after hours in the library. It was only assigned one day ago and you had a week and a half to finish it but you both decided it was best to trudge through and get it done as soon as possible so you didn't have to worry about it anymore. After about 3 hours of research and work to put it together you finally had your slide presentation done. You had made it a challenge to finish it by the time you did because when you were finally done the school library was going to kick you both out anyway as extended hours were finished and it would be closed for the weekend. Packing up your things the two of you walked outside to the now dark and empty parking lot of your high school. Feeling accomplished and ready to relax Dean turned to you and asked,
"Hey, do you wanna come over to my place? It's the weekend after all. We could play Mario Kart."
You however had other plans.
"Nah, I was planning on surprising my older brother Diego and his girlfriend Eudora at her house since they haven't made plans with me in like 2 weeks." You replied
"You know you don't have to keep reintroducing who they are. I know their names and their relation to you." Dean mentioned, "Also I've met Eudora, just not Diego."
You kept your friends separate from Diego and your mom Grace and relatively separate from Eudora so it sometimes slipped your mind that they already knew their names and relation to you through your mentions of them. Perhaps it was because you weren't ready to explain your past more so you established who they were over and over as a boundary that was not meant to be crossed yet.
"Oh right. Sorry." You mentioned, "And good, you don't need to meet him."
"Pfft, he shouldn't meet me because then he'd see how much better I am than him." Dean jabbed
You smiled as you playfully shoved his head and jokingly replied,
"Shut up, loser."
"Anyway do you want a ride to Eudora's?" Dean asked
"No thanks. I rode my bike to school today, so I'll just ride it there." You said gesturing to the only bike left on the bike rack
Dean knew you were completely capable of riding your bike to Eudora's safely. You were the most indestructible person he knew, but that didn't mean he didn't worry about you getting there still.
"You sure? I can just put it in the trunk of my car, it's pretty dark already." He pressed
"It's nice out right now. I think a bike ride would do me some good" You replied, "And anyway Eudora's is in the opposite direction of your house."
Dean was still a little wary, but he trusted you. You were right that the houses were in opposite directions and if you wanted to go surprise them then riding your bike would be a much better option than having his only semi-familiar car drive up outside a cop's house when it's dark out.
"Alright, well, if you're sure then I hope you have fun."
"Thanks!" You exclaimed
Walking over to your bike you unlocked it from the bike rack, putting the lock in your backpack before gently riding up next to Dean.
"Hey call me when you get there," He requested before adding "And be careful, the weather app says it's gonna downpour sometime in the next hour."
"Yeah yeah sure." You rushed as you began to ride away calling back "See ya, Dean!"
"Call me!" You heard him shout back
You waved him off as you continued to ride away as if to signify your same sentiment of yeah, sure, whatever. The streets were relatively empty with a car passing by here or there, and the fall air was crisp as you rode your way to Eudora's house. Like you had told Dean, it had been two weeks since you saw either Diego or Eudora. It was understandable if they were busy, but both of them typically made an effort to see you at least once a week individually, if not together. It was odd. They had never done this before. But then again, they had adult schedules and lives, and you were a sixteen-year-old who could do pretty much whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. So this situation was okay with you because now you could surprise them! You smiled as you pedaled your bike along the roads taking your time to just enjoy passing homes and the rising of the moon.
And soon enough you could see Eudora's house in the distance. Her and Diego's cars were parked in the driveway and there were lights on behind closed curtains signifying that both were inside. As you pulled your bike up you gently placed it on the ground and pulled out your phone to call Dean. Tapping his contact image and then the call button you let it ring as you walked toward the front door, but as you did so you could hear what sounded like yelling. Getting closer to the door Dean's voice came through the phone,
"Hello?"
You didn't recognize it though as you stayed silent trying to hear if the yelling was truly coming from the house. Getting even closer to the door you could hear loudly hear the shouting of two familiar voices. Through the phone, Dean became more worried as he didn't get any response from you and could also hear shouting although it was muffled for him.
"(Y/N)? Are you there? Are you okay?" He asked concerned
But instead of getting a response the call ended. You had inadvertently ended the call as your hand fiddled to force your phone down into an undersized pocket on your jeans. Damn women's pocket sizes. Trying to find out what the shouting was about you turned yourself invisible and quietly phased through the front door, only to be met with a shocking sight. The living room was a complete mess as it seemed police files were scattered all over the floor. Diego and Eudora stood by opposite sides of the couch their faces filled with an emotion you had never seen before.
Anger.
"I'm trying to make the world a safer place!" Diego shouted
"No, you're trying to relieve your glory days and play hero because you don't know what else to do." Eudora yelled back "If you really wanted the world to be a safer place you would let the police department do its work."
"We both know that the police department isn't making those changes fast enough." Diego retorted "I'm stopping the problem at the source!"
"You're being reckless and disregarding the law." Eudora remarked, "What kind of example are you trying to set for (Y/N)?"
Oh no. They were arguing. You had never seen them argue before. Perhaps a playful banter but this wasn't that. This was serious. And to make matters worse it seemed to be that they were arguing about you. At least in some capacity. Quietly, you took a few steps closer.
"One in which she recognizes that if given the opportunity to make a change to do what's right, she should," Diego responded firmly, his arms crossed over his chest
"She is not like you, Diego!" Eudora snapped as she took a step toward him "Just because she has powers does not mean she should be inclined to save the world or whatever. I'm trying to raise a law-abiding citizen who can make positive changes in her own way. Not your way."
"I don't know what you're talking about! We both want the same thing!" Diego jabbed
Your bottom lip started to quiver and it felt like your heart was breaking in your chest. You knew it was. You had felt it break like this before, almost three years ago. Why? Why would they be yelling at each other? You had never seen two people who were supposed to be in love argue like this. Argue with so much anger and vile in their voices. Is this why they had been avoiding you these past two weeks? Because they were fighting so much? Your heart began to clench in your chest as tears formed in your eyes. And as much as you wanted to you couldn't look away from the situation.
"No Diego, we don't." Eudora scoffed "The hero schtick was charming at first but we're adults now. You need to grow up."
"I am grown! I make my own decisions and I'm tired of you telling me what you think I should do!" Diego spat before jabbing "Constant criticism isn't attractive."
"Neither is breaking the law! Or unnecessarily putting yourself in risky situations! OR NOT LISTENING TO YOUR PARTNER'S FEELINGS!" Eudora exclaimed
"This is who I am and if you don't like it then maybe I should just go!" Diego yelled stepping closer to Eudora
"Maybe you should!" Eudora retorted getting in his face
"No." You said quietly
After you realized what you had done you placed your hand over your mouth, not only as a reaction to you accidentally speaking but to hide the cries that you could feel forming in your throat. You could feel the way it tightened and clenched as you tried to hide any more sounds of the surmounting sorrow you felt. However, your one sad little no was enough for Diego to snap his head in your direction.
"Did you hear that?" Diego questioned more quietly
He looked at the area of the room where you stood. You knew he couldn't see you. You were invisible, but the look on his face made you think that maybe he knew you were there. His expression softened just enough for you to notice it and it almost seemed as if he was going to walk toward you. And for a moment, you wanted him to. You wanted him to find you, to realize that you had been there the whole time, and perhaps the two of them would tell you that they were alright. That it was just a one-off argument and they hadn't been hiding this from you for a while. But that one moment was short lived as Eudora remarked sarcastically,
"Oh, what? Is that the sound of another mission for you to leave me to go on?"
And so you watched as Diego's face contorted back into anger. His gaze whipped back toward her as he complained,
"You know what? I don't fucking need this and I don't need you."
"Fine by me!" Eudora shouted as she pointed to the door "Get your shit and leave my house."
"It'll be my pleasure." Diego sneered getting in her face before storming off upstairs
And there it was. The complete and utter heartbreak as you realized that this was the nail in the coffin. Just as you thought life was truly getting better it came back to slap you in the face again. Your hand pressed against your mouth harder as a few tears began to roll down your face. Maybe you were never meant to be happy...
Carefully you walked backward and phased yourself back out the front door before taking off toward your bike at the front of the drive. Hopping on your bike you immediately sped off. For a moment it sounded like you could hear the shouts of your name echoing in the distance but you couldn't dare turn back. It was too late. It hurt too much. The night was dark as storm clouds had gathered in the sky blocking out the moon and the air that felt crisp earlier now chilled you to your bones. Rain began to fall from the dark clouds above but you didn't stop pedaling. You had no clue where you were going. You had no direction. You just kept riding as far as you could away from the pain.
But it was unavoidable. It lived inside you. Your pain was like a cancer. One that you thought you had fought, but the truth was that it sat benign for years only to become malignant out of nowhere and taking over your being once more. Your scars from the heartbreak of being pulled to this time were carved open with the sharp pain of this new discovery. And just like that, all that you had built up came tumbling down. Tears spilled from your eyes as the rain picked up. The dark sky opening into a downpour drenching your clothes completely. The raindrops fell at a furious pace just like the tears from your eyes, both of them blurring your vision ahead. For a moment you lifted up your soaking-wet sleeve and wiped your eyes in an attempt to clear some of your vision but as you looked back up you saw the bright flash of oncoming headlights.
Quickly swerving out of the way your front wheel hit the street curb sending you flying forward off your bike. The left side of your face scraping roughly against the concrete sidewalk. Your body ached from the impact almost as much as your heart did from what you saw. Rolling onto your back you stared up at the dark sky as the rain beat down on you. Your head raced with all that you had suffered, all the pain and trauma you had endured in such a short time.
And you screamed.
You screamed into the void of the night, a harrowing sound of heartbreak cutting through the downpour. There was nothing you could do. Nothing you could say, that would stop this pain. You were forced to feel it no matter how it tore you apart and broke you down. And all you could do with it was scream. Scream the pain into the world just as the world had forced tragedy onto you. And when you could no longer scream, when your lungs ran out of breath, you just laid there on the sidewalk letting the rain fall down on you as you cried, wondering what you had done to deserve this. Closing your eyes you drowned out the world around you as you wondered if you could just sink into the earth and hide away from it all. But then you heard a voice shout,
"(Y/N)!"
Opening your eyes, you sat up and looked toward where the voice came from. And there you saw your brother standing there. He stood behind his open driver's side door, an umbrella in his hands as his eyes looked at you worriedly.
"Dean...?" You called weakly
Hearing you call back his name, he immediately stepped out from behind his car door, slamming it shut as he raced over to you. Still standing he held the large umbrella over you two as he got a better look at the condition you were in. Your clothes were fully soaked by the rain as blood ran down your face from the scrape you had gotten. And even though the only light was that of his headlights it was obvious your eyes were red and puffy from crying. Dropping to his knees to be at eye level with you he questioned panicked,
"Oh my god (Y/N), what happened to you? You hung up abruptly and I got worried. What happened?"
Tears began to well in your eyes once more as the events of earlier began to replay in your mind. You tried to speak but it felt like the words were stuck in your throat. You pushed yourself to speak, your voice wavering as you stuttered out,
"Th-they were screaming and fighting- an-an-and-"
But then you stopped. The words caught in your throat once more as you began to get choked up. They were so angry at each other. Their words were so full of malice. Every jab they threw at each other was another jab to your heart. And as much as you tried to keep it together, which was barely, you couldn't. You fell apart. Your body shook both from the chill of the rain that had fallen on you and from the strength of your emotion.
"Screw the umbrella." Dean said letting go of it before wrapping his arms around you "Come here."
Dean held you close as tears spilled from your eyes and you cried once more. Your sobs muffled as you buried your head into his shoulder. Dean held you tightly as he stroked your wet hair. He didn't even care that it was raining. All he cared about was figuring out what happened and what he could do to help.
"Hey it's okay, I'm here now. I'm here." He cooed
"They broke up, Dean. Diego and Eudora broke up." You choked out "I watched it happen."
Oh no. That's why they must have been avoiding you for so long. Because they didn't want you to see them fight...
"Oh, (Y/N) I'm sorry." Dean apologized
He had nothing to apologize for though. He had done nothing wrong. In all honestly, he was the only one doing something right currently. You didn't know why things always ended so fucked up for you when you least expected it. Things like this always ended taking you by surprise. You hated it. You hated it beyond belief. It was so overwhelmingly infuriating that you were stuck in this shitty cycle of loss and heartbreak. Pulling back from Dean you angrily shouted,
"It's not fair! Everything I love I lose!"
But just as quick as the wave of energy that caused your anger came on, it went away just as fast. Your shoulders slumped and you looked down at the sidewalk as you quietly repeated defeated,
"Everything I love I lose..."
"Hey look at me." Dean softly called, gently taking your face in his hands
As he tilted your head to look up towards him you could see the concern but also care in his eyes. You didn't know why he was here with you, getting completely drenched by the rain, but you appreciated his presence.
"Remember what you told me?" He quietly reminded "When you have no other family, you will always have me. Always."
You didn't know what to say, so you didn't say anything. All you did was lean back into your brother again and held him tightly as if the world was going to take him away from you too. Dean held you once more, his hand rubbing your back as he rested his head on top of yours and comforted,
"You're not alone. I'm going to take care of you."
After a quick moment, Dean stood up taking your hand to help you stand as well and although it didn't really matter at this point he held picked up the umbrella and held it over the two of you. Walking you towards the passenger side of his car he opened the door saying,
"C'mon let's get you out of the rain. I don't want you getting sick."
Sliding into the passenger seat Dean closed the door after you before heading back to grab your bike and put it in his trunk. Closing the trunk he closed his umbrella and threw it into the backset before getting in the driver's seat and turning on the car. He turned the heating on to keep you both warm as he turned around and drove the two of you back to his house. The ride was quiet. You weren't in a mood to talk and Dean wasn't going to force you to either, but at least you had stopped crying for now. As you got back to the house Dean parked his car in the garage before getting out and heading over to the passenger side to get you. The two of you walked together toward the door inside the garage that led inside the home. Taking your shoes off first, you entered the door that led into the laundry room, Dean closing it behind you. And right as Dean finished shutting the door, you could hear his mom call from inside the house,
"Decano? Has vuelto?"
"Sí, Mamá," Dean called back "(Y/N) también está conmigo."
"Oh (Y/N)!" She exclaimed
You saw as his mom rounded the corner into the laundry room, an excited smile on her face until her eyes landed on you. Her smile turned to an expression of shock as she quickly made her way over taking your face in her hands and turning your head side to side to look at you.
"Ay, dios mío! What happened?" She questioned
"Lo siento aparecer aquí en tan malas condiciones." You apologized before explaining "I was riding my bike over here and it started to rain. I couldn't see and hit the curb causing me to fall and scrape my face."
"Oh don't apologize mija. I'm just glad you're safe." She cooed
"Mamá, can (Y/N) stay the night?" Dean asked
"Stay the night? She can move in if she wants. We'll give her Antonio's room in the basement." Dean's mom responded before mumbling under her breath "...entonces tal vez finalmente le proponga matrimonio a su novia y se mude..."
You watched as Dean's mom turned to grab a towel from a stack of them before turning back and handing it to you.
"Here mija, take this towel and go take a hot shower since you must be cold from the rain. Dean will grab you some fresh clothes and can help with your cuts when you're done." She explained gently "And I'll make some hot food for you to have."
"Gracias Señora Hernandez." You thanked
"Te lo dije, llámame Liliana," She replied with a smile before walking out of the room presumably to the kitchen
"I told you my parents like you more than me and my brothers." Dean mentioned "If any of us came home in this condition solo we'd get hit with the chancla for sure."
"I'm surprised you didn't realize that when they asked to throw me a quinceañera last year because they had no daughters." You commented back
"No, I did. I'm just glad you convinced them to make it a joint party for us." He replied "The look of envy on Tony's face as we got a huge celebration and he didn't warmed my second-son heart."
"You're welcome for that by the way." You remarked
"Whatever man," He dismissed before recalling the task his mom set him to "I'll go find you some dry clothes, okay?"
"Okay..."  You responded "I'll go take a shower. Just leave whatever clothes you get outside the door."
With a quick nod of your head, you walked out of the laundry room and down the hall toward the bathroom. Turning on the hot water to the shower you stripped off your drenched clothing and got in. The heat of the water helped to warm you up and remove the chill you felt in your bones from the cold rain but it also stung the scrape on your face. You didn't mind it though. Honestly, the physical pain of the scrape helped to numb the emotional pain of the night a bit. It provided a distraction even if it necessarily didn't feel good. You had no clue how long you stayed standing there but when you felt the hot water start to become lukewarm you realized that it was probably time to get out. Turning off the water you grabbed your towel and dried off, wrapping it around you once you finished. Opening the door just slightly you saw a plastic shopping bag hanging on the door handle with clothes inside. Grabbing the bag, you closed the door once more as you used your abilities to dry your undergarments and put them on before changing into the baggy t-shirt and gym shorts that Dean had provided you. Hanging your towel up on the rack next to the shower you went and opened the door to the bathroom. Stepping out, you saw Dean walking down the hall from his room in your direction also wearing some new dry clothes. Catching sight of you, he came up and asked,
"Hey, how you feeling?"
