#the Beast in question will not hurt her!! she is a Friend and given that she has delicious sweets like another friend of his.... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

klausysworld · 1 year ago

Note

would u be down to write Klaus x vampire hunter? I need that forbidden love angst and all that goodness!! I also may have seen a Buffy the vampire slayer post and couldn’t stop thinking about a Klaus x slayer relationship 🤔

Plot twist? She ends up getting pregnant!?!? I just need the juicy stuff loool

(this is gonna be a multiple part story FOR SURE! I can't lie I've had a very similar idea/scenario running through my head for the past few weeks so i'm really glad someone really wanted this too! The only reason it'll be multiple parts is so that it's easier to read and so that i'm able to add the build up how i imagined :))

Love is never simple

(Part 2 here)

Y/n was the first born daughter to Grayson and Miranda Gilbert.

When Y/n was born they had only very recently claimed Elena as their own, passing the two babies off as twins to those they knew. Fraternal of course for they were definitely not similar not for their looks nor their behaviour.

Elena was a mommy’s girl, she wanted to dress up and be the princess: have her hair and nails done, go shopping with her friends Caroline and Bonnie.

Meanwhile Y/n was more curious. She liked to follow her father, learn from his actions. She still spent time with the girls but given the choice to run around a field and swing a bat then she wouldn’t say no.

One day Miranda was unable to pick up the two girls from school, they were only young and couldn’t get a lift home. Grayson came straight from work and took the girls back there with him. Elena did as she was told, stayed in the designated room and wrote in her diary. Y/n decided to sneak after her father, wondering down a cold staircase to a dungeon of sorts. Men were walking with purpose in lab coats and barking orders at weak, pale beings in cells.

She could see card shot glasses filled with a deep red liquid laid out in rows on a tray. She held onto the railing of the stairs and watched as, who she assumed to be sick people, begged for the cups. Eventually they were given the small dosage, dark veins travelled down their eyes to their cheeks and sharp teeth poked into their lower lips.

A hint of fear swirled within her eyes, confusion and fascination. Something was wrong with these people. She peered closer, accidentally drawing the attention of one of the patients. His eyes narrowed before a small, cruel smile formed on his lips. It barely lasted a second before Y/n was harshly grabbed by the upper arm, causing a shriek to leave her as her head whipped round to see her fathers alarmed face staring back at her

“Y/n!” He yelled “you do not come down here!” Grayson hurriedly lifted her up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him. “Where’s Elena? Is she still in the office?” He questioned in a panic and Y/n nodded quickly

“She stayed- I’m sorry Daddy- i just wanted to see” she whispered and he sighed, placing her down onto her feet and kissed her forehead.

“It’s not safe for you there” he warned

“What was wrong with those people?” She asked quietly and he clenched his jaw

“They’re not people Y/n…” he murmured “they’re…monsters…they just dress up as people”

They both looked at each-other trying to figure out what the other was thinking

“Dressed up?” She questioned curiously and he clicked his tongue

“Yes…see y/n, they aren’t humans. They just want you to believe that they are, they’re dangerous and it’s part of my job to stop them…to help real people be safe” he explained and she nodded

“You cure them?” She tilted her head, she knew her father was a doctor. Perhaps by stopping them he would make them people instead of monsters.

“If only that were a thing my little y/n….these beasts cannot be cured. Do you remember last summer when there was that…mountain lion on the loose?” He asked her and she nodded with a puzzled smile. “Well that creature hurt people, sent them to heaven…and because of that, the lion had to be put to rest” he told her and she nodded, viscous animals were put down, she knew that. “These beasts, they’re just like that lion. They’re viscous and they won’t ever be tame…they won’t ever feel love. They just want to hurt people.” He whispered, his eyes conveying passion as he spoke of the monsters.

“So you put them down?” She murmurs and he nods

“That’s right” he confirmed and she nodded back at him.

“Because they deserve it?” She utters and he smiled

“Exactly y/n, exactly”

And that was the start of a very twisted childhood.

Miranda was furious when she found out that Y/n had seen the Augustine vampires. They yelled all through the night, their angry voices sounding through the house which resulted in a frightened Elena and a crying Jeremy to climb into Y/n’s bed, all huddling together, looking to y/n for protection.

The next morning nobody spoke a word of the previous day. They ate breakfast, Grayson kissed the heads of each of his children and went of to work. Miranda got them all ready for school and dropped them off before going to work.

The system repeated itself until Y/n stepped out of line again. Tyler Lockwood had shoved Jeremy into a wall and called him names, Y/n wasn’t nearly as big as Tyler but threw punches just as hard. By the time the teacher had separated the two, both Grayson and Miranda were at the school beyond worried.

The school recommended Y/n went to a child’s psychologist to catch her anger management issues earlier rather than later. The same message was passed onto the Lockwoods.

But Grayson didn’t see a troubled little girl when he looked at his daughter, he saw someone strong, a fighter, a hunter.

With many disagreements and arguments, Miranda demanded that neither Y/n or Elena and Jeremy would ever be faced with the supernatural life as long as they were alive.

Grayson however didn’t listen. When Miranda took Elena out and Jeremy was at a friends, he would bring Y/n back to the vampires.

He showed her brain scans of a vampires brain vs a humans brain. He showed her a sociopaths and a psychopaths. He taught her what they had learnt, how a vampire thinks. How it behaves and why. He had her taking multiple self defence classes a week as well as personal training where she was allowed to used weapons, stakes.

On her 14th birthday, when everyone was getting ready for bed, Grayson came back into her room and gave her a box. Inside the box was a dagger, a very special dagger. One she had seen drawings of, heard stories of. And with it came the promise that one day she would get to use it.

Y/n was given weekly lessons on vampire history, all the way back to the originals.

By the age of 16 she was searching for them. For him. She wanted to see the one and only Niklaus Mikaelson. Supposedly the most ruthless, most dangerous and most powerful creature to walk the planet? The one who was supposed to kill her very very own sister.

Grayson didn’t approve of her wanting to seek him. He agreed with almost everything she did but not that. He couldn’t risk Klaus. Y/n could fight off a vampire, she was even able to kill a ripper while it was in a frenzy, but an original hybrid? At 16? He couldn’t guarantee that.

So she left in the night. She was gone four full days and nights before she returned. Miranda was in tears and begged her to never leave them again. Elena was angry and Jeremy felt betrayed. But Grayson could tell that Y/n had exactly what she wanted. She knew what Klaus Mikaelson looked like.

And when she placed a photograph of the beasts face on the table beside his glass, he knew he had successfully created a true vampire hunter.

Y/n had boards drawn, hidden from her siblings and mother and only accessible to herself. They held the locations of vampire nests, werewolf packs and witch covens all over the US. She began to form connections with witches. Shiela Bennet, Grams, was aware of Y/n’s involvement and although she wanted nothing more than to stay out of vampire business, she knew Y/n was in too deep to back out and she would protect that girl. She helped her get in touch with other witches, warned her of the witch trials that took place, where a hundred spirits would support her. In return Y/n promised to protect Bonnie, to never take advantage of her and to try her best to keep her away from vampires.

Everything was smooth for a while until that tragic night. One slip in the road and the car was in the water. Y/n had kicked and punched with everything in her to break the windows open, to save Elena, her mother and her father. But she watched as the life drained from their eyes, she watched as Elena tried to tell her how much she loved her. And then, in what she thought would be her last moment, she saw a figure force the door open with a supernatural strength. A vampire, Stefan Salvatore, saved both girls that night.

Y/n didn’t know what to think.

She understood that maybe he saved Elena because of the doppelgänger history that she had learnt of over the years. But she never understood why he would save her too.

Y/n had searched on Stefan before, the ripper. To say she was disgusted was an understatement, but now he was acting as though he was nothing more than a bunny muncher? Lies. There was darkness within him, waiting to be let free. He would kill them all. She was sure of it.

So sure that she broke into his house, only to find his brother Damon already there nursing a glass of bourbon. She observed the two brothers as they through each other from the window and hissed like feral cats. Like a mountain lion.

Damon didn’t even bother to hide his darkness, he was a monster in her eyes. Clear as the moon amongst the stars.

But before she could get her hands on the right stake, Grams was at her door

“Y/n, child, you mustn’t” she warned and Y/n frowned

“I will not have two vampires in our town, ruining my family.” She snapped back and Shiela shook her head

“Child, please” she begged “you have to trust me, trust me that you will need them” she whispered urgently

“Why would anyone need a vampire?” She sneered and Grams grabbed her hand

“Just believe” she uttered “they will not touch you, I can guarantee that not a hair on your head-“

“I don’t care if they hurt me, they will hurt Elena- Jeremy- Jenna-“ she listed, taking a pause before looking Grams in the eye “they will destroy Bonnie”

“You know I wouldn’t put her in danger, they will come and go. The older one of here for one thing, once he has it he will leave and the younger is nothing more than a nuisance” she tried to encourage but Y/n only shook her head

“You know that would be the easiest thing to believe. But they are not made to make friends, they are not here because they feel anything other than hunger. Hunger for blood and hunger for power. Your power, Bonnie’s power.” She threatened

“Y/n, you must trust me just this once. We will rid ourselves of these demons but we must do it right so that we do not become the monsters we fear”

And so with much reluctance, Y/n waited and watched.

She didn’t reveal any of her intentions, she just stayed quiet.

Even when the vampires escaped the tomb, she didn’t make herself known. When Grams died it broke something inside Y/n but it also made her stronger, she knew she had to protect her family, the Gilbert’s, the Bennett’s.

Not even the council knew she was in on it all. Grayson never told a soul outside of the Augustine community so that Miranda never found out. She helped of course, but at the end of the day when she watched Stefan and Elena beg for Bonnie to let them save Damon…Y/n just couldn’t decide where she stood. In that moment she froze, she watched Bonnie Bennet help a vampire and it confused her beyond belief.

And she witnessed it time and time again.

How could this happen? How could everyone in that godforsaken town so easily submit to those animals?

It was Damon who finally caught onto Y/n, noticing the pure disgust on her face when a vampire entered the room. The way she looked at Caroline after she turned, the inner battle she faced when Caroline cried like a child and begged Y/n to tell her everything would be okay.

He eavesdropped on Y/n’s conversation with Caroline’s mother, Liz. It was after Mason had outed the Salvatores and they were waiting for the vervain to leave her system.

“She isn’t my daughter anymore Y/n” she whispered and Y/n just stared back at the wall

“No?” She questioned slightly

“She’s a monster- my little girl is…my little girl is gone” she uttered, tears brimming in her eyes and Y/n’s thoughts stirred

“Gone” she repeated “it’s just a monster…dressed as Caroline?” She mused and Liz let out a sob

“How could this happen? They killed my baby” she cried over and over but Y/n remained emotionless. She wasn’t expecting Damon to be back yet, she wasn’t aware of the way he looked at her. The tilt of his head and the narrowing of his eyes. The shock he felt when he heard the question slip from her mouth

“Will you kill her?”

Liz looked up at Y/n, horrified to an extent as she slowly shook her head “I couldn’t…” she breathed and Y/n nodded in understanding

“Would you…would you have someone else kill her?” She asked quietly and Liz sat up a little straighter, looking at Y/n almost quizzically

“I…don’t know” she whispered “should I?”

That was the biggest question Y/n had. Where was the line drawn? The line between right and wrong, the line between human and monster.

Silence hung over them and Damon watched as Y/n pondered the idea, he could see the way her eyes glistened as she thought over the idea of tearing Caroline’s heart out and then he saw the guilt settle in and the confusion take over again.

“Maybe” she mumbled “maybe Caroline is truly gone. Maybe now she is just a hollow shell of who she is supposed to be and a violent, vicious animal” she stated unfazed “but then what if she’s still your baby girl? What if she’s everything she was and more? What if she’s…better” she whispered, a glint in her eye.

Liz couldn’t give and answer, neither of them could. Neither of them ever would.

By the time Y/n left, Liz was almost asleep.

Damon seized Y/n’s arm as she walked toward the front door and attempted to pin her to the wall only to be knocked off his feet and kicked straight in the gut. His hand automatically grabbed ahold of her ankle and twisted but nothing more than a grunt left her as she grabbed something, a glass, and smashed it against the side of his head. He let out a growl and lunged for her throat but her hand was in his chest in seconds. They both stayed completely still as she held is heart still inside his body, his fangs on display and pain clear in his expression.

A silent stare down happened before Y/n squeezed at his heart and forced a surrender out of him. Once she let go they both crawled away from the other and sat on the floor, facing the other with a contemplating look.

Eventually he spoke, “what are you?” He questioned and she scoffed

“Human” she stated as though he were stupid

“It isn’t human instinct to rip someone’s heart out” he raised a brow and she sighed

“Well maybe not every human but when we have things like you living in our town-“

“Things like me?” He laughed “oh you really aren’t who I thought you were” he grinned a grin of disbelief and stared up at the ceiling. “You think all vampires are monsters?” He murmured, glancing to her

“I’m not sure anymore” she mumbled and he hummed, his brows furrowing

“So…me…Stefan and Caroline are the demons and you? You’re a little angel?” He mocks and she rolls her eyes

“Nobody said or implied that” she sighed and he squinted his eyes

“So then what?”

“I don’t know.” She stated, angrier.

The both went quiet for a moment until Stefan walked in. His eyes were wide and confused. Both Damon and Y/n looked to each other, a look that said they needed to keep this quiet.

“What the-“

“Caroline thought I was gonna hurt Liz, she threatened me by grabbing my heart” Damon lied, a sarcastic smirk on his face which made the situation much more believable. “Y/n stayed to watch Liz, didn’t you?” He glared and she nodded

“Yeah, course, anything to help” she smiled and Stefan slowly nodded. Something wasn’t right but he knew he shouldn’t ask.

And from there stemmed an odd and twisted friendship.

Damon liked to purposefully annoy Y/n, see what made her angry enough to the point where she would hurt him. He wanted to know why she was so strongly against vampires. He wanted to know where she went when she disappeared.

Because disappearing wasn’t uncommon for Y/n, since those days when she hunted down Klaus Mikaelson. The beast who was supposed to be impossible to find but clearly wasn’t trying very hard to hide. Since then she would disappear for a week every couple of months, release her built up anger and hatred for the supernatural by going to a vampire nest and seeing how many she could take on at a time.

Between stakes, wooden bullets and enchanted blades she did very well.

She would return, any wounds wrapped in bandages and nobody would ask, Elena and Jeremy had come accustomed to it. They would hug her, thank her for coming back in one piece and she would promise to never leave without coming back.

Damon however would dance circles around her: “where were you?” “Why do you smell of blood” “what did you do?”

One day she snapped at him and told him she killing of leeches like him. She proceeded to stake him through the stomach and leave him on floor before going up to bed.

That was how Stefan found out. He witnessed the scene and very cautiously raised his hands in surrender when she stomped past him on the stairs.

Damon and Stefan had many conversations on it but nothing ever came of them.

Actually a sort of alliance was formed between the three, nobody tells Elena or anyone for that matter that Y/n is a vampire hunter and Y/n will help behind the scenes when needed.

It worked well.

When Elena and Caroline were taken by the wolves, Y/n killed more of those dogs than Stefan Damon combined.

When Elena was kidnapped by Rose and Trevor for Elijah, she had seen it happen and tracked them before anyone else realised they were missing. She waited patiently in the shadows for Elijah to arrive. She already knew so much about him and it was a dream of sorts to see him so close. She had the dagger of course but she wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do. Looking at the situation, his tone and the look in his eyes, he didn’t seem to carry any untoward intentions with Elena and if Y/n were honest she wanted to take Elijah down to Augustine. She wanted to scan the originals brain, test his blood to see if he were different to the others.

But when Elijah continued to smack Trevors head clean off and grab Elena in a painful hold, she couldn’t just stand by. A stake was thrown strain into the top of his spine, temporarily paralysing the original and causing him to let out a sharp cry of pain and anger. Elena turned to face Y/n in shock, confusion and relief. Damon and Stefan moved as soon as Y/n did and tackled Elijah unto the others presumed him dead. Y/n however collected a small sample of his blood before they left.

She returned home with the others, explaining to Elena the best she could about how she got to be who she was. About their father’s secret vampire hunting job, leaving out the Augustine side to the story as she knew Elena would not approve and Damon, Stefan and Caroline would be appalled.

Everything was different from then, Elena seeked more support in Y/n like she used to do when they were younger and Y/n guarded Elena with her life. Even when Elena was determined to sacrifice herself, hand herself over to Klaus, Y/n was there.

Y/n could feel her heart in her throat when Elijah stood in-front of her, two hearts in his hands from the vampires that were here for the doppelgänger. He gave a her a strange looked, confused as to who she was before he noticed the way Elena hid behind her and Damon grabbed at her wrist. He vanished into thin air and Y/n went on edge.

She slept in Elena’s room or had Elena in her own. She dug back through her original’s knowledge and information, pages and pages worth of history and myths. Sketches of Klaus’s face and the daggers. A small figure, hand carved by Klaus himself and made of white oak which she had stolen and kept hidden away. But then she remembered what she had learnt from the witches she had conversed with.

Killing one original would wipe out every vampire of that sireline.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Kill Klaus and the Salvatores, kill Caroline? Her childhood friend? Destroy her bond with her sister and be left alone?

She hid the white oak away and decided on presenting Damon with the mystical dagger and white oak ash. He immediately took to the idea while Stefan was hesitant but after another week of Elijah proving to be nothing but a threat in their eyes, he found himself as close to death as he could be in the cellar of the Salvatore’s.

But then Klaus showed up, we’ll sort of.

He had taken over Alaric and assumed they would all be too stupid to notice.

But Y/n could sense something. And he didn’t like the way she was looking at him, a calculated and curious look. She knew he couldn’t question her, that would be confirming her theory. So she just waited and watched. Klaus couldn’t help but feel a little nervous when she narrowed her eyes and glanced toward Elena.

When he finally revealed himself and attacked the girls in the school, Y/n was already in the cellar and forcing Elijah up the stairs.

“You’re fucked up brother is here, wake the fuck up” she yelled as his fingers slowly twitched to life. She threw blood bags at him, watching him drain them in seconds through coughing and groaning.

Once he came to he tried to have her by the throat only to be smacked back by the invisible force of the doorway. She held the dagger threateningly at him until he calmed down and took a step back to compose himself.

They grabbed Elena ASAP and got to talking.

It was another couple days before she actually saw Klaus in his true form. Y/n had just stepped into the grill, ready to yell at Damon for force feeding her his blood when she noticed the dirty blonde, blue eyed vampire stood with a glass of scotch in his hand and a cruel smirk on his face. She swiftly weaved her way through the grill and to a booth in the corner to watch the interaction.

Klaus finished threatening Damon, walked all the way to the door and paused. He could feel himself being watched, his head turned in her direction, his eyes locked onto hers and his brows pulled together with a hint of confusion. He watched as Damon noticed Y/n and called her name, drawing her attention and beckoning her over. Klaus left with her on his mind.

She was soon forgotten when he completed his ritual, was faced with his brothers betrayal and then set free.

He then left with Stefan, unaware that Y/n knew exactly where they were all of the time. Following them, tracking them, hunting them.

She watched as they moved from the road to motels, to diners to hotels to dodgy alleyways to drain helpless humans, to houses to slaughter petrified people.

And while they slept she would break into their hotel rooms, seeing how long it would take to wake the beast. She rummaged through his duffle bag of clothes and papers. She flipped through his sketch books, seeing what new things he had added since the last time she looked. She made her own copies of his maps, marking the same places as he had to know where he would be going next to find the werewolves. It was amusing to her that the reason he struggled to find them was because she had helped kill a proportion of them over the past few years.

Klaus could always feel like someone was watching him but he wasn’t sure if it was actually there or just his paranoia so he never thought too much of it. She was always hidden when he looked over his shoulder anyway.

What he didn’t know was that sometimes she would slip a concentrated doses of ketamine into his and Stefan’s drinks when he wasn’t looking to ensure he would sleep through the night. What she wasn’t expecting was for him to have a nightmare.

She had been in Klaus’s room, transferring all the data from his phone over to her laptop so she could track is messaged and phone calls when he began muttering. She ignored him and waited for it to load but he began to get louder so she stood up, a little worried he would wake. But when his breathing turned rapid and his mumbled became cries for help in fear she started to understand. He was in the middle of a nightmare and the ketamine refused to let him wake.

Hesitantly she came over to his sleeping form, placing a hand on his shoulder which his shook off.

“Shhh” she hushed quietly, not wanting anyone else in the motel to wake. “It’s okay” she whispered but he wouldn’t shut up. He just wouldn’t stop screaming, begging for the wolves to let go of someone- Henrik.

Y/n pulled the covers off him, leaving him in only his boxers. His skin was covered in sweat as he struggled against his own mind. She gently rubbed her hands over his chest, trying to soothe him with physical touch. She whispered kind words to him as she smoothed her fingers over his skin to his face, petting him gently and calming him back to a more settled sleep. His face turned to press his cheek into her palm and she sighed, relieved.

Carefully she pulled away and grabbed her laptop which now had all of his information. She placed everything back when she found it and left, locking the door and moving into Stefan’s room.

Klaus could faintly remember the feel of hands on his body, such soft skin on his. He could remember her soothing voice as she told him to breath and relax. He could still feel her fingers in his hair when he closed his eyes.

Stefan almost always knew that Y/n had been there, he could always smell her perfume. Plus sometimes she would leave him little notes to let him know she was with him.

What wasn’t planned was for Klaus to actually find Ray. She was torn between staying with Klaus or following Stefan when Stefan promised to get rid of Damon, who was searching for him as he assumed Y/n was glad to be rid of the two monsters.

Y/n only stayed because Stefan had spotted her in the bar and mouthed for her to stay, that he would be back.

So she stayed and observed. Watched as Klaus threw vervain-dipped-darts into the man’s body with a smirk on his face. It was creatures like him that she reminded her of why she killed. Why she was apart of Augustine.

So she ordered a drink for him, had the waiter tell him a girl had gotten payed for it and watched as he grinned, flattered and looked around for her. He didn’t spot her as she hid herself behind the bar, he shrugged anyways and took the drink in one gulp. His eyes went wide instantly as the liquid quite literally burned through his throat, a mixture of vervain and wolvesbane in his system. He angrily looked around for the culprit but she was out the door in seconds and in her car.

Once he came back outside, Stefan was back and Ray was unconscious.

She followed them to the mountains and followed at a safe distance, stakes and wolvesbane grenades ready. She stayed low and far enough away, occasionally climbing into trees to watch as he snapped each wolves neck.

She watched in boredom as he failed, she already knew why he wasn’t successful. The witches had already told her Esther’s plan. The double curse.

Cruel but necessary.

She watched his tantrum and then she watched as they both dragged themselves back down to the car.

Following them to Chicago was a low point for her. She had dozens of cans of red bulls and protein bars in her car and had been listening to the same list of songs for months. Klaus’s messages were dryer than a dessert and Stefan was losing his spark. He was losing what made him special, the reason she began to trust a vampire. He was proving that all vampires were beasts.