You shrugged your shoulders. You weren't sure yet how you felt.
"Understandable." He replied adding "I hope the clothes are okay. I know they're probably still kinda loose but since you're smaller than I am, I tried to find stuff that I'll probably outgrow soon that would fit you better."
"No they're great, they're comfy. Thank you." You reassured
"Oh good." Dean replied
Dean then again recognized the cut on the left side of your face. Fortunately, it had stopped bleeding but it could get infected if it stayed uncovered and untreated like it currently was.
"Here uh- let me help you with that." Dean said gesturing back into the bathroom
With a nod of your head, you stepped back in and sat on the sink counter as Dean looked underneath the sink for the tiny first aid kit his family had. Finding it, he stood back up and placed it on the side of the counter away from you pulling out some antibiotic ointment and a very large bandaid. Placing some of the ointment on his pointer finger, Dean gently spread it over your cut making sure to get it evenly spread across your forehead and upper cheek on the left side of your face. When he felt he had done a thorough job he placed the tube of ointment back in the kit as he washed of his hand.
"That's gonna be a nasty scar, huh?" Dean commented
You looked behind you in the mirror as you saw the large abrasion that ran across the upper left side of your face. It was pretty bad, but you weren't one to scar. Any time you got hurt, the signs of an injury would disappear faster than most people's would. At least it did so for minor ones.
"Don't worry it'll be gone by morning. Like it never even happened." You replied quietly
Dean looked down at the first aid kit as he brought out the large bandaid he found. Gently he questioned,
"And the internal scars? What about them?"
"I don't know..." You murmured "I still haven't figured that out from the last time something this upsetting happened."
Turning back towards you, Dean tilted your face toward him so that he could get a better view of your cut. Opening the bandaid, he took the protective backing off revealing the adhesive part. Carefully, he brought it up to your face and placed it over your injury making sure to avoid getting adhesive on any of the scratched parts. After taking a moment to look his work over, his focused his gaze on you as he replied,
"That's alright. We'll figure it out together."
"Promise me." You said sticking out your pinky finger for a pinky promise
Wrapping his pinky around yours he gave a gentle shake as he promised,
"I swear."
"Okay." You spoke, the slightest hint of a smile on your face
"You hungry?" Dean asked as he put the first aid kit away under the sink
"Yeah." You answered
"Good. My mom made you a whole pot of soup." Dean stated
Giving him a nod you hopped off the sink counter as you walked out of the bathroom and to the kitchen, with Dean following closely behind. The two of you sat down as Dean's mom served you a bowl of fresh made pozole before then giving a bowl to her son. You ate your soup quietly only really talking when you asked Liliana for a second and then third bowl of soup. You didn't realize how hungry you were until you had started eating. But of course Dean's mom didn't mind and was in fact delighted that you wanted to have more than one serving. As you finished your third bowl, you got up from the table and walked over to place the bowl in the sink. Turning toward Liliana you asked,
"Would you like me to help wash the dishes?"
"Oh (Y/N), that's not necessary. Dean will do them, you should rest." She responded
"Are you sure? I don't mind helping him." You replied "I mean it's the least I could do to thank you for the food you made."
"You are so thoughtful, but it seems you've had a rough night and you are a guest. I'll get Matías to help him." Liliana explained before shouting "MATÍAS VEN A LIMPIAR LOS PLATOS AHORA."
You watched as Dean's younger brother ran into the kitchen, a frantic look on his face before stopping as he noticed you.
"Oh. Hi (Y/N)." He said
"Hey Matt." You replied
"What happened to your face?" He asked confused
"I fell off my bike and cut it up." You answered
"Aren't you a little old to be falling off a bike?" He asked condescendingly
Jeez. It was pretty harsh to hear that from a 10-year-old after the day you just had. But just as quick as it hurt, you immediately felt better as Dean's mom smacked the back of his head.
"No seas grosero!" Liliana chastised "Ve a limpiar con tu hermano."
You smirked as Matt walked past you grumbling under his breath before helping Dean with the dishes. Sitting in the living room you waited for Dean to be done with the dishes but as you rested on the couch you could feel yourself growing a bit tired. Once Dean was done with his chore he came to find you and the two of you walked down the hall to his bedroom, shutting the door behind you. As you looked at the room you saw a sleeping bag rolled out on the floor next to the bed. Turning to look at you Dean said,
"You can stay in my bed, I'll take the floor."
You were about to nod your head but then something in you just felt the need to check the bed more thoroughly. And instantly you regretted it. Granted, you were happy to now have this information due to your powers but you were also grossed out that there were...bodily fluids...in the sheets. You weren't surprised, he was a teen boy and teen boys tend to jerk off occasionally. But your lack of surprise did not mean you wanted to stay in that.
"Um- I don't want to take your bed from you." You politely declined "I can sleep on the floor."
"No, you should have a comfortable place to rest after tonight and anyway my mom would kill me if she found out I let you sleep on the floor." Dean insisted
"I've slept on a floor before, it's totally fine." You tried to persuade
"No absolutely not." Dean rejected "The bed is yours."
This was not good. He was not letting up and you worried about what to do now. Your mind raced with various thoughts about what to do in this situation because you had never been in this predicament before.
Oh god. How do I insinuate that I know he's jacked off in his bed and that his sheets are gross? 
Dean's head snapped toward you. You didn't speak...but he somehow still heard you. He thought for a moment that perhaps he was losing it from the stress of worrying about you but then he could hear your voice in his head speak once more.
Do I just keep denying sleeping in the bed until he caves? Can I somehow make UV light and not give him radiation poisoning by being so close?
You watched as Dean walked past you back to his bedroom door. Stopping at it he looked back toward you as he stated,
"I'll get new sheets."
Your eyes went wide as you began to question,
"How the fuck-"
I don't know you tell me.
Taking a step back your eyes went wide just as Dean's had done a moment ago. Did you just hear his thoughts? Could he hear yours? You knew the two fo you were close, but what the fuck.
"Oh- oh that's fucking weird." You retorted "We are NOT dealing with that tonight."
"Whatever you say, but I think it's cool." Dean replied before leaving his room
It only took a few moments for Dean to return with a new set of sheets, stripping the old ones and putting the new ones on. As he walked out of the room once more to bring his old sheets to the laundry room, you sat down on the newly made bed and looked out the window. The rain still in a torrential downpour. The door to Dean's room opened and closed once more as he made his way over and sat on the bed next to you.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Dean asked
"I don't know..." You responded, your eyes still trained on the rain outside
"That's okay," Dean responded "I'll be here either way."
There was a moment of silence between you two. Neither saying a word, just existing side by side. But after a bit, there was something you wanted to express. It wasn't specifically about what happened but you felt you needed to tell someone.
"It just feels like every time things are going well something goes wrong, and it always feels like my fault..." You sighed "Maybe I'm just a rain cloud on my own life..."
"Well if you're a rain cloud then I must be a thunderstorm because to me you're a ray of sunshine." Dean mentioned
"You think so?" You inquired
"I know so." Dean responded "My life was never as bright as it's been since you came into it."
You looked away from the rain and toward Dean, the corners of your mouth lifting up briefly into a small smile before falling back into a neutral position. It might not have been much, but it was a start. Leaning over you rested your head on Dean's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around you and rested his head on top of yours. You both stayed quiet for a moment, but then you could hear as Dean quietly sang,
Eres mi sol Mi único sol Me haces feliz Cuando el cielo esta gris Nunca sabrás, querida Cuanto te quiero Por favor no me quites mi sol
As he finished his song he turned his head only slightly to kiss the top of yours. There wasn't much he could do to change what had happened but as long as you knew he was there for you and he loved you he felt that was enough for now. You were his sister, his favorite sibling, his closest family and if he could help it, he would never let you suffer alone.
"Thanks Dean." You whispered
"It's been a long night, how about you get some rest?" Dean suggested
You nodded your head before pulling away from Dean as he also let you go. Dean slid from the bed onto the floor and climbed into the sleeping bag he set out as you got yourself comfortable in the bed. Turning off the lamp on his nightstand you both lay there in the dark as the rain poured outside but after a few minutes, you rolled over to look down toward your brother on the floor.
"Dean?" You called quietly
"Yeah?" He replied
"Will you hold my hand?" You asked
"Of course."
Sliding one arm off the bed you reached down toward Dean as he took your hand in his own. It felt comforting to know someone was there and you always slept easier knowing someone was nearby. As the waves of tiredness began to wash over you and your eyes began to get heavy you mumbled one more request,
"Please don't ever leave me."
Holding your hand just a little tighter, Dean looked up at you and quietly replied,
"I wouldn't even dream of it."
________________________________________________________________________________
This is the story of Brendon Mal-Chin Young. Born March 14, 2001 at 7:51 pm to Alistair and Adeline Young, Brendon would be the only child that the Youngs ever had. He was the only child they would ever expect they would need. But things didn't turn out quite how they wanted. When Bren was born, it was in the middle of his parents setting up their consulting business and therefore he got just enough of his parents' care for him to survive, but not enough to nurture him. And when he became a toddler that needed more supervision, he was placed in the care of his next-door neighbor Clarissa Wagner who was so happy to give her son Kenneth a friend to play with. Especially since they were only about two weeks apart in age. The two boys became inseparable and the Wagners became more like family to Brendon than his own parents did.
This would go on for years until his parents' business was settled enough that they were comfortable being home more often, but by that point, Bren had already formed his connections and bonds. There was a strong disconnect between him and his parents as when it really mattered most they weren't around and now the people he cared about most were Kenny, Kenny's mom, and Ben Hargreeves of the Umbrella Academy.
Bren was introduced to Ben Hargreeves as Kenny was discussing how cool he thought Klaus from the Umbrella Academy was. And together when they would hang out, Clarissa would read all the comic books to the boys and would even make sure to pick up two copies when new ones came out so that Bren could take on home. Bren admired Ben because he was like him. He looked like him and even though he was kind of in the background of his family he still had people who noticed him.
Ben was his hero.
But then tragedy struck. When Bren was just about to be six years old the Jennifer Incident occurred and Ben Hargreeves tragically died. It was unexpected and it absolutely shattered Bren. His hero was gone. No, no. He couldn't let that happen. Ben couldn't just be gone. Ben was like him and he was like Ben so Ben needed to be remembered. He didn't want to be forgotten, he didn't want his existence to be left behind by the people around him. And this incident put more space between him and his parents at a young age. They didn't understand why he was so despondent all of a sudden but never sought a solution.
And as he grew up his parents seemed to forget him more and more as they sunk themselves into their work because Bren wasn't turning out the way they wanted him to be. It was not that he wasn't successful, he was just successful in the wrong way. He played an instrument but it was the guitar. He was excellent in his English courses and was a stellar writer but he mainly put those skills into solitary reading or writing lyrics for songs. He had a physical activity that he was great at but it was focused on using two whips for some reason. It never made sense to them.
It hurt that his parents put him so low in their priorities. He wanted someone to remember him and love him as he was. Granted, he had his friends and of course, they loved and remembered him, but he wanted more. And when he was seventeen, that love would walk into his life in the form of Juniper Lee. But unfortunately, Juniper was not the miracle he was hoping for and the tragedy of that would hit him hard.
August 12, 2018:
Around two weeks ago, Bren announced he had gotten a girlfriend. Your group of friends was incredibly surprised by this fact since he had never even talked about liking anyone prior but nevertheless, you were all happy.
Well almost...
You did not like Bren's new girlfriend Juniper. Juniper was a recent transfer from Argyle Academy, the fancy K-12 private school in the city. The fancy private school that you would've continued to attend had Five not pulled you to the future. The fancy private school that you knew was filled with rich assholes who, one, bullied you in your youth, and two did not care about anyone but themselves. The fancy private school that had a strict honor code and a "one strike and you're out" policy. Already you knew this girl was bad news. But your opinion grew worse as you spent time around her.
She was in the English class you shared with Bren and Kenny, and she began sitting at your table at lunch. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but you tried to be cordial with her so you could be supportive of your friend. Juniper however exuded red flags. She was very controlling of Bren even if she tried to portray it as being playful. She never compromised with him even on little things. She was very critical of your friend group, but especially you since your cordiality didn't hide your disdain. And you had a strong assumption from the way you could feel her heart race with your powers that she was lying. A lot.
But on top of it, you could see how she was changing Bren, for the worse. He would brush off plans with your friend group to go be with her. He was becoming more critical of you all just like she was. But the biggest thing was he was becoming a real dickhead. Sure he could be a jerk sometimes, just like everyone can, but this wasn't that. He was acting out of character being super pretentious and all high and mighty for no reason. It was like she was completely changing who he fundamentally was.
And you despised her for all of that. You had a terrible feeling in your gut about her, but for Bren's sake, no matter how much you hated her or how he was acting, you kept your mouth shut. That was until you had ridden your bike to the local shopping center to pick up some new running shoes when you saw Juniper, Bren's girlfriend, making out with a guy in an Argyle Academy uniform.
The AUDACITY of that bitch.
You saw red as you pulled out your phone and took a photo of her before turning your bike around and riding like the wind to Bren's house. Enraged adrenaline pumped through your veins as you dropped your bike on his lawn and flashed into his room. Materializing in front of him, Bren looked shocked for a moment, and taking in your upset demeanor he questioned,
"Are you okay?"
"I need to show you something." You stated firmly
Pulling out your phone, you pulled up the picture from your camera roll before turning your phone towards him and showing him the image. Bren took the phone from your hand, examining the screen for a moment before looking up at you and asking confused,
"What am I looking at?"
"That's YOUR GIRLFRIEND making out with SOMEONE ELSE." You emphasized
"How can you be sure?" Bren questioned, "That picture is far away and it doesn't really look like her to me."
"Are you fucking insane?" You blurted him in disbelief
He had to be joking right? That was obviously her. It was clearly, unequivocally, 100% her. And he didn't believe it was?
"What?" Bren asked confused
"I have photographic evidence that your manipulative bitch of a girlfriend is cheating on you and you don't believe it?" You ranted pointing at your phone "It's right there!"
"Hey, you don't get to fucking talk about her like that!" Bren yelled
You honestly wanted to start laughing you were in so much disbelief. This was crazy. You felt like you were being pranked. Was he really this blind or was he being willfully ignorant? Either way, it was fucking stupid.
"Wake the fuck up, Bren! She doesn't love you!" You exclaimed "She. Is. Using. You!"
Anger welled up within Bren as he heard you hurl insults and accusations at his girlfriend. What did you know? You weren't part of their relationship. They were happy. They were in love. They were a power couple as Juniper liked to call the two of them. You just didn't get it.
"You know what, I'm starting to think Juniper was right about you." Bren snapped
"Oh yeah? And what did she say, huh?" You taunted sarcastically
"She said that you were jealous." Bren stated matter-of-factly
"Jealous?" You repeated with a shocked laugh "Jealous of what?"
"You and I were the last two people in the group to never had been on a date but now that I have Junie you're the last one and you're jealous of me being in love." Bren explained, his tone obviously demeaning toward you
Were you the last one to never have been on a date in your group now? Yes. But you had your reasons and you were fine with that. However, you were not fine with Bren, someone who is supposed to be your friend, demeaning you for your choices. You were not jealous of his relationship in the slightest because you would never get in a relationship with a lying, manipulative, cheater.
"I'm not jealous of you in the slightest." You remarked flatly
"And there you go denying it." Bren spouted "You've hated my relationship since the start because now you realize how alone you are! But that's not my responsibility and it's not my fault you've never loved anyone-"
Before he could fully finish his rant the sound of a smack resonated throughout the room. One of your hands was held up, frozen in place as the other held tightly around your locket. As Bren held his one cheek with his hand he turned to look at you. Shock and anger on his face as he questioned,
"Did you just fucking slap me?"
Tears pricked at your eyes and your voice trembled as you spat back,
"Fuck you, Brendon. I wish-"
You paused. Standing up straight Bren removed his hand from his cheek. Stepping toward you, he stared you down, his face getting in your own.
"What?" Bren asked, his voice low "What do you wish, (Y/N)?"
"I wish I never met you." You answered
Bren pulled his face back from yours and for the first time, throughout this whole argument, his expression contorted from anger into hurt. But it only lasted a moment as his anger returned and doubled. All of this just because you don't like his girlfriend. You were ridiculous and needed to get a grip on reality. You were lying to yourself. Just like Juniper said, you were jealous and you were wrong.
"Get out of my house and leave my relationship alone!" Bren shouted
At this point, you had resigned though. Your heart hurt from Bren's words about never loving anyone as your heartbreak over the only boy you ever loved washed over you again. The tragedy of letting him go and losing him to time still pained you to this day and you weren't going to deal with someone who obviously didn't care about hurting you. You stared at him blankly as you bluntly replied,
"Goodbye, Brendon,"
And with that, you flashed out of his room, picked up your bike, and rode back home with no new running shoes, one less friend, and a re-broken heart.