Thankfully for Y/n, she had already met Gloria in the past. So when Y/n came into the bar after Klaus and Stefan had left and explained the situation, Gloria was happy to let Y/n stay with her in the apartment above the bar for a few days. Without Klaus’s knowledge of course.

She was also happy to let Y/n sit and watch the security cameras whilst Klaus and Stefan were downstairs. In return Y/n offered Gloria a favour, whether it be an ingredient to a spell or the death of another supernatural. Either way it didn't bother Y/n, she was just as happy to do either. if anything she craved to kill a vampire, it was her release and this trip was nothing but a bore for her so far.

It became slightly more interesting when Klaus woke his sister; Rebekah. watching them whine at each other was somewhat amusing but it also reminded her of Elena and Jeremy. She had never been away from home for more than two weeks and these past few months had been isolating and lonely.

What definitely sparked her attention however was when they began talking of Elena's necklace. She bit at her finger tips as she watched Stefan's dreadful attempt at behaving oblivious and the way Gloria's eyes darkened when she glanced toward him. y/n knew this would not end well. she was 100% certain that Klaus or Rebekah would figure out what was wrong and so she left with a head start.

She had Damon on the phone in minutes, bag packed and on the road.

"They know Elena's alive and by they i mean Klaus and his wacko sister, that's right another crazy original bloodsucker is coming to town! Get Elena, get Bonnie and get out!" she yelled down the phone as she drove way past the limit.

"woah woah woah, what? Y/n is this a joke? I'm not in town!" Damon whisper shouted back, clearly frustrated

"where the fuck are you?" she borderline growled

"I'm.... I'm with Katherine" he sighed, knowing the pissed off expression she would have on her face in that moment

"Well I'm in traffic! So get home, get Elena back ALIVE and then say goodbye to you dick because I'm gonna chop it off!" she screamed down the phone at him before abruptly ending the call and coming to a standstill as dozens of cars in front of her come to a halt. She clicked the radio on only to be told that a crash had happened a few miles ahead of her. Y/n smacked her head against the horn of her car and groaned loudly.

Klaus must've taken a diversion because she returned late into the night, Stefan was home with zero humanity and an angry blonde bitch. klaus was missing again and Elena was crying in her bed. Y/n laid with her until they both fell asleep.

The next morning Y/n, Elena, Jeremy, Caroline and Damon were piled into the Gilbert's kitchen. They figured out Tyler was sired/Y/n told them that it was obvious. Together they agreed that getting Mikael would be a good idea. Y/n didn't want him to kill Klaus, although it would have probably been the best thing for her. However she did want him to scare Klaus away at least for a while.

The problem was getting Rebekah to agree but Y/n already knew just the secret to spill to get her attention. It was pure luck that the creatures from 'the other side' were able to cross the barrier and that mason revealed the symbols. Y/n decided it would be better if Damon thought that Klaus killing his own mother was discovered by him instead of Y/n. And she thought it would be better if Elena spoke to Rebekah over herself. Y/n didn't really want to form any kind of relationship with the originals if they were going to be here any longer. Especially not Rebekah, she was too girly and obnoxious for Y/n.

So she let the plan fall out. She played her part, even let Caroline dress her up for homecoming just to make her happy. Afterall if Mikael did end up killing Klaus then Caroline would die too and Y/n would rather she went out on a high.

Everything was going fine, she even had a conversation with Mikael himself. He was rather impressed with her actually, he could recognise a vampire hunter within miles.

They then went to the gym, got redirected to the Tyler's, weird but whatever. And then Klaus made his appearance, reclaimed homecoming as a wake and effectively ruined everyone's night.

Y/n tried to cruise through the evening, keeping to herself and drinking shitty punch. She was pretty happy with just waiting until Katherine, posing as Elena pulled Y/n aside and let her in on what she and Stefan were gonna do. Well not everything they would do but that they planned to save Klaus because the hybrids would kill Damon. Y/n reluctantly agreed, much to Katherine's surprise if she were honest but she took the win.

Y/n then returned to the 'part' in annoyance and relief, that familiar confusion settling over her as she grabbed a real drink and stood to the side of the crowds.

Unfortunately for her, Klaus had spotted her and taken her loneliness as an invitation to approach her. and what was even more unfortunate was that Stefan was glaring straight at her, warning her not to fuck this up.

So she looked back to Klaus with an awkward smile. She knew her body was tense and she could feel her fingers twitch with the urge to defend herself. His power radiated like heat. She just knew Augustine would kill to have him in their facilities.

"Y/n, isn't it?" Klaus questioned knowingly.

"mhm" she mumbled, unsure how to behave.

"why are you all alone?" he asked, his eyes flicking up and down the length of her body, lingering on her cleavage without shame.

"I don't like people" she stated simply and he let out a chuckle.

"Ah I understand that" he smiled but she shifted a step away from him which he noticed but didn't comment on though his smile did drop, it was common for people to distance themselves from him. "you know things aren't going to end well tonight" he warned, his voice quiet but clear

"I'm aware" she mumbled, glancing to where Tyler was dragging an annoyed Caroline toward the house

"Then you should really make better decisions about who you side with, sweetheart. You're strong, and smart. I could tell that from the first time seeing you, it didn't take you 5 minutes to figure out that I wasn't Alaric" he murmured to her, his tone changing from threatening to proud though his face remained neutral.

She said nothing in response, she didn't know what he wanted her to do so she just stared back at him, watching his jaw clench and unclench as he watched and waited for her to come to some sort of answer. He knew that realistically he wouldn't received one but he hoped that she would be intelligent enough to at least take his words into consideration. Klaus liked her, he liked that she was observant and that she had the common sense that everyone else in the town didn't have, to stay out the way. If he were honest, he would have liked her to have been on his 'team', he imagined that she probably had a lot of untold knowledge just waiting to be put to use.

If he only knew the half of it.

Klaus was too buried in his thoughts to notice how Y/n's eyes focused on someone behind him, Damon, who mouthed that he needed 10 minutes before Mikael to get there and that Klaus needed to be occupied.

Y/n could have smacked him when she gave him a look as if to ask what to do and he acted out a dance scene. Her eyes flicked between Klaus and past his shoulder, and then just as Klaus let out a sigh and took a step back she cleared her throat and mentally stabbed herself

"Dance with me?" she offered, her hand very unwillingly lifting out for him to take. His brows shot up but he accepted with little hesitation.

She bit at her own tongue to keep her expressions at bay. Almost everything in her wanted to shove him off, stab him, stake him, behead him. She could feel the vervain syringe she had brought with her in the hidden pockets of her dress, she so desperately wanted to weaken him, kill him.

But no, instead she had a half vampire/half werewolf with his hand on her waist and the other holding her own. His werewolf side made his touch warm, almost like a human's. Slowly her hand went to his shoulder, lightly touching the expensive material of his suit jacket.

Her eyes found his awaiting blue ones, she didn't like how they seemed so deep, they reminded her of Damons. They were those obvious blue eyes, they could be beautiful some of the time and terrifying other times. They were the sort of eyes you could fall into, the kind you could swim in, the ones you would lose yourself in and never find a way out.

It was for that reason that she looked away from them and instead glanced around, taking in the music and the people. There were so many people, it didn't take a genius to guess that most of them were with Klaus, hybrids. She hoped this would be the last time she would touch him, be this close to him but deep down she knew better.

She could feel him pull her a little closer so that his cologne engulfed her, the scent was rich and her inhale for a second too long. She could sense Klaus's smirk in response but refused to acknowledge it. Hopefully someone would come get him soon.

Until then, however, she was to stay in the arms of the beast.

He wirled and twirled her around, doing whatever he could to entice a smile or a laugh from her. Klaus knew many dances from over the centuries, some slow and some fast. Some much more erotic than others and he took great pleasure and amusement in changing between them until a melodic laugh was buzzing through the air. His arms held her close as he brought them low and high, round and round. He spun her one last time before dipping her. Her breathing calmed and her laughs faded as she because aware of how his body pressed to hers, how his arms supported her and how close his face was to hers. The warm air from his mouth fanned over her face and the words she needed to say got trapped in her throat.

Thankfully a women cleared her throat which gained Klaus's attention.

"What is it, I'm busy?" he huffed as he lifted Y/n to stand by herself. He frowned when her touch left him and she moved away, a look of self disgust scrunching up her pretty face.

"Someone's here for you... he says his names Mikael" She told him, unbothered by his angry tone.

His demeanour changed in a second . That familiar coldness returning, it reminded Y/n of the vampires she'd seen with no humanity though it was a little different. She wasn't sure what was different about it but something was.

Either way she didn't like it.

And so by the time Klaus had turned around to apologise to Y/n for the interruption, she was out of sight. He sighed and shook his head before going to end his father.

Y/n proceeded to go sit in Katherine's car, turning the engine on and the radio as she waited for the inside to heat up. She was patiently waiting for the doppelgänger and Stefan to arrive and as soon as they were in the car, her foot was down and they were speeding into the night.

Ripper Stefan and Katherine Pierce were the two worst vampires for Y/n to be around. She wanted them dead, they deserved to die. She wished Klaus had died to his sireline went too. She really did...until she remembered that Elena would be broken. Family would always be more important than anything else.

So when Katherine and Stefan started talking about a way to get revenge on Klaus, she left. She went home and to bed so that she wasn't on 'the wrong side'.

Y/n didn't want to be on any of their sides. She didn't want to be in support of any supernaturals.

Which is why she hated to admit that she had some sort of weird friendship to Damon Salvatore who had been relentlessly teasing her on what he witnessed at the homecoming.

"Oh you should have seen them Elena, for a moment it was like I was in Spain watching salsa dancing and the next I was back in the 1800s" He laughed and Y/n lobbed a dart at him

"You wanted him distracted" she grumbled and he grinned while Elena rolled her eyes

"There's distracting and there's seducing" Damon chuckled

"Hey! He started the whole-"

"The whole what love?" Klaus's voice sounded from behind the trio. It was cold and sharp like the icy wind of the winter. He didn't appreciate being played with let alone mocked, especially when she had asked him too dance. Whether it were apart of a plan or not, she could have done something else for his attention. Throwing a drink on his would have taken him a good few minutes to rage about before changing his outfit but she chose a dance.

"Nothing" she answered, standing and walking away from them all, over to the farthest point of the bar so that she couldn't here what they were saying. 'No involvement' she would warm herself.

She knew they were talking about Stefan from the defensive stances the pair were taking but she didn't want to know why, not even for a second.

And she hoped and hoped that Klaus would just leave after his little threats but of course he had to hover.

A drink was placed infront of her and a hand spun her round on the bar stool forcing her to face the beast once again. "Afternoon sweetheart, lovely to see you again after our little moment. You could even call it a date" the sarcasm was clear but the words alone made her nose wrinkle up.

"I'd prefer you didn't" she mumbled and he hummed

"well I'd prefer a lot of things so I suppose we're all unhappy. Now, where's Stefan hm? I know you had something to do with last night, I witnessed you talking suspiciously quietly with Katerina." He placed a threatening hand on her upper arm and both Damon and Elena stood from their places, worry on their faces as they saw a darkness swirl inside Y/n's eyes. "Where is Stefan, and where had he put my family?"

Y/n let out a laugh, she couldn't help it.

"He took the originals?" she questioned, covering her mouth as hiccups of laughter threatened to escape. Damon headed over fast, muttering to Elena to get it the car. He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and let out a nervous chuckle, looking to Y/n with wide eyes but she couldn't stop giggling.

"She's just...going through something right now" He smiled fakely and pulled her out of her seat, holding his own hand over her mouth making her shove him off out of reflex, her voice aggressive as she began to yell

"Get the fuck off you filthy-" she cut herself off when she noticed multiple people staring at her with surprised expressions. Damon simply chuckled and grabbed her elbow, pulling her toward the door

"don't hit me" he whispered quietly as he pushed her through the door and toward the car.

Klaus watched the two in confusion and interest. He certainly hadn't expected her to switch up so fast and he definitely wanted to know what the end of her insult was supposed to be.

His curiosity grew when he went to the Salvatore's to try and see if maybe Stefan was there only to find Damon and Y/n with a supernatural board, pictures and names written with strings running from the to different information.

"God if you and your fucked up brother just pissed off instead of following Elena around like the hungry mosquitoes you are then everything would be sunshine and daisies" Y/n complained and Damon rolled his eyes as he linked Stefan to the originals via some red wool.

"What and you would have carried on hunting and slaughtering vampires while Jeremy, Elena and Jenna would obliviously move on with their lives and eventually Elena would have settled down with good ol' Matt Donovon?" he mocked and Klaus's brows furrowed.

"Sounds better than my life right now" she mumbled and Damon rolled his eyes

"Surely this is every crazy vampire hunters dream?" he questioned "cmon think about it, you're surrounded by the oldest vampires, a famous ripper, hybrids and best of all...you got me?" he grinned and she groaned, dropping onto the couch.

"I know and it just makes me feel murderous all the time" she whined "and gross and contaminated" she gagged and he dramatically huffed.

"Come on, you can attack me" he offered with a playful glint and she let out a mocking 'ha ha'. "hey no come on, how about you get to stab me a few times and I get a shot of your blood?"

"Damon?"

"yes?"

"I would rather rip my own heart out then let a soulless , leech anywhere near my blood" she sneered and he laughed with a clap.

"How did it take me so long to realise you undying hatred for what was it?-my kind?" he raised his brows and she glared at him

"These past few months have done nothing but confirm my every belief. You and everyone like you are monsters" she whispered, enjoying how his expression faltered "unsavable, unloveable-"

"shut up" he uttered, veins appearing under his eyes making her lips curve up

"see? you can't even control yourself"

"says the girl who nearly lost it in the middle of the grill" he quipped before walking out and leaving her alone.

Klaus's mind was spinning with new knowledge. It made sense to him but he still wasn't exactly expecting it. Either way, he would find a way to put this to his advantage.

(Okay I'm going to make this part one and then from here Klaus and Y/n will have more time together and start to fall for one-another. I know this is a little different to my usual stories as I never usually give so much build up/back story but I had a lot of ideas and wanted to share those with you. So thanks for reading and I hope you loo forward to the next part/parts)

370 notes · View notes

ameliathornromance · 1 month ago

Text

Are you the Final Girl?

Slasher!Orc x Reader

Chapter 5

Masterlist <---- Full TWs list. For this chapter: Mention of drugs and animal death.

Jennifer’s funeral was held the next week.

You had told the Police everything you knew, including the fight the two of you had and the phone call shortly before Jennifer’s death.

They had come to the conclusion that with the bad security camera footage and the lack of physical evidence and eyewitness accounts – yours being the only witness of the killer – the death was ruled as ‘accidental’ and the case was closed, much to the outrage of you and Jennifer’s family.

It was a closed casket funeral of course and everyone kept their heads bowed and quiet as Jennifer’s mother gave a tearful speech about her daughter, how beautiful and wonderful she was.

When the celebration of Jennifer’s life was finally over, you departed the chapel, blank faced.

You’d done your crying over the past week. A swirl of confusing emotions had arisen within you, anger, confusion and guilt. The feeling that you should have been the one to stop the murder from occurring, given that you were just feet away from the scene.

But you knew that nothing could have been done. The police told you themselves.

The university implemented a curfew and a ban on parties for Halloween and had entered a one week mourning period in memory of Jennifer.

As you stood there at the chapel entrance as all of Jennifer’s family members and childhood friends filed out of the building, you caught a flash of dark green skin among the people clad in black.

You blinked and found Malike, standing by his car in at the end of the graveyard.

He grimaced and gave you a small wave.

As you went to approach him, a woman shrieked from behind you.

“YOU!”

It was Jennifer’s mother. She stormed past you, and straight for Malike. “You did this, didn’t you?! You monstrous beast! Get away from here!” As she went to swing her black handbag at the Orc a few members of the family rushed over and yanked her away from him, terrified looks on their faces.

You took this opportunity to run over. Grabbing him by the arm, you pulled him to look away from Jennifer’s mother, his eyes wide and full of hurt, “come on, let’s go.”

Malike nodded and stepped into his car, Jennifer’s mother still screaming at the top of her lungs.

Just like your previous walk with him back to your accommodation, the drive was in silence. This time, you broke it.

“Why are you even here?” You questioned. “You must have known that Jennifer’s mother would have not wanted to see you.”

Malike didn’t say anything as the two of you pulled up to a traffic light and stopped at the red light. “… I came because I wanted to see how you were.” He said, quietly. “I haven’t seen you since… and after your friends kicked me out, I didn’t want to bother you…”

You let out a cruel snort of laughter, “well I’m doing fucking awfully. Just as well as you can be since your best friend had been murdered.”

Guilt washed over you. None of this was Malike’s fault. Why take it out on him? He was just checking up on you, it’s not like he was being malicious.

You sighed. “I’m sorry… It’s been a really bad week.”

Malike stayed quiet as he shifted gears and took off on the green light. “Where are Jack and Sydney?”

“They weren’t as close with Jennifer as I was. They said it felt wrong to attend her funeral.” While they had said that, you thought it was more like they just didn’t want to bother with the theatrics of it all. Neither of them were good at that emotional kind of stuff.

“Oh…” Malike said, lamely. “...Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Did Jennifer tell you about the squirrel?”

Your head whipped around to face him, shocked. You hadn’t even thought about that story that Jennifer told you since you spoke to Jack and Sydney in your dorm room. There hadn’t been any time to think about it. So much had been going on.

Malike pulled the car aside and parked. He shut off the engine and turned to look at you.

You didn’t know what to say to him. What could you say? Was there even anything to say?

At your silence, Malike sighed and scratched the back of his head. “It’s… fine if she did. It’s not a moment I’m most proud of, but… I thought that if you knew, you should know the full story.”

“… How did you know that she’d told me?”

Malike gave a nasty snort, “it’s written all over your face. I had a hunch that she’d told you when you told me to get back in the car. If you didn’t know, you would have been asking me what was Jennifer’s mums problem.” He smiled fondly, as he remembered your friendship. “So-”

“I don’t need to know the full story.” You said, quickly. “I was really surprised when Jen told me about the squirrel thing, I didn’t believe you could do something like that.” Realising that you probably came across as rushed and patronising, you took a deep breath in and out, rearranging your words mentally, “what I mean is, even if you did do something like that, you’re not a violent person anymore. I’ve never seen you hurt a fly and from what it seems like, you’re always really careful around your team mates in Rugby.”

Malike’s fond smile turned solemn at your words. “Well, even so, I still feel like you ought to know what actually happened. But, let’s not talk in the car. It’s too awkward.”

He opened the car door and stepped out. You followed after him into a nearby cafe, where you took your seats and ordered drinks.

Once they had arrived, Malike began his tale, “I was in the back garden with a few of my friends from school. We were sat on some new furniture that my mum had recently bought,” he stirred his coffee absently as he looked out the window, “it’s strange. When I think about it, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe it’s because the furniture was the same colour as the animals fur?” He stopped and placed the spoon down on the saucer. “Anyway, one of my friends got his hands on some of that green plant.”

Malike gave you a knowing look and you nodded, understandingly. “And he convinced us all to smoke it. I was apprehensive of course, I didn’t know how I might react to something like that, but all the others looked like they were having a good time so I took a drag on the… blunt? Is that what they call them?” He looked at you for clarification, but you just shrugged.

“After I did that, I went into a meltdown.” He chuckled, as if it was a silly thing to do. “It wasn’t a rage, I just sat with my knees hugged to my chest and cried as my friends laughed at me. I was just so scared.” Malike shivered as if a chill had gone down his spine. “It was strange watching their faces contort and misshape like that, I think it only heightened my fear.

“And when I was about to hit the peak of the high, I saw it. This squirrel in the bushes. It was twitching and foam was dripping from it’s mouth. At that moment, all the fear I had vanished. I just started laughing at this squirrel.” Malike raised an eyebrow, looking down at his coffee cup. “For some reason, the idea of this squirrel having rabies was just so funny to me at the time. Well, my ridicule of it set it off. Before I knew it, this squirrel had lunged at me and I had it between my hands. It was gnashing it’s teeth and scratching at me and everything. It just made me laugh even harder, I didn’t even realising it was squirming to escape my grasp.”

Malike took his hands of the ceramic and looked at his palms, as if he could still see the blood on his hands. “And then, the next thing I knew, my mum and friends were screaming at me to let it go. But, it was too late.” His voice dropped, weakened. “It’d died… And then after that, when all my friends had gone home, everyone knew about what I did.”

You stayed quiet, watching as Malike folded his arms around his abdomen, as if he was trying to comfort himself. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he whispered. “I really didn’t mean to.”

“Well of course you didn’t.” You told him, sympathetically. “You were high and attacked by a rabid squirrel. There are a lot worse things that could have happened if you didn’t defend yourself.” Reaching a hand across the table, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Orc.

It was clear he was in a lose, lose situation, regardless of whatever he chose to do. He was impaired and confused, just like that squirrel probably was.

“You could have got bit by that thing or continued to have been terrorised by your friends.” You reasoned.

Malike let out a sigh and uncoiled his arms from around his body. He placed his hand on top of yours, and you gave it a comforting squeeze as he replied, “I know… I keep telling myself that every day, but it’s not easy to forgive yourself for something like that.” He then smiled, “but I knew you’d understand. You’re not like the other people from back home.”

You pursed your lips, still wanting to say something comforting.

When nothing sprang to mind, your phone vibrated in your pocket before anything substantial could materialise, causing you to sigh and break contact with Malike.

Pulling out your phone from your pocket, you checked the message, before rolling your eyes and shoving it back into your pocket.

“What is it?” Malike asked, recognising your frustrated expression. He frowned as you shook your head, “it’s nothing.”

“You can tell me,” he said, “I used to listen to all your problems a few years ago, didn’t I?”

Malike was a good listener and advice giver. Maybe he’d have some ideas on how to deal with your problem.

“At the start of summer last year, I began to get these messages from a blank instagram account,” you explained the rest of the issue, pulling out your phone and showing Malike the abusive messages you’d been receiving.

This person just had to be a thorn in your side, even when you were in mourning. You couldn’t even be left alone to grieve for your friend.

“Wow,” Malike said, recoiling at the messages he read, “this, this is some mean shit. I trust you did all the blocking and reporting right?”

You nodded. “At this point, I don’t know what to do about it. But I mostly ignore them.”

Malike doesn’t say anything back, as his stunned expression became dark. “Have you seen the times that these messages are being sent?” He asked you. “The more recent ones?”

You frowned. What did the timing have to do with the messages? Surely the contents of them was more pressing than the timing of them. “No?”

Malike put your phone down on the table and rotated it to face you. “Look here 6:17am, then later on,” he scrolled a bit further down. “8:25am.”

You raised an eyebrow, “so?”

“They’re the times that the Sprint team does their morning warm ups and runs.” Malike said, observantly. “The beginning of their runs starts at half 6 and continues until quarter past 8. Which means it has to be someone on the Sprint team a few minutes before they start and a few minutes after they finish.”

Your eyes widened, shocked by the conclusion of his inspection. “How’d you know this?” You asked.

“Rugby practice starts around the same time, so it has to be someone in one of these two teams who’s sending these messages.” Malike explained with a shrug.

“Seriously?!” Snatching up your phone, you went back through the month, checking each timestamp the messages were sent on. And sure enough, they all lined up perfectly with Malike’s timings.