September 3, 2018:
It had been three weeks since your argument with Bren and things had noticeably changed. Besides English class, where it was impossible to do so, you actively avoided Bren. If he wanted you to stay out of his relationship you would make it easier and stay out of his life altogether. The rest of your friends noticed this change the day you started doing it and asked for an explanation. You showed them the picture, explained what happened, and told them that you did not want them to feel like they had to pick sides, and they were free to still be around him, just that you would not.
Of course, after explaining that, Dean immediately picked a side. Yours. You being his sister apparently mattered more than Bren being his friend. Nevertheless, if he wanted to stop talking to Bren that was his decision but you weren't making any of your friends choose. Which of course left the rest of them in an uncomfortable position. They saw the photo and were on your side, but if they just emotionally cut ties like Dean did it would only push Bren closer to Juniper. And so the rest of them continued to be awkwardly cordial with Juniper and try to still be normal around Bren in an attempt that he would hopefully come to his senses. But the confused tension was palpable.
Bren of course noticed the changes too. Most of the friend group was still around and talking to him, but any time Juniper was around they got weird. And if he ever showed up when a conversation where you were a topic was happening, the group immediately stopped and switched gears. Then of course there was Dean who Bren obviously knew was making a point to show he was mad and ignoring him. But the biggest change was you. You were never around anymore except for in English class where you didn't talk or look at him. You used to talk to each other all the time. English class was the time when you would jot down potential song lyrics into the margins of each other's notebooks that you could use for your band. Now the margins were empty. Lunch was when you would all be together with the group chilling before classes started again, but now you sat in the library for lunch with Dean. You didn't read any of the few messages he had sent you since your argument. Granted, none of them were apologies but he didn't need to apologize. Even so, it was as if he didn't even exist to you. As if he as a ghost in your life. When you said goodbye, he didn't think at the time that you would mean it.
But that was the way things were, and you settled into this routine over the three weeks. But as you were biking to the shopping center before it closed at 7, to finally go purchase new running shoes you got a phone call from Kenny. Braking, you pulled your bike over to the side as you picked up the phone.
"Hello?" You spoke
"(Y/N)?" Kenny replied, "I need you to do me a huge favor."
"Yeah, what do you need?" You asked
"I know you probably aren't going to want to do so but I need you to go to Bren's house," Kenny begged on the other side of the line
"Why?" You questioned annoyed
"Because you were right and he's upset." Kenny explained "He had gone over to Juniper's house and caught her in the act with some other guy. He called me heartbroken but I'm at work and can't go be with him."
"But why me?" You pressed "I mean Lucas is a ray of sunshine and positivity and Addison is the one who's good at manipulating people's psyches."
"Because you're the only other person besides me he'll listen to," Kenny replied "And I know you love your friends more than anything."
Damn it. You hated it, but you knew he was right.
"Fine," You sighed "I'll go."
"Thank you." Kenny expressed relieved
Hanging up the phone you let out a sigh as you once again were not going to get your running shoes. Getting back on your bike you turned around and after one quick stop along the way you made it to Bren's house. Laying your bike on the grass, you could see that the house looked empty. His parents' car was gone and the lights were off. Taking a deep breath you walked up to the door and into the house before making your way upstairs toward his room. As you approached his door you could hear the sounds of muffled crying.
Phasing through the door you could see him sitting on the edge of his bed, his face in his hands. Gently, you walked over towards him, but as Bren heard footsteps he looked up expecting to see Kenny, but instead finding you there. His eyes were red and puffy and his face was obviously wet from tears. His eyes narrowed at you as he snapped,
"What are you doing here?"
You knew he was upset, and there was a strong chance he was redirecting his pain toward you because one, he didn't know where to put it and you were the closest, and two, you did warn him three weeks ago about this. But no matter what he said, you knew he was hurting and you weren't going to let him be alone anymore. Walking to stand in front of him you looked down at him with a soft expression as you answered quietly,
"Kenny called. He told me what happened."
Of course, he did. When Bren had called him and Kenny said help would be over soon, he thought it was going to be him. Not you. Why did you even show up anyway? Probably to rub it in his face that you were right. Standing up he looked at you angrily, although his eyes were still filled with pain as he shouted,
"Well go on then, say it!"
You didn't respond. You didn't know what to say and instead, you just looked up at him with a sad, soft expression. Your lack of response, however, didn't ease him as he tried to get you to say what you came to say.
"Say it (Y/N)! Say I told you so!" Bren shouted once more, his voice breaking "Tell me that you were right and I was wrong and stupid!"
But you didn't respond to that either. You weren't here to berate him or shame him. You were here to try and help him begin to work through this pain. Quietly, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around Bren, hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry." You whispered, "For everything."
Bren froze for a moment as you held him. He was expecting you to brag and taunt him about how you had warned him of this and he didn't listen, but instead, you apologized. You apologized for all that had occurred. You were sorry for fighting with him, you were sorry for not talking to him and you were sorry for what had happened to him today. And with that, all the anger that Bren was trying to feel and push onto you went away as he could feel the pain of this situation return. His chest clenched and his knees grew weak and began to shake. His legs gave out beneath him bringing the two of you to kneel on the floor. Gripping onto your jacket tightly, balling the fabric in his hands, he rested his head on your shoulder as he began to sob. He gasped for air between his painful cries as the memory of what happened played in his head over and over again.
Gently, you ran your fingers through the back of his hair trying your best to comfort him as he processed what happened. You quietly stayed there with him and let him cry as long as he needed because what else could either of you do?
"I got you. It's going to be okay, I'm here." You reminded
As his sobs turned into sniffles, Bren lifted his head from your shoulder and looked at you as he quietly asked,
"Why?"
"Because you're my friend, and I'm not going to let you suffer alone." You answered sincerely
"Why did you ignore me then?" He questioned
"You told me to leave your relationship alone." You explained, "I was never going to be supportive of her so I thought it was best for me not to be around at all."
Bren nodded his head before slowly letting go of you and sitting on the floor leaning against his bed. He took slow deep breaths after crying so long and his pulse began to steady. And as you quietly sat next to him he leaned and rested his head on your shoulder. You had apologized to him, and he knew that he had to apologize back to you. The things he said were wrong and you deserved to know so.
"I'm sorry for what I said." Bren apologized "It was wrong of me to say you were jealous and it was worse of me to claim you've never loved anyone. You're a very loving person."
"Thanks." You replied
"You hit me hard though." Bren commented, "So I kinda feel like I have to ask, who was he?"
You paused for a moment as you stared off into the distance. One of your hands instinctively went to hold your locket as you thought about the boy you loved. Your beloved Five. It had been years and yet in your mind, you could still hear his voice calling your name and see his smile as he looked at you. A bittersweet smile rose to your face for a moment as you reminisced.
"He was my best friend and I would've done anything for him." You explained "He had a shitty home life, and I thought- well I thought I was doing enough to mitigate that. But he still ran away and left me behind to deal with the fallout."
Ben tilted his head on his shoulder to look up at you. There was a slight smile on your face but there was deep pain in your eyes. Your voice was wistful as you spoke but there were tinges of sadness within it. This boy had broken your heart.
"He sounds like an idiot." Bren commented
"No. He was wonderful." You corrected "He was sweet and caring and smart and he knew me better than anyone else did. And he made me happy. So so happy."
Lifting his head from your shoulder he looked at you as he asked,
"You still love him, don't you?"
You looked towards Bren, an earnest yet melancholic expression on your face.
"With all my being." You answered, "It's been four years, and every day I still hope it's the day he comes back to me."
"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." Bren quoted
"Wiser words have never been uttered." You responded, nodding your head
"Thanks but those aren't my words." Bren said with a slight chuckle "They're from the poem The Coming of the Ship by Kahlil Gibran." Bren replied
A small smirk came to your face as you joked,
"Flexing your literature knowledge I see."
"Well, I've got to now since my ex hated it so much," Bren remarked
"I told you she was a bitch." You mumbled
"And there it finally is ladies and gentlemen. The I told you so!" Bren exclaimed to his empty room
"Yeah, yeah. I had to say it at least once." You laughed before adding "If it makes you feel any better though you'll never have to see her again because the only places she's going now are either juvie or a psych ward."
Bren's head snapped toward you as he heard you say that.
"What did you do?" He questioned
"Don't worry about it." You replied
He thought for a moment about the extent of your abilities and what you could have possibly done to get his ex either sent to juvie or involuntarily committed. But then he remembered how she was a cheating bitch and he honestly couldn't care.
"You know what? I won't." He stated proudly
"Good. Now go take a hot shower and put on some comfy clothes. I'll order us some comfort food and we can break out a bottle of wine to watch some shitty reality dating show with." You explained, "Be a pair of lonely broken fucks together."
Bren liked that idea. Shit still hurt but it hurt a little less with you around.
"Okay." He replied, a small smile on his face
You ruffled his hair a bit before standing up and walking out the door. And as he watched you walk away, he was happy to have you back in his life and there was no one else he'd rather be a lonely broken fuck with than you.
________________________________________________________________________________
This is the story of Viktoria Rodya Petrov. Born January 12, 2001 at 6:08 am to Vincent and Anastasia Petrov, Viktoria knew who she was from a young age even if others couldn't see it yet. She loved dolls and stories of princesses and dressing in her mother's clothes. Viktoria would profess how she was the prettiest girl in the world and would correct others when they told her otherwise. She hated when her hair was cut short and didn't like dressing in the clothes that her parents bought her. It wasn't right. It wasn't her. And she knew that.
It was not until her younger brother Maxim was born that her parents began to understand. As she grew older her parents could see the differences between her and her brother and the way they behaved. She and Maxim were quite different even if they looked the same. Viktoria's parents had their concerns about how the world would view Viktoria but in the end, it wasn't the world that mattered it was their daughter. And so they did all that they could to support Viktoria as she was and to help her feel as comfortable in her skin as possible. They stopped cutting her hair, they let her pick her own clothes, and they even went to specialty doctors to discuss how to make sure future Viktoria was just as happy as current Viktoria.
But even though her family was supportive of who she was, some of the kids in school weren't as nice. It wasn't all the kids, but the ones that weren't nice didn't understand and bullied her because they didn't get it. It made Viktoria sad and she became isolated, even from the kids who were nice to her. She wanted to be included, but it was easier to just pull away and be alone. If she remained in the background, just passing by, perhaps things would be easier. And they were, but it was a lonely existence.
Viktoria wanted people to see her as extraordinary. As someone who was allowed to be around other extraordinary individuals. But she wasn't sure how to do that. Until one day, she was watching the news on TV and saw the famous Umbrella Academy doing a press conference after stopping some French supervillain. While most kids would've focused on the superheroes Viktoria noticed someone off to the side. There in an Umbrella Academy uniform was someone who looked just like her holding some kind of string instrument. Viktoria didn't know who they were but they had to be part of the Academy. They had the uniform and all! If that person could look like her and be part of the Umbrella Academy they had to be extraordinary. And if they were extraordinary then Viktoria could be too.
Immediately, Viktoria begged her parents for a strong instrument like she had seen on the TV and was gifted a viola. She began taking lessons and excelled at her craft. This is how she would get the world to recognize her. Just like that Umbrella Academy member she would craft beautiful music and become extraordinary. But even with her skill and enthusiasm, it was going to take a while for the world to see her as extraordinary.
December 15, 2014:
Today was the day that Viktoria had been preparing for all weekend. The results of solo auditions were finally going to be announced. The high school orchestral band's winter recital was in a week and for months they had been preparing for the performance. It was going to be a spectacular night but what everyone was interested in was who would be getting the solos. Mr. Lennox the band instructor only handed out one solo to each instrument section. One for percussion, one for brass, one for strings, etc. The solos were completely coveted and for months Viktoria had been determined to get one. It would be an honor to earn one as a freshman and so for months she had rehearsed the solo piece over and over again until it was second nature for her. And when audition day came last Friday she put her heart and soul into the performance. And after spending the whole weekend anxious about what the results would be she finally was going to be able to see if she had gotten the solo or not.
Walking toward the entrance to the band room Viktoria could see you leaning against the wall outside the door. She gave you a nervous smile and a wave as she approached.
"Hey." Viktoria greeted
"Hi," You responded before saying "Results for solos are out today! You excited?"
"Kind of..." Viktoria replied warily
"What do you mean kind of?" You questioned
"I don't know, I'm just kind of nervous to see if I got it or not. They don't usually give solos to freshmen." Viktoria responded, "I mean you'll definitely get one since you're amazing, but I don't know about me."
Viktoria's anxiety always seemed to get the best of her, even when she was feeling somewhat confident in herself. It was always what if this, and what if that. She wanted to be perfect at her craft and for everyone to see so but sometimes it was difficult when her feelings were getting the best of her.
Seeing that Viktoria was obviously nervous, you placed a hand on her shoulder and reassured her,
"Well, I for one think that you are the best viola player out there and you will 1000% get that solo."
Viktoria gave you a small smile as she replied,
"Thanks, I needed to hear that."
"And hey, y'know what?" you mentioned "If I get a solo and you don't I'll tell Mr. Lennox that I pass on mine because it would be crazy if you didn't get one."
"Don't do that!" Viktoria exclaimed
It would be ridiculous for you to pass on a solo opportunity just for her. How could you even think of doing something like that?
"We have four years of high school and there's only one other piano player and they're a senior. I think I'll be okay." You stated with a shrug of your shoulders
You were so nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Viktoria wished she could have your level of confidence about things.
"If you say so..." Viktoria mumbled
"I do." You replied before asking "Now, you ready to go check the solo postings?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Viktoria remarked
With a nod of your head, you entered the band room, Viktoria trailing closely behind. She could feel nerves of anticipation begin to build within her. Viktoria wondered if she should take her anxiety medication out of her backpack as her palms became clammy and her heart began to race. She slowed her pace as she looked back at the door to the room wondering if she could just escape and go to the nurse. She was prone to giving herself a stomach ache from her anxiety so telling the nurse she was unwell would not be a challenge.
You however had noticed her demeanor and the way she stopped. Viktoria had a tendency to get in her head about a lot of things. She wanted to be noticed and accepted but she was also concerned about being too noticeable. You tried your best to reassure her and support her but you weren't in her shoes, so you could only do so much. Seeing the results sheet hung on the wall just a few steps away you turned to look back at her and asked,
"You coming?"
"You go first. I'm scared." Viktoria responded
You hesitated for a moment but then nodded. If this is what she needed then you would oblige.
"Okay." You said turning to walk over to the paper
Viktoria watched as you walked over and stood in front of the results postings. Your hand lifted up as your pointer finger ran down the paper looking for your name or lack thereof. Your finger tapped a spot on the paper three times before Viktoria saw you turn around. She looked at your face to see your reaction but was met with an expression of neutrality. She couldn't tell if you got the solo or not and was now concerned about figuring out how she was supposed to react. Slowly you walked back to stand in front of her your face of neutrality fading away as a smile appeared and you exclaimed,
"I got it!"
A wide smile came to Viktoria's face as she threw her arms around you wrapping you in a hug. Of course, you got the piano solo! There was no reason to ever doubt you!
"I knew you would! Congrats!" Viktoria cheered
Pulling back you looked at Viktoria, a smile on your face as you already knew the results of what came next. Stepping out of her way you gestured toward the paper on the wall as you replied,
"Thanks but now it is your turn."
Viktoria gave you a nervous look. Right. It was...her turn.
"Okay...here I go," Viktoria said warily as she took a few steps forward
But then once again she stopped. She couldn't bear to look at the paper. She was too nervous. It felt like she was gonna puke.
Rolling your eyes, you put your hands on the back of her shoulders as you pushed her forward toward the paper remarking,
"C'mon Vi."
Viktoria closed her eyes as she felt you push her closer and closer to the wall. When the two of you stopped walking forward she could feel as you grabbed her hand, pointed her pointer finger, and placed it somewhere on the paper.
"Open your eyes Viktoria." You requested
Taking a deep breath, Viktoria nodded her head and slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze landed on where her finger was pointed and it took her a moment to process what she was seeing. That was her name. Right there on the paper, it said Viktoria Petrov. Her jaw dropped. She did it. She got the solo. You both got solos as freshmen.
"Oh my god! I got the solo!" Viktoria shrieked "I got the string instrument solo!"
"I told you!" You stated excitedly
You knew Viktoria had gotten the solo when you looked at the page but you wanted to offer her the same excitement she had for you. She had worked so hard practicing the piece she would need to play and her efforts had paid off. She was a master at her craft and you were so happy she was being recognized as so. She deserved this.
"Looks like Mr. Lennox is running late once again." You stated, "Wanna go to the instrument storage to get your viola and hang til he gets here?"