“Have you ever seen anyone on their phones before you start practice?”

Malike furrowed his eyebrows, pausing in thought. After a moment, he shook his head. “Most of us are eager to warm up, so we leave our phones in the changing rooms and no one goes in until the end of practice, even on breaks.”

“So it has to be someone in the sprint team.” You concluded. But who would want to send you messages like this? It’s not like your instagram was a public account and you didn’t just give out your handle to anyone. Which means it has to be someone close to you.

And the only person you knew on the Physical Education courses, was Sydney.

And she was on the sprint team.

You stood, jerkily. “Malike. “Where does the Sprint team train?”

Thank you for Reading! Please check out my Patreon!

Taglist <3

@soapjay@greenie-c@sunndust@gonemorre

If you'd like to be tagged, please comment below this post!

#monster x you #monster x female #orc fiction #orc boyfriend #monster x reader #orc romance #monster x human #monster lover #monster romance #orc x reader #slasher!orc x reader #orc x human reader #orc x human #orc x you #orc x female reader

35 notes · View notes

justplainlovely · 3 months ago

Text

Defending my new favorite ship again because why tf not

I’ll start by stating the obvious (cuz apparently it isn’t a given to some of the folks on here, which is weird, but okay). We DO NOT condone abuse in any form. With that said, an explanation is not an excuse and many folks, almost all I’d venture to guess, have been abusive at some point in their lives (I know I wouldn’t have been on the receiving end of so much abuse if that were untrue - hurt people hurt people). We also DO NOT condone racism. I get the feeling people assume malice on the Ghoulcy shipper side because of disgusting comments that were made long ago about Rey and Finn (which was a similar dynamic that, I’d argue, made more sense than a Lucy/Max relationship but that’s also my 🌈 heart shipping him with Dane). These disclaimers also extend to the villains, which Barb is one of. We DO NOT condone misogynoir here either cuz while I haven’t seen much racism on Lucy/Max, I have seen a surprising amount about Barb. Being a fictional villain does not allow for any kind of bigotry, NOTHING does, but I digress.

So on Ghoulcy, I’ll say this. The foreshadowing is layered heavily throughout the story. Whether they are intended to be friends or partners is up for debate, but the writing makes it quite clear that these characters are destined to team up, bringing us to the end of Season 1 when Lucy walks off with Cooper. I’m brought back to what Wilzig said at the beginning of the season, when Lucy was by herself camping and he warned her several times to go home before finally saying:

“The question is, will you still want the same things when you’ve become a different animal altogether?”

Lucy is very distraught at the end of the season after learning everything she does about her dad and Vault-tec and, for her to return to the vaults and live out her days there, with or without Max, seems like a stretch when things are all said and done. This can be poignantly compared to Persephone going to the underworld (in Lucy’s case, the surface world) - she has eaten the proverbial pomegranate.

This isn’t the only dynamic which Ghoulcy has been compared to, either. I have also seen them compared to Beauty and the Beast, which brings Max back into the dynamic often as a Gaston. Personally, I don’t see that, but if he turned out to be a villain it would be an interesting storyline and Aaron Moten could play it off very well. But bringing Max back in, something about his character to me feels very incomplete and I’m not sure if a love interest is the way forward for him. We only know one of his wants:

“I want to hurt the people who hurt me.”

And at the end of the season it’s like he seems less convinced by that, even though it’s hard to guess exactly what he’s thinking when he is knighted (something he should want, but judging by his expression he seems disenchanted by it) and finds Lucy has left. Part of the reason I ship him and Dane is because Dane has been a rock to him, one who he can probably trust with doubts about the Brotherhood. But returning to Ghoulcy, Cooper has been exactly where Lucy is before. He was betrayed by the one person he trusted most and what did he love most about Barb before they divorced (remember there was talk about alimony in the first episode - not sure how people forgot that):

“I know you always try to do the right thing. That’s what I love about you.”

Who embodies that better than Lucy, I ask you. (Cooper very well could still care about his ex-wife so take that with a grain of salt) But when it comes down to it, and we don’t know who initiated the divorce so it’s up for interpretation like any good story, part of Cooper died when he listened in on Barb’s Vault-Tec meeting just like part of Lucy is dying after she learns what her father did to her mother and Shady Sands.

“If my dad found out that I destroyed an entire community to save him... that'd break his heart.”

That is likely what’s on repeat for her when she learns about the city. And when Cooper offers her his company to New Vegas, his tone notably softens. I think when they first met, the vile things Cooper did to Lucy made her realize very quickly what she would have to do to make it on the surface. Cooper is intrigued, maybe even put off by, her genuine goodness. And it’s not just that, but he sees part of his past self and seeks to kill it any chance he can get. I’d argue that’s a large part of why he’s so cruel to her (him shooting the Vault Boy poster was more than just a fuck you to Vault-Tec). And likewise, Lucy shows him that embracing his humanity again is not so bad - whatever morsel he has left. It begins with trust, though, whatever they have. When she follows him, he has his back turned to her and is walking ahead with the dog. Normally, he wouldn’t put himself in such a vulnerable position, but he is showing her that he believes in her golden rule. Or more accurately that he believes that she believes in it.

Anyway, I dare not risk turning this into an actual essay. It’s already long enough. I’m interested in exploring other aspects that I might have missed if y’all have any thoughts.

#ghoulcy #fallout tv series #lucy x cooper #cooper howard

24 notes · View notes

ladybirdswritings · 1 year ago

Text

Silken Webs & Pirouettes- Miguel O’Hara x Reader

Summary: You decide to take all your problems out on the dance floor. Ballerina!Reader & CEO!Miguel. Alternate Universe with most of the characters included as seen in "Across the Spiderverse." Many cameos ahead. Miguel is a successful business owner but personality is canon. This is a steamy reader insert, Miguel x You! Enjoy and pls leave me lots of love and comments as it keeps me motivated <333

next chapter

eight

“Ladies leave yo’ man at home, the club is full of ballers and they pockets full grown— and all you fellas leave yo’ girl with her friends— cause it’s eleven thirty and the club is jumpin’ jumpin’”

Your hips sway in rhythm with the song, body glistening with a soft sheen, evidence of the time you’ve spent on the dance floor. The fluorescent lights feel like they’re only on you. Men and women have either danced or tried to dance with you all night. You’ve given your number to at least eight, so far. One of them a blonde with blue eyes, older but handsome.

So…. how did you get here?

Well…

Your bed was comfortable enough for the few days you were glued to it, teary eyes and puffy face as you gazed at the phone on your pillowcase.

To call home or not to call home… that was the question.

It seemed like each time you reached for it, the constriction within the confines of your heart stopped you from lifting it off of the satin.

So you turned, gazing up at the sky behind your popcorn ceiling. Thinking for hours and hours. Could there be a way you could stay? Any other way besides going back to that dreadful office with that fanged serpent inside. That beast. Wolf. Asshole.

Nothing came to you. Maybe you’d be lucky enough at the week’s end when your check finally arrived. Lucky enough to buy more time and search even farther for more open work opportunities. Yet luck is gentle sometimes, it hides away from the people that need it.

So you tossed and you turned for hours, feeling suffocated by the matting and lack of ribbons in your hair. Until you decided to just rip the bandaid off and give in. Or so you planned to. The bright light made you squint and press anything but the phone button, or maybe it was your subconscious. What you did press was a recommended video.

A woman, a gorgeous woman with jet black locks and intimidating eyes struck you silent as she simply said,

“Get up. No no no, I don’t care how you’re feeling right now, I don’t care that you lost them or you’re depressed or he hurt you. It. Doesn’t. Matter. Get up right now, go get pretty and go show the world how pretty you are. I promise you it will fix things.”

That’s all you saw before you were up on your feet, taking an everything shower for longer than you ever have. Tending to your wild curls and plump skin. You ate, too. Stale cereal as it was all you had but— you still ate.

Then you thought. You thought about what always makes you feel good again. Alive.

Dancing.

Now you could have risked your head and paid Katerina a visit, of course. Yet you played things smart. You took the next best thing. Ballet isn’t the only rhythm you know. You did your makeup and fit into your shiniest dress. Like a disco ball, glistening in silver. Then? You searched for the nearest nightclub nearby. One where you could just dance your problems away.

Now you’re here.

“Hey baby, I’m likin’ the way you move those hips tonight.”

Ew, he smells of strong liquor.

You only smile kindly at the stranger who’s missing a front tooth and twirl, turning your back on him and continuing to sway your hips. He takes it as an opportunity to place his hand on one— and you stumble forward, pushing it away.

Too many men have felt entitled to dancing with you tonight, and he’s just another. No one asks, anymore.

“No…” you sigh through a nervous giggle.

He sucks his tee— or tooth? “Bitch.” Is all he follows with.

You frown at that, parting your lips to utter another word but— you don’t get the chance.

“Hey, leave my friend alone!” That sing-song, familiar voice.

You turn on your heel where Cindy Moon stands tall, brows furrowed as she regards the drunk asshole who is acting like he owns rights to your swaying body.

“Cindy?” You sound shocked and god— you are. What a coincidence.

Soon as the vile man leaves, she grins wide at you and pulls you into the warmth of a tight hug. It’s the first one she’s ever given you. She hugs you so hard it’s as if she’s afraid you’ll slip into the crowd of dancers if she lets go. Christ, it’s only been a week.

As kind as this is, you’re baffled.

The music is pounding in your ears, so loud you’re borderline screaming, burning at your lungs so to speak to her.

“Wait, why are you here!?”

She tilts her ear toward you— taking a moment to analyze your voice before realization strikes her.

“Company gathering!”

What? Here?

You freeze.

She must see the terror in your eyes because she immediately raises two comforting palms and shakes her head.

“Nonono— don’t worry! He never comes to these! I mean- Jess always invites him but he hasn’t showed so, doubt he will today!”

The tension in your chest eases at once, your body surrendering to the vibration of the sound. You’re grateful to god now more than ever that he hates any living, breathing corner of the world with joy and fun. You can’t imagine him in a place like this.

Wait…

“Who is Jess!?”

Cindy starts to sway her hips as the prior song bleeds perfectly into the neck, you follow suite— hands raking back your wild curls.

“C-O-O! But don’t worry, she’s super cool! This was her idea! Hey— Miguel never told us why you quit anyways!?”

She’s awfully sweet and strikingly beautiful. You see the men looking at her from the corner of your gaze, mesmerized by the young beauty with the slender frame. Yet, sweet as she is— this was your night away from all of it. He is the last thing on your mind.

Your mind wanders, searching for the right answer to put a pin in this conversation. You find one soon enough.

“Morale.” You practically snort. It’s understood immediately.

She nods once, eyes squinting as she stands on her tip toes and searches over the lively crowd. As if there’s a lightbulb floating at the top of her head.

“Hey— let’s go grab a drink!”

She’s a genius, she must know the subject makes you squirm. You grab her hand, letting her lead you off to the bar where an awfully pregnant woman with gorgeous, coiled locks sits— sipping on what you hope is a virgin lemonade.

“Two shots!!” Cindy orders, leaning over the bar and getting chatty with the tender as he prepares them.

Alcohol, yes. Just what you need. You sigh in relief, taking a seat next to the Aphrodite sipping on her drink. Her curls are dark, and her skin is gorgeous and glassy, and she’s— staring at you.

Not for a single moment, no. She’s analyzing you. Eyes locked on the side of your face.

You offer her a quick glance, squirming in your seat as she squints.

Is there something on your face?

She gasps, it makes you jump.

“No shit… you must be Ribbons.”

Ribbons?

You turn to her, brows furrowed and eyes soft as they search for an understanding to what she means. She sticks her hand out, over her swelled belly and like a zombie- you shake it.

“Ribbons, it’s what they started calling you around the office. I’m Jess, from where you used to work.”

Jess.

She must see the realization settle in your eyes because she giggles. It’s a warm sound.

You can see why people like her, why they regard her highly. She’s gorgeous, and she smells of a garden with freshly bloomed jasmine blanketing it. And her smile, it’s welcoming.

You offer her your name with an embarrassed shake of your head, partnered with a soft laugh at your oblivious nature.

“It’s alright— you didn’t have the pleasure of meeting me before saving yourself from mister hates-everyone-and-everything.”

Oh, she’s funny. Lively. You like her. You only wish it was her instead that you worked under, maybe things would’ve been different. You’d bet your pretty soul that Cindy and Mary Jane must have thought the same thing, at least once.

Cindy returns to earth soon enough, no longer drooling over the blonde bartender with a boyish grin. She hands you a shot, keeps one for herself, and hands Jess one too. Your brows lift, concern swimming in your bright eyes.

“Don’t worry, it’s virgin. Just lemon juice and seltzer— didn’t want you to feel left out!”

The kind thing, you grin at that and so does Jessica. Your glasses raise in repetition of Cindy’s own.

“To you, Ribbons. For having the guts to do what none of us ever could and getting the hell out!” She’s joking, you think. But a more analytical part of you knows well that deep down, she is not.

Christ, he’s that bad.

“Amen to that, sister.” Jess adds, and you can only laugh at the irony as you clink your glasses and shoot the horrible, burning thing back. You immediately wince as the substance itches at the base of your throat, making your eyes swell with water whilst you cough.

“Ugh, is that tequila!?”

Cindy only nods before dropping the glasses down and grabbing your hand again. She barely flinched.

“Let’s go dance!”

You don’t get the opportunity to recover and say goodbye to the pregnant Aphrodite before you’re back out on the dance floor, swaying those hips to the beat. Except now, it’s with Cindy by your side. The music is good, the drinks being brought to you by mesmerized men are good, god- the night is good. Time feels slow as it passes. That lady was on to something. You showed the world your pretty face and you got rewarded for it.

Maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe the music but you finally feel it again. Alive. The buzz makes you feel loose, like with each sway of your hips— you’re throwing more of your problems into the burning pile and watching them melt away into nothing more than ash.

Meaningless ash. Where they can’t hurt you.

Cindy dances with a man beside you, but you dance alone. This moment, it feels too good to share with anyone else.

You don’t pay much mind to how long you’re there for, nor what’s happening around you. You don’t need to. You just need you right now, you and the music.

“I know right, she’s got the whole place looking!”

You hear above the bass; you don’t bother to listen more to Cindy’s voice or rather anything else except for the song. You’re lost in this safe little bubble, no one’s crowding you.

Wait— no one’s crowding you.

You open your eyes to see eyes staring back. Multiple, mesmerized by the way you’re moving those hips. Tipsy as you are— your face still flushes as you gaze back at them.

Your hips slow and then halt completely when the bony shoulder of a strawberry blonde bumps into your back.

“Hey, watch where you’re dancin— yeah?” A southern accent demands.

You frown at her, only seeing the back of her head as she storms past you. Christ, some night she’s having. She takes your place in the middle of the circle you created and attempts to move her hips. She looks— stiff. Like she’s trying to force the movement that should come fluidly in her hips.

Maybe you’re just drunk and critical as a former dancer. That must be it. You’ll leave her be, the room is too dizzy to care.

With a sigh, you bury yourself back into the crowd who have all turned their attention away from the circle. Whew, you’re feeling spun. Where Cindy, anyways?

Maybe it’s time for a water…

A record scratches, smirking mouth pressed up against the microphone as the DJ pulls it against his face.

“Alright alright— you guys havin’ a nice time tonight?” The crowd cheers, loud and rowdy as they look up at the record booth and lone, center stage. The DJ, he gets excited by the energy. As if he’s feeding from it.

“Alriiiiight, that’s what I like to hear. Now listen, rumor has it that right here, right now in this very moment— there’s a dancing queen among us. Oh yeah, I’m talkin’ full blown ABBA. I’ve seen her, I know you’ve seen her— light man...” He snaps his fingers, the singular luminescent glow from the ceiling lands upon him. He finishes, “Let’s find her in this crowd, shall we? Where is she?”

Your eyes scan over the crowd, curious to see just who they’re talking about.

God— she must be good for a personal shoutout in a place like this. You used all of the grocery money to get in here, it’s not like you’ve had much of an appetite, anyways…

Maybe it is the strawberry blonde with an attitude… no, no that would be absurd.

You squint as the light passes you quickly— but it soon snaps right back.

Your delicate palm softly lifts to shield it from your blinded eyes.

“There she is!” He announces, as if he’s found the first lick of gold in a deserted land of sand.

The crowd cheers, whistling and whooping as their hands pound together. You turn your head, looking each way for the dancing queen they speak of before you realize.

Oh…

It’s you.

You’re so drunk you can only giggle, covering your face with your palms as the DJ shakes his head,

“Oh no sweetheart, can’t get all shy now that you know everybody’s watching. We all saw the way you were moving those hips— we all saw it. Let me ask you muñequita, because I have a feeling. Do you know how to dance like a boricua? I saw the way you were moving, there is no chance in hell you’re an all white woman.”

He laughs at his own joke, and the crowd does too.

He’s right. Your father was a strong Puerto Rican man with intimidating eyes— he never smiled, nor did he come around often. But when he did come around? He taught you to dance. He loved to dance. You do too.

You snap yourself away from your thoughts, they’re waiting… they’re waiting and it feels so odd yet so right to have all those eyes on you.

The dancing queen…

Maybe this would’ve been your life had you not— well, tonight’s not the night to think about it. You’re far too buzzed and far too front and center to chicken out now.

You spread your fingers, eyes peeking out behind your palms. Maybe you shouldn’t but god— dancing just feels so good tonight. You nod, and the crowd cheers again.

��See, knew it. Knew it. I’m never wrong, I’m never wrong. So, chiquita bonita, how about you get up here and we give them a show— eh? What do you say?”

A show…

You can’t even deny or overthink it before the crowd starts chanting “do it, do it, do it,” in unison. Someone with cold hands pushes you forward and before you let better judgment stop you from swaying your hips center stage— you’re already up there. The lights follow you; they blind you.

“There we go! Alright, my beloved gringos and gringas can sit this one out— we’re gonna dance a little merengueeee.” He emphasizes the word in a way that makes all the girls swoon.

What are you doing? What are you doing? You don’t know. Daddy taught you merengue. You love merengue, but all these people…

Your mind flashes back to the week straight that you were wrapped like a mummy in your sheets. The tears, the loneliness, the dread. And now— here you are. They’re all looking at you like you’re a star.

…

Oh, fuck it.

The DJ spins a record again and soon enough a symphony of instruments and strings begin to flow throughout the speakers. Everyone cheers as he adjusts the needle and pulls his headphones off from his head.

Thank god, you’d just about melt if you had to dance this alone. He hurries over to you. He has kind, brown eyes and a mustache just above his contagious smile. His belly is soft, it protrudes just a bit.

“Peter.” He greets where only you can hear him. You peer up at him shyly, feeling the heat of the moment suffocate you. You haven’t had this many eyes on you since you were with Katerina. The very distant, sober part of you is tugging your hand. Begging you to get off stage.

Peter furrows his brows,

“Hey— don’t look at them. Look at me.”

He’s awfully kind, and he’s right. If you play pretend, this moment could feel euphoric. You nod, forgetting all your worries as the long intro finally comes to an end.

“Bajo una noche estrellada, de luna llena…”

See, the thing about dancers is that no matter how loud the mind screams, the body won’t stop moving. Yours is no different.

His palms are warm as they press against your own. You clasp your fingers against his and keep his warm brown eyes centered as the only thing in sight.

The dancer you are, your hips start to sway.

“Ahi está.” He praises, one hand falling to rest against your hip, following each effortless motion and figure eight they make in unison with the beat. Something about him, it’s safe. It’s gentle. It’s— a really good merengue dancer.

Christ…

You giggle as he moves his hips, leading your mesmerizing motions. He’s putting you on display, twirling your sparkling dress under the spot lights for the whistling crowd to see. He spins you once, twice, thrice, then he stops you— your back to him.

“You okay with this?” He whispers in your ear, you nod— grateful he asked for a yes. The first man tonight who has, unfortunately…

Your hips move back against him, his leg— at least that’s what you think it is. You’re too drunk to know any better.

You both move in unison, and although he’s the only thing that exists in your mind right now aside from the music— you can feel the crowd. In your bones and chest, vibrating louder than the sound that leads you and the hands that guide you. Feel their eyes and excitement as you do as he said and give them a show.

“You’re bringing me lots of business tonight, dancing queen.”

Your cheeks are pink from the buzz, and you laugh as he twirls you again— back into the first position. You both sway your hips, the trumpet of the song a euphoric sound. He reaches a hand out, pushing it in an upward motion to signal the crowd to get louder.

God- they do.

They do as you twirl again, as you move your body for them to see.

A dazzling starlet.

You’re lost, so lost in the moment that you feel like finally, you’ve reached it. That peak, just at the top of the mountain where no one and nothing else exists. Nothing plagues you, no. Just this moment.

Your curls are wild and free, no longer tamed by your straightener and ribbons, they dance on their own, too.

You could stay here forever.

Peter steps back, holding your intertwined hands up in the air— only moving his hips softly as he puts you front and center. In this moment, you no longer feel like a ballerina in a box. No, you’re the ballerina who leaped outside of that stupid wooden box. That stupid office. Stupid dance room.

Stupid boss.

Stupid Katerina.

Stupid Miguel.

Hey… that guys kinda looks like—

Peter twirls you swiftly back into his arms and continues moving. You’re still facing front, the rhythm controlling your body like it’s got strings sewn into your limbs.

But that guy…

The crowd is slowly fading back as the lights get a bit dimmer. You squint behind the hundreds of gazes on you so you can see— and Christ, do you see it.

Him.

Miguel fucking O’Hara.

And his eyes? Those intimidating eyes…

They’re glued on to you. Nothing else but you, as if you’re the only breathing creature besides himself that exists in this room. It must be him, you can’t delude yourself into believing or seeing otherwise. He’s seated beside a smiling Jessica.

Your gazes lock.

Woah….

The air leaves you, and you’re certain you turn entirely red against your silver. You stumble, and Peter catches you.

“You okay?”

You turn to meet his warm brown orbs.

You need to leave— now.

You’re drunk, and nauseous.

“No no I- m’ sorry I have to go.” Like Cinderella in the night. Only you’re running from the monster, not to it.

The crowd “awws” in unison as you part from Peter’s hands and softly make your way to the stairs. You leave him confused as he grabs the vacant mic.

He takes the attention off of you and quickly puts it back onto himself, likely seeing the panic in your eyes. You’d suffocate if the crowd watched you crumble.

“The dancing queen everybody, leaving me quicker than my first wife.”

The stairs make you dizzy, you grip tightly onto the rail as you descend them. Oh, the room is spinning. It’s smaller. Are you panicking again? No no, you can’t. Not while drunk.

Why is Katerina coming to the forefront of your mind?

Oh god, you are.

“That was awesome!” Cindy calls, gently grabbing your arm.

All of it, it’s all echoing.

“I have to go…” you breathe out as you push past her. Merengue makes people move, so so much. It’s hard to weave through. You’re gonna vomit. You are so gonna vomit right now.

You huff,

“Excuse me, please…”

They don’t listen or make it easy, but you’re slender enough to push through for the most part. The trumpets still play in the background, chasing you out and the crowd is laughing at something Peter is doing on stage. You don’t pay it any mind.

You need to go, you need air— distance.

“Oh!” Another bump against your shoulder from the strawberry blonde, harsher this time and you fall against a brick wall. Er- that’s what it feels like.

Your hands immediately lift to steady yourself against the firm stranger’s torso as your body straightens up. You’re so, so dizzy— and you’re certain that you’re drunk now because your speech is slurred.

The tequila.

“M’ so sorry I-”

Your mouth goes slack once you’re able to lift the soft curve of your chin from where it once stared at leather shoes.

It’s then that the scent of firewood and espresso all floats back— slamming against your senses like a crashing wave to shore. So suddenly. Looking down at you under the sparkling lights, in the sea of joyous people…

Dark eyes, tense jaw, long hair…

It’s him…

Mr. O’Hara…

🏷️’s: @reirain @needybitez @migueloharastruelove @laysmt @maomaimao @daisy-artfield @poutysprouty @chorizobeets @tabalittlelong @iitangerine | chap 8 song 🎧:

140 notes · View notes

insaincat · 3 months ago

Text

Scales, Feathers. Tails, Tethers. Please turn my Lights Off.

A BakuDeku DragonXSiren au fic. Mentions of mpreg, depression, and suicidal thoughts (it's there).

Chapter 1.

When I was little I found a tiny wounded bird smaller than the smallest chick I had ever seen. It was so small I was convinced, despite it's fluffy feathers, it was a bettle of some sort with a long head.

"Momma! Daddy! Look what I found!"

"Eh? What's that?"

"It's a weird bug!"

"That's not a bug, sweetheart. That's a fletching hummingbird."

"Huh?"

My father explained they were the smallest birds to exist and one of the fastest. Despite that, though, it looked like it wouldn't ever fly. It's wings were broken.

"Why don't we take care of it?"

"Can we?! It looks like it'll die from being looked at!"

The fletching shivered, terrified of the great beings that held it in a palm, despite the fact we were currently traveling through the mountains disguised as humans on our way back home.

"It might, but it wouldn't hurt to try. This little guy looks like he wants to fight for life."

I blinked at him, then at the feathered mess in my small hands that had perfectly cupped the small thing.

"It can't fight for shit."

Because how could it? It would die no sooner than the morning would come. My father just laughed and shook his head.

"One day you'll understand, Katsuki. Why don't we show your mother and we can take care of it together?

"Show me what?"

My mother approached from behind carrying a giant stag. She looked at my chubby human child hands and her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?"

"Uhh.. nothing. Just sorta reminds me of a friend I had before I met you."

"You had friends?"

"You little-"

"Yes, your mother has friends."

My father had laughed but there was a strain in his voice and my mother had a far away look in her eyes. I didn't know what she was thinking about until later.

My father and mother let me carry the fledgling bird back to our camp for the night. They both knew an odd amount about hummingbirds, but I didn't question it as my mother was one of the eldest in our kindom. Everyone but father and I called her 'Elder'. I just called her 'Hag'. That would come to haunt me with my own children.

The next morning I was surprised to see the fledgeling hopping around in the make-shift nest we made the night before, twittling something not quite pretty but not quite ugly. It was alive and better than before. My parents said they were surprised it made it through the night, but I knew they just used magic to make it better. Probably because my last pet died terribly and they felt bad. So I took it the rest of the way home and kept it fed and happy. By the time we arrived back to our home, it's wings were miraculously healed and it was able to flutter around, it's wings becoming too fast for eyes to see but a blur. It would flit by my head and chirp happily before resting on my head.

When I took to my regular size, it seized up for a moment like it had a small heart attack before shaking it off and zipping up to rest on my head. Like it wasn't scared when it realized i was still me. Like I wasn't a great beast. But then again, with how small it was, I probably had seemed that way when I first found it. I had given it a name and told it mine, but it would only make a chirp that sounded like the first part of my name. It was close enough and impressive for a creature like it was. My parents were impressed.

As months passed the fledgling's feathers gained more color going from black with flecks of green to green with blue down the neck with a sheen of purple, black still staying at the tips of it's wings. I found that it's long break was for drinking nector in flowers and it's small size aided it in flying faster than most of its predators, not that any dared to approach with me near. By the end of summer it was still the same size but it's feathers were a bit more shiney and refined, it flew faster than I could keep up. I thought this little thing was quite amazing. Probably one of the best birds to exist. It was my pride and my friend. My parents were growing worried though. They said it may be stunted because of how we found it as the bird was still in it's fledgling state, though it did seem to have aged a bit. According to them, it's feathers were still to puffy and new, it's beak not the same sharpness as a trained adult's. It's colors not as bright. But these things happen in nature, they said. Some animals are born stunted. Some are injured and remain that way. Still, they were glad I had a friend that kept me happy and busy.

Mother still had that far away look in her eyes.

One day a humming bird that looked the spitting image of mine arrived on a branch when we were playing. I knew what my parents were talking about when they said mine was stunted. This bird looked older, in an odd way. It's body seemed more firm with shiney feathers that glittered like our best and most prized gems in the sun. It was slicker and beak sharper and had a look in its eye that made it seem just as wise as my mother, if not more so. It was jarring to see the spitting image of my bird but older, as if time had turned and folded, spitting out my bird from forward in time. Something about this bird made me feel uneasy. But then my little bird zipped straight to this new one and began nuzzling under them. That's when I realized this bird was my birds mother. After all, I did the same at times.

I didn't see them again.

Years later, too many to care about, I grew up. I was the pride of my people and would one day take over my mother's position who held the title of Queen. The elder position was still ways off, but rulling was closer than ever. I had spent my entire life getting stronger and being the best, the top, the future king. And I would be the best any had ever seen. I would rule my people with strong claws and unparalleled strength. I would need no one but myself. And I would keep it that way, even going as far as denying any attempts at match making. At least I did until I was knocked out for a split second by the strongest magic I had ever felt beside my mother's.

A human stood before me, green and black hair, dark tan freckled skin, holding a large staff that humanoids often used to channel magic pointed straight at me, panting from overexerting himself. The magic he had used wasn't possible. Not for any humanoid. Sure, with enough training long lived species of any nature could eventually defeat a dragon, but not a dragon to be king. This... This was impossible, and everyone knew it. The crowd that had just been cheering for me to eat this human was now screaming in anger. I wanted to scream in anger too. I was the one beat by an ant! Not them!

I had only become human and limited my power to fight this human one on one on equal terf. I'm not one to disrespect any who wish to better themselves and test their strength, and I wasn't petty enough like the others to humiliate them, ant or no. But this wasnt supposed to happen. It was just letting him go all out and getting the chance to prove himself to the other races! He wasnt supposed to actually beat me! I was furious, but my body was still numb. My father flew down to me, human now, to check on me. He was always much to kind. Besides, I was fine in the end. Just heavily jarred and a bit concussed. I eyed my mother who watched unmoving from the arena's throne. She wasn't looking at me, instead her gaze was focused on the human with that look I hadn't seen since I was a child holding my fledgling friend in my palm. The crowd of our kin screamed for a rematch, for the victors head. But they were all losers, always had been. They couldn't accept defeat from something other than another dragon. Even if it was a god.

My mother blinked and raised her giant wings that eclipsed the sun behind her.

"This human child is the winner!"

She had called and I felt my heart go into my stomach. I looked at the winner who was grinning at my mother, his teeth a bit too white for my taste. My mother dipped off her throne and as she descended she took on a human form like me and my father before landing. I felt like I was going to vomit with what was about to happen. This made me hate the human with every inch of my existence.

"Your majesty"

The human was paying respects to my mother. But then my mother opened her mouth and said something unexpected. "How's your mother? She's... She's alive.... Right?"

The human's eyes grew impossibly wider as he gapped like a carp.

"I... Uh.. yes. I talked to her the other day."

"Good. I'm glad she's alright."

Mother looked relieved for some odd reason.

"Yeah. Um.. about the prize. I don't really need it. You can give it to the runner up, I guess?" He looked back to me but didn't seem startled at the glare of boiling hate I was sending at him while mentally wishing for his immediate death.

"Unfortunately, that's not possible. There will be a betrothal ceremony in 5 days. If you're not there, you forfeit your life." Despite the threat, my mother didn't seem at all concerned, as if she knew this man would attend no matter what.

The man blushed and gapped again and I wanted to beat him to the ground so bad.

"Betrothal?!?" He looked to me and then back to my mother. "Is that why my mother told me not to fight? I thought this was just a tournament!"

"It is, to most species. But only because no one had ever expected a non-dragon to beat my son, the heir to our kingdom. It's never happened before. Yet here we are." She looked to me, her aura more of a queen and an elder than a mother. "Pick yourself up, Katsuki, and introduce yourself to your betrothed."

And then my parents left us alone.

The man called himself Izuku, a powerful mage. I could feel it now that we werent surrounded by dragons and other various species that this Izuku wasnt human now, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He also felt familiar. This marriage that I had fought so hard against and even made a deal with my mother that if I beat every contestant, I wouldnt have to marry for a much longer time, was now well out of my class. I was marrying a stranger that was somehow stronger than me.

"I finally caught up." I had heard him whisper between pants right after he had knocked me on my ass earlier and the thought that beating me, though a bit aspiring later in life, pissed me off more than anything I had ever experienced. Even more than my tiny friend leaving me to be with it's family. Because how dare this short lived mortal be so familure with me! This creature that would die before i would have a chance to rule was not only stronger than me, but now my mate that would be recorded and laughed at for the rest of this world's history. That something so insignificant could be made significant with just some hard work alone. The ant that became God.

Izuku apologied relentlessly and I near bashed his head in for it. There was nothing that could be done. I was tied down by an insignificant nothing and I couldn't do anything about it. I swore, as soon as I became King I would get rid of this ridiculous tradition. The night of our engagement came. In 100 years we would be, as humans say, wed. Id have to teach this ant to act like a dragon somehow. Even if it was a long lived humanoid, it was still not worth it in the eyes of my race's span. Id basically be teaching him how to walk, only for him to get it on his death bed.

As human custom from somewhere, my mother had us use neck bands to signify our relationship. We could take them off after the ceremony but Izuku kept glancing away from my glare with a reddening face and I ended up crushing my collar despite doing my best to hold back. I kept glaring at him. With any luck he'd get the hint and off himself tonight. It's the least he could do for this shit he pulled. Then the ceremony ended and no one seemed very happy but my father and mother who would every now and then give each other soft smiles.

"Your highness." Izuku had bowed to my mother in a more private setting. "While I'm honored to be betrothed to your son, I wish for a favor."

My mother had turned to him and motioned him to continue.

"To be honest, I only ment to stay for the competition. I'm... Not quite strong enough yet." Her eyes widened and I thought it was bullshit. He wanted to get stronger??? Had I not been still red-faced mad id have respected the asshole. "Please give me more time before I marry your son!"

"Your strong enough as is."

"But he'll get stronger! I want to stand by him, as an equal."

My mother studied him for a moment, understanding that left me confused blossoming in her eyes. She smiled brightly. "I'll give you 200 more. Katsuki could use the time anyway." I gaped and Izuku bowed again.

"Thank you! I promise I'll return!!"

He left before morning and I didn't see him again. Not for 400 years.

My mother, despite having said 300 and not 400 gave him time anyway. She said it was payment for connecting her with her dear friend again. I'd never seen her so happy in my life as I did when she received a letter from a woman named Inko. She looked brighter than I ever thought was possible and our people thrived more than before.

Only months before my correnation I thought my mother had finally sent someone to kill that lying long lived asshole when he appeared again. He stood taller than before with darker skin and dark hair tipped at the ends with purple and blue feathers. His aura had only grown more pronounced and though 400 years had passed, he only looked like a young adult but with the eyes of a man who had seen all of the world and experienced all it's wonders. I felt a bit jealous of that. Still, this man had broken a promise so I challenged him. Should he beat me, things would continue as they would have 400 years ago. But if I beat him, he'd die.

That man... That man was as powerful as my mother now, possibly even more so. I had grown near her level through the years and in a short 20 thousand years, I could become an elder just like her. If things went well it would happen much sooner. Despite the amount of times I swore I had bested him, hed just get up and pull out something new. What made my mother call it was when I was so tightly wrapped by something so utterly impossible and ridiculous that I could hardly budge without suffocating myself or having sharp small teeth inpale my jugular. I was livid with my failure but more accepting with my own short comings now.

This human... Thing... It had proved itself worthy to be the mate of a king dragon. No one would question it now.

And just as I started to try to guess what this creature really was, it said something that gave me pause.

"You've really grown a lot, Kacchan!"

Kacchan was the sound the little bird made all those years ago. It's what it called me when it tried to say Katsuki.

"What did you call me?"

"Kacchan?"

"How the FUCK do you know that?!" I stalked closer to him, growling and letting my scales crawl up my limbs and onto my back and stomach.

"Well I had a hard time calling you Katsuki and you seemed to like it." I did like it, but only when my bird did it. My bird that was very much dead because it had been so long ago. He then had the gal to look very panicked. "You remember, right Kacchan!? We promised we'd always be friends! That we'd fight together, even if I was smaller! We'd have each other's backs!"

I had said that. To a bird. One long gone by now.

Izuku's eyes were big and glossy, tears pricking at the edges before falling down on star kissed cheeks. "I know it's been a long time, but I'd always intended to keep it!" The grown ass man sniffled patheticly, and had I known any better, Id say it hurt a bit to watch him look at me with eyes that big and a wobbly lip, like I had broken his small heart. Quickly that sniffle turned into a hiccup and then a sob and the next thing I knew he was on the floor crying something so hauntingly beautiful it took every fiber of my soul and magic to keep myself from going to him and whispering sweet nothings into his feathered hair. It felt like every sound that came out of his pretty lips made my heart hurt with him. I wanted nothing more than to comfort my soon to be mate. But I was a dragon, and that came with so much stubborness that it managed to ground me in place and breath shakey breathes.

Something deep in my mind clicked. The beauty that I just now seemed to be seeing, the song between his lips that filled the air with thick turbulant Magic that was only kept away thanks to the strong enchantments around us, and the the big green eyes that spoke of wonders of the world. I was sure now. This was no human or long lived species. It was like me. Like us. A creature just as old and powerful. A creature that was once considered Gods themselves before they were hunted out of fear by humans and those like them. Creatures that lived in air, land, and sea.

A siren.

I had heard about them from my mother when i was a child, shortly after my little Deku had left me. They were a species that came into existence along with dragons and were even considered rivals. But unlike dragons, Sirens were cursed gods. They were born with only so much magic that started to leak out of them as soon as they were concived, making them, much like dragons, slow to reproduce as most didn't make it out of the egg. They held a great affinity, though, for all magic types and could hold a great mass of it. But because of the leakage, they had to source their magic from other creatures less they wish to die. Because of this, their life expectancy is tied directly to the magic they hold. What would look like an old woman could easily become young and beautiful as long as she ate something with potent magic. And because they leaked magic they were made to use it better than all. Magic that would come out of their pours would instead wrap around their vocal cords, their sounds becoming words, thoughts, meaning and turning it into power. Only dragons could match their innate magic.

That was the only way any of this was possible. And if he really was the little bird from then...

"De-ku...?"

The name felt like ash on my tongue but the man immediately stopped his enchanting wail. He blinked up and me and then smiled, eyes softening at me. "You remember!"

I ended up marrying that siren, which I did get to confirm by both him, my parents, and his mother who had been that older humming bird who had taken him away from me so long ago, was in fact my Deku. I still hated him for a bit after that, but I was crowned and busy taking over what my mother had given me. Izuku, impressively, helped quite a bit. The younger dragons quickly eased up to him and found his strength worthy of their king, though the older ones did not. I quickly found myself not hating this siren for much longer. He was strong and kind and beautiful. Not that he wasn't handsome when he was human, but he fit my taste better as a siren than his human disguise. His feathers had slimmed down and become like a polished sparkling gems in the moonlight. Beautiful in every angle. I wasnt able to keep myself from him long.

Within just 20 years we became mates in more than official means. He was my heart and I adored him. Through the years we would go out and enjoy a small few years as other creatures, both for diplomatic reasons, and as a general break. We had children too. Turns out when you mix two species who have an impossible time having children, you get extremely fertile eggs. My parents beamed at that as this meant a better future generation.

Decades passed then the time of man arrived and all things that werent human were hunted to extinction. I had to hide my people and others. I could have wipped the humans out and let dragons reign again, but my husband told me it was the way of nature. It would balance out in time. He had always been better at future sight than I. Plagues passed over the humans and reduced their numbers but they'd just spring back up faster than weeds. Soon enough wars became bigger, humans found and fought over new land, trade, spices, people. Art covered history, history only fairy tales and my people and others were forced to become one with them. We saw the rise and fall of kingdoms and the eradication of people's only different by some miles and an accent. New technology was made and evolved. Wars now reached over waters and to different continents. Legends and stories were adapted and changed. Things developed faster.

My husband was hypnotized by the human's new technology and aided in their research. We had both come to know all there was to know on magic, and though he still loved and studied it, with the rise of human technology and magic all but disappearing, he found new passion with the technology and sciences. I didn't find it too interesting, but it was far from boring at least. Despite this new found interest I felt that we were suddenly growing apart. After all these thousands of years together, somehow, it was this that drew him away from me?

No. I know the reason why it happened. I just was too ashamed to admit it until it was too late.

I left him when he needed me most.

He disappeared again, without a word. The last I saw him he was begging for my help, use my magic that had grown with me as I became an Elder and had only grown stronger since to save a child. But I refused as that would mean giving humans the one thing they should never have.

I didn't see him again.

At least I didn't think I would. Not after I left him sobbing like that on the floor of our empty home.

But there he was. Younger now, in human form. Nearly brown skin with freckles. Black hair that illuminated a deep green where the light touched with a few spare purple feathers he didn't bother to hide. Unnaturally Green wide eyes. In a uniform of grey and blue, talking to a young human with bobbed brown hair and eyes with flushed cheeks who wore the same blazer as him but sported a skirt instead of pants.

His eyes scanned over her and around the room of students before catching mine and smiling bright. Stretched. Strained. Fake. It made me angry. It made the pit in my stomach that had formed since I last saw him grow. It had been 300 years since I saw him last but it felt longer than that. It felt impossibley long. I wanted to hold him.

His eyes refocused on the human girl and I wanted to kill her. To snap her neck and swallow her whole. To bellow flames at her until her charred body became ashes and that became smoke. I wanted my husband's focus on me. Even if it hurt. I didn't want anyone else near him. But I swallowed the burning need to take my mate back and hide away with him. As far as I could tell, we were indefinitely seperated.

It wasn't the first time we seperated, but those had lasted only a hand full of years and we'd always come back to each other. This felt perminate. Like what I had done 300 years ago killed what ever love he had for me, which is in itself amazing as that man had never seemed to truly hate anything ever. But now he hated me. Theres no other way to describe the empty eyes that had met mine for that brief moment.

I loved his eyes.

They were so bright and full of wonder.

It made me angrier.

______

Kacchan.

My Kacchan.

So beautiful and full of power.

I revered him from a young age. I adored him even younger. I had the blessing to love him. And I fucked it up.

I killed something that should never be killed. It ruined me.

I should have listened. I should have stayed and tried other ways, despite the fact there were none. I should have never trusted them. He was right. He was always right.

And it ruined me.

I couldn't face him. I-... I couldnt! Being away from him was killing me but knowing he hated me was even worse.

I slept for awhile, hoping the pain would fade. What I awoke to made me hate myself even more, but what could I do? This was my penance. To live with that I had done, what I had made the world into. My kind didn't deserve what had happened to them. Maybe if at least I had fought for them, they would have found equal footing among humans! But now they were just hiding among them, miserable and forgotten.

I had promised to protect them, didn't I?

I remember this while watching a man with power he should not have emerging from a pile of flaming rouble with injured people in his arms.

The man, blonde, tall, rippling with muscle and a smile larger than life shouted from atop a crumpled buss, "I AM HERE!!"

I should ask for forgiveness from those I failed.

Maybe becoming a hero like this man was a good step in the direction.

Maybe I could face Katsuki again.

Notes: :))))))) geeze I love angst. And hinted past mpreg. I'll be posting fics here again, or at least the wips of them. It's fun.

But yea, non edited cuz phone editing is kinda ass and my eyes r blurry. When I post part 2, it'll be longer. Not sure if I'll continue with pov or just only have it for this chapter.

Lemme know what u think!!

13 notes · View notes

linkspooky · 2 years ago

Note

Hi! I saw your tags about Tara in Teen Titans comics--I'm only familiar with the cartoon series. How do your feelings about Tara compare in the show vs. the comics? I ask since I noticed you mentioned that Tara never really cared about BB, which I think is obviously changed in the show, and I wonder how you feel about that.

They're both good? They're both good! I think one thing people forget about comic book characters vs. adaptations of comic book characters, is that comic books were always intended to be a collaborative medium that builds on itself through the work of multiple authors and interpretations. Thus, you can have multiple versions of the same character who have the same core but don't really have to be exactly the same. This is why it is kind of silly when people get upset animated adaptations make changes from the original source material because that's kind of the point, in a collaborative medium, you're going to get another author's take on the same character.

Since you asked I can give you an analysis on the core ideas of Teen Cartoon Terra vs. Comics Terra, and also her relationship with Beast Boy in both versions.

1. GWEN STACY

So, I once talked about how Terra was always intended by her creators to die, but that's not necessarily offensive or fridging her character because Terra's still a character with a lot of narrative agency. Terra is the main character of her story, it's just her story happens to be a tragedy. That is true for both versions.

Before the start of the story her fate is sealed. This is what you call doomed by the narrative. George Wolfram and Glen Murakami have both given interviews explaining as such. Albeit, for different reasons.

Comics Terra was essentially made to deconstruct a lot of comic book tropes. I lovingly call her "Asshole Kitty Pryde." From conception she was going to be the spunky new kid with mutant powers who joined the titans at fifteen and immediately became friends with everyone... except she was evil all along.

George’s strength was he also understood the characters 100 percent as I did so there was never any question. He knew. We had talked enough about the characters to know we were exactly on the same page with them. So I said, “Everyone keeps complaining that we’re like the X-Men” and the X-Men had just gotten Kitty Pryde. I said, “Why don’t we really screw around with them completely?” — this is the fans — “…and make them think we’re stealing Kitty Pryde only she’s gonna be bad from Day One.”

Of course this is where authorial intent differs from like, what actually ended up happening in the story. Worlfram's intent was to always make Terra have no reason for her actions, the tragic backstory she feeds the teen titans is kind of embellished and made up, she decided to become a mercenary all on her own, she wants to work with Slade and is even trying to seduce him. However, Terra still comes off as horribly tragic despite their intentions and other authors have since then picked up on their subtext.

Like, I genuienly think the intention was to just write her as pure evil, but instead what they got was writing her as a bad victim. That is, the kind of victim that presents incredibly unsavory and unlikable reactions to their abuse instead of either being kinder than their abusers, remaining pure and chaste like Cinderella or just waiting to be saved. Terra's not a passive victim nor is she waiting for sympathy, she hurts people the way she has been hurt, she maipulates the way she has been manipulated. Terra's been beaten down and now her goal is to come out on top. I believe the reason why she came out this way has a lot to do with Perez and Wolfram sticking to their guns and never giving her a redemption arc.