"Oh definitely. A soloist is only good if they have their instrument." Viktoria replied confidently
"Yeah, I suppose that's true." You commented as you walked toward the instrument lockers
The room was relatively empty already as most people had gotten their instruments and headed into the band room so for the most part it was just you and Viktoria. Mr. Lennox had a habit of running 15 minutes late for class. The rumor going around with music department students was that he and the theatre director, Mr. Bardot, were hooking up before class since they both had a free period then. Nobody could confirm it of course, but Addison told you how she had seen Mr. Lennox's from one day tie sticking out behind the notorious theatre couch so you were inclined to believe it. Whatever the case was, it gave you and Viktoria more time to chat. The two of you went back and forth excitedly talking about your solos next week and how you would be inviting your families to come watch you perform when the sound of someone calling the name Viktor could be heard. Neither of you really paid it any attention until the voice entered the instrument locker room shouting,
"Viktor Petrov!"
Viktoria froze in place. She hadn't been called that name in a very long time and it wasn't a name she wanted to hear.
Viktoria was born Viktor Petrov and while she never hid the fact that she was trans she also wasn't making it known to everyone either. If someone she felt safe around asked her about it she wouldn't lie, but for the most part, she just laid low and kept it to herself and the people close to her who knew. It wasn't that hard to lay low either as her parents had started helping with her transition when they realized how serious she was in her identity around the age of 8. She started dressing like she wanted to, grew her hair out like she wanted to, and she finally was able to change her name to Viktoria. And fortunately, the schools she went to integrated that with ease. Her parents even went so far as to find a doctor who specialized in gender-affirming healthcare who assisted in her getting on puberty-blocking medication six months ago since she wouldn't be able to start hormone replacement therapy for at least two years when she was sixteen with her parent's written consent. Doing so helped with the dysphoria she was beginning to experience and kept the way she looked on the outside on par with who she was inside. She stayed small, petite, and with softer features and a lack of body hair. All of it helped her to feel more like her but it also helped in her ability to pass with relative ease. She had been presenting as herself for so many years that a majority of people didn't know and wouldn't have guessed otherwise.
But that didn't mean there weren't assholes. One of those was the voice calling out her dead name Ronan Jeffries. Ronan Jeffries and her had only crossed paths once before when she was in 6th grade and he was in 8th in the middle school band. Ronan was a violin player and therefore in the same section as Viktoria. Both of them were good players of their instruments but Ronan always seemed to have some kind of vendetta to be better than her. She never figured out how he had found out about being transgender but at some point he did and he made her life a living hell out of it. No matter how many times he got detention for calling her the wrong name or purposely misgendering her he still continued to do so. Apparently, her misery meant more than his record because halfway through the year he was forced to transfer to another middle school because he had gotten expelled from all his detentions. After his departure, Viktoria had pretty much forgotten about Ronan and his harassment marking it as a bad experience from her past. But hearing his voice now shouting a name that was not her own sent a frightful shock through her system.
Viktoria didn't move. She didn't even know he went to this school, in the months she had been here she had never seen or heard about him once. Her body froze as she tried to think of what to do or say but she couldn't come up with anything. But there was time to think of anything as a hand harshly grabbed onto her shoulder turning her around. There stood Ronan much taller and angrier than he was when she was in 6th grade.
"Who the hell do you think you are coming in and taking my solo Viktor?!"
"Ronan, what are you doing?" Another boy called from behind him "Why are you so mad at her?"
"Stay out of it, Sawyer." Ronan retorted "And they're a boy. His name is Viktor."
The boy behind him, Sawyer, looked confused at the entire ordeal. You however had a completely clear mind and a reaction time that could rival formula one racers. Immediately you pushed Ronan away from Viktoria, putting yourself in between the two. You didn't know who this guy was, or how he knew Viktoria but you weren't going to put up with his disrespect of her.
"Hey, hands off asshole." You snapped "I don't know who you think you are but she's a girl and her name is VIKTORIA. Now, I know you're not in our band class so why the hell are you here?"
"I don't need to be in the band. It's beneath me. I audition for solos as an individual player and for three years all the strings solos have been mine."
Oh, so not only was he a bigot he was a pretentious bigot. If there were two things you were known for not liking it was disrespect and pretentiousness. And this motherfucker decided to be both. If he didn't leave soon you knew he was going to have a very bad time.
"Get out of my way, I'm not here for you. I'm here for him." Ronan stated trying to push you aside
You planted yourself firmly, making yourself denser so that it was impossible to move you. He was not getting past. Not without a fight that is. He looked confused as to why he wasn't able to force your small frame out of the way but all you did was scowl back at him. Your eyes filled with rage as you replied loudly,
"HER."
"Are you blind?" He asked maliciously
"No, but you'll be when I rip your fucking eyes out." You threatened
Viktoria had her back against the wall of instrument lockers as she watched the two of you go back and forth. She could feel her hands shake as her heart raced. She was scared and backed into a literal corner. Even if she had you defending her, all she wanted to do was get away. Maybe if you two went into the actual band classroom he wouldn't follow. Then again, he didn't seem the type who would be afraid to cause an even larger disruption in front of more people. He would probably relish it. Perhaps you two could just run into the hall and then you could make both of you invisible. She didn't know, but it would probably be safer for both of you if you disengaged. Her hand still shaky, she placed a hand on your shoulder as she quietly said,
"(Y/N), let's just go..."
"Oh, so he's confident enough to steal my solo but too much of a coward to face me about it," Ronan remarked
"It's not your solo. You didn't get it." You corrected through gritted teeth "And stop calling her that, she's a girl."
And for the first time in a while, the confused boy, Sawyer spoke up and contributed,
"Yeah dude, I'm pretty sure that's a girl."
Ronan's attention looked back towards his friend, who obviously had no clue what he was talking about, as he snapped at him,
"Shut the fuck up, Sawyer."
Turning his attention back, Ronan looked over your shoulder. His gaze dead set on Viktoria. There was malice in his eyes and vile in his tone as he spoke,
"Mr. Lennox might think you're special but you're not. You're just an attention seeker who doesn't deserve that solo Vik-."
Before he could finish his sentence though you had shoved him into the instrument lockers behind him. The back of his head smacked against one of the closed wood doors. His eyes became trained on you as you looked back at him taking a step closer. Anger radiated off of you and adrenaline was pumping through your system at a rapid pace. You were done with his transphobic bullshit and you were going to put this to an end.
"Call her the wrong name ONE MORE TIME-" You threatened
"Or what?" He retorted
"Or I'm gonna ruin your life." You stated firmly
If he made just one movement, any movement, it would be game over for him. You watch as he scowled at you, clenched fists at his sides that began to raise slightly as he moved forward away from the lockers behind him. Your eyes kept focusing on his hands as he commanded,
"Shut up you freshman bitch."
And with that, you felt the impact of a fist colliding with your gut sending you doubling over. All the air in you felt like it was pushed out of your body, but you held your composure. You had taken a hit before this was nothing new. But then just as quick as the first punch came a second one flew towards your face making direct contact. You could feel the ring on Ronan's finger cut across your cheek.
"Oh my god (Y/N)!" Viktoria gasped
"Ronan what the hell are you doing man!" Sawyer exclaimed
Ronan looked down at his hands, one of them now covered in your blood. He stared at them, flipping them over back and forth, as shock and confusion appeared on his face.
"What the fuck..." he questioned under his breath
With him distracted, you stood up wiping your face with the back of your hand. Bright red blood coming from your nose and the cut on your cheek from his punch. You bared your teeth at him, anger burning in your eyes as you shouted,
"YOU FUCKING CUNT!"
Kicking him in the crotch you watched as he began to drop to his knees, his hands now covering where you kicked and he groaned in pain. Before he could fully hit the ground though, your hand roughly grabbed his hair slamming his head into the wooden lockers behind him twice. With one hand still gripping his hair you placed your other hand on his shoulder pushing him to the ground. As he landed on his side you kicked him in the gut hard enough to cause him to roll onto his back. As he groan out in pain again you dropped to your knees and began swinging at his face just as he had swung at you.
"THIS. IS WHAT. YOU GET. YOU BIGOTED. PIECE. OF SHIT!" You yelled as you punched him repeatedly
"Holy shit," Sawyer said in total shock
"(Y/N)!" Viktoria exclaimed
She didn't know what to do. This asshole deserved what you were doing to him and she knew she would've never been able to do it herself, but she didn't want you to get in trouble on her behalf. She knew you probably didn't care, but she didn't want you to have a bad reputation nor did she want herself to somehow end up with a bad reputation either. She wanted to be liked and accepted. The situation was hard enough already and it was only the first half of freshman year. The last thing she wanted was for people to look at either of you differently because of this. As Viktoria stood there panicking on whether to stop you or get help, Mr. Lennox finally showed up bursting into the instrument locker room. He looked disheveled and shocked as he frantically shouted,
"Miss (L/N) stop that right now!"
Bending over he pulled you off of your knees and away from Ronan who was bloodied and in pain on the floor. Carefully, Mr. Lennox let go of you as you caught your breath. Your hands and clothes were splattered with red, but you didn't care. You watched as Ronan slowly stood up from the floor but leaned himself against the wall away from you. Unconsciously, you took a step in front of Viktoria to block him from her.
"Someone tell me what is going on here?!" Mr. Lennox questioned loudly
"He punched me!" You shouted angrily "He physically and verbally harassed Viktoria and when I told him to stop he punched me."
"No, she beat the shit out of me!" Ronan exclaimed back
"Yeah after you hit me!" You yelled, "I was trying to defend myself and Viktoria, Mr. Lennox!"
"I didn't punch her, I swear!" Ronan denied
Mr. Lennox looked between the two of you noticing distinct injuries to your face and bright red on Ronan's hand.
"Ronan, there is blood on her face and blood on your hand. You really want me to believe you didn't hit her?"
"I didn't do it myself!" He bellowed
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Mr. Lennox turned toward Viktoria looking for answers. You and Ronan were going to do nothing but shout, therefore he needed an actual witness.
"Viktoria, did Ronan punch (Y/N) just now for the reason she stated?"
What you said was true but you had been much more vague in your description of events. Perhaps you were having trouble finding the words through your anger or perhaps you were worried about outing her to Mr. Lennox and that kid Sawyer. Either way, Mr. Lennox already knew and Sawyer seemed a little too dense about it all, so after taking a moment to herself Viktoria spoke up,
"Yes, he did. He grabbed onto me harshly and continuously called me the wrong name and pronouns. And when she verbally told him to stop he hit her."
"Twice. He punched her twice." Sawyer added
Viktoria could see the seething rage appear on Mr. Lennox's face, but he forced it down and tried to keep his composure. Turning slightly, he faced Viktoria and Sawyer as he said in a steady but serious tone,
"Thank you for that information, you two."
"Sawyer, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Ronan yelled, "Whose side are you on?!"
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Sawyer yelled back "You punched a fucking freshman girl over a high school solo that some other girl got."
"He's not a girl!" Ronan exclaimed
Quickly rushing away from Mr. Lennox, you decked Ronan in the face once more sending him sliding down the wall. Turning back towards the others in the room you stated firmly,
"I'm sorry Mr. Lennox that one was on my own accord. I refuse to tolerate his bigotry."
"I understand, I really do, but you can't keep hitting him. We just-" Mr. Lennox sighed obviously overwhelmed by the situation "Ronan you're coming with me to the principal's office. Your words and actions are unacceptable. The rest of you stay here."
The other three of you in the room watched as Mr. Lennox went over to Ronan picking him up and carrying him out of the room, most likely toward the principal's office. Sawyer, the confused boy, then looked over toward Viktoria. He had an awkward look on his face as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.
"I know my words probably don't mean much but I'm sorry for what happened. I don't know what he was going on about. I've never seen him act like that before but you don't look anything like a boy to me." Sawyer apologized before adding "I'm gonna go away now but uh- congrats on your solo."
"Oh...thanks." Viktoria responded quietly
As Sawyer left the room and closed the door behind Viktoria let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. A wave of emotion began to overcome her as the embarrassment, sadness, and fear from the situation caught up to her. Seeing her body begin to tremble you walked over to her, gently taking her hand in yours as you softly said,
"Hey sit with me."
Viktoria could only respond with a slight nod of her head, and the two of you sat down on the ground, your backs leaning against the door of one of the lockers. You watched as she closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply, her hand gripping yours tighter and tighter. Tiny tears fell from her eyes making her pain visible and leaving streaks down her reddening face.
"You okay?" You asked leaning closer to her
"I've been better." She whispered
Viktoria rested her head upon your shoulder. Her eyes still closed but her breathing became calmer and her hand now held yours a little looser. The room was quiet. You were trying to let her go at her own pace but after a few minutes, you decided there was something you wanted to say.
"I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay. That it was a once-off occurrence and this will never happen again. But we both know the world is full of assholes." You tried to comfort "What I can tell you though is that so long as I'm alive I'm not going to let anyone hurt you for being yourself. Or anyone else for that matter."
Slowly Viktoria opened her eyes, her breathing finally steadying as she looked up at you. Her hand holding yours tighter once again as she asked,
"You mean that?"
"Of course I do Vi. You are beautiful, you are talented, you are amazing just as you are," You explained with a smile "And I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Just as you are."
Tilting your face, you placed a kiss on her forehead. You never believed that physical affection was strictly a romantic act and your friends, who were like your family, deserved to feel loved too beyond just saying so. Wiping a few of her tears away with your free hand, you held the one in your other a little tighter as you stated softly,
"You are exactly who you are supposed to be."
Viktoria gave you a small smile. Thank god she had you with her for this.  Your love and reassurance helped her to feel a bit better even if she was still slightly shaken up. She could feel that you meant what you said and what you said meant a lot to her. There was another silence, the two of you just sitting there once more, but then just like you, Viktoria felt inclined to speak.
"I can't believe Ronan punched you." She joked, her voice croaky
"No, he didn't." You replied nonchalantly
Viktoria's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did you mean? She saw what happened to you.
"(Y/N) I literally just watched you take a punch for me. TWICE." Viktoria stated
"Well, he didn't do it himself." You remarked with a shrug of your shoulders
"(Y/N), your face got cut by his ring. Your nose is bleeding. What do you mean?" Viktoria asked for clarification
A smirk came to your face as you used your powers to drag Viktoria's free hand off to the side. Gently of course. Her eyes went wide as Viktoria finally realized what you meant.
"Oh my god!" Viktoria exclaimed in a hushed tone "You made him punch you?"
"Well I knew I could take it," You stated matter-of-factly "And I couldn't call it self-defense if I threw the first hit."
"You're insane. Completely insane." Viktoria replied
"Perhaps, but there was no way I was going to let him get away with what he said to you." You mentioned, "Nobody is going to talk like that to someone on my watch but especially not one of my closest friends."
"I cannot believe you," Viktoria said still trying to process everything
"Well, you better. If we weren't at school where I've got to hide my abilities I'd send that prick same-day shipping to hell." You explained, "Full-scale combustion comes quite easy these days."
Viktoria blinked her eyes at you a few times not quite sure what to say. She didn't know how serious you were since your tone was so upbeat but honestly, it didn't really matter to her either way. You sure were one of a kind though. She had never met another person like you.
"You are...something else (Y/N)." Viktoria commented
"Yeah, but you Viktoria Petrov are amazing." You replied with a smile "And everyone at the upcoming concert is gonna think so too by the time you're done with your solo."
Just as you had finished your statement though you saw Mr. Lennox walk back into the instrument storage room. The look on his face was serious as he stated,
"(Y/N), the principal would like to see you, and the people listed under your emergency contact info are on their way."
"Oh no..." You said under your breath
This was not good. Diego and Eudora were not going to be happy about this. They both had the day off today, so they were going to show up together. God, they were probably in the car figuring out how they were going to lecture you already. You looked a mess too. Ronan's blood was on your hands and your blood covered your face and shirt. When they saw you they were going to flip and you had no clue if it would be at you or the kid who started it. Well, it was too late at this point and it's not like you regretted your actions either. You just had to face the music for what occurred. Letting out a heavy breath you stood up from where you sat on the floor. Looking down at Viktoria you remarked,
"Well wish me luck. I'm either gonna get my ass chewed out by Diego and Eudora for fighting in school or I'm about to watch two 25-year-olds beat the shit out of a 17-year-old."
Turning away you walked to the door to be escorted by Mr. Lennox to the principal's office. Viktoria watched as Mr. Lennox stepped out of the doorway allowing you to follow him, but before you could get too far Viktoria called,
"Hey (Y/N)?"
"Yeah?" You answered stopping to turn back and look at her
"Thanks," Viktoria said
A smile came to your face as you kindly replied,
"Anything for you Vi."
December 22, 2014:
It had been a week since the altercation that had happened in the instrument locker room occurred and with each passing day the anticipation of the winter concert continued to build until it was finally here. The auditorium was completely filled with students and family members coming out to see the show. The way the program worked was unconventional compared to how Viktoria was used to it in middle school. Typically, all the band would come out at once and perform and the soloist would stand up and go to the front of the stage when it was their turn. However, at the last minute, Mr. Lennox had been presented with a new format idea by Mr. Bardot and decided to go with it. Now the entire band would perform their group songs together, then once finished the entire band would exit, and then the soloists would come from off stage and perform well...solo. And unfortunately, with that new format, it meant that Viktoria would be the last performance of the night, on stage, in front of the packed auditorium, alone. 