The very first time we see her, she’s trying to blow up the Statue of Liberty. It’s just that all the fans assumed because we went out of our way to make her cute — but not too cute, with the buck teeth and everything — everyone would assume that she was gonna become good by the end and that was never the case.

First thing, we made a promise that day that we would never renege on our view that she’d never become good. It’s sometimes hard to do that with characters you like. You want them to become good or something like that. But we never liked the character enough—because we knew what we were doing with her—we never allowed ourselves to fall for the character. Because that’s bad. That’s bad storytelling. You’re doing what you want as a fan at that particular point, not as the creators. The fans had to accept what we were doing and not do the same stories that they had read 14,000 times before. You know, at Marvel, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were villains who became good guys and I could go through a whole list of ��em.

Their commitment to the bit meant that Terra’s story became what was essentially Greek tragedy at that point. Terra was always fall and because of that, Wolfram and Perez dedicate a lot of time in the story showing the audience exactly what all of her flaws are and why those flaws are the reason for that fall. They committed to their creative decisions when writing this character, which is why Terra ends up being such a strong character, especially for the time. Of course there were female villains, but they weren’t really allowed to be complex victims to the degree that Terra is, have her entire range of negative traits, have her flaws fully on display and then still have it be a tragic ending when she does not get saved.

Gwen Stacy was always going to die, and Terra was never going to be redeemed. I do not believe either of those cases are fridging because sometimes characters die in fiction, and sometimes they contribute more ot the story dead than they do alive. Terra’s the first real loss for the Teen Titans, it also came on the cusp of a time in DC where teenage superheroes and sidekicks started to die (Cough, Cough, Jason Todd). Under the Red Hood and Judas Contract are such effective and lasting comic book storylines because they are such tightly written tragedies yes... both of them depict a bad victim who does not get saved (even though that is the whole point of both arcs).

Terra is in fact, probably more comparable to Under the Red Hood Jason than she is Gwen Stacy because she is number one a teenager with problems who probably should not have been made a superhero in the first place, and two a trauma victim who copes by manipulation and violence to try to reclaim control of their lives. But, to bring the Gwen Stacy comparison back. Gwen Stacy was always going to die, Terra was always going to die, but unlike Gwen Stacy Terra is not anyone’s love interest she is the protagonist. Peter Parker fails to save Gwen because the Green Goblin attacked her, she was killed to hurt Peter Parker. Terra pulls the arena down on herself and buries herself alive in Samson and Delilah-esque fashion at the end of her own personal tragic arc.

To get to the real differences between the two characters though, characterization wise, I think both versions start with the same central concept, this is a troubled teenager who should never have been made a hero.

Terra is a deeply troubled teen, however the way she copes in both versions are wildly different, almost opposite. I like to say cartoon Terra has like, at any moment five different personalities, while comics Terra has no personality.

2. Runaway Girl

To elaborate on this, cartoon Terra’s entire character revolves around how unstable her sense of self is, due to never having any stability in her life. The cartoon is actually very purposeful in showing in both imagery and metaphor Terra’s splintered sense of self. The first few lines of dialogue introducing her are this.

“She’s not in trouble, she was leading it into a trap.” “Question is, who is she?” Slade: “Don’t get too attached my young friend, I saw her first.”

Said by the Titans and then Slade. Even in the first lines introducing her, not only is the question of who she is asked, but Slade immediately tries to claim her from the titans. Later on in the show, the way Terra acts around the Teen Titans as a group, the way Terra acts when she is with Slade, the way Terra acts when alone with Beast Boy, the way Terra acts when alone with Raven are all wildly different versions of herself, to the point where it’s hard to believe she’s the same girl sometimes.

This is even apparent in the first episode before Slade even gets to her. Terra insists that she enjoys sleeping outside, she enjoys running from place to place, she doesn’t really want a place to stay for the night, she’s presenting herself as some sort of self-reliant and worldly traveler instead of what she really is, a homeless runaway kid. Terra is attempting to appear calm, cool, and responsible and she is absolutely none of these things, and she’s pretty transparent about it too. She cool girls herself so people will like her. The second she is alone in Beast Boy and loses control of her powers for 30 seconds, she immediately crashes, starts berating herself and her self esteem sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

Trust, is something constantly brought up again and again with Terra’s character though I would say Terra despite literally being the main character of an arc called the Judas Contract, despite betrayal being the one thing she is known for... always sees herself as getting betrayed first. Which is why she overreacts to the perception that Beast Boy broke a promise to keep her powers safe in the first episode. Terra doesn’t trust people at all. Though, to trust people and form healthy relationships with them, you actually have to be a fully developed and well-rounded person which Terra is not. Terra is basically a foster kid who has been through several families before this, waiting for her current one to dump her. She has interanlized the idea that there is something wrong with her that makes this rejection happen, but she doesn’t know how to fix it, or how to be better the kind of person that can have those healthy friendships so she dedicates herself into hiding those flaws instead.

Terra: You don’t belong with the Titans. Terra: You don’t know anything about you. Slade: On the contrary Terra, I know everything about you. I’ve been watching you for some time. I know why you’re always running away. I know your secret, little girl.

This is also why she runs from the Titans to Slade. It’s a question I see commonly asked about cartoon Terra, if she’s meant to be more sympathetic than comic books Terra why does she willingly go to Slade instead of staying with the Titans? Which is a silly question, because you might as well be asking why do grooming victims get groomed? Why don’t they just know that groomers are bad people?

Teenagers are not grownups. Especially not Terra, a bastard child rejected by her parents who has been on the run for however many years. Terra is a teenager and a severely underdeveloped teenager at that, and she has learned to survive on the streets yes, but that’s not really the same as learning to be a functional person, who can have healthy relationships with people, and control their emotions. Children actually require parents to nurture and teach them and raise them up to be more functional adults, and they also require the stability adults in their lives provide them.

Terra goes to Slade because he is an adult who is promising to be there for her, and give her control and stability which are things adults in her life have failed to give her. She can’t trust the Titans to give her these things because they are children one as Slade needles her into believing they cannot understand or help her, and two the way Terra has lived her life up to this point a transactional relationship with Slade makes more sense to her head than the found family the Teen Titans have based on love and trust because Terra is a stranger to both of those concepts.

Terra is also someone who has little control over her life in general, which is why cartoon Terra is so passive in comparison to comic book Terra. In the episode Betrayal itself, Terra keeps her foot in the door about the actual betrayal the whole way, and seems to change her mind on what she wants several time. Because Terra has five different personalities. Ginger Terra, Sporty Terra, Posh Terra, Scary Terra, and Baby Terra. Terra doesn't have a cohesive sense of self so she's entirely reactive, she just does what she thinks will keep her safe in the moment. Terra wants safety and control of her powers so she goes to Slade. Terra feels guilty about what she does for the Titans so she tries to run away from Slade for the moment. Beast Boy asks her out on a date, but because Terra's betraying the Titans that night Terra says no. Five minutes later, Terra says yes. She is constantly changing her mind and contradicting herself like this.

Which is where we get to the greatest contradiction this episode, Terra betrays the titans and clearly feels guilty about it,b ut instead of say telling the Titans what she did or coming clean she just runs away. Which is where we get to the extremely subtle imagery of Terra in a house of mirrors.

Terra can't face her reflection over and over again, because she can't face herself, because she has no sense of self. She doesn't know why she does these things, but she's done them now, and she's stuck with those choices.

Terra: Beast Boy, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. Beast Boy: Then why did you let it? Terra: I don't know okay, I don't know. Slade he helped me. He saved me from myself. He said I owed him. Beast Boy: So, it was all just a game. You were just pretending. Terra: No. You said you'd be my friend no matter what, remember?

This is also Terra's most honest display of remorse, and the exact moment Terra gets rejected, crying and begging for forgiveness for what she's done and after that is the point where she goes full villain. Terra goes from baby Terra, to Scary Terra. A lot of who cartoon Terra is born from fear of moments like this where she is rejected. Terra was the one who tricked Beast Boy and Beast Boy is rightfully upset of course, but in Terra's mind only able to see her own hurt feelings Beast Boy is the one who broke the promise to her. Terra internalizes the fact she cannot be forgiven at that point and seeing no other recourse goes full villain and insists she feels no guilt, she wanted to destroy the titans to begin with, it was all a lie. The complete inversion of how she acted in the betrayal episode. Terra is manipulative, spiteful, hungry for power and yes she's capable of being all of those things but one important thing is.

The second, the second Slade starts mistreating her and beating her Terra immediately wants out. It turns out it's not power or control Terra wanted at all with Slade, but the idea of safety he provided her. The moment it becomes unsafe for her she tries to leave again, because Terra is a child desperately seeking safety in a world that feels unsafe for her, and she'll find it by crushing people she perceives to be a threat if she has to.

That is Terra in a nutshell, she doesn't feel safe anywhere, or with anybody. She has no stable foundation. She is the human embodiment of the tower card in Tarot. No matter how hard she tries to trust others and trust in return, because those are basic human urges we all have, she ends up falling down. It's interesting for a character who is so famous for betrayal, how much of her arc shows she clearly wants to be accepted and trusted by others, and gets hurt at the idea of their rejection. Even the day she literally betrayed Beast Boy before taking him out on a date she asks him this.

Terra: Do you trust me? Beast Boy: More than anyone I've ever met.

I would say Terra's inability to trust doesn't come from the fact she's a bad person or a bad victim, but because she doesn't have the tools to form healthy relationships because of how seriously neglected a child she is. A part of the tragedy of Terra is because Terra cannot save herself, because she is a child. Just like how the Titans have such difficulty saving her, because they are children too and they're not really emotionally prepared to save a person as morally grey and as in need as Terra, and the only adult in the situation is Slade who is there to take advantage.

Transitioning too. Comics Terra, while cartoon Terra has too much personality, Comics Terra has too little. She was written to be a sociopath, and that's not really my term that's how the writers describe her though I can dig up evidence she shows clear signs of being capable of having attachment to people. I'd say rather than a sociopath she's more written as an enigma. Terra's motives are spurious, her actions are inconsistent, she seems to be driven by spite. She is an incredibly angry kid with a chip on her shoulder who seems to be capable of anything.

Cartoon Terra is trying to play along with other peopel's expectations to her, while comics Terra rejects everyone's expectations. She loathes cute teenage girl superheroes. She finds dressing up in costumes and fighting crime to be ridiculous in the first place. Though, I would say despite saying she clearly hates the titans, literally the next panel she displays some affection for Kid Flash.

Comics Terra isn't completely unfeeling, she's capable of forming connections to people, she has a fondness for Geo-Force her brother, Kid Flash, and sort of for Beast Boy she just never fully forms relationships with them.

Terra's not really even maintaining much of a cover with the Titans, because both with Slade and the Titans she is a rude, belligerent raunchy kid who is trying to constantly get into other people's faces. Terra is all of those things, she just when she is alone with Slade also pretends she is an adult, in an adult relationship with him. (Cough, cough, grooming victim. A victim of sexual grooming in this sense too).

Terra's written to be a sociopath yeah, or at least her writers tried too but I'd say she's more a character who the audience has little to no idea what is going on in her head. A lot of her is left ambiguous. Considering her backstory though, the rejected bastard of a king, someone who is working as a mercenary at fifteen, she clearly has not had a good life. Just like cartoon Terra she is lacking a sense of self.

However, instead of eschewing her agency, Terra takes her agency from other people. Cartoon Terra is good at manipulating when she wants to be, but Comics Terra sees the world in terms of every relatonship is transactional and based on manipulation, the world is winners and losers, the world is about who is on top and who is on the bottom. Terra lacks no real goal, or purpose, no friend, no home no loved ones she really only wants to crawl up on top of others if she has to.

Which is exactly why she gets into a relationship with Slade. Comics Terra seems to think her and Slade are equals, and that she is manipulating and using him as much as he is using her. The tragedy in this case arises from the fact that you know, Terra is a fifteen year old girl and Slade is three times her age.

There's an entire chapter where we follow around Terra montiofring people with contacts, and she's going about the titans daily lives just, telling Slade how much she hates them the whole time, but then she stops to ask Garfield why he's constantly being rude to other people and seems genuinely interested in listening to him talk about his feelings.

Terra's only out for herself, she is out to define herself and not let anyone else tell her who she is and who she should be. Terra's selfishness makes sense though considering the situation she is, she's either made to feel nothing like how she was with her family, or she is being sexually groomed by a guy three times her age. Her response to that, her extreme self interest and only caring about her own survival really is her way of fighting back against a world that she sees as trying to wear her down.

And that's a key part of her character Terra is a grooming victim who is also a bad victim. She's being groomed and her way of reclaiming her agency is to insist she wants sex, she wants to hurt people, that actually she's the one manipulating Slade. It's all Terra trying to assert control in a situation where she has none. I don't know if you know this, but a fifteen year old can't manipulate a guy in his fifties who has been doing this for years. Terra also, projects a lot of her hate for her situation and her lot at life at the Titans.

They did not do anything wrong to her, but at the same time she's pretty cosntantly unhappy with them, she complains none of them like her, she complains about their lack of trust, I believe that's less Terra trying to infiltrate them and more Terra herself either believing she cannot fit in anyhwere or as a person who only believes in transactional relationships and manipulation just not understanding how family works.

Terra also acts like dangerously unstable at all times, there's a point in the comics where Beast Boy gets way too aggressive with his flriting, that he full on triggers what resembles a PTSD response in her and she tries to bury him alive.

At times like this when Terra is made to feel she's either not the one with the power here, or being looked down upon she asserts herself with violence to desperately try to regain control. It is not healthy by any means, but it is still the behavior of someone who is coping incredibly poorly. Terra relies on fear and control to make herself feel safe at times like this, because she's not been shown love early on in her life and by this point she genuinely does not understand it. And also I cannot emphasize this enough as a victim of sexual grooming, Terra is pretty much not ever safe, or in a situation where she has bodily agency or control.

Terra in the cartoon dies in a heroic sacrifice, whereas Terra in the comics dies because she loses control of her power and essentially suicides. If anything the tragedy here is that Terra is someone who never learned to be a girl properly, nor was she appreciated as a human being and because of that she formed her entire sense of self around her powers. She is a child, and never having been allowed to be one, and not knowing how to live in this world, form relationships with people, trust and be trusted she dies as a child. Terra once again has nothing solid to build herself on, and because of that the tower falls down.

3. Terra and Beast Boy

In the cartoon Terra and Beast Boy are clearly meant to be in a relatoinship, in the comics Terra claims to have hated him all along, but arguably she could have been fond of him.

In both versions the relationship is entirely wrong headed from the start. A lot of it has to do with Beast Boy's flaws as a character. I wrote on and on how immature of an individual Terra is, and Beast Boy as the youngest on the team shares many of those immature and selfish traits. IN the comic itself that seems to be the reason why Beast Boy and Terra are paired together, they are the closest in age, she is the new girl and the trope Terra is made to deconstruct is the cute comic book love interest.

Comic book Garfield is almost more immature than cartoon Garfield, and on top of that is a full blown male chauvinist. A lot of people do not like Wolfram/Perez Beast Boy, I kind of love him because he doesn't understand woman's boundaries and thinks he desperately needs to get into a relationship and makes them uncomfortable because he sees his flriting as harmless to them... you know like a teenage boy. Unlike most characters like this that appear in media, this quality of Beast Boy's is something that gets called out on all the time.

Terra and Beast Boy do have something in common in that they are both outsiders to the group, they are the youngest so no one takes them seriously, they are almost always stuck together, there's a scene where they're both getting tutored by a tutor Garfield's rich father hired and they're both such ADD kids no one wants to be there. She does have at least one genuine moment of connection like this one.

Their immaturity is what makes them the most similiar, but they go about the inferiority they feel towards other people in opposite ways, Terra sets out to try to prove that she is better than other people by asserting herself, while Beast Boy tries to bend over backwards to win their love.

Terra sympathizes with Beast Boy because they share the same root cause of the issue, but they cope in opposite ways and because of that she looks down on him as just another kid. Which is something Terra is desperately trying to prove she is not. Terra genuinely does go out of her way to kiss him which shows this conversation at least affected her, she has moments of being genuine around Beast Boy, but I think this and every version of Beast Boy is too immature to ever reach her. Because to return to the male chauvinist aspect of Beast Boy's character, not long after this scene he full on triggers Terra by coming on way too hard to her.

Beast Boy wants a girlfriend, to validate his feelings, to make him feel special when he feels like he is the only kid, and the one most often left behind in a group of adults. He tries to make Terra into his love interest and Terra does not want to play that role at all. There are moments where Terra is genuine with Beast Boy, and he might have been able to reach her, but Beast Boy is so obssessed with the image of Terra he has built in his head and the idea of having her he's never able to even come close to her.

Beast Boy cannot understand Terra with any sort of nuance whatsoever, because she's a woman who doesn't really want to play along with any image of her in his mind.

Their cartoon relationship is much less destructive, but really suffers from the same fundamental problem. Both the episode "Terra" and the episode "Betrayal" feature Beast Boy trying to make Terra a promise that he cannot keep. The first time he promises to keep her powers a secret, he actually keeps that one but the perception that he's betrayed her is what makes Terra run. The second time Beast Boy promises to accept her no matter what she does, only to reject her when she is openly weeping and apologizing at his feet out of remorse.

Like, if you wanted to save Terra. To convince her to turn back to the side of good there was never a time more ideal than that but Beast Boy spits in her face. Because while he's a hero he's also a fifteen year old boy feeling hurt and betrayed. This is Beast Boy's Orpheus turning back to look at Eurydice moment.

Beast Boy's attraction to Terra is sort of instant and a kiddie crush, but any relationship they might have had is broken by the time Terra runs away at the end of their first episode together. Afterwards Terra has already betrayed the Titans, and Beast Boy is clinging to the girl Terra appeared to be the first time they met.

Beast Boy doesn't really fully comprehend Terra, which is why the literal last episode of the series is Beast Boy stalking Terra all day long and insisting that he knows her best, and he knows certain things about her and acting confused when she tells him that she was never that way, she never liked sleeping outside, she wasn't the girl he thought she was.

I went to great length to show how Terra's emotional immaturity results in her constant flip-flopping and contradiction, but Beast Boy shows the exact same behavior. Beast Boy in the cartoon tries to play roles to Terra that he is not emotionally mature enough to play. While at the same time. The first is he tries to be the one protecting her, the one guaranteeing her stability. In the first episode he is the one who stays with Terra and calms her down after Slade triggers her into nearly causing an earthquake.

At the same time by the end of that episode he's unable to make Terra stay because she's so hurt at the idea he betrayed one secret. Beast Boy is also the same person who one episode ago told Terra that she didn't have any friends to her face when she was crying and apologizing and just left her there, and the very next episode gets angry when the titans say Terra is irredeemable. Beast Boy that was you. You said that, to her face.

Beast Boy: Terra, you're our friend. Terra: I don't have any friends, remember?

Beast Boy wants to act like a hero saving Terra, but he's not that great of a hero, nor is he emotionally mature enough to do that. Which is why we get this behavior of Beast Boy, first reaching out to save her, and then resorting to victim blaming when he feels like he can't save her. He jumps between I am Terra's best friend, I know she was there all along, to just Terra doesn't have any friends. Terra you wanted to do these things, it was your choice. There's no consistency in Beast Boy's actions, because Beast Boy doesn't really know what to do he is vulnerable and desperate, because a person who he cares about has hurt him, and is also hurting.

Beast Boy is once again trying to put Terra into a simple and easy to understand box. He is acting like the hero of the story, and she flips between his villain and his love interest when that's not the case. Terra's more focused on Terra herself, she cares about Beast Boy but she's also just trying to survive. Beast Boy is a little bit too focused on his relationship with Terra, and like the validation he wants to get from her that he can't look at Terra as a whole person, or realize from an outsider's perspective she's a kid in dire need of saving. Well he does at times, but like I said he flips between advocating for never giving up on her, and victim blaming her because Terra is not easy to understand and he cannot make up his mind.

Terra is the main character of her own story and Beast Boy doesn't know how to comprehend her that way, or set himself aside to look at things from Terra's perspective because he's fifteen and stuck inside his own head with all those adolescent feelings and hormones.

In both versions, I think Beast Boy mistakes what could have been a strong friendship for romance because he is obsessed with getting into a relationship without really understanding what that entails. Beast Boy not being a good boyfriend at fifteen is actually perfectly understandable, the whole tragedy of the Judas Contract in general is that just like Terra is too immature to save herself from her situation, the Titans also just being kids are too young to save her.

They also both try to jump into a relationship without building a solid friendship first, because they both need love and stability and have no idea how relationships are supposed to work. It's like they both fell in love with the people they were when they first met and the relationship never evolved. They are similar and there is a connection, but rather than the things they have in common bringing them together, it drives them apart.

#beast boy #tara markov #terra #teen titans #teen titans meta #tt meta #new teen titans #terra markov #terra teen titans #garfield logan #bbterra #beast boy x terra #judas contract #metasks

210 notes · View notes

undoing-anobrains · 1 year ago

Text

you bring me home - matty healy

part three

pairing: matty x f!oc

wc: 2.7K

summary- following her fiancé suddenly calling off their engagement caroline daniel finds herself moving in with her brother and his best friend who she had a huge crush on as a teenager just in time for a worldwide lockdown.

Disbelief gnawed away at Caroline as she processed the words on the screen in front of her. Her heart pounded as she read the message over and over again and her hands trembled with a mixture of anger, hurt, and disbelief. Part of her had wondered what motivated the shattering of her heart in such a prompt manner. At first she had naively believed that this breakup was hurting him just as much as it was her and that's why he all but ran away as soon as those words left his lips. That only lasted for a few minutes though as the shock of the situation completely blindsided Caroline, and then the anger kicked in.

Her entire world had been ripped apart at the seams. Like she was merely a decorative object on his mantle of accomplishments, ready to have the cloth ripped away from underneath her when he grew bored of her. Scorned and feeling even more discarded than she did that night Caroline was astounded by the sheer audacity by the man who had claimed to love her. Here he was asking for the ring back, a symbol of a love that had been so promising, now tainted by the bitter taste of betrayal. To top it all off, he had outright stated that he intended on giving it to another girl. Caroline's breath hitched as tears welled in her eyes. The pain was suffocating, clawing at her chest like a relentless beast. She had loved him with all her heart, given him the best of herself, only to be discarded like a broken doll.

That knowledge sent Caroline's mind into a spiral as she began recalling every encounter she'd had with him over the last few months, even year. Critically analysing her memories with the agonising question 'was there someone else all this time.' Of course she didn't know anything for certain and it wasn't likely that he'd ever admit that to her if confronted but it was hard not to jump to conclusions about all his late nights in work or the times where he showed up to important milestones in her career late and slightly dishevelled. As torturous as it was believing that the supposed love of her life just woke up one day and decided to discard her and burn down the life they were building together, it was even worse knowing it had likely all been planned.

She wondered what the other girl was like. As much as her mind was screaming for her to not go there and try draw comparisons and differences between them she couldn't help it. A pang of insecurity gripped her heart, and she chastised herself for allowing her thoughts to wander into that territory. But no matter how hard she tried to push the questions away, they persisted, like a haunting echo in her mind.

Was she everything Caroline wasn't? Younger? Prettier? Less argumentative? More accomplished? Caroline knew that comparisons were futile and toxic, but her mind couldn't help but create vivid images of this mysterious girl who had captured her ex-fiance's heart seemingly right from her. It wasn't long before all of her deeply buried insecurities rose to the surface. Feeling overshadowed constantly came with the territory of having a famous sibling and while George never stole the spotlight from her, she couldn't help still feeling like she was merely the supporting character in her own life. The only time she believed things could be different was when she met Chris. But he had somebody else now, someone to seamlessly fill the void left behind whereas she felt more like an open wound, still gushing blood no matter how many stiches attempted to piece her back together.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips as she clutched the phone tighter. How could he be so callous, asking for the ring back as if it were some mere trinket, as if their love meant nothing? She knew everything that had once been theirs was buried six feet under now even as memories of their once-shared dreams and promises flooded back, intertwining with the searing pain of his rejection but she wasn't quite ready to part with the ring yet. And she'd been hoping to sell it once she came to terms with everything because she figured some minor financial compensation was the least she deserved. Her mind was a tempest of thoughts, and she could feel her heart slowly ripping apart at the septum again. For the physically strongest muscle in the body, it was truly acting the opposite in that moment.

Her mind replayed the memories like a haunting melody - the laughter they shared, the dreams they crafted together, and the promises they vowed to keep. But now, those memories were tainted by the bitter knowledge that he had moved on so quickly, finding comfort and love in someone else's arms.

She felt like a broken puzzle, pieces scattered and lost, trying to find a way to mend her heart in the midst of the wreckage. Yet, in the depths of her despair, she knew she had to find the strength to pick herself up, to rise from the ashes and reclaim her own worth.

A part of her wanted to scream and lash out, to tell him how much he had hurt her and that the ring was the last thing she would willingly give back to him. But another part of her wanted to retreat, to disappear into the shadows, away from the cruel reality of his new happiness with someone else. She felt like a ghost, haunting the edges of his memory, a reminder of a love that had slipped through his fingers.

Her fingers hovered over the reply button, her mind a battlefield of conflicting emotions. She wanted to say so much, to let her rage and sorrow spill onto the screen, to make him feel a fraction of the pain she carried. But she hesitated, knowing that words could never bridge the chasm between them or erase the scars on her heart. Instead, she took a deep breath, the weight of her emotions threatening to crush her. With trembling hands, she typed a short reply, composed and distant, betraying nothing of the turmoil within. Then hastily deleted it.

Caroline couldn't bear the thought of giving him the satisfaction of a response. Ignoring the message felt like the only way to retain a semblance of control over her shattered emotions. She knew that responding would only open old wounds and give him the opportunity to play with her heart once again. With resolve in her heart, she got out of bed, determined to push the message aside and focus on healing. She made her way to the kitchen, seeking solace in the cool darkness of the night.

The moonlight seeped in through the kitchen window as she initially poured herself a glass of water debating whether or not to have something stronger. The cool liquid was soothing as she brought it up to her lips, calming the wildfire inside of her. She ended up perched on the counter with the glass in hand moments later as she figured she wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon. Not after that bombshell.

Caroline was completely zoned out as she sipped on the water absentmindedly. She was so fixated on the storm inside her mind that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching or Matty's first call of her name.

"Caroline," he repeated softly, leaning against the kitchen counter with a concerned expression. "I'm guessing you can't sleep either."

“God, Matty," Caroline cursed under her breath "you scared the life out of me."

"Not god I'm afraid," he said cheekily "although depends on who you're asking."

Momentarily distracted Caroline couldn't help smiling "you're insufferable."

"But I made you smile," Matty shrugged "and you seemed like you needed it...this is the part where you thank me."

Caroline rolled her eyes "I was quite enjoying the silence before you turned up running your fat gob though.."

Throwing his hand over his heart in classic overdramatic fashion Matty proclaimed "you wound me love, here I was the ever lovely and kind soul trying to help a friend in need, and then she says I've got a big gob? Shocking."

"Modest too," Caroline quipped "but am I wrong Healy? It's just fact at this point. You never shut up."

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with facts," he replied, feigning offense. "But you love it, Caro. Admit it. You wouldn't have me any other way."

Caroline chuckled, shaking her head. "You're right, I wouldn't," she admitted with a fond smile. "You may have a big gob, but you also have a big heart, and that's what matters most."

Matty's expression softened momentarily "Don't get all soft on me now...but you're not so bad yourself, you know. Despite my incessant chatter, you've always been there for us," he said earnestly. "I'm grateful to have you as a friend."

She didn't have the heart to correct him, or to remark that they could only recently be considered friends. All those years that she was around the band where he barely said hello to her came to mind, those years where she was just admiring him from afar. Caroline stayed silent though because she did value his company and she didn't want him to take it the wrong way.

They stood there in the dimly lit kitchen. Well Matty stood, directly in front of Caroline who was still sat on the kitchen counter. There was a sudden closeness between them that had seemed to develop during their little back and forth.

"So, what was keeping you awake?" Matty asked softly, his eyes betraying the concern he was trying to conceal.

Caroline hesitated for a moment before deciding to share her feelings. "Chris texted me," she admitted. "I wasn't even going to open the text at first, but a stupid part of me thought maybe he'd changed his mind. I know I'm an idiot...he doesn't deserve a second chance so I don't know why I was so prepared to give him one if he'd come running back to me. But um, he asked for the ring back because he's with someone else now, and it just stung, you know?"

Matty's expression turned sympathetic, his hand reaching out to gently squeeze her shoulder. "You're not an idiot, you were in love with him for what...five years? It was five years right? Well anyways - that doesn't just vanish overnight, those feelings I mean and you're not stupid Caro. Love makes us think and do things we wouldn't normally all the time," he said quietly." But for the record he's a proper dickhead who didn't deserve you in the first place, and he's an even bigger one for ruining what he had with you and thinking anyone could even come close to you."

Surprise coursed through Caroline at Matty's words. She hadn't expected that kind of reaction from him.

"I'm... I'm trying to not let it get to me," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's just... difficult. He moved on so quickly, like I meant nothing to him," she confided, her eyes brimming with tears. "It hurts, it hurts more than I ever could have imagined."

Matty listened attentively, his hand gently clasping hers in a comforting gesture. He let her speak, offering his silent support, knowing better than to jump into a reply and opting to keep his mouth shut for once to let Caroline talk.

"I thought what we had was real," she continued, her voice tinged with sadness. "I believed in our future together. But now... now it feels like I was just a passing chapter in his life. I know I'm kind of drowning in self pity right now but I'm just wondering it he ever really loved me, or if I was just a stepping stone for him all this time."

Matty's heart ached for her, knowing that sometimes love could be both a blessing and a curse. He knew firsthand the complexities of being with someone for a long period of time and believing you'd end up married one day only for it all to come crashing down.

As Caroline's voice wavered with emotion, Matty gently wiped away a tear that escaped from her eye. "Caro, you were not just a passing chapter in his life," he said firmly, his eyes meeting hers with sincerity. "You were a significant part of his life, and he’s so fucking stupid for not seeing how incredible you are and ruining things with you.”

Caroline nodded, her throat tight with emotion. "I just can't help but feel like I wasn't enough, like I couldn't make him happy. I know I’m far from perfect but I really fucking tried to be,” she admitted, her voice cracking.

Matty cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs gently brushing against her cheeks. "Caro, love, listen to me," he said, his voice filled with conviction. "You are more than enough. You are a beautiful, kind, and incredible person, and anyone who can't see that doesn't deserve to be a part of your life."

Caroline's eyes met his, and she saw the genuine care and love in his gaze. In that moment, she felt a sense of comfort and reassurance she hadn't felt in a long time. And it was odd that it was coming from Matty of all people. They had been talking more these days given their limited pool of people to spend time with, but if she had known even two weeks ago that Matty would be comforting her, genuinely might she add, after her breakup she would have thought you were taking the piss.

A mixture of gratitude and vulnerability washed over Caroline. But in an effort to put her guard back up and lighten the mood "Careful Healy, keep talking like that and I’ll think you mean it.”

"You know," she said softly, her voice filled with a touch of humor, "I used to have a crush on you when I was younger."

Matty raised an eyebrow, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Oh, did you now?" he teased “I would say I’m surprised but that’d be a lie.”

Caroline blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed but also oddly liberated. "Don’t flatter yourself too much, I thought Ross was fit as well. You just practically lived at our house as well so you were a better crush to have.”

“Not you too,” Matty groaned “get away from me woman. Seriously, Ross?”

“Yeah,” Caroline shrugged “like half my friend group had a crush on him, me included, and he had this whole cool, mysterious vibe going on plus he was the least annoying - well besides Hann but he wasn’t single at the time. So consider yourself lucky you even met my standards Matthew.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Matty rolled his eyes “if the Caroline Daniel deemed me worthy of being her teenage crush I should be on my knees thanking her.”

Caroline’s eyes widened at his words but she didn’t react to it "it’s actually impressive how insufferable you can be in one conversation,” she teased “I’m never telling you anything again.”

"But you love me anyway," Matty said, winking at her.

She couldn't help but smile. "You’re alright I suppose.”

Matty nodded solemnly “glowing praise.”

The night enveloped the studio with a sense of warmth contrasting the cool air emitting from the fridge that Caroline had opened after sliding off the counter top. It’s dim, yellow light coloured Matty’s features and she tried to memorise how delicate they looked in it. Reaching for the open bottle of white she’d left in there earlier Caroline grinned “I’d offer you some but that would probably be sacrilegious, right?”

“Oh, definitely?” Matty scoffed “get that shit away from me.”

Standing on her top toes then Caroline opened the cupboard above the drive and struggled to reach for the bottle of unopened Malbec which was frustratingly sat at the back out of arms reach. But then one hand was placed on her lower back from behind and suddenly Matty was reaching in and grabbing the bottle of red with a coy smile.

“You’re such a wine snob,” she laughed.

“Not everyone can have my excellent taste Caroline,” he quipped “but come on, it’ll make you feel better.”

#matty healy fic #matty healy fanfiction #the 1975 fic #the 1975 fanfic #the 1975 #matty healy x reader #matty healy x oc #matty healy x you #ross macdonald #adam hann #george daniel #bee writes

120 notes · View notes

raidoesthings · 3 months ago

Text

(The following is part 2 to my take on the Pilgrim story, I recommend you read the canon comic before reading either part. Warning for blood mention, though it’s not as graphic as part 1.)

(A link to part one will be provided here)

FDS Side Story:

Arrival of the Pilgrim (Part 2)

The tale last left off on the duo managing to escape the clutches of the worm and the mysterious creatures commanding it, finding a calmer path to venture to. Jalala and Rinor found themselves in an untouched area of Darkwood. A calm, flowery field, no blood, no eyes, just flowers.

“Finally, a breather. Hm, you know, you’re pretty brave for someone new to these lands.”

“Ah! Well, thanks, heh…It’s so calming here. It’s like they glow in the dark.”

“Usually there’s some critters and fireflies, but I don’t blame any of them if they went into hiding given all the chaos. But, I’m happy that we got to see this. Beauty like this is what I wanted to show you this whole time.”

The soft, flowery fields sat Isley by, occasionally swaying lightly whenever the breeze blowed.

“They say these flowers are perfect for making flower crowns. I can make ya one if you want…..well, it may look a little sloppy.”

That got Jalala to laugh a little.

“It’s alright. Really. I would appreciate it…maybe after all of this clears up, we could go searching for more flowers like this in the forest, or any of these lands.”

“Sounds good to me! I’m glad I got to meet ya. You’re my first friend I made in a while…well, even if the time we spent was brief. I want to get to know you better. I want to spend my days helping you too!”

“…I’m happy to hear that, Rinor. I really am. Between you and me, I never really got out much. Wherever my brother went, I would follow. And that applies even here, hehe. Though, I-…Huh?”

What cut the moment short was a tendril grabbing Jalala’s leg and dragging her away, with her crying out.

“JALALA!”

Rinor called out and ran to get her, but was stopped in her tracks when one of those mysterious creatures showed again, pulling Jalala to them.

“You’re the one who caused that havoc amongst the Pawn’s post..”

The creature spoke with venom in their voice as Jalala grabbed onto the floor, trying to get free.

“If you do not bow to The One Who Waits, you will be sentenced to YOUR DOOM! Your spilt blood will power our king into a prosperous ruler!”

“NOOOOOO!!”

Jalala cried and sealed her eyes shut when she was pulled back, only opening them when she stopped suddenly. Her eyes were greeted with the sight of Rinor pulling them back.

“Rinor!? Let me go!! You’ll get hurt too!!”

“After all this time!? I REFUSE! I told you I wanted to spend more time with you, and I’m not letting a ringed freak take you away from me-!!”

SHRRRK!

….

…..

It was if time stood still when a shredding noise pierced the suspense. Rinor, Jalala, and the angel looked to see what caused it. The culprit was as clear as day, a spike radiating haunting magic. It impaled the angel, just careful enough to avoid hurting Jalala. By the time the angel tried to do anything about it, it was too late, as the spike went upwards, cutting the angel in half and freeing Jalala from their grasp. Rinor safely brought her close, with the two hugging each other tightly.

“Rinor…thank you…!”

“H-hey! Don’t mention it! I’m glad you’re ok, Jalala..”

The two smiled warmly at each other, however, they soon turned upon hearing footsteps. Seeing a horned silhouette walk into the two’s view. There was no question that this was the being that saved their lives. However, something seemed familiar about this being, at least to Rinor.

“EEEK! It’s true! There is a beast!!”

“….Pretty sure that’s just a goat. And even then, I thought you said the beast had glowing red eyes, not purple.”

“I-I did! But it was the words of the rumor! Details could be-“

The sound of the goat clearing his throat made it clear that he wanted the two’s full attention, with Rinor promptly shutting her trap and Jalala fiddling her scarf as she looked up at the goat.

“Much better. Anyways, are you two alright?”

“Well, thanks to you, we are!”

“Mhm! We’re grateful for your help mister….uhm…”

“Kuole is my name. If you’re wondering about the being on my shoulder, that is Iris, my familiar. I’ve come here to offer you two shelter, as I overheard talks of you two trying to find a place to stay. I am currently with a small group of people who share that same goal. Though, I will be transparent in saying that I plan to establish a cult once this madness is over with.”

“A-a cult?”

“Yes. You heard me correctly. The two who are with me have agreed to be my followers. If you two join us, then you will agree to that term. It is up to you if you wish to join or not.”

A cult. This was risky, but in these conditions, shelter from them was a blessing. Jalala took a deep breath as she came up with an idea. She looked at Rinor, who nodded at her, having faith in the choice Jalala would make.

“We’ll join you, on one condition! You will help me look for my brother, Yarlen!”

Kuole seemed to not care, but that soon faded when he smiled a little.

“Very well. That I’ll be willing to help with, once the smoke clears that is. Now, let us save the chatter for when we’re all grouped together. Come, I’ll take you all to the spot we set camp in. It’s not very far from here.”

Kuole led the way, with Jalala and Rinor following behind swiftly. Jalala took a look at her bag, barely holding together. She sighed as she held it close, and sniffled.

“All of this chaos…I really thought I would find my brother today. Now, I don’t even know if he’s ok here.”

“Hey, chances are, he’s fine and away from the chaos. Hmm, did he send you that letter?”

“Ah! He did! He traveled here long before me, he said that he found the most wonderful place and invited me to come.”

“Well, that confirms it! On another note, I…I’m sorry about everything that happened. Everything that we got roped into, and how we could have died.”

“Hey, it’s alright.”

Jalala held Rinor’s hand.

“We may started off rough but sticking together has paid off for us both. A life in a cult is certainly one that will take getting used to. However, if that means I get to have you by my side, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“…I’m happy to hear that. We’ll find your brother together, I’m sure of it!”

The two smiled and stuck close, holding hands as Kuole led them further into untainted territory. What of Jalala’s brother? Unbeknownst to her, he was safe in the red crown cult. However, with the cult’s leader gone and Aym and Baal leading until further notice, it was safe to say that chaos found itself in every corner of the lands. Regardless, Yarlen and Jalala were ultimately safe, but placed in very different cults. He had many others to confide in, while Jalala only had Rinor. A reunion had to lie in wait, as that is a tale for another time…

The End (For now…)

(A/N: Well that was a wild ride, this was pretty fun to make! Hope y’all enjoyed it!)

#cult of the lamb #cult of the lamb au #broken crowns au #false death’s saga #cult of the lamb unholy alliance #cult of the lamb pilgrim pack #cotl spoilers #jalala #cult of the lamb jalala #rinor #cult of the lamb rinor #cult of the lamb goat #cotl oc #cult of the lamb oc

7 notes · View notes

ilguna · 6 months ago

Text

-> apocalypse survivor <-

mother nature took back what was rightfully hers, making the earth a beautiful place once more. it wasn’t easy to survive, but once the cure was announced, everyone knew they had to hold on just a little while longer.

THIS CELEBRATION IS OVER.

♪ castaway (peeta mellark) ♪

after being stuck on an island for years without contact to the outside, fate brings you a boy that might be your ticket back home.

♪ only friends (finnick odair) ♪

you and Finnick care about each other, you have your whole lives. it leads people to believe that you’re more than just friends.

♪ broken promise (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick promises that he won't join the rebel mission to the capitol, and breaks it a few hours later.

♪ history repeats itself (haymitch abernathy) ♪

you thought Haymitch was worried about going back into the games. when in reality, he was afraid of what might happened to you while he’s gone.

♪ slippery show (johanna mason) ♪

there's nothing you like more than watching your girlfriend win wrestling fights... naked.

♪ see you again (finnick odair) ♪

if shit hits the fan, Finnick wants you to save yourself at all costs. you can't, not when it means putting the rebellion on the line.

♪ the weight of the world (johanna mason) ♪

unable to grieve alone, you're forced to stay in Johanna's hospital room. it's bearable, until she begins to talk about your recently deceased family.

♪ moments notice (finnick odair) ♪

after being forced to listen to the jabberjays for an hour, Finnick feels the need to tell you that he'll be there when you need him. no questions asked.

♪ heather (cashmere ritchson) ♪

a sacrifice have to be made. either you can be with Cashmere, or you can be a rebel. there is no in-between.

♪ bloody flowers (peeta mellark) ♪

with Peeta being the face of the rebellion, you know better than to let him get hurt. however, he doesn’t appreciate your willingness to jump in front of him.

♪ cerulean pt1, pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

you were sucked into Finnick's charming demeanor last year, which almost ruined your reputation. he's come crawling back to you, but you won't fall for his tricks twice.

♪ when the dead rise pt1, pt2 (stephen strange) ♪

when Bruce falls from the sky, claiming that an evil being is coming to wipe out half the population, you're forced to help. what you don't know is that you'll end up losing the person that means the most to you.

♪ whisper of the beast (finnick odair)

on your own, you try to find your boyfriend in the arena. instead, you run across something much, much worse.

♪ NFWMB (finnick odair) ♪

nothing can tear the two of you down. they can try, but you’re always one step ahead.

♪ my tears ricochet (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick does the unthinkable, and proceeds to blame you for it during a court hearing, making it impossible for you to ever go home.

♪ cruel summer pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick tricked you into playing the damsel role, something the Capitol will be referencing for the rest of your life. still, you're not sure if you can forgive him for being so cruel to you in the first place.

♪ too close (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick doesn’t want Annie to move on, that’s why he asks you to be his fiancé to make her jealous. you agree to this, thinking that his feelings for her might change, but they never do.

♪ mother knows best (finnick odair) ♪

afraid that all the nice boys are being taken, your mom convinces you to go on a blind date with her friends’ son.

♪ sunburst (finnick odair) ♪

when you signed up to storm the Capitol, you had the front lines in mind. you get stuck with the star squad instead, forcing you to feature in propaganda videos. when you finally decide that you’re done playing pretend and you want to be reassigned, you’re given a reality check.

♪ lovestruck, lovesick, lovelorn pt1, pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

you and Finnick are similar in many ways, but all he chooses to see are the differences, even though you won your games eight years ago.

♪ plinth legacy (coriolanus snow) ♪

Coriolanus was nothing more than a passing thought before the mentoring program. it isn't until he's saved you several times, does he frequently cross your mind. and when pa catches wind of this, he decides to call back to district traditions.

♪ forget-me-nots (sejanus plinth) ♪

Sejanus is an old friend of yours. when he's assigned to be your mentor for the hunger games, you decide to trust him, despite the many cruel things that have been said about him. when tragedy strikes, you're set back.

♪ white leather (finnick odair) ♪

the capitol announces you dead after they're unable to find you in the arena, leading Finnick to believe the same. only, you're not dead, you're very much alive. and you're determined to see him again.

♪ falling leaves (johanna mason) ♪

through Finnick, Johanna finds out that you have a replica of her soulmate tattoo. she's quick to assume that you'll forgive how she treated you in the past, but you're over her entitlement.

♪ beneath the surface (haymitch abernathy) ♪

you care for Haymitch, you have for years. you just tend to show it in a different way.

♪ suburban legends (finnick odair) ♪

your mismatched star signs should've been the giveaway that you would never be able to work.

♪ blood run red (viktor) ♪

Viktor makes a mistake, and it isn't until you find out that he's dabbling with drugs, do you decide that you can't do it anymore.

♪ stepping stones (joel miller) ♪

it’s been almost five years since you survived outside of the quarantine zone, but Joel needs a temporary smuggling partner.

♪ succeed (tobias eaton) ♪

Four sees that you're unprepared to fight, so he manages to delay it. unfortunately, one day is not enough time for you to prepare for your fight with Peter.

♪ left behind but never forgotten (bucky barnes) ♪

the Winter Soldier is supposed to be a ghost story, but when he starts to come after you, Natasha and Steve while you're trying to uncover HYDRA secrets, you're forced into a hard reality check.

♪ marjorie (finnick odair) ♪

what died didn't stay dead. you're alive, you're alive in Finnick's head.

♪ anything for her (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick would do anything for you, including spilling all of his Capitol secrets, if it means that you'll come home.

♪ birds and stones (sejanus plinth) ♪

Sejanus hasn't been acting the same, ever since he witnessed the hanging in district twelve. you find out why a couple weeks later.

♪ wrong place, wrong time (johanna mason) ♪

Johanna pushes you away for two weeks following her rescue from the capitol. on the fifteenth day, you decide to give her what she wants.

♪ out of the woods (gloss ritchson) ♪

Gloss broke up with you last year to protect your happiness, even though you warned him it would have the opposite effect.

♪ trust fall pt2 (finnick odair) ♪

after begging Finnick to let you meet his son for almost a year, he finally gives in. and now he wants to call you mom.

♪ style (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend one last time, not knowing it would lead to your feelings coming back.