As the soloist before Viktoria performed their song, Viktoria held the neck of her viola and bow tightly in one hand as she fiddled with the fabric of her clothes with the other. This is not what Viktoria had planned for and she felt extremely concerned about the whole thing. 
"You ready?" You asked leaning against the concrete wall of the stage left wing
"Yeah, I think so..." Viktoria replied pulling nervously at the skirt of her dress
You could tell that Viktoria was nervous. Between the change of format and the huge crowd, she was becoming extremely anxious and her anxiety was not going to help. Trying to ease her nerves you encouraged her,
"You're going to do great and I'm gonna be right here cheering you on." 
"Thanks. I'm glad you were allowed to be here." Viktoria replied before adding "I'm still sorry you can't participate and lost your solo though."
"Eh, don't worry about it. There's always the spring concert." You mentioned unbothered "Anyway, losing my solo and four days ISS is worth you getting to perform and that asshole kicked from school."
You didn't let Viktoria in on all the details of what went down in the principal's office last week but apparently when Diego and Eudora arrived to see you covered in blood things got pretty heated and things got even worse when you had explained why you looked that way. You told her you were disappointed nobody got into a fistfight in the office, but somehow the issue was resolved by Ronan being expelled from school, and you having in-school suspension all of last week plus losing the ability to perform at the winter concert. Viktoria appreciated all that you did but now the annoying irrational little voice in Viktoria's head wondered if Ronan was right. What if she wasn't actually good enough for the solo? What if she screwed up? Ugh, why did she have to be the last performance? Anxious thoughts plagued her mind and as she could hear the soloist before her beginning to wrap up their performance Viktoria blurted to you,
"I can't do it."
"What? What do you mean?" You asked confused
"I- I just can't." Viktoria stuttered nervously
She was getting into her own head too much and you needed to pull her back out. Taking a few steps over to her you gently placed your hand on her shoulders and turned her to look at you. 
"Viktoria, look at me." You stated softly but firmly "You practiced for months for this, you gave your all in your audition to earn this and now you are going to go out there and show everyone why this is your solo."
You were right. Of course, you were right. This was her solo. She worked hard for this. She fought for this. This was her time to shine. Her time for everyone to see her and know how amazing she could be. This is what she was good at, this was her passion and she was going to perform.
"Okay." Viktoria replied, "I'll do it."
The sound of clapping could be heard and soon died off as Marissa Syddel walked by shooting you a smug smile before meeting some of her friends and laughing. 
"Laugh it up Syddel," You berated "Just remember you got that solo by default because I beat a 17-year-old half to death."
You an Viktoria watched as Marissa and her friends immediately stopped laughing and quickly scurried off until they were out of your sight. You relaxed your shoulders as you turned back to your friend and gave her another reassuring smile.
"Y'know people are intimidated by you now." Viktoria mentioned
"Good. I'm not looking to make more friends." You stated 
Viktoria watched as Mr. Lennox stepped out from the opposite stage wing and walked to the center of the stage. Picking up a microphone he looked over to Viktoria before looking back toward the crowd and announcing,
"I'd like to welcome our final soloist to the stage, performing a rendition of Halo by Beyonce on the viola, Miss Viktoria Petrov."
There was the sound of clapping again as Viktoria looked over to you one more time.
"This is your moment." You reminded "Give 'em the performance of a lifetime."
"I'll try," Viktoria replied
"You will." You reassured, "I know you will."
Viktoria nodded her head at your statement and then walked out onto the stage. Glancing over to the side she could see the rest of your friend group sitting on the front row clapping and giving her thumbs ups and her parents and younger brother a few rows further back smiling and waving at her. Viktoria gave a shy smile as she made her way to center stage and turned to face the large crowd. The clapping faded as she lifted her viola up and rested it under her chin before lifting up her bow and placing it upon the strings. Taking a deep breath she held it for a moment reminding herself of all the positive things you said. She worked for this. She earned this. This was her solo.
And nothing and no one was going to take that from her.
Letting out her breath, she remembered what she had worked so hard on and began to play. And just like that, the crowd faded away and all that was left was Viktoria and her viola. With each note, she became more entranced in her performance. The music flowed from her as if the sound was already part of her, to begin with. Her soul poured out into the piece as melody filled every part of the room. A smile played on her lips as she got lost in her own performance.
This was her moment.
Just like the crowd, you watched intently from the sidelines. The music was so entrancing and you had no doubt that this was always going to be the outcome of her performance. She was an amazing musician just as much as she was an amazing person. A small smile came to your face as a few tears welled in your eyes knowing everyone here would get to see your friend in her happiest and truest form. She deserved this. The joy, the recognition, the praise. She deserved it all and you couldn't be prouder. She was her, and she was happy, and everyone could see so. And that was beautiful.
As her song ended, Viktoria slowly lowered her viola and bow and looked out into the crowd as people began to clap. She could see her parents standing up as they clapped for her, her dad lifting her 7-year-old brother up so he could see her better. And looking down at the front row she could see your group of friends as they stood up cheering and clapping up a storm. The love and support from her friends and family meant a lot but it was to be expected. However, what wasn't expected was the way people besides her friends and family began to stand. Person by person, row by row, the auditorium stood as they clapped for Viktoria.  Viktoria's face lit up with pride and her mouth lifted into a smile as she looked out across the sea of people giving her a standing ovation for her performance. This is what she worked for. She worked hard to have people recognize her and her talents and now they were. Not just her friends or her family. Everyone. And if this was her starting point it could only go up from here. After a few more moments, Viktoria gave a curtsy to the crowd before turning away and walking backstage toward you. Her head held high at the accomplishment she just did. When she was sure she was behind the curtain once more she rushed over toward you into a hug.
You held her tightly, beaming with pride at your friend. She had done such an amazing job and there was no better at playing the viola than her. As Viktoria pulled back from the hug, she looked up at you with bright eyes and a wide smile and asked enthusiastically,
"How did I do?"
You smiled at her knowing there was only one way to describe her performance,
"Extraordinary."
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pythiaswine · 2 years
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[productivity rant] [personal but it might resonate with other students and ND people]
as a general rule, any day i choose leisure over productivity basically ruins the whole day and that sometimes snowballs into ruining the week etc etc. but when i do even just ONE task i feel a little better and i'm able to continue it. didn't do anything all day besides pick up my clothes? that's okay <3 tomorrow i'll do more. i self-discipline but i conserve enough energy and treat myself so things that i HAVE to do (go to work, do my homework) i get done and things that i "should" do (laundry, dishes) i may put off but i feel good enough about having gotten my other stuff done that i feel energized into doing it.
a year ago, and even 3 months ago, i used to get so overwhelmed by everything i had to do that i'd cry and shut down and do nothing. i smoked marijuana to ignore my responsibilities and the consequences of not doing them. i've even drank and smoked and vaped nicotine for similar effects (rewriting my reward/dopamine system to not hate myself for being "lazy").
since the semester began, i've kept up the momentum. i made myself a schedule so as not to overwhelm myself unnecessarily (it helps!!), i got a new job as i had quit mine shortly after i stopped smoking November 2021 - that said, i work somewhere corporate now instead of at a franchise that scheduled me when I wasn't available. i attend my classes every week and do the work before the due-date, and once when i missed an assignment in one class, i did it late and turned it in anyway rather than decide not to do it all. that in particular has taught me i can't use procrastination as a means of getting out of the work, like i used to. it makes sense to me now to do the work before it's due rather than put it off hoping it'll disappear. eating meals has helped me stay in-tune with my schedules. i have coffee every morning (as a ritual), i eat breakfast, i make lunch when i can and if i can't i eat at work, and i eat before getting ready for bed. food has been a comfort to my emotions for years and now i'm ritualizing it to 1. make sure i energize my body and 2. routine!!!! aghhh routine my beloved.
at work, i make sure i take breaks. company policy is to take a paid 15 for every 4 hours and a 30-minute meal break before it's been 6 hours. at my old job, we didn't do meal breaks which is literally illegal but we could take two 15's if we wanted/needed. i got so burnt out because i never took meal breaks! at this job, i am required to take multiple breaks if my shift is over 5 hours. my coworkers and the team-leads are SO great about it. i don't feel guilty for taking breaks.
i also work somewhere i love. it took a few jobs, but i actually love it where i work. i get paid above minimum wage, it's corporate, and i'm barista-ing inside of a bigger store (you can probably guess where i work). i'm good at what i do, i like doing it, and i genuinely enjoy making customers happy when i'm there. when i'm overwhelmed, i don't ever get to that breaking point where i feel like i might freak out (due in part to my own self-work, quitting smoking, etc) but it's also because of getting breaks and knowing i'm safe, valued, and supported at my job. i can't speak for other stores but the ETLs where I work make me feel valued. it's important to find a job you like even if it's one you're working while in college or as a place-holder job until you work somewhere better, and that's not possible for everyone so i feel very lucky. it's made all the difference.
i find time for my friends! that's another thing. it's soo important for me to hang out with my #1 when he and i have schedules that allow it, and i've been keeping in touch with others rather than isolating myself. i go to school events when i can, get out by myself when i must. i went to a party this past weekend and hung out with people i don't normally hang with, hosted by a couple i haven't seen in a few years because we fell out and they had a friggin kid!! i got to see their life, their home, their adorable baby, and be a part of the scene catching up with all these other people i used to hang out with in high school. before one of my closer friends went out of state for university, she threw a party i was nervous about going to and i went and had a great time talking to people i didn't normally talk to, outside of my comfort zone.
ignore the weird paragraph breaks because i'm on mobile and can't figure out how to fix them, but this has been my quick little vent about how i balance all the stuff i'm doing. whenever i feel down about my worth or overwhelmed by the workload, i remind myself that i am a student working two jobs and a babysitting gig on top of classes, costuming for a show, and still finding time for appointments, events, and hobbies. i'm killing it out here. i've come to far and i am fuckin proud of myself.
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lpfreakification · 3 months
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My age has caught up
Im 30.
I've turned 30 last month but was super busy with school that I didn't have the time to process it.
Having this free time this week b4 I plan out what I wanna do in July, I think im overwhelmed with options.
Reading this BL in the past hour doesn't help with my emotions. They make them go haywire. God, boys are cute 😭
My timing is terrible when it comes to dating. I think it was 2 or 3 years ago now that I read a BL manga called Love Doctor that got me into a spiral of emotions + an overwhelming longing for a boyfriend. I did try. He was alright. I could do better. Then school started.
This feels selfish of me wanting a boyfriend just to recreate fluffy yaoi moments. That's a delusional way of thinking, Perla! *whines*
From experience, I do have ideas:
Step 1: Go to a place of frequent visits (such as internet, Tumblr, school, computer lab, library, lobby, coffee place, restaurant, workplace???)
Step 2: Do my doodle thing until someone walks up to you + compliments them
Step 3: intros
Step 4: talk about work/hobbies
Step 5: Repeat steps 1 - 4
Step 6: Exchange contact info once u get comfortable/confident, when your face lights up when the other person arrives, or can't stop thinking about them.
... + idk. I never gotten as far as that 😅 I remember one piece of advice I was told that I struggle with, + suck at: follow-up/following up. Why does it have to take so much energy 😫
I feel troubled. I know that I don't really like to give, just take. Eventually, I will have to learn to give more often. I constantly think to myself that I'm gonna give them something in return for what they've given me. In the end, I can never physically execute those thoughts, and I end up wallowing in bed in guilt.
Either:
- depending on future boyfriend, I'd do anything
- stay the same
- feels the same way + we can both agree not to spend on each other but for ourselves.
...
Man, what am I doing with my life this week, wasting away in bed? I guess I'm just being lonely as hell since the wedding two weeks ago. Dammit, the cute aggression is stirring up.
Also, aren't I supposed to be taking a break after two months of animation grinding, too?
I... don't have a good work-life balance. I've explained this so many times, so I'll skip it. Hmmm, little bit of things here, little bit of things there, + a few days off for myself to do absolutely, positively nothing.
I do have an ideal routine that worked out so perfectly when I had an internship in 2020:
Tumblr media
I did get the right idea of starting animation work at 8 am. After my sister's wedding, I started taking my meds earlier at 5:20 in the morning. Huh, the 9pm hour is still an accurate time for chilling. I have been falling asleep earlier than usual nowadays, b4 11pm.
...
Since I'm here, let's organize my ideas.
- KH:DDD
- Kickboxing
- School stuff
- Improving on some animations, need a specific list for that
- Haircut
Those are my main points. There's bound to be more little things in between that may come along the way. Like, my psychiatrist appointment tomorrow morning, the local annual 4th of July Parade, + Traverse City, Michigan in August (more details when the date draws near).
...
I'm feeling a bit better now that I got these thoughts out of my system :)
Imma go grab a cheesecake from the kitchen X)
Yep!
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dannobfg · 10 months
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I am yet again procrastinating. I have spent every day of this week either in class or at the library studying. I have slept about 6 hours per night on average. I am tired. Today is Saturday. And as much as this week has been busy, I still have so much stuff left to do. I'm planning on going to a public library in town which is open until 14:00. It's currently 9:25. I've been up for an hour, had breakfast and have just stayed glued to my chain in the kitchen for the past 29 minutes. It's raining outside and the air is fresh. I have a project due Tuesday and an advanced statistics exam on Wednesday. The project is going to take me at least 4 hours to finish. And I'm only about half way through revision for the exam. On Thursday I have another project due and immediately after that, I have to start work on another project due Monday 20th. The weekend before that though, 17th-19th, I'm traveling 5 hours away to meet up with old friends and chill, so everything needs to be done by Friday morning. Fuck me, next week hasn't even started and I'm already tired. Additionally, on the 27th I have a different exam which I will have to start studying for as soon as the projects are done. Sigh. I am tired.
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hannahssimblr · 2 years
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I've tried to write sims stories in the past but I always end up running out of steam quickly and giving up on them. How to you stick to your consistent weekly schedule? I'm in awe of how you keep putting out full chapters every week
Hello!
Firstly, apologies for leaving this unanswered for a couple of days, i'm very bad at writing back to people when I know the message is going to be very long lol.
I think maybe it comes down to like.. experience or something? I've been writing sims stories since I was 13 and everyone was doing it for sims 2 so I kind of got to know what works and what doesn't work for me, along with how to deal with and build engagement. OBVIOUSLY I am not a professional writer or anything like that, I'm just a lowly hobbyist but here are my tips!
Please plan! I get it, it's boring, but you WILL regret it if you don't. Literally, you can just plan in your head and that can be enough if you're thorough, but before you start you should have an idea of where you will end. If you launch in to chapter one and just write with the ~vibe~ then that's really cool, but you might find yourself out of ideas, or unsure what the theme of your story is by chapter five. You want to avoid getting overwhelmed and giving up.
Choose a theme and stick with it. Make sure you keep coming back to that theme and following the thread. Try not to deviate and start talking about side characters back stories, because while it's very fun to do, you'll quickly realise that you've created something that feels a little... disorganized, and then likely stop writing. (BTW! Side character stuff is fun! But you can explore that outside of your main story, in tumblr posts or in a little "extras" section on your blog if you want to!)
Stay ahead. I go back and change chapters constantly. It's so normal to write something and think it's fine, and then while writing a later chapter realise that the story would be better if you changed what you've written a couple of weeks ago, so give yourself the space to do that. Once the chapter is published, it is out of your hands. Currently I am 6 chapters ahead (Very manic) but i recommend having a healthy cushion of about 3. Don't post that first chapter until you're up to ch 4.
It's normal to care about what people think, but don't let it rattle you. Your story should be for you, and your should stick to your convictions even if others make noise or disagree. If you're trying to please everyone you will quickly burn out and lose interest, so don't be swayed by what others want you to write! Releasing chapters week by week like this is an interesting way to do it, as it allows people to view your work in segments rather than a whole finished piece. It's easy to be swayed off course by people's comments and think "hmmm maybe that person is right, I should change this.... DON'T, GIRL. Stick to your plan. Unless obviously, they have a point...
You need to stick it out. The first weeks or months of a story are the hardest because you can often feel as though you're writing into a void. I've noticed that an audience takes a long time to form, but don't take it as a reflection on you or your story. Most people quit writing their stories after less than 5 chapters, so people might not even click on your links until your past that point to avoid the risk of getting invested in something that will be abandoned. It took me a good 3 months to get almost any comments at all on Lucky Girl, and that was fine, because I was ready for it. (I was also prepared to keep going even with minimal engagement, but more often than not, if you build it they will come.)
You have to love it. You have to be genuinely passionate about creating something and telling a story. Everyone has a story to tell, so have conviction in yours. It is worth telling, and it will speak to somebody. Love your characters, get to know them, listen to what they want and don't force them to do or say things that you know they naturally wouldn't. Be obsessed with it and you'll be fine.
No pressure. If a schedule is too much, cut it out. Everyone is different. For me, it works, for others it is too much and they prefer to run on vibes and feelings. I've seen both methods work well.
Tips related to actual sims: people care about your screenshots, make sure that you put a little effort in, but don't burn out creating custom poses, building every lot and creating every background character if that will burn you out. I know I can't do this, so i stick with a style that's easy to uphold, and forgive myself if i can't make everything look exactly right. On my sims 3 story, Dustland Fairytale (SO to those who are still here after all this time!) one of the things that majorly burned me out and made me sick of it was having to build so many lots all the time when all I wanted to do was tell the story. Take advantage of the gallery, use CC and poses by other people, cut corners and focus on the parts that are important
I can't think of anything else! I hope this is helpful <3
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peanutpinet · 3 years
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Nine Percent 3rd Year Anniversary Scenario
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Yes, yes, I know, it's been 3 days since their actual 3rd year anniversary. Yes, I had a brainfart and knew that I forgot something and didn't realise until late at night (like 10pm or 11pm). But hey, better late than never, right? RIGHT?! (My inner self: funny). Anyways, I wish them all nothing but the best for both their career and personal life. May they be able to do whatever they want and not be judged or be commented anything negative. Alright", scenario time!!
Pics are from: @ninepercent._.forever on Instagram
Cai Xukun
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A.N: yes, yes, finally got some more soft pics uwu, thanks Aliya, okie" scenario
I imagine that you were rushing to get this limited edition record/album from your local music shop because not only was it limited edition, but the artist also signed them personally and not the ones where they just copy 1 signature for all the copies but they actually signed them with a pen and all but no one knew about it because they just came out with it but you were lucky because you had a friend working at the music store. You immediately texted your friend, telling them to keep one for you as you were now rushing out the door in your hoodie and sweats with sandals.
Upon arriving, you were wondering where your friend was since you just wanted to pay for the album and leave. You quickly texted your friend which they mentioned that they had to run a few errands for a bit since it was exactly lunchtime when you came.
Sighing, you decided to just look around but stopped at your tracks when you saw none other than Cai Xukun, the very artist whose album you asked your friend to keep. Not wanting him to notice what a mess you look, you hid behind the shelves and peeked through, observing what he was doing. It wasn't until Kun suddenly called you out that you completely blew your cover.
"You know, I'm not that scary to approach" Kun blurted, not moving his gaze away from the albums
"I--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to st-stalk you. It's just that, I'm a fan and I'm waiting for my friend, they work here and I've asked them to keep one of your albums that you personally sign and, what am I even saying?!" you blabbed, covering your face with your hands and hoodies
"I can sign it specifically for you, if you'd like" Kun smiled, looking up to face you
"Oh my, yes, umm, thank you so very much" you blurted, bowing at him
"Relax. You don't have to bow. C'mere, we can take a picture as well :)" Kun exclaimed, nudging you to go there
and let's just say, you and Kun had a nice lil chat after your little meetup session whilst waiting for your friend to come back. You also made a lil note to thank your friend for leaving
Chen Linong
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For this one, I imagine that you, Nongnong and some old school friends were going on a road trip together and stayed in an Airbnb. During the first night, you were supposedly sleeping with your friend (girl) but that night, you guys just finished watching a horror/thriller movie (which you just cuddle up in Nong's arms since you were terrified, if you actually like watching horror, just pretend that this one terrified you quite a bit). After the movie, you couldn't really sleep and it was already nearly 3 in the morning that you went out of your room and to the kitchen to grab a light snack and heard some footsteps.
Scared, you unconsciously grabbed the kitchen knife and turned around to face the person that crept up on you; which turns out to be Nongnong. He immediately held his hands up in defeat but the same time chuckling on why are you holding a kitchen knife. You shyly admitted to him that you couldn't sleep because of the movie you watched; it also didn't help that your friend sometimes talks in their sleep.
Humming, Nongnong asked if you didn't mind sleeping with him. He said that he'll definitely make sure that you'll be asleep before he sleeps and he also suggested that you guys watch some cartoon. Since you and Nongnong have known each other for years and occasionally have sleepovers (of course in different rooms), you didn't mind sleeping with him since back in high school, you had a trip and you slept on his shoulder whilst being on the bus.
Because you were also quite tired and really wanted some rest, you agreed and the both of you went to Nongnong's room. Nongnong then allowed you to sleep on whichever side of the bed as he grabbed his iPad and opened your favourite cartoon. In a matter of a few episodes, you were finally asleep and Nongnong tucked you in before patting your head and sleeping as well.
In the next morning, you woke up surprisingly well. You didn't know if it's because you were watching cartoons with Nongnong or that it was just Nongnong in general making you safe. You decided to head to the kitchen to grab something to drink but then your friends teased you to call your "boyfriend" out to have breakfast all together.
You then blushed and head back to the room, seeing Nongnong yawning as he sat on the bed, asking you if you had a good night sleep which you nodded and told him that the others are waiting for you both to have breakfast.
"Did you have a good night sleep (Y/N)?" Nongnong asked, still yawning
"Y-yea, I owe you Nong, thank you" you stuttered, looking away
"Oi, lovebirds!! Hurry up or you won't have any breakfast" your friends teased
"Let's not keep them waiting shall we sweetie?" Nongnong commented, getting up and stretching
"Wh-what?" you mumbled
"Oh, I thought you already know that I like you since I know that you like me" Nongnong mentioned
"Wh-what?! When?! Wh-when did I?! OH NO!!" you blabbed, covering your blushing face
"In your sleep, last night, right before I fell asleep. There's nothing to be shy about. I like you too (Y/N) <3, let's go eat!!" Nongnong exclaimed, grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the room
Fan Chengcheng
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For this one, I imagine that you and Chengcheng were friends in high school. You knew him since back in junior high and while your first impression of him wasn't all that good since you thought he'd be a spoiled brat since he came from a wealthy family and the younger brother of one of the country's famous actress. But as it turns out, he was very hardworking despite not paying that much attention in class.
A/N: let's rewind a bit how you both got close
You were stuck as his lab partner for a whole year back in junior high which at first you didn't really want to since you knew he didn't pay attention in class that much and you'd worry that in the end, you'd have to do all the job while he just gets the credit. But nope, big mistake.
As soon you were paired up, Chengcheng didn't waste time asking for your contact after school and told you that you guys should stay at the library after school on the day of your lab so you can get the job done that day as well. Now, to say you were amazed was an understatement. You were practically impressed that Chengcheng understood most of the job and even concluded the paper.
But one time, you guys had to stay at the library till late at night and Chengcheng even ordered food the minute he heard your stomach grumble (cue you being embarrassed). Afterwards, you guys just talk over things like your likes and dislikes and Chengcheng even brought you home up till your doorstep. Ever since, the both of you have been inseparable. Well, that is until Chengcheng said he had to leave to join Idol Producer.
It was rough. He wasn't able to contact you since his phone was taken from him. However, you did try your best to send actual letters to him which surprisingly, he received and even send you back some letters as well. You wouldn't admit it but you miss him and actually have a crush on him. You were going to tell him but when he actually made it into 9%, you knew you wouldn't be able to stand a chance against all the other female artists so, you texted Cheng, saying your congratulations and the same time cut off your friendship, to the point you even blocked his number. You couldn't deal with heartbreaks because it was just too much and you really wanted Chengcheng to focus on his career.
Unfortunately, the past few days were not easy for you. It was very painful, especially seeing how happy Chengcheng was in L.A. You're sad and wasn't focused on school at all. But one Saturday morning changed everything for you. You had never been so thankful to be awake so early in the morning until this day.
It's been 2 weeks since you cut your friendship and any sort of communication with Chengcheng and during those 2 weeks, your sleep schedule was a mess to the point that today, you slept at 1 and suddenly woke up at 5(ish) in the morning. You twist and turn yet you still couldn't sleep. Eventually, it was 6 in the morning and you decided to just get up and have an early morning walk to clear your mind.
You got changed and pulled on your favourite coat (which was actually one of Chengcheng's but you forgot) and head out to walk around your neighbourhood. Until you stumble upon a familiar stair walk. It was one where you and Chengcheng hung out after you finished your report and heading back home. The memory caught you off-guard that tears started to stream down your face and you tried your best to wipe them until a familiar voice startled you.
"Are you crying because of stress because finals are in a month or because you haven't seen me in so long? Because I sure as hell miss talking to you, too" a familiar voice exclaimed
"OMO, Ch-cheng?! FAN CHENGCHENG?!" you blurted, whipping your head to see Chengcheng just a few flights below you
"I miss you too (Y/N). It was tough not being able to talk to you through those 4 months and even when I was in L.A." Chengcheng mumbled, walking towards you
"I--I'm sorry Cheng. I didn't want to interfere with your life. I know that you've wanted to become an idol/artist and I know I wouldn't exactly match the people you'll be hanging out, I--" you blabbled until Chengcheng pulled you into a hug, patting your head
"I don't care. Sure, I may meet lots of new people. But no one can replace you. Plus, who am I going to take with me to night markets when I'm hungry and take pretty pictures together with? Of course, that's you!! I wouldn't switch you for anyone or anything in the world. I don't care that you blocked my number because I can always put in my numbers again. So please, don't leave me. Now, let's go have breakfast, hmm?" Chengcheng grinned, pulling away from the hug, smiling as he tucked a hair behind my ear, caressing my cheek in the process
Justin Huang
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aFor this, Imma do something slightly different than previous Justin scenarios. So, I'm going to imagine that you're Justin's senior back in primary school. Justin has a vivid memory of what you did for him (which was standing up to the bullies) but you didn't remember him that well since you had a 2 (almost 3) year gap.
*Also, let's say that you were in campus (3rd year) whilst Justin had just turned 19
You were just trying to have a nice "normal" day in school since finals were just right around the corner. Everything was going so well and finals were not bad at all. It was the studying process that was annoying to you because your dorm were filled with either parties or gossips all in the halls whilst the library of your campus was always hogged by random people (like hello? are you here to study or to live here?). Anyways, lucky for you, a small studying cafe just opened near your dorm and so you decided to just stay there and study.
The past few days were nice. The cafe was calm and everyone was either actually studying or chatting (but they weren't loud and unreasonable like those in campus). Until one time, there was this boy, looked like he's in his teens and forgot his wallet to pay since it seemed that his phone ran out of battery. Because the drink was already being made, he couldn't exactly cancel or anything. Sighing, you got up and decided to pay for the boy who turned to bow at you, thanking you. Until the boy looked up and immediately recognised you.
"Eh?! JIEJIE?! It's me!! Just....uhhh, how bout we sit down and talk" Justin softly exclaimed, grabbing you and went to sit back at your table
After a bit of talking, you were taken aback that the boy/junior you helped back then was now this handsome tall young man. The both of you talked quite a lot since it has been years since you last saw each other. The two of you exchanged contacts and Justin proposed that you'd meet up again since he was in town for a few weeks.
But that plan somewhat backfired since Justin couldn't wait to see you again so he just straight up went to meet you since you told him where you lived. Instead of being a "brat" like most kids his aged, he was very polite with your parents, telling them that whilst he was younger, he'll protect you and bring you back before 10pm.
It was nice to catch up with Justin. You realised how mature he is for his age and even had to miss out on normal teen stuff like going out with friends, struggling with assignments and finals together. But Justin said that while he does feel sad for missing out on lots of things, he said that he loves what he does and he learnt so much.
Everything was going well with the both of you until Justin's sasaengs finds out about you. Some made fake accounts, threatening you to stay away from Justin. You know better than to deal with those immatures so you just blocked them from your social media and went on with your life.
But damn the universe is testing you because some of the sasaengs actually go to the same campus as you do. The first few meetings with them were still manageable. But they aren't called sasaengs for nothing. Because it slowly escalated and things got more physical to the point you started to distance yourself from Justin.
But Justin noticed your change in behaviour. He was so fed up one day that he went all the way to your campus to figure out what has made you like this. He didn't care about the amount of ppl suddenly paying attention to him because all he cared about was finding you; which he found you exactly when the sasaengs attacked.
Immediately, he didn't waste any time and called mama Ting, telling him about the sasaengs and have him report them to the police or something. Justin then immediately called out the sasaengs, threatening them and telling everyone who was watching to never bully anyone ever again; regardless of the reasoning.
Justin then took you out of your campus and to the cafe where you guys first reconnect again. He apologised for getting you involved in this mess but the same time that he doesn't want to be separated from you; adding that he'll always be there like you did when you were young.
"Jie, why didn't you tell me? I know you're strong enough to take care of yourself. Heck!! You helped me back in primary school!! I grew up, getting stronger so one day when we meet again, you wouldn't think of me as a whimp" Justin exclaimed
"I never thought of you as a whimp, Justin. But sometimes, you just need an extra hand" you replied
"Look who's talking? But I'm serious jie. Please tell me whenever this happens. I'll show no mercy!!" Justin boasted
"Ya!! Just because you're famous and all, you shouldn't be like, especially towards women" you complained
"Hehehe, it's not that. It's just that ppl should get what they deserve. Anyways, I'm hungry, let's eat!! My treat!!" Justin exclaimed
Lin Yanjun
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Help, I miss Yanjun so much :(( but for reals though, I don't want to pressure him or complain much because honestly, I can somewhat understand him since I'm an introvert too. Alright, I don't want to give off this negative energy so let's jump into the scenario :)
Alright, for this I'll imagine that you're visiting Yanjun who's in Taiwan because he was taking some rest. Honestly, you were quite nervous since you had never been to Taiwan and met Yanjun from work (this is a story for another time). One of the main reasons why you were nervous is because you were going to meet his parents and even spend your time living with him and his family when you don't really know their culture that well.
But honestly, there was nothing to worry about since Yanjun's parents heard nothing but good things from both Yanjun and even Zhangjing (since you were quite close with Zhangjing). When you arrived, you tried your best to be polite even though you were very awkward and stuttered a lot. But when Yanjun's sister came, she helped make you feel at home and ease despite being slightly younger than you.
Within hours, you and Yanjun's sister became close and she even shared some embarrassing moments of Yanjun to you (which Yanjun found out and deal with his siter later on). And within days, Yanjun's parents showed no signs of disliking you at all. Instead, you and his mom actually went to the market a few times together and even cooked together.
Time skip to a few days before you have to go back to your country
Yanjun's parents thought that it was a good idea for both you and Yanjun to go out, just the both of you since you had been spending so much time with his family and rarely went out with just Yanjun for a whole day. So, they set things up and made sure that it would just be the two of you; they even went as far as letting Yanjun use the car.
Yanjun already knew where he would take you; the ocean (one of his favourite places to be). When you arrived, you wasted no time and getting out of the car, taking off your shoes and running on the sand, barefeet; which of course, Yanjun chuckled whilst taking pictures of you.
The two of you left your shoes by the rocks so they wouldn't get taken by the ocean and walked hand in hand along the shoreline. Stopping right where the sun was setting and just lean on each other, enjoying the moment, until you noticed your shoes were getting taken by the ocean. You immediately rushed to get your shoes; forgetting that you couldn't really swim that well.
Eventually, Yanjun caught up with you and held you back, reminding you that you couldn't quite swim. Chuckling, he took off his jacket and handed it to you before going towards the ocean to get your shoes.
"Jun...be careful!!" you exclaimed
"I'll be fine (Y/N). You should be careful. I wouldn't want you to get wet and sick later on" Yanjun reminded you
"Hmm. OH!! You got it!! Thank you so much!!" you giggled, jumping a bit
"Hey, hey, be careful!!" Yanjun reminded as you jumped to hug him
"You know, you're similar to the ocean. You're as cool, calm and collective when you need to but the same time you're there whenever people needs you just like how humans need water. You also help people calm down when they feel frustrated. You make me feel safe. You make me relax when I feel nervous" you blurted, hugging Yanjun tightly as you inhaled his scent
"(Y/N)..." Yanjun muttered
"Which makes me confused why would you choose a child-like, hard-headed, weirdo..." you mumbled, but Yanjun shut you up by pecking your lips
"Because, isn't that how magnet works? Opposites attract each other. Though I'd say that we are quite similar in the hard-headed side but at least we're willing to tone that down. But for reals, while I make you calm, you make me excited. You burst me up. You're like a happy pill and I'm addicted to you. Now, let's head back, mom and dad made hotpot for dinner. C'mon, I'll carry you whilst you just hold onto our shoes" Yanjun chuckled as you went on his back, leaning on him whilst talking about where you guys should have a date next
Zhu Zhengting
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For mama Ting, I imagine that you have this upcoming show which was your first live stage show. And while you were just a backup dancer, you were still one of the best dancers in Yuehua despite only being hired for a couple of months.
You were so excited and can't wait since you've been practicing very hard the past few days, along with helping Zhengting since he asked you to be his dancing partner for his new mv that's coming out in a month. Speaking of Zhengting, it was him that actually recommended you to Yuehua and him that got you hired in the first place.