♪ sleeping giants (raven reyes) ♪

when it’s discovered that someone needs to stay behind to keep an eye on the frozen prisoners, Raven volunteers to stay. you refuse to leave her behind, of course. even if it means you’ll be stuck in space forever.

♪ headspace (octavia blake) ♪

you’ve been in love with Octavia for years now, and even after being trapped in the bunker together, and her admitting she has the same feelings—you’ve gotten nowhere. you’re just friends.

♪ last man on earth (finnick odair) ♪

Finnick goes with Katniss to see the remnants of district twelve. his mind can’t help to wander, and he ends up imagining himself in the same situation.

♪ wanheda (clarke griffin) ♪

you overhear Abby mention the ache in her heart for Clarke. so, you take it upon yourself to go out searching for her again, not knowing you'd get injured in the process.

♪ HERE is a link to the original celebration post. this is mostly for me in the future and for those who are curious on what the post looked like. once again, the celebration is over, do not send in any prompts. ♪

#ilguna #3k celebration #3k celebration masterlist

15 notes · View notes

askdeoxys · 1 year ago

Text

An Alien’s Promise

Though a sight often a friend, the far touch of the morning rise was nothing short of a realization. The mellow morning air and accompanying, slowly fading dew came with a pause from work- the mind finally given a moment to chew over the last 24 hours. The Resident was fresh out of her shift, having been distracted by the operating room for the last eight hours. All she could do was sit out on the balcony, her gaze set on the far countryside, illuminated by the oblivious morning rays. She had hoped her words meant something to Deo- that she could continue her streak of helping the alien- that she could keep her promise to him.

How long has it been, now? How long have the pair been friends, and how long did they depend on one another? The Resident had legitimately lost count, for she could not even remember a time before having met Deo. It was all but a blur.

She sighed, a hope embedded deep within her that he would return.

Then, as though a prayer was answered, the Resident found herself squinting, an image floating high above her- a silhouette of a man-like creature high in the air. ..One might even say alien-shaped. Her grin wide, she immediately got to her feet and called; “I’m not mad just so ya know! I’m just happy you came back! ..Are you hungry? I could call for someone to bring us your favorite- the fruit literally just came in if you want a smoothie!”

The alien descended with a sigh of his own. The Deoxys had not looked forward to the conversation ahead of him.

Tip-toeing towards the rail overlooking the horizon, the Clefable woman peered up with a pleading grin, assuring; “It’s okay, Deo. Come on home.”

“You speak so tenderly, yet you are a part of the very problem that brought us to this point,” the Deoxys spoke pointedly, plainly, and coldly as he descended closer and closer to the balcony of the hospital.

Stomach turning, the Resident’s realization was as if a pin had just dropped. A step taken back, she knew not how to respond- a sickness beginning to wash over her.

“Do you not understand how you aid Deo naught?” The yellow Deoxys questioned as he came close enough for the Resident to see who she knew had finally arrived. “This make-believe fantasy you’ve constructed for him has only hurt him further. He’s lost in it. You’ve taken the last chain from the beast, and he’s loose with confusion.”

Something had snapped, and the sickness- the fear- had swiftly washed over, replaced only by ire. Pushing her exhaustion aside and steeling both her nerves and legs, the Resident mustered every facet of her power while the honey morning bent around her. As if the glow of the morning rays glistened and illuminated towards her, firecrackers of energy bubbled around her in a shock of a second before a destructive Solar Beam bared its way towards Dioxys.

Without having to even extend a hand out, Dioxys released a simple burst of his psionic prowess, though she had to have expected her showing to be for nothing- he thought. The Solar Beam dissipated like it was a stream of water evaporating in an instant- taking the power right out of the Resident-, and the wave of psychic energy carried forward. Buckling over, the woman was flown off of her feet, tumbling and skidding away from Dioxys as he stepped onto the balcony. And, as if a warning, he left her pinned against the ground with his psychic energy for a long moment to show her how simply powerless she truly was against him. “Are you done?”

“I told you if you EVER showed your face to me again, I would rip you apart,” the Clefable hissed, having clawed herself up to her feet using the wall next to her.

Dioxys snickered in response, “Well, that didn’t work out for you on either occasion, did it?”

“What do you want, D’?”

“...” He had to pause. It was a valid question. What did he truly want out of this interaction? What propelled him to come here? Was it as simple as his anger drove him here?.. No. “You were the last one to see him- Deo-, and I wanted you to know that you won’t be getting the chance to see him again. I wanted you to be aware he’s not running away- that he didn’t just.. leave you, as he is ought to do. ..This time, he didn’t leave. He is going to rest.” He paused once more, realizing that the hospital was mobilizing. Not wanting any more of a headache than he already had, Dioxys simply applied his psychic mind to any onlooker observing from inside the hospital, scrubbing their minds of what they were seeing and convincing them to stay away from the area- to give the pair privacy. “He needs to rest,” Dioxys clarified.

“And, that’s your decision to make?” The Clefable asked through gritted teeth. Dragging a limping leg along, she slowly made her way in Dioxys’ direction, clarifying her question, “What gives YOU the right to determine that? How do YOU know what’s right or wrong for Deo? Do you not hear how literally INSANE you sound?!” Ignoring the plight of her situation, she jabbed his chest with her finger for emphasis. “D’, you can’t genuinely believe that- that you’re HELPING him.”

Dioxys looked down, staring with disdain at the finger touching him. “And, you think you’re helping him?” He asked, his gaze having turned back to her disgusted expression.

“YES, ACTUALLY,” she barked back with shock at how ridiculous of a question she was given, “I DO?! Deo has SO MUCH to give back, and he’s just started! He’s learnt so much, and he just needs a little guidance! He DESERVES that!”

With a scoff, Dioxys took a step forward. Despite all her strength, he easily pushed her from her feet and down to the ground, looming over her. “What do you know about helping him? No, let ME tell you something, you louse. Deo is DONE. There is nothing left of him. There is NOTHING left inside of him, do you understand? Ttk- how could you- you.. simple creature. You make me sick.”

“I understand plenty, actually,” the Clefable replied defiantly, glaring up from the ground towards Dioxys, “You’re so filled with rage and hate that you’re blind. You’re the one that doesn’t understand, D’. Deo has never been closer to being saved than now-” Without even being able to finish her sentence, crushing psychic energy was applied to her body so suddenly and with so much force that the stone floor collapsed under her. Having plummeted through the roof of the balcony, the Clefable found herself with no air in her chest and body erupting in pain, lying in a bed of rubble in the middle of a hospital corridor. However, not a single soul noticed or paid any mind, for Dioxys had already fixed their minds to be unaware.

“You disgust me,” the Deoxys muttered under his breath, descending down towards the Clefable, “You know nothing of what you’ve done, but as you lie in a puddle of your own mistakes, I’ll explain it to you.” His feet having landed atop the ground next to the woman, he knelt down so that she could get a better look at him while she wheezed in pain- unable to speak back. “He’s not one of you. He’s not a part of your people- he has nothing for him on this planet. These people don’t know him, and they never will. They just don’t get it. And, you?.. You’ve tricked him, and you gave him hope, but he’s unconvinced because deep down he knows the truth. You’ve confused him is what you’ve done. ..Do you understand now?” He scoffed, standing back up to his full height. “I left Deo to wallow in the sins of his past, but it’s people like you that’ve ruined him. He knew what he was- garbage. Garbage that deserved its life circumstance, but you’ve gone and given him the idea that maybe, someday, somehow, he can be redeemed. Well, him and I both know that’s not true, and I want YOU to know something. This current circumstance he finds himself in- it is your fault. That, I promise you. Think of that when you visit his grave,” he adds wryly before blasting away from the hospital- the minds of those in the hospital resuming function as normal to allow the Clefable to be treated with haste.

#i think of how to save a life's usage in Scrubs in relation to this

35 notes · View notes

imaginedreamwrite · 2 years ago

Note

Ahhh omg hello! I've come out of my hiding to request picture number 3 for Hades!Lloyd and his flower/ new persephone. Maybe the moment she gets her first snap dragon?

“It was an attempt at bribery. We’re not keeping it.” It was a warning before you even looked at the box, before you had even questioned whether whatever was inside was worth it, however given the order from Lloyd, it had spurned you to action.

It was sitting on the corner of his desk, in some half-assed wrapped box with slits in the top, however it wasn’t the attempt at wrapping the box that garnered your attention and curiosity, it was the sudden movement of whatever was inside. It was the way the box jerked and shifted on the desk, the thing that was trapped inside wanting out of its holding cell. With the order from Lloyd to leave the bribery gift alone ignored, not that you would’ve listened in any sense, you snatched the box off the corner of the desk and tucked it under your arm.

Through the slits in the top of the box, you could determine that whatever was inside was black and scaly, with piercing gold rimmed eyes that peered up at you through the lid. You kept the box tucked under your arm, steadying the journey from his office to the upper floor and the sanctity of your bedroom. Negating his potential anger or irritation, you settled yourself on the bed with the creature, and then lifted the lid to finally look at wha Lloyd wanted to get rid of.

“Hello,” you crooned at the small little dragon in the box, its wings flapping and it’s tail curled around its leg, “you’re so cute!”

The dragon cast its eyes upon you, blinking twice as if trying to recognize if you were friend or foe, and then when it determined you were safe had started hopping across the length of the box. It’s claws dug into the cardboard, it’s tail getting caught up with its back legs, and with an angry flap of its wings, the dragon had growled cutely.

“Let me help you,” you held your hand out for the dragon, watching it crawl into your palm and circle your hand twice before it curled up to rest, “screw Lloyd, were keeping you.”

You leaned back against the headboard and relaxed with the little dragon nestled in your hand. You had turned the world out completely, with no urgency to join the rest of the castle in whatever nefarious duties they’d had. You were more focused on your adopted pet than you were anything else in this underworld reality that was yours, given to you from your bond and pairing with Lloyd. You were his Persephone to his Hades, New Persephone as the underlings called you, trapped here for six months after being tricked by the old bride.

“Petal!” His voice carried from the lower floor, booming with anger as he discovered the empty space where the dragon had once been. You could feel his annoyance radiating, just as you knew he was coming to find you and the stolen little creature that you were beginning to love.

“Ignore him, he won’t hurt you.” You cooed to the small little dragon sleeping, admiring the soft little snores and puffs as air escaping its nostrils. “He’s not as big and bad as he thinks he is.”

“Petal-“ The door opened with a bang, Lloyd coming into the bedroom with red tinged fingertips and fine whisps of steam radiating off him, a measure to contain his anger and his ability to destroy with flames.

“Toothless,” you stroked the dragon softly, raising your head as a dare for Lloyd to deny you, “and yes, I’m keeping him.”

“Fuck that Snapdragon, it’s a beast-“ Lloyd growled under his breath, heat radiating from his extremities, his anger skyrocketing although you hadn’t bat an eye in his direction.

“A Snapdragon? How cute.” you raised your hand, the dragon cracking one eye open before he yawned. “I love Snapdragons, the flowers are beautiful. I didn’t know there were little creatures-“

“Put it the fuck back, we’re not keeping it.”

“Yes we are.” You argued, blatantly taking a stance against him. “I’m keeping him-“

“Fuck, no. Give me the little beast. I’m sending it back.” Lloyd stepped toward you, his hand outstretched, and with a single bound the dragon in your hand had hopped from your hand to stand between you and him. “Fuck, the little beast imprinted on you.”

“This is my Snapdragon baby, we’re keeping it.” You jut your tongue out, almost as if to make him challenge you on this. With little choice but to give into you, simply because he was weak for you and you alone, Lloyd cursed under his breath and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.

56 notes · View notes

orginllazyblog · 7 months ago

Text

AFK Arena Headcanon's Pt. 3

Featuring: Dura, Annih, and other characters

When the two primary God's were getting used with their perspective roles, with their powers combining, they created the Underworld as their home.

The first floor's are where plants and herbs grew and rivers that lead down to the deepest floors. The middle floor's, have ancient beast that guarded the lower floors of the Underworld that Annih personally created crystals. Lastly, the deepest floors, where lies Annih's work office, library, and another office, another office, and another office. Eventually, Dura created a room for him to rest.

As the years go by, Dura fully understood Annih's opinion on the humans that they can be. It gets worse when half of her celestials weren't doing their tasks as the next generation of gods she given them, just lazing around. That is when she decided on a plan she discuss with Annih, was to create a faction, soon known to be the Hypogeans. Although, he was agains't the idea of the new faction because it'll bring chaos to the Esperia world.

"That's the point, brother. With the hypogeans, the rest of the factions would soon get along by taking them down together. As for their weakness, the celestials can have the advantage but still weak against them."

"This would soon bring more work for me. Are you sure this would work? The old bets we did never came to what we expected."

"I'm sure this would work, Annih."

One of their old bets was to get a celestial and a hypogean together, starting off with Zaphrael and Lucretia.....yeah it did not work out well, and Annih had high hopes for Lucretia.

If plan A didn't work out, plan B it is. This time, they won't interfere their lives as they go on a vacation and let fate play it out.

Where Dura was this whole time was in a different unniverse where it's similar to Esperia, but more modern called Dislyte

As for Annih, he had to keep an eye out for everyone in Esperia. Especially the people who accidentally teleported from another dimension. So it wasn't a nice vacation for him as he tried to keep his presence quiet.

He organizes the books by faction; Lightbearer's bookshelf, Mauler's bookshelf, Wilder's bookshelf, Graveborn's bookshelf, Dimensional's bookshelf (and soon a bookshelf for the Draconis)

There is one bookshelf that is kept in the cornor label with a red question mark, which questioned the God of Death of the humans

"God damn . . . why?"

Back to Eugavus/Gagene family, the dad's wanted to spend with their kids as much as possible from that 10 years of separation. Especially when Liberta and Lucilla are still considered "humans" and not a celestial/hypogean as they only inherited the magic.

Their new house, I got the idea of the house to be like Howl's moving castle, but then it's going to give away their location. So, with the idea of Eugene's trickster cube to be the door to their new house. If they want to get away, Eugene got the "keys" ready.

The dads are obviously friends with Thane and Baden as Estrilda, being the twin's older cousin. But that is when there is no one in the House of Rayne as it'll freak them out of having celestials and hypogeans together

The four dads would talk about their kids when they were children. Even sharing the embarrassment moments.

"One time, Estrilda and Baden were practicing swordsmenship and she accidentally hit him at his lower area."

"Oouuch! That must have hurt."

"Well, that couldn't be worse as our old cottage almost burned down."

"Wait, what?!"

With Estrilda, she teaches them how to horse ride as Lucilla grow fond of horses.

The reason why Eugene started spacing out in the previous chapter was that he felt his - no - Annih's blood flowing slowly, which makes Eugene stop functioning.

For Lucilla, she felt that her hypogean magic slowly going away.

There were times that Annih had high expectations but led to disappointment. Lucretia? Made mothers to widows by killing their children to feel her same pain. Women! You're not making any better, but by making it far worse. The only thing she did right was divorcing her husband, that was it.

There are other hypogeans that Annih could have wished to not killed, like Vyloris, who was once a celestial but got captured by the hypogeans who kept torturing her physically and mentally. He felt bad for her to realize she was never found by her kin, so he gave her a choice to either be free but never set foot on the mortal world or get her revenge back.

Luckily, there are only three hypogeans (well-known) that are spared from the extermination :)

I'll make another headcanon post once chp. 4 is done

#afk arena #afk dura #afk annih #headcanons #silly god fellow annih can be #while dura was at the world of dyslyte she learn new things as well #eugavus #mention of thaden #afk estrilda #afk lucilla #afk liberta

14 notes · View notes

punkybrewstertoo · 1 year ago

Text

A Mind to Tear a Soul in Two: Chapter Two

“What in the bloody hell is that racket?” Arthur asked, sitting at the table in the family’s house, head in his hands.

Tommy grimaced at the question. All day long he’d been desperately trying to ignore the noise coming from the first floor. “Leave it. She’s doing it on purpose. I told her to fix up the mess in her room, so she’s decided to push her bookcases across the hall, and rearrange everything — without help. She’s banging around up there trying to create as much noise as possible just to irritate me. So ignore her.”

Upstairs Charlotte had managed to get her three bookcases moved away from the walls and one of them halfway out Tommy’s bedroom door. Sweating and breathing heavily she told herself that she could do this. No brothers necessary. Tommy said he wanted her new room cleaned and tidied up, so she was taking this opportunity to go all in.

She didn’t like that he was forcing her to do it, but she knew it would be nice to have all her belongings in the right order. It also didn’t hurt that she knew all the noise was getting into Tommy’s head. He was trying to ignore all the stomping and scraping, but she could tell it was getting to him. Which made her endlessly happy. Especially given that Tommy was the reason that she was forced to switch bedrooms in the first place.

When the boys had gotten back from France it had taken Tommy all of six weeks to figure out that his kid sister was escaping in the middle of the night out the window in her bedroom at the back of the house to run around Birmingham. He had noticed her missing from bed late one night so he’d asked around to see what the girl was doing while she was suppose to be sleeping.

Their Uncle Charlie had given him a tip that she’d taken to showing up in the middle of the night to spend time with the horses. He’d told Tommy that he didn’t mind having his niece show up unannounced, out of all of the Shelby kids, she reminded him most of his sister. With her unkempt dirty blonde curls and freckles nose, the girl loved to run wild — just like his own little sister had. She was always sneaking around while nobody was looking, running in the field out where he let his horses graze. Occasionally she’d steal a horse from the stables, disappear for hours, return at nightfall to cool down the horse, and make it back home in time for supper.

Mischievous was an understatement.

But she was a light in the darkness. Always happy to lend a hand, she worked well with the horses — she worked well with anything he’d ask of her for that matter — and never worried about getting her hands dirty. And to top it all off, Curly loved having the girl around, often saying that she was blessed with the mind to speak to the beasts.

For years now Curly had been sweet on Charlotte, and she knew it. She’d go out of her way to spend time with him, making sure he was the first person she greeted and the last person she saw at the end of the day. She also knew this meant that Curly would never tattle on her to her aunt or brothers. Curly liked keeping her secret, it gave them a bond. He often said he knew it would be a good day if there was a Charlie girl sleeping with the horses in the morning.

But Charlie Strong had known that his nephews wouldn’t approve of his namesake sneaking out to his yard at night all on her own. He also knew that the horses weren’t her only late night destination. During the war he’d had no problem keeping his niece's secrets from her aunt, but since November things had started changing, and everyone knew it. He didn’t want to break her confidence, but he’d made a promise to his sister to keep her youngest out of harm's way, and with all the men coming back, Birmingham was not as safe as it once was.

Tommy had tried to put a stop to it immediately, but he’d caught her climbing back in through her window at dawn with hay in her hair twice. And the third time John found her with a group of friends at the Commons Dance Hall one night in December while she should’ve been locked up in her room, due to the aforementioned sneaking in.

Dragging her back to the house on Watery Lane, John had nearly woken up the entire street pounding on the door yelling for Tommy to come down and fetch her.

“John, I’ve got a key, you don’t need to go making Tommy come down to open the door. Just stop and let me open the damn thing.” Ignoring her, John held onto her elbow with one hand, and with the other continued pounding on the door.

She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and looking up she saw Ada watching them through the window in her bedroom, laughing and shaking her head. Finally the door flew open and Tommy stood there furious, gun in hand, pointed directly at John.

Without flinching at the weapon in his face, John jerked Charlotte forward, practically flinging her at Tommy, “I think you’ve misplaced this. You know you’ve got to keep a closer eye on her, Tom.”

Sighing Tommy uncocked the gun, grabbed her by the neck, and growled out, “John, next time just open the bloody door yourself. Don’t make a scene and force me to come down for the show you’re putting on for the neighbours.” Looking around the street Charlotte could see a few faces poking out through their curtains, trying to see what all the commotion was about.

John nodded and walking up the street he shouted over his shoulder, “I thought she could do with the whole street knowing she’s about to get a beating.” Charlotte’s face flushed red, Tommy tightened his grip, and marched her upstairs.

At the sound of their approach Ada poked her head out of her door, “What’s going on–” Interrupting her Tommy ordered Ada to shut the door and go back to bed. Continuing her death march to her room, they reached the end of the hall and Charlotte tried to turn right. Instead, Tommy threw her into his room on the left and she stumbled as he shut the door behind them.

Puzzled at the change of scenery Charlotte straightened herself and began, “What are you–”

“Shut up and get into the fucking bed.”

Tommy turned his back on her, expecting her to obey, while he stoked the coal in the fire. He knew this would be a long night. Turning around he saw Charlotte still standing in place, the question about to pass her lips. He took a menacing step toward her, “I told you, get in the fucking bed.”

Still not moving, she chewed on her fingernails and slurred slightly, “But what about you sleeping?” She’d been drinking. He should’ve known. This kid was going to send him to an early grave. It wouldn’t be the the gambling, guns, or the war, it would be this damned sister; at least he’d die proving Polly wrong.

“After all that noise John made trying to embarrass you on the street, I’m not going back to sleep.” Then reaching out to grab her arm he took hold of her, threw her into bed, and in the same motion covered her with his quilt.

“Go to sleep. If you say one more word, I’ll drag you out back, throw a bucket of water on you, and beat the tar out of you for the whole neighbourhood to hear. You want that?” Shaking her head, Charlotte shut her eyes and pulled the quilt up to her chin.

Tommy turned on his heel and took a seat at his desk. The nightmares wouldn’t let him rest tonight, he might as well get some work done while he was keeping his truant sister from sneaking out and running wild. Picking up the book and going over a ledger he heard a small thump.

Looking up, Charlotte hadn’t moved her body, the quilt was still tucked at her chin, and her eyes were tightly closed. But she had managed to stick her feet out from the blanket and was using one foot to try to kick off the shoe still stubbornly attached to her other foot.

After a minute of her struggling to relieve herself of the shoe, Tommy walked over, grabbed her ankle and removed the shoe himself, “Stop messing around and fucking go to sleep.” As her two feet slowly slid back under the sheets, Charlotte buried her face in the pillow, and finally followed his orders.

Reaching down to grab the other shoe, Tommy noticed something curious. Something he’d previously missed in his blinded irritation at both John and Charlotte. These were heeled shoes. These were women’s shoes. These were absolutely not Charlotte’s shoes. “Ada...” Cursing her name he took the shoes and decided to return them to their rightful owner.

Opening the door to Ada’s room he found her sitting in a lounge chair by the fire. She startled at his entrance,

“Bloody hell, Tommy. It’s four in the morning.” Ignoring her protest at his intrusion he held up the shoes, “What are these, Ada?”

Smirking, she replied, “Looks like a fine pair of shoes, Tommy, but I doubt they’ll go with anything you have.” He threw the shoes on the floor. “Why was our sister wearing your shoes and a fancy dress? You don’t seem surprised or upset to find that she nicked something of yours. Why is that Ada?”

Damn. He knew she’d willingly given them to Charlie; there was no point in lying. If she was forthcoming on a little bit of the truth he’d likely not press her for the full story.

“Alright. I gave her the shoes. She said she was going out with some friends so I did her up nice. That’s what big sisters are supposed to do, Thomas!” Getting defensive she crossed her arms not wanting to rat her sister out any further. Tommy wasn’t having it.