Anywho, it was finally showtime and you had just finished getting ready with the rest of the backup dancers. And ofc, you, along with the other backup dancers helped kill the show that the crowd was cheering loudly.
After the show was over, you all took pictures with the artist and a few individual pictures before the stage manager called it a wrap. You then went to go get changed when Zhengting texted you, asking to meet up in the dance practice room you guys normally used.
You told him that you just finished changing and will be there in 10 minutes. Upon arriving, you looked around to find Zhengting and was shocked when he softly called you out whilst holding a boquet of flowers.
"Ting? What's all this? Are you gonna meet up with someone?" you questioned, tilting your head slightly "This is for you!! Congratulations on your first live stage performance!!" Zhengting mentioned, handing you the flowers
"Ahhh, isn't this a bit too much? I was just a backup dancer anyways..." you muttered, looking down at the flowers, avoiding Zhengting's gaze
"Well, you won't be for long. I want you to dance with me, live. Roughly a month or two after the mv comes out. If you don't mind that is" Zhengting asked, scratching his head
"Wh, what? Are you serious?! Like legit? Not joking?! Cause if you're serious then ofc I would love to!!" you exclaimed
"Re-really?! Oh I feel so relieved. I was afraid you'd reject me. I mean my offer. I uhhhh...." Zhengting stuttered
"Relax. I'd never reject your offer. Or even you, Ting. You helped me get this far. Plus, I think I'd be the one to worry if you'd reject me..." you mumbled, fiddling with your fingers
"What?! No, why would I ever reject you, (Y/N). You're pretty, smart, talented, kind. You're an amazing person. If you don't believe me then let's go have dinner, I know you must be starving, c'mon, my treat!!" Zhengting mentioned, grabbing you and dashing off to eat hotpot
Wang Ziyi
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For Ziyi, I imagine that you guys were spending the day to the amusement park that was near the beach as well. So, the plan was for you both to go to the amusement park as soon as it opens and ride as much rides as possible before 4pm then head to the beach and jusy chill till dinner time.
You were so excited since it's been so long since you went to an amusement park and beach. Now, the reasoning why you chose this specific amusement park wasn't just because it was right beside the beach. But also where you and Ziyi got to actually know each other.
Let's rewind a bit shall we
So, you guys were high school friends and one time your squad wanted to go to the amusement park so ofc, you joined in. But what you didn't know was that Ziyi (the school's best basketball player) and his squad were also joining (mainly because 2 of his friends and 2 of yours were dating).
Anyways, the whole day wasn't that bad until sometime before you all decided to leave for the beach, your friends sorta ditched you; even when you tried to text/call them. Now, you were left right by the food stands, sitting on one of the benches whilst waiting for any news you get from your friends.
But it wasn't just you that was "ditched" by your friends. Because not long after, Ziyi came and sat beside you, asking if you were also "ditched" by your friends to which you chuckled, telling him that they must've went on other rides. But you were actually grateful that they did. Because now, you were Ziyi's close friend.
To present time
After riding on several rides, you guys went to have lunch at the nearby food court before going back and playing the rides up until it was almost sundown.
Realising what time it was, you asked Ziyi if there were anymore rides he wanted to go on which he shook his head and instead, asked you if you wanted to go on anymore rides. To which you also shook your head. Ziyi then asked if you wanted to go to the beach which u instantly nodded.
But as you guys were walking, you saw a small food stand, selling one of your favourite snacks to the point you instantly rushed over to the food stall and grab some food, nudging Ziyi to hurry and come choose what he wants.
"Ziyi!! Hurry up!! Choose which one you want!!" you called out
"I'm coming (Y/N), don't buy too much things. We need room for dinner" Ziyi chuckled, rushing to your side
"I will always have room for dinner!! Food is life!!" you exclaimed, as you choose your snacks while Ziyi looked at you and chuckled
Xiao Gui
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For Xiaogui, let's say that you guys have been friends since young and he would always be there for you since he's always so hyper while you were so shy in making friends.
Throughout your school life till high school, Xiao gui has always been there to help you make new friends and study (ocassionally). Not to mention, you were the one to come up with his nickname, Xiao Gui. But unfortunately he had to leave to join idol producer. But that never stopped you guys from sending each other letters/text (when he got his phone).
Time skip to your university graduation
While Xiao gui was busy with his idol life since he debutted in 9%, you were busy with school and now, after so long, you were finishing your degree.
After the ceremony and getting your actual degree, you and your friends were heading to take pictures. But as you were taking pictures, your friends told you to stay there for a bit whilst they go grab a quick drink.
But as your friends left, you saw a familiar figure, holding a boquet of flowers, heading your way. As they got closer, you realised that it was actually Xiao Gui.
"G-gui? Is that you? What are you doing here? Don't you have an event or something to attend?" you asked in shock
"Of course I do. It's your graduation. You didn't think I'd miss this out now did you? Look at you, dressed up like this. Last time I saw you all dressed up was...." Xiao gui commented
"The day you debutted with the other 8 as 9%" you replied, giggling at the memory
"Yea. You were with me since the beginning even until I debut and now. I'm sorry I couldn't have come sooner but here, happy graduation (Y/N)" Xiao Gui muttered, handing you the flowers
"Th-thank you, Gui. How bout we catch up over dinner?" you mumbled
"Of course, then we can go get dessert at your favourite place!!" Xiao Gui exclaimed, holding your hand as he slowly pulled you with him
"I miss you so much, Linkai" you admitted
"I miss you too (Y/N)" Xiaogui replied, a big grin formed on his face
You Zhangjing
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Tbh Zhangjing's one is quite hard but I tried my best :"
Alright, for Zhangjing, I imagine that he asked you to join him to shoot for his new mv which of course you quickly agreed, not thinking twice on where, when and what is it.
You can say that it was somewhat of a mistake since the mv is a more romantic one than his previous mv(s). Not only that, on the day of the actual shoot, you were stunned on how good Zhangjing looked since he mostly wore a baggy T-shirt with sweatpants.
But this time, he dressed up so good that your mind can't comprehend. Even when it was time to shoot, your mind wondered off elsewhere until Zhangjing actually called out to you.
Thankfully, throughout the entire shoot, there were minimal errors and you didn't have to reshoot so much. And it was the final shot where both you and Zhangjing were hand in hand walking together.
Right as the camera was rolling, you were a bit distracted by the scenery of the place you were shooting that Zhangjing had to call you several times which makes you shock but Zhangjing just chuckled and extended his hand out to you which you shyly took, and as Zhangjing faced the other side, you couldn't help but blush to see this amazing view.
"(Y/N)?" Zhangjing called out
"Hmmm??? Oh sorry, the scenery was so pretty that I couldn't help but get distracted" you admitted
"It's alright, c'mon, let's just enjoy the view then" Zhangjing mentioned, extending his hand
"Hmmm. It's nice, we should go out more often" you mumbled, taking Zhangjing's hand then facing off to the scenery together
.
.
.
Once again, happy late 3rd year anniversary Ninepercent!! I wish you nothing but the best and may you always be happy 💕💕
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lindsayrises · 3 years
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Oh.
My.
God.
I have never felt more seen.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in December 2019.
I've been on medication for it since then.
Yesterday, after a week of being ridiculously unproductive at work, I was desperate for any tips or strategies to get more done.
I found a podcast on ADHD. I listened to 2 episodes while driving/running errands.
Oh.
My.
Fucking.
God.
I was nearly in tears.
EVERYTHING that was said is me.
I have FOREVER been cruel to myself, telling myself (and believing) I do (or don't do) things because:
*I'm lazy.
I'm stupid.
I'm unmotivated.
I'm not dedicated enough.
I must not care enough.
I lack will power.
*I never follow through with things/am unable to follow through with things. (I am particularly sensitive about this one. Something was said to me about this literally YEARS ago and I still get an uncomfortable feeling thinking about it and get emotional talking about it. I can think of 2 other instances where comments have been made to me about this - one recently, one years ago. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO insecure about this.)
(*these 2 are frequent topics in therapy.)
Seriously. Then when I struggle to get things things done, I beat myself up and feel like a huge failure. Rinse and repeat.
I always just thought, "I guess the medication must be working...maybe???". I never considered that there could be a change/improvement BECAUSE I THOUGHT "THIS IS JUST WHO I AM...I'll be like this forever. Past behavior habits prove it. It's hopeless. I'm hopeless to even work on. I'll never change."
I cannot tell how many things I've tried to do better...to be better. I have shelves of books I've bought - thinking, "maybe this one will help!". I can think of exactly 3 books that I've actually finished. Yes. Three. Planners and calendars? I buy a new one at least every 6 months. I use it for a few days and then stop.
It had gotten to the point where I thought, "Why bother even trying? Nothing sticks. Nothing works. And then I feel shitty for failing yet again."
I can't count how many times in the past 3 months I've thought, "Why do I even keep trying? I must not want to change badly enough. There is just something wrong with me. I'm done trying. This is me. This is my life. Deal with it."
So, I'm not (insert all of those negative things and more that I didn't list)??? It's just my fucking brain?
I actually feel hopeful...that maybe things don't have to be like this.
I would like to note that, no, I do not use podcasts and internet things as medical advice.
But wow. It all makes sense now...
Impulsivity (food and shopping)
Forgetfulness
Hyperfocusing
Easily distracted
Difficulty getting started
Feeling paralyzed because I'm overwhelmed
Rejection sensitivity
Noise sensitivity
Difficulty with grocery shopping, meal planning, meal prep, basically any part of the cooking proxy.
HAVING AMAZING PLANS THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BUT ABANDON SHORTLY AFTER STARTING (I'm looking at you, millions of "get healthy" plans and attempts). *****I cannot emphasize this one enough.
I have frequently thought, "I have so much I need to work on and improve about myself. Where do I even start?" and beat myself up about this, too.
I will sit in my classroom...terrified that someone will come in at any minute and see that I'm not working on something... haven't been working on anything...am close to tears because I'm so angry, frustrated, ashamed, and embarrassed because of this.
It.
All.
Makes.
Sense.
Yes, I will talk to my doctor.
But wow. How did I not realize that all of these things are connected??? Would/Could my anxiety and depression get (a little) better if ADHD was less of an issue?
This whole time I've been thinking that these things that I struggle with are because there is something seriously wrong with me...that these things make me a bad person and leave me constantly hustling for worthiness. But there's an explanation for ALL OF IT? And things don't have to stay this way - things don't have to be and won't always be so hard and miserable?!?!?!
Thank God.
Edit: I have to laugh. I've been up since 3:00 am. It is 6:00 and I'm just getting ready to go to work. What have I been doing the last 3 hours? Writing this. Reading about ADHD. Coming back to this and adding something new I just thought about/made a connection to, going to do something, coming back and adding something else to this, start and stop at least 5 different songs or podcasts on Spotify, and repeat. Oh, and mindless scrolling/checking of FB/IG/Tumblr. And looking at the clock - if it's 4:41 saying, "ok I'll get off my phone/stop doing what I'm doing at 4:45.". Loses track of time. Checks time. "Oh, now it's 4:47. I might as well just wait until 5:00.". This is me all the fucking time. I know it's illogical, but this is my life.
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bobasheebaby · 4 years
Text
91 Lucifer prompts
Some of my favorite quotes from my favorite devil. (Cut at 15 cause it’s long.)
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Lucifer Morningstar
1 “People don’t arrive broken. They start with passion and yearning until something comes along that disabuses them of those notions.”
2 “People don’t have power over us. We give it to them.” 
3 “The best thing to do is always to follow your greatest desire.”
4 “Sometimes we are what we are, and we should embrace that.”
5 “Desire shouldn’t be contained, it’s unnatural.” 
6 “Why do humans think they can rectify one evil with another?”
7 “Life’s too short to hold grudges.”
8 “Believe me, there is no winning when you play by a twisted tyrant’s rules.” 
9 “You shouldn’t have to change for anyone. And neither should I.” 
10 “I refuse to be a scapegoat for which something I bear no responsibility. It’s a theme in my life.”
11 “Trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time. I know evil.”
12 “If you desire something, just take it.”
13 “Trust me, if there’s one thing I know, it’s desire.”
14 “What I hate more than anything is a liar, a charlatan, someone who doesn’t believe in what they say.”
15 “Hell truly hath no fury like a man/woman scorned.”
16 “No one gives us the right… we take it.”
17 “Mmm, dangerous. NAME likes.”
18 “There was immediate danger. He/she was about to leave this man/woman completely unsatisfied.”
19 “When in doubt, go with the classics. That’s what I always say.”
20 “Guilt is such a useless emotion”
21 “Take a swing and I’ll shove that so far up your ass, you’ll have splinters in your stool.”
22 “What makes us vulnerable is often right under our noses.”
23 “Now tell me, what is it that you truly desire?”
24 “Well, maybe it’s like butt stuff. Easier the second time around.”
25 “It’s always the ones you least suspect, the ones you trust the most, that hurt you. They wait until your guard is down and then wham! In my case, it was tequila.”
Chloe Decker
26 “It’s better to move forward than stay stuck in the past.” 
27 “We can’t control what happens to us only how it affects us and the choices we make.”
28 “You have to stop taking responsibility for things that you can’t control.” 
29 “Sometimes we get along best with the people we’re most different from.”
30 “Pull yourself together. You look like a homeless magician!”
31 “It’s really not a good day for… your… NAMEness”
32 “You don’t save a marriage by sleeping with other people.”
33 “If you go looking for loopholes, you’ll always find them.”
34 “NAME’s not another guy/gal. He’s/She’s a weirdo.”
35 “As any parent knows, the best time to get things done is when everyone else is asleep.”
36 “I wasn't afraid of you.”
37 “I don't want you to see me like this. I know it scares you.” “No, that's... that's what I was trying to tell you. I'm not... I'm not afraid of you anymore.” “You're not?” “You see, this is what I'm talking about. It's so sweet. I'm going to puke.”
38 “I miss him/her. I mean, he/she pisses me off all the time. And there are so many things about him/her that ... that I find hard to accept, but I just have to believe I can find a way. Because ... I'd rather have him/her in my life than not.” “Well, then... I think you know what you need to do.”
39 “You're different than me. You're stronger. You could have run, but you didn't. Why didn't you?”
40 “It's not like you haven't always told me the truth. You know? So ... I think, deep down, I just ... I always knew.”
41 “Let's pretend for one second that you're someone else. Someone nice, someone mature.” “Ooh, I love role-play.”
42 “What, you're just gonna leave me here? In this part of town?” “You said you wanted danger.”
43 “Please tell me I'm hallucinating.” “Well, I am dreamy, but try to contain yourself.”
44 “You step out of line one time …” “You can give me a right-good spanking, I promise.”
45 “This cannot be true. Can it? I mean ... if you knew this, why wouldn't you say something? I mean, I almost married him/her. I mean, I almost married him/her.” “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen.”
46 “Oh, my God. Did the world just turn upside down? Did you just admit to being wrong?”
47 “You know, it can be scary sometimes, but ... being who you really are is never a bad idea.”
48 “I need you to stay here and watch your dad/mom.” “That's true. Without the two of us, he’s/she's defenseless.” “I don't know if I like what you're whispering about.”
49 “How long have I been out?” “Three years.” “What?!” [NAME starts laughing] “You’re such an ass.”
50 “I couldn't sleep last night, so I stayed up all night working, and, you know, I drank a lot of caffeine. Like, a lot.”
Mazikeen Smith
51 “If you go by someone else’s pace, it shows how much you really care.”
52 “Sometimes you have to accept when someone doesn’t feel the same way about you.” 
53 “Self-worth comes from within, bitches.” 
54 “I would never ask you to change. I like who you are.” 
55 “Hey! No one calls my skank a skank.” 
56 “Good. It's settled. Now, where do I put my knives.”
57 “Okay. One, I like to fight when I'm happy or ... horny. And, two, I really don't want to accidentally kill my best friend.”
58 “Maybe next time, I won't be around to save your ass.” “Mm! Well, that is a shame. 'Cause you and my backside used to get on very well. My front side, as well, actually.”
59 “And your name?” “NAME.” “How do you spell that?” “Surprise me.” [Later gets coffee with "WRONG NAME" on it]
60 “Everything that happened showed me exactly why I need to go back.” “I don't understand.”
Linda Martin
61 “Emotions are hard, but that’s why they make you strong.” 
62 “Goodness isn’t a toy.”
63 “Sometimes we need to lose something to understand its value.”
64 “Sometimes it’s easier to make intimate issues about something bigger than yourself.” 
65 “I find people who are rude usually feel powerless in their own lives. Terrified of not being in control.”
66 “Look... I know I'm not dad/mom, or partner or whatever. But I ...” “No. No, you're not. Come here. You are Uncle/Auntie NAME. And you will always ... be a member of this family.”
67 “Let's talk about what you're dealing with emotionally.” “Yeah, I really don't want to.”
68 “Why is he:she able to refuse my charms? I mean, is this thing on?” [points at him/herself] “Yes, yes. Definitely on.”
69 “How's that saying go? We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars.”
70 “Should've seen that one coming.”
Amenadiel
71 “We need the most love when we’re being most unlovable.” 
72 “No matter how bad things get, the true test is how we choose to respond to the pain. We suffer, or inflict.”
73 “Cosmos are yummy.”
74 “If you really want to know if you’re a worthy romantic partner, ask yourself.”
75 “NAME. What are you doing here? Did you hurt NAME?” “Only when he/she asked me nicely.”
Ella Lopez
76 “Whenever I’m procrastinating on something, I make an appointment for myself to do it. That way, can’t back out.”
77 “You see what I'm dealing with?”
78 “Hey. No one insults my family, except for me.”
79 [high on "candy"] “I know I should be freaking out right now, but your hair is so shiny.”
80 I'm usually not into reality shows either. I prefer more, you know, scripted-content, documentaries, but... I've got a little extra time these days, so... sort of kind of watched, uh, 27 seasons in two weeks.
Dan Espinoza 
81 “We all need someone to have our backs every now and then.”
82 “Ooh, lemon bars. My favorite. Mmm. Oh, man, these are amazing. Who made 'em?” “Uh, NAME did. Would you believe that hunk bakes?” [spits out the bars] “On second thought, who needs the empty calories?”
83 “Say you fall in love with a man/woman who has a cat. What are you gonna do? You accept the cat.” 
84 “Are you sleeping with this idiot?” “He/She hasn't had the pleasure, unfortunately, no.”
85 “Dude, I cannot deal with your weirdness right now.”
Trixie Espinoza
86 “We’re wearing the same shirt!” [both] “Sushi shirt!” [from around the corner] “I don’t know what’s going on out there, but I hate it!”
87 “I ate it.” “Mm-hmm.” “But NAME said it was okay.” “Oh, really?” “He/She said, if you really want to do something, you should. And I really wanted to eat some chocolate cake.”
88 “Are you looking at a no-no site?” “No. Why would you think that?” “Because you put it away so fast, and you look really, really guilty.”
89 “NAME, sever their Achilles first. If they can't walk ...” “They can't betray you.”
90 “You need to get a thicker skin. Stand up for yourself, because the truth is, nobody’s gonna do it for you.” — Charlotte Richards
91 “Anybody worth dating should understand everything that makes you … you.” — Ev
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themadauthorshatter · 4 years
Text
TOPPAT!CHARLES PART 6
HEY! HEY, YOU!
Don't scroll past this!
Why, you ask?
Simple.
TIME FOR TOPPAT!CHARLES PART 6!!!!!
Sorry if I scared you there, I'm just über excited for this one, I sincerely am, you have no idea!!! 
If you haven’t read the previous parts, you can find them RIGHT HERE: 
Part 1: 
Part 2: 
Part 3: 
Part 4: 
Part 5:
Previously on Toppat!Charles: Our pilot friend learned the hard way it's not a good idea to say 'no' to the Right Hand Man, and has accepted his offer. Meanwhile, Henry has been having nightmares of his different end selves disagreeing with his decision and chastising him for letting Charles get taken by Right.
HEADCANON/THEORY FOLLOWING OF THE CHAPTER: Watch this theory by Two Left Thumbs, and you'll know instantly. A hint, though, Ellie is dealing with this in her own way; she and Henry ARE connected in more ways than one😉: https://youtu.be/LjOCfKOqkic
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Got that? FANTASTIC!!
LET'S DIVE RIGHT BACK IN!!!!
Henry walks down a hallway and toward a break room for breakfast; he, Ellie, and Charles do have an apartment, but the general wants them to stay until Charles is back home safely. 
It has been at least a few weeks since part 5, and that time, in addition to the nightmares, has taken its toll. Henry’s hair is messy, his clothes are wrinkled, and bags have formed under his eyes. 
As he reaches the doorway, someone is there to greet him. 
“Morning, Mr. Stickmin.” 
Bill Bullet sits at one of the tables, having just finished his own breakfast and is now fidgeting with his empty coffee cup. 
Henry takes a seat across from him and rests his head on his hand. 
“You doing alright? You look like Hell in a hand basket.” 
'Hard time sleeping,' Henry signs as he yawns.
"Well, don't go sleeping on me. We're moving today."
Henry looks up at him, now awake and alert.
"Some of my men saw movement from the orbital station on oir satellite. They might be paying Earth a visit."
Henry pulls a newspaper ad out of his pocket and uncrinkles it and shows it to Bullet, tapping on it.
It's an add for a museum exhibit in a neighboring city close to the one Henry robbed in StD, said exhibit being a sapphire, like a large sapphire, like the size of the diamond, ruby, and emerald. It's tempting for Henry to not steal the sapphire and slip back into old habits.
This is an excellent target for the clan.
'The Right Hand Man should be, too.'
Bullet smirks and nods. "I've got a team ready for you. We'll leave on your call."
TIME JUMP TO THE MUSEUM!!!!!
Henry and his team and Ellie enter the museum with little to no problem; Henry brought Ellie for emotional support and so he could show her the sapphire. (A small gift to her for everything she's done as his friend)
They have some close calls like Ellie almost getting seen by a guard, one of the CCC men almost shoots another guard "just in case," and another guard almost falls on yet another guard.
After that, they get to the sapphire exhibit and take out the guards in a way that doesn't get them (the guards) killed. After that, they all sit down and play the waiting game.
The CCC men do a sweep of the area and ready themselves at different parts of the exhibit, hiding in spots and ready to strike. Ellie and Henry take a seat near the sapphire itself, admiring it before focusing back on the mission.
Henry lets his mind wander, thinking about how once they save Charles, Henry will take his place in the CCC. It's the kind of thought that gives them a sick feeling, but all he can think is 'As long as Charles is safe, it'll be worth it.'
He remembers Terrence's words about how life is for living and bites his tongue.
I've seen families live together just fine with no riches, no crime, and no Toppat Clan. We really meant that little to you?
He gets a tap on his shoulder and looks over to see Ellie holding out a cup of coffee to him, a thermos, maybe two, next to her.
"I thought you could use some, since we're gonna be here for a while."
Henry shakes his head and tries to push it away. 'No thanks. I don't really like coffee. Gives me a headache.'
Ellie gives him a withering look. "When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"
When Henry doesn't answer, Ellie smirks and holds out the coffee once more. "Yeah, thought so."
Henry rolls his eyes and takes the cup, signing with his free hand, 'Fine. When did you become my mother?'
"When you became a child," Ellie barks as she lightly bonks Henry on the head. "And when you came back from visiting your father." She leans back and puts the back of her free hand against her eyes, looking as dramatic as possible. "What they say is true: A boy really needs the love of a mother."
Henry scoffs and shakes his head with a smile before writing on her palm again with his finger. 'I already have a mother.'
Ellie sits straight, now intrigued. "You don't talk about them a lot. Your parents, I mean."
Henry raises an eyebrow and points to her as he nods, gesturing either, 'You don't, either' or 'Neither do you.' Same message, different phrasing.
It's Ellie's turn to shake her head. "They're not people I want to talk about. I doubt my dad would let me visit him, even in a situation like this."
Henry pauses from drinking his coffee.
"Your dad said life is for living. I can't say he's wrong for saying that." She turns her head to Henry, looking him in the eye even those he's staring off into outer space/zoning out. "It's just hard to live life when..." She looks away again, lowers her voice, just so the CCC men don't hear her, and clenches her fists on her knees. "When you can't stop living."
Henry nods as he goes for another sip of coffee.
Then he stops.
'It's hard to live life when you can't stop living.'
Those words make Henry slowly lower his cup and turn to Ellie, looking at her both incredulously and with fear.
"What?" He asks under his breath.
Before Ellie can answer, something is thrown into the exhibit and EXPLODES, filling the room with smoke and no one really getting too injured.
The CCC men fall one by one from being grabbed from behind and put into a sleeper hold, and the toaats responsible run over, mostly undetected because of the smoke.
Henry is seemingly tackled down by Ellie as the two hear glass breaking above them.
The sapphire's case is open.
Henry sees a toppat get close and shoots him in the shoulder, not enough to kill him but enough to get him running away.
"Good shot!" Ellie yells between coughs because the alarms been set off.
Henry points to his gun, then to his hand as he shakes his head with a "Mh-mm." 'I was aiming for his hand.'
The two go toe to toe with a pair of toppats like in the very beginning of this series, but something's different. When Henry kicks his opponent away, the toppat scurries away from the two. And Ellie's just runs when she's just started fighting.
"What's going on?"
Henry shrugs and then looks over at the sapphire.
You know that face and stance he does in Toppat King when the rocket takes off without him? Weeeeellll...
Henry's face drops completely as he holds the sides of his face, gasping loudly.
Ellie is equally flabbergasted, and a little annoyed at how well this plan actually worked in the toppat's favor.
A little too well, I'd say.
"What do we-"
Henry runs after the toppat Ellie was fighting before she can finish asking him.
The three race through multiple exhibits, the toppat throwing down trash bins and benches in order to slow them down.
Henry, however, has the power of friendship and adrenaline and keeps up with him evry step of the way.
"Stop!" He yells. "Where is he!?"
The toppat fumbles, but still continues running. Ellie picks up her pave unitl she's in front of Henry.
"Where's Charles!?"
The chase takes the two of them outside, Henry falls behind, where the toppat makes a sharp turn to the wall.
Ellie sees this a second too late as she is hit in the nose with a cybernetic hand, knocking her down, but not knocking her out, even when a cybernetic foot is put on her freshly healed rib.
"'Ello. It's been a while, 'asn't it?"
Ellie glares up at Right and tries to move his foot.
"Last time I saw you, you had to get carried in a stretcher."
"And you took our friend," Ellie sneers.
Right rolls his eyes; these kids do not play around, which he admires, but it does get annoying when he's in a playing mood.
"Charles. Our friend. What did you do with him?"
Right smirks and looks over his shoulder. "Looks like this one missed you, after all. You'll fit in perfect with the two of them now." Right moves his foot and approaches whoever he's talking to, and Ellie takes this opportunity to try to get the jump on him.
The toppat sees this INSTANTLY.
🤨... I don't know anout you guys, but I feel like I'm forgetting something here.🤔🤔
OH, YEAH!!!
Henry runs out just in time to see this toppat shoot Ellie in the hip.
If this was a movie, we would hear nothing, no music, no talking, just the sound of the gun firing and echoing as the bullet either gets lodged in Ellie's hip or goes THROUGH her hip, close to the joint of her leg. We would get a shot of Ellie's face, eyes wide, brows furrowed and widely arced, like those despair looking anime faces, and lips slightly parted as shock sets in. We would also get three more shots, one from her perspective as she sees the toppat lower his gun,one behind Ellie as she falls back, and the third being on the ground and slightly in front of her as Henry freezes where he is and watches her fall.
BUT HE DOESN'T STAY THIS WAY.
"You BASTARD!" Henry screams as he charges toward Right, who steps back and throws him into the toppat.
The sight of him not only snaps Henry out of his rage, it completely throughs him into a despaired shock.
He's lost a lot of weight in his captivity, and Henry can feel it through his suit and see it in his cheeks, jaw, neck, and eyes, which are blood shot, empty and glassy. His hair's grown longer to where it is past his shoulders and kept in a low ponytail, the rest held back by gel and his own top hat so it stays out of his face. He's gotten pale from his time in space and not being exposed to sunlight and vitamin D.
For a second, neither recognize each other, but Henry is the first to as his chest goes hollow.
"Charles!" He quickly embraces his friend, who is still quiet and nit exactly reacting, but the gears start turning in his head as he realizes who's talking to and hugging him.
Right watches ans his smirk widens as Henry let Charles go and turns to him, tears pouring down his cheeks and now angry as hell.
"What did you do to him!?"
Right looks back at Charles, prompting Henry to do the same.
"Henry?"
A smile grows on Henry's face as he helps his friend up.
"Charles, I'm so sorry! I should've-"
BANG!
Henry falls backward, but doesn't die. Instead, the ground melts away beneath him and he gasps as the bullet wound heals on his forehead. You know that feeling you get when you're falling asleep and feel like your mattress is floating on the ocean waves? Henry feels that until he's back looking up at Right.
This time, he looks at Charles to see Charles is literally about to shoot him, but he hits and throws it away before Charles flips him over and smashes his fist into Henry's face repeatedly until Henry throws him off and stands back up, Charles standing as well and glaring at him, absolutely livid.
"Why'd you do it?" Charles growls. "Why didn't you help me when I needed you!?"
The hollow feeling in Henry's chest worsens as Charles stares him down. Part is him is more than willing to break down into tears, but all the time watching the tapes Right showed him in Part 5 have made his body producing tears next to impossible.
Right only stands back and watches because, as you probably put together, THIS is plan. Not only to take a friend, Charles, away from Henry, but to have said friend destroy him.
"I'm sor-"
Before Henry can finish, Charles punches him again.
"TELL ME!" His voice is a little broken, but he keeps yelling out of frustration and sheer anger because, yes, while Henry sent the destroyers and the government to help Charles, he didn't stop Right in the jungle during the mission. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THEM!? WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME!? YOU JUST STOOD THERE AND LET ME GET TAKEN AWAY!"
Henry doesn't have the fight in him to stop Charles from yelling at him or punching him. He doesn't even have it in him to look Charles in the eye.
And that bothers Charles immensely.
"Why won't you say anything?" Charles asks. "No matter what, you've always stayed quiet."
When Henry still remains silent, Charles swings a punch into his face hard enough to make Henry fall down.
"SAY SOMETHING!"
Henry holds up his hands, revealing how much he's been crying and how hard Charles has been hitting him; Henry's nose is broken, one of his eyes his swollen shut, his lips are split, and a tooth is loose.
Physically unable to speak, Henry signs to Charles instead, 'I'm sorry.'
Charels quickly kneels down and snatches Henry's hand.
"I want to hear you say it."
Henry tries forcing those words out, but his throat tightens up and leaves him unable to speak. He tries again and his crying becomes worse as he shakes his head.
"SAY IT!" Charles screams.
Henry breaks down as he shakes his head again, signing and gesturing as much as he can.
Charles rises to his feet, his eyes going glassy and his face expressionless. "I figured as much." He kicks Henry in the mouth and turns to Right. "We're done here. Send a message back to the station. We got the sapphire."
Right nods as his smirk becomes a smile. "Yes, sir."
Henry stands up on shaky legs and stiltedly walks towards his friend.
"Ch-Charles."
Charles shuts his eyes and heaves a breath through his nose, his top hat in his hands.
"Charles, w-wait-"
Charles wheels around as he watches Henry stumble toward him.
"I... I-"
"Don't bother."
Charles holds the hand gun Henry made him drop and aims it at Henry.
"I've heard enough."
When Charles shoots, Henry does not feel the bullet when it is lodged into his waist.
Henry is standing long enough to see Right, Charles, and any remaining toppats be beamed up to the orbital station with the sapphire.
The glare from Charles stays in Henry's mind as he falls, eyes locked on the night sky as Charles's words replay over and over in his mind.
Ellie groans as she crawls over to Henry and falls on her good side, where Charles didn't shoot her.
"We tried," she says as she breathes shakily and hold his shoulder, more his shirt, but I digress. "We tried."
The CCC guards do eventually wake up and get Ellie and Henry back to the government base. Both get immediate medical attention, which leads to Henry getting surgery to get the bullet out and seeing Ellie suddenly begin to panic and shout repeatedly, "I can't feel my leg!"
TIME JUMP TO AFTER HIS SURGERY!
Henry wakes up in his own room and finds that Galeforce is sitting in a chair, hunched forward, fists shaking, and his hat off.
"General?"
Galeforce puts his hat back on and sits straight. His eyes are red rimmed and have bags underneath them now. "Morning, Henry. How're you feeling?"
Henry holds his hand out and sort of tilts it on a way to say, 'Fine.'
Galeforce forces a smile and sighs.
"Ellie's still in the infirmary. That shot form-" He gulps and coughs a little bit. "-From the toppat... did a number on her leg. She won't be on the field for a long time."
Henry sits up, even when his body aches, and picks up a pen and notepad on his bedside table.
'They got the sapphire.'
Galeforce nods. "I know."
Henry shakes as he writes on the notepad again before dropping both and resting his forehead on his knees while loosely hugging his knees. Galeforce hangs his head and lets Henry cry; he doesn't really have much to say anyway.
'Charles,' the notepad reads.
HOLY SHIT DID THIS ONE TAKE FOREVER!!!!!
But that is a really good thing😁!
I hope you all enjoyed this one because I certainly did!!
I'm probably going to take a break from this for a little bit because of how much of an emotional roller coaster this is, and so I don't get burn out. I will come back to this because I love this series, I guess you can say I'm letting my cake cool down before adding the frosting or letting the pot sit so it make good caramel or fudge.
Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much for following this series. I appreciate each and every one of you so much!
I hope you all stay safe this season, thank you again for reading and following, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!
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