“And the dress, Ada? What’s she doing that she needed to wear a dress?”

Was he really going to force this out of her? “That’s what girls wear! They wear dresses!”

Rolling his eyes Tommy responded, “This whole town knows that our sister doesn’t wear dresses. Don’t try to pull that shit with me. Is there a boy? Who is he?”

Ada laughed, “Trust me Tommy, the only boys in her life are the ones she’s handing out black eyes to over by the cut.” He glared at her, expecting more but she pointedly refused to answer.

“The secrets your keeping for her are going to get her hurt one day, Ada. This town isn’t safe for a girl out on her own. Ada scoffed at him, “Get out Tommy. I want to go to sleep. And don’t worry about our secrets, I think us Shelby girls can handle ourselves just fine.”

Giving her one final glare, Tommy left the room, intentionally leaving the door open, just to annoy her. Sighing, Ada got up and closed her door. She knew with Tommy awake she wouldn’t be making any early morning secret trips herself. Crossing her fingers she hoped that Charlie wouldn’t let Ada’s secret slip, or they’d both be in for it. Twenty two years old or thirteen, the Shelby sisters were under their brother’s thumb, and they needed to keep a tight lipped ship.

Tommy had stayed up all night checking his numbers, nodding off a time or two only to jolt awake at the sound of a pickaxe coming from the other side of the wall. At dawn he’d dragged Charlie out of bed, dealt a good old fashioned whipping, and set her to task switching rooms. She’d spent the whole day carrying books and shuffling clothes from one room to the other. As part of her punishment Tommy had forced her to move his belongings, as well as her own, threatening her with another thrashing if any of his possessions were to go missing or end up broken. She’d taken extra care to put all of Tommy’s things in their proper place.

Unable to take her frustration out on Tommy’s things she’d simply thrown her own belongings into her new space without much care. Her brothers hadn’t been available to help her to move any of the bookcases, so she was forced to leave them with Tommy. In the many months since the move it seemed like chaos reigned in the Shelby house, and none of them had had the time to help her with the cases, so her books remained strewn out on the floor.

Tommy had left one case for books, and she’d created a semi-organised system of piles that ranged from favourites closest to the bed, least favourites over in the corner by the wardrobe, and everything else in between. Other than putting her clothes into the wardrobe and fixing her bedding, Charlotte hadn’t spent any effort trying to make the room her own. But now that she was damned to live the rest of her life stuck in the room, she decided to take this opportunity to move her bookcases from Tommy’s room and make this new room her own.

Back downstairs, the sound of dragging furniture was driving Arthur up the wall. He couldn’t hear himself think with Charlotte throwing books around, moving her bed from one wall to the other, and attempting to push the furniture from the back room to her new room at the front of the house. After a loud thud, he’d had enough.

“That’s it.” Arthur growled, “John, come with me.”

Tommy watched while his brothers headed up the stairs. He’d have to hand it to his sister, she was following his rules and doing what was asked of her. And yet she still managed to find a way to give him hell.

Picking herself off the floor from where she’d tripped over a rug that got bunched during the rearranging, Charlotte heard the infantry coming. “Charlie! Enough with all the noise!” Arthur came stomping up the stairs with John right behind him.

“Alright, Lottie. What is it that needs to be moved? Let’s get this done before Arthur puts a pistol to his head.” Laughing Charlotte stuck her arm out, fingers in the shape of a gun and shot her brother, “Bang, you’re dead.” John threw himself up against the wall and slid down it, collapsing in a heap, tongue sticking out of his mouth.

Glaring at his brother’s dead body Arthur got straight to business, “Right. This big one here, this is moving?” John picked himself up off the ground and Charlotte nodded, “You mean this big one here? The one that I’ve already got half way out the door? Yeah, Arthur, this big one is moving.” Arthur smacked her upside the head and she continued, “And then the two other empty ones in the middle of Tommy’s room. Be careful not to trip over the rug. It’s caught underneath this case, I can’t get it straightened out.”

Sticking his head into her room Arthur looked around at the available space. She’d pushed all of her books up against the walls, but the place was still a wreck. “And where are you planning on putting three whole bookcases?”

Shrugging Charlotte responded, “Not sure yet. Just put them in the middle and I’ll figure it out later.”

“You know, Tommy told you to clean this place, not make it worse.”

She sighed, exasperated, “I’m working on it, Arthur. You're the one that came up here with demands, you gonna help me or not?”

Nodding his head Arthur agreed, “We’re gonna help you, but you’re going to decide where these bookcases are going now, not later. No more pushing these around on your own. You’re knocking pictures off the wall, and there’s dust falling in to Johnny boy’s tea cup.”

Rolling her eyes at his attempted joke Charlotte tried to argue, “But Arthur, I don’t know where I want–”

“Just do it. Tommy’s not the only one in charge around here. And hurry up, we ain’t got all day.”

Knowing she wasn’t going to win this fight, she grinned and gave in. “Alright, but only because you asked so very nicely.” Pointing around the room she quickly decided where the bookcases would go. Once her decision was made Arthur straightened up and started barking orders. “John, you grab that end there. From the bottom, not the middle. Charlie, clear out those stacks of books, throw them on the bed and push it out of the way. Then move that chair and we’ll bring in the other two.”

A quarter hour later and her brothers had made quick work of the furniture. Looking around the room, it gave the impression that a tornado had come through, but her bookcases were in place and ready to be filled.

“Well, you brutes did some good work here.” Charlotte smiled thanking her brothers for their help. “Any time Charlie girl. Just keep the noise down, yeah? The grown-ups have important work to do.” Kissing her on the head as he ran out of the room, Arthur ducked and barely missed a hardcover edition of Oliver Twist hitting his head.

Laughing at Arthur making his retreat, John picked up the book and handed it back to her. “You know, Tommy means it, right? If you can keep outta trouble he’s gonna let you in, you’ll be one of the grown-ups at the table. Just like Ada was. You just gotta keep your nose clean, Lottie.” Charlotte scoffed at him, “Just like Ada, John? I don’t think so. He’s never going to trust me like Ada. Aunt Pol won’t either.”

Turning to her largest bookcase she gently placed Oliver Twist on the shelf, subtly checking to make sure she hadn’t caused any damage when she threw it. “I’m just the troublemaker that runs wild. The girl in boys trousers. I’m not the responsible one. Tommy’s never going to see things any different. He might let me have a vote, but it won’t ever be like Ada.”

John shook his head disagreeing with her, “That’s not true, you just gotta behave long enough to prove yourself. Honestly, I think he’s got some plan for you that he’s not telling any of us about. You got brains, more than Ada ever had, and he’s noticed. But, if you keep getting drunk at the Commons and stealing from the pub, he’ll never take you seriously.”

Grumbling in response Charlotte started to explain, “I wasn’t there to get drunk, John. You dragged me off before I ever got a chance to explain...”

“It doesn’t matter what the explanation is, you keep disobeying him and you’ll be a prisoner here forever.” Charlotte signed in frustration, “I’m tired of being stuck in this room all the time. If I'm not in here, I'm in the shop. Or at school. Or with your kids. I never have any time alone anymore. I can't even go out with the horses anymore.”

“Well, you ain’t gonna be doing anything out in the fields with the horses if you don’t grow up. You’ll never get the chance. He’ll have this place locked down tighter than a communist in the King’s dungeon. Things are changing around–”

Interrupting Charlotte was exasperated, “You keep saying that! ‘Things are changing!’ ‘Things are going to be different!’ But I don’t know what any of that fucking means! One day this place is ransacked by a bunch of mushroom picking bastards and there’s a bomb in the car. The next you’re getting married to one of the Lee’s that tried to blow us up. One day I’m a gypsy orphan with a bunch of gangster brothers, and the next thing I know me own father shows up in the kitchen. But then Tommy kicks him out and doesn’t let me speak to him. Then there’s Ada... One day I got a sister, and the next day Polly’s trying to send her away with tickets to New York. Is that what 'things are changing' means, John? Is it?”

Standing in front of him, fists clenched, she finally took a breath. John’s only response was a raised eyebrow, a cocky grin, and an arrogant, “You feel better?”

Taking a breath she exhaled deeply, “God! You’re the worst.”

“No, I’m the best. You know I am. I know you better than those two idiots we call brothers, yeah?” Nodding at him she cracked a grin.

“Good, now that we both agree I’m the best, let’s both agree to ignore what you said about my wife’s family.” Laughing at him she crossed her arms and tossed herself into the stuffed chair sitting by the fire.

“Now listen, things are changing and I’m not at liberty to explain it to you, but you’ll be finding out soon enough. It’s not that Tommy doesn’t trust you, Lottie, it’s that he’s scared for you.” Charlotte rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to protest, but John continued on before she got a word out. “He’s scared for both you and Ada, why do you think he tried to get Ada and Freddie outta here?” She scoffed at him, “Because he’s an overbearing control freak that doesn’t trust anyone with an ounce of freedom or knowledge.”

John shook his head, ignoring her, “He’s torn, he wants to let you in. It’s a family business. But he lost Ada, he doesn’t want to lose you too. But you’re always acting before thinking, and that’s gonna get you hurt. Tommy and Aunt Pol, they keep arguing what to do with you. Pol wants you to keep clear of all of this, she thinks that’s the best way. Tommy’s not convinced. Because it’s not that he doesn’t trust you, it’s that you’re the same, you and Tommy. He’s scared because he knows how your mind works. He knows that you’re inclined to go off without thinking, like you always do, because it’s what he woulda done at your age. The difference is, that Tommy had Freddy and me and Arthur by his side getting in trouble with him, keeping him from getting killed. You don’t have that. Which is what I’ve been telling Tommy about getting you more involved. If you were part of things then you would have us at your side. You’d be safer. You’d also be too busy with us to go stealing whisky and picking fights. But like I said, you gotta keep your nose clean before he’s really gonna start trusting ya.”

Charlotte sat in the silence, taking in what John had told her. “You telling me the truth? Was Tommy really just like me?” Rolling his eyes, John replied, “Christ, Lottie, is that the only thing you got outta all I just said?”

“Well? Was he?”

Sighing, John knew she wasn’t going to let up and it would be easier to give in and tell her what she wanted to know. God, she was just like Tommy.

Walking forward he took a seat in the chair that she’d stolen from Ada’s room. “Tommy told us about you wanting to know more about from before. He said that Aunt Pol told you to keep quiet and stop asking. I didn’t know that... I’m sorry she told ya to do that. I think it’s because she feels guilty about being gone when Ma passed. She was strung out with her kids being taken and didn’t have the right mind to deal with what was happening here.”

Shaking his head he pressed on, “I think that’s another story for a later time though. But as for you and Tommy... Right, well you woulda been too young to really remember, but Tommy was always sneaking out and spending time with Uncle Charlie’s horses. He’d be gone for whole days at a time. Ma never worried much, she’d give him hell when he walked in that door — if Da didn’t get to him first. But he did it often. He was great in school — much better than me or Arthur — but he never took the time to show up, because the fields and horses were more important. Then there was the drinking and dancing... He and Freddy were at the dance hall every other night picking up girls, getting drunk, and being rowdy. They both got kicked out a few times, even. Now the fighting, you got that from Arthur. Tommy never had to fight with Arthur by his side. If anything Tom had to make sure Arthur was behaving himself and not throwing any unnecessary punches. ” Laughing, Charlotte chimed in, “I can see that.”

“But can you see it, Lottie? The whole thing? He worries more about you than Ada because he knows your mind. He knows how unpredictable you can be. He might not know how to control you — he never had to control himself — but he knows you because he knows himself. You were too young to really know him before the war, but take my word for it, you’re the same. That’s why he’s so mad about you running around by yourself and sleeping in the stables. He’s mad because his kid sister turned out just like him, and he knows he’ll never find a way to make you stop. The only thing that kept him away was the war. And the war changed everything...”

John stopped himself from going any further in that direction, he didn’t want to get into war stories. Those were better off left for dead in the fields of France.

Taking advantage of the silence, Charlotte dug further, “But if the only thing that kept him away from the horses was the war, why’s he trying so hard to stop me?”

“Because Birmingham isn’t as safe as it was before. The men that came home aren’t the same as when they left. There’s nothing stopping one of them from having their way with any girl on the street.”

Cutting in Charlotte told him, “I can handle meself.”

Shaking his head at her confidence John continued, “There’s also this Inspector Campbell from Belfast that’s got us all watching our backs. He’s dangerous, and he’s got something against us. It’s like it’s personal between him and Tommy. And all that doesn’t even include the races.”

Confused at his last point, Charlotte asked, “But Tommy got the license. It’s all legal now. Isn’t it?” John’s reply was simple, “Mostly.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him. There was something else. Something he wasn’t saying. But before she could question him on it John started speaking again.

“He’s doing what he thinks is best to keep you safe. You’re our kid sister, it’s our job to keep you safe. With Ada off on her own now, he doesn’t want to lose another sister, so he’s doubling down on you. You might not be the same as Ada, but you’re his twin in mind and heart, Ada understands his soul. Ada understands all of us all like a puzzle. She knows exactly what each of us needs from her. She’s a mother through and though. But you, Lottie, you he loves more than any of us and he knows he can’t break you, so he’s keeping you locked up here until you can learn to behave.”

“If he knows he can’t break me, why does he go whipping me every time he catches me with the horses or running around town? If he knows that’s where my heart is, why's he always punishing me for it? You know, I’ve gotten beaten more times since you’ve been back than the entire time you were away for the war."

Laughing at her John explained, “He’s trying to get through to you the only way he knows how. Just be glad it’s not Da or Arthur taking that strap to your backside. Trust me, I know from experience, it could be worse. You both are just too stubborn to give in. Besides, it doesn’t seem like those whippings are doing you any harm.”

She shrugged, “Eh, It’s not that bad. I can take it just as good as any of you. It’s not as bad as when Aunt Pol got me. And really, I’d rather take a whipping than end up in here for another week.”

Standing up, John laughed at her, “You really are just like him. You’ll take a beating if it means getting what you want in the end. But could you hold off on causing any trouble for a little while? My Katie and Ethan have been asking for their Auntie Lottie to come read to them. They miss their story time. Get it together and stop disappointing my kids, you gypsy troublemaker.” Laughing at him, Charlotte watched as John made he was downstairs. “I’ll try. That’s the best I can do, brother.”

After John had made his exit downstairs, Charlotte sat in her chair by the fire thinking over what he had told her. She could see how her sneaking out and running around Birmingham was effecting Tommy. She didn’t like it, but his strangling hold on her made more sense now. She supposed that for the better of the family she could follow the rules and give Tommy a bit more control; or at the very least let him think that he’d been given more control. Maybe then he’d loosen up and let her have some wild moments.

Standing up to get back to her cleaning she clapped her hands together and told herself it was a done deal, she’d stop running off every chance she got. And maybe Tommy would give her some freedom back.

After a few hours of rearranging and moving stacks of books around, Charlotte’s room was starting to look presentable. At the very least you could see the floor again. Looking around she counted about twelve books that still needed a home off the floor. Then remembering that Tommy still had another ten books captive in his office, she realised that the only available space would be on top of the wardrobe. The shelves and bookcases were full, so the wardrobe would have to do. Unable to reach the top all on her own, she walked back into Tommy’s room, grabbed the desk chair he’d taken the day before and hauled it back to give her the height she needed to finish her cleaning.

Picking up her stuffed chair she set it right up against the wardrobe. She then put her desk chair on top to give her the extra height she needed to reach the top. Stepping into the stuffed chair she wobbled trying to step on to the desk chair. That wasn’t going to work. She needed something to hold onto so she wouldn’t fall over. Stepping down she pushed the chest of drawers to the stacked chairs and wedged the chairs between the drawers and the wardrobe. That was better. Pushing aside her mother's pitcher and water basin, as well as her framed family portrait, she placed the books within reach on the chest.

Stepping onto the stuffed chair she braced herself with the chest and gingerly climbed onto the wobbling desk chair. Looking up onto the top of the wardrobe Charlotte saw three small blue vials the size of her smallest finger. Curious, she grabbed one and popped the topper of the vial.

“Well, shit.” She muttered to herself. “Snow.”

She guessed Tommy had put them up there for safe keeping and forgot about them. She wondered how long they’d been up there. She wasn’t necessarily surprised by the discovery, she knew Tommy used an opium pipe to help him sleep, but she’d never seen him using cocaine. Not that he'd ever knowingly let her see him using. She'd only found out about the pipe after a particularly bad night when he'd woken up screaming his bloody head off.

After the boys returned from the war she’d heard Tommy shouting in the night, every night. Aunt Polly told her to leave him be, that war did strange things to men. But as the nights went on, Tommy’s nightmares got worse and worse. Sometimes Tommy would wake himself up and just start throwing things. Other times it sounded like he was about to punch his way through the walls from his room into Ada’s.

It scared them to the point that Ada had taken to sleeping in the back room with Charlotte — that was, when she was sleeping in the Shelby home and not somewhere else. Eventually the sisters had asked their aunt to come back and stay at the house, they were scared that he’d to something to hurt himself and they wouldn’t be able to help him.

Agreeing, Polly had managed to find excuses to stay the night for about a week before Tommy noticed and wanted to know what she was on about. Polly had taken him aside and told him that his sisters were worried about his nightmares and they were scared to be in the house alone with him. A few days after that the shouting lessened and he’d stopped throwing things. Polly had moved back to her flat and assured the girls that he had gotten himself some medication and they shouldn’t worry any longer.

But the night that she found Tommy screaming, she’d never get it out of her mind. It had been a particularly dry and clear night, not long after Christmas. Charlotte had stayed up waiting for the house to clear and Tommy to go to sleep so that she could slip out unnoticed. She’d planned to head over to Uncle Charlie’s yard to spend some time with her favourite horse, Annabelle. She hadn't been to visit in a week or so because of all the rain and she was growing impatient. The winter months were hard on everyone, horses included. With all the cold rain and mud, they weren’t put out to graze and Charlotte could feel them getting anxious stuck up in the stables all day. Hell, she was getting anxious stuck up in her house all day.

As the house grew quite and everything became still in the night, Charlotte pulled on her boots, grabbed her jacket, and stuffed the Webley revolver John had given her into her back pocket. She’d opened up the window and was about to make her way onto the roof of the kitchen below when she’d heard the shouting.

Pausing for a moment, she waited to see what the sound was. The shout came again. Sighing she realised that it was Tommy. It was just his nightmares. It had gotten better since Aunt Pol talked with him but it was still happening regularly, and she knew to just ignore him and leave him be. Sighing she continued her climb out the window, until she’d heard the gunshot.

The sound had sent her flying to the floor. Covering her head and breathing heavily she listened carefully. Not knowing if the shot had come from Tommy or from an intruder she crawled to her bedroom door, pressing her ear against it to listen for any sounds of a fight. Then she heard Tommy shout again, and another gunshot.

Panicked Charlotte knew that something was wrong. Reaching for her own gun she stood and opened her door. Walking carefully as to not make a noise, she raised the gun, arms outstretched continuing her path to Tommy. As she reached his door everything had gone silent again. No yelling. No more gunshots. Keeping her body pressed against the wall, gun still outstretched in front of her, she reached one hand out and grasped the doorknob. Readying herself for a fight, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

As the door swung wide, both Shelby’s moved simultaneously. Tommy’s head and gun shot up as Charlotte’s feet propelled her forward into his room. Everything happened before she could release her breath. She looked around not seeing anyone else as a final shot rang out.

Charlotte flinched as she felt the air move next to her. Then more shouting. Then the air was leaving her lungs as she was slammed against the wall. She tried to make sense of what was happening.

Her eyes were closed, and Tommy was yelling. Was he yelling? He ears were ringing. It was hard to tell. She felt hands on her face and she snapped her eyes open.

It was Tommy.

He looked panicked.

Funny.

Wasn’t she the one that was suppose to be panicked?

He had her pressed against the wall, his hands holding her face, and he was saying something.

Confusion was written across her features as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. There wasn’t anyone else here. It was Tommy shooting. It was Tommy that shot at her. Was she shot? Had her brother shot her?

Finally meeting his eyes, Tommy’s voice found its way to hear ears. “What were you thinking? What were you thinking? Charlotte?” His hands shook as he removed them from her face. Running his hand down her arms he grabbed her waist and pressed on her stomach.

“Where is it? Where did I get you? Where are you hurt?” He continued to manhandle her as she realised what he was doing. Trying to find her voice she whispered, “Stop. It’s ok. Stop.” Ignoring her and still searching for a wound she had to shout to get his attention, “Tommy! Stop! I’m ok. Stop. Look, right there. That’s where the bullet hit.”

Pointing to the wall next to her Tommy stood up and looked from her to the wall and back again. Shaking and sweating he started to speak again. “What were you doing? Why did you come in here? And where the fuck did you get this gun?”

Reaching down he snatched it from her hands and threw it on the floor. Grabbing her face again he leaned closer whispering to her, “What were you thinking, huh? Why were you running in here with a gun?” Shivering she tried to explain, “I thought there was someone here. I thought... I thought that you were hurt and–”

Cutting her off Tommy finished her sentence, “And you thought you’d help me. Is that it? You thought that someone had hurt me and instead of getting out of the house, you ran in here to help? You didn’t think that you’d get hurt too?”

His words reached her mind and she slowly nodded her head. Looking up at him she saw tears running down his face. She tried to take a breath only for a sob to escape and she realised her own tears had made an appearance.

Pulling her into his chest Tommy tried to lecture her, “You can’t to that Charlie. You can’t come running in here like that. You gotta think about these things.”

His admonishment made her cry harder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I wanted to help. I didn’t know.”

They stood silent, Tommy holding onto her for a minute or two before he took a breath and walked her to his bed. Sitting her on the edge he knelt in front of her. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m sorry for the yelling and the shooting. I'm trying to make it better. I didn’t realise it was you. Do you understand that? I didn’t know it was you. I didn't mean to shoot at you.”

Nodding at him, he continued, “You can’t do that again. You can’t come in here if I’m yelling, ok? It’s not safe.”

Looking back at him, Charlotte responded. “But I thought you were in trouble.”

Taking her hands in his, he tightened his grip. “I know Charlie, I know. But you can’t do that. If you hear gunshots, you run in the other direction, ok? You run. Go get John or Arthur. But don’t you try to help.” Feeling dejected she agreed, “Yeah. Ok. I got it.”

“Good. Now where’d you get that gun? Do you even know how to use it?” As he walked over to where he’d thrown it on the ground she tried to explain, “John gave it to me. Maybe the day after you got off the train. He said it was for emergencies. I don’t know why it’s a big deal... You all have them. Even Ada has one.”

Walking back to her with the revolver Tommy opened the cylinder and paused. “Charlie, there’s one bullet in here. You didn’t think to check for bullets?”

Embarrassed, she shook her head and looked the other way. Sitting down on the bed next to her he emptied the bullet into his hand and passed the gun back to her. “Right, well. How about tomorrow I show you how to use this thing? We can go out to the field and shoot some bottles. You gotta learn before you go pointing that thing at people.” Taking the bullet he opened the drawer on his bedside table and dropped it inside. He then picked up the pipe and tin cramming them in there as well.

“What’s that Tom?” Not looking at her he explained, “That’s to help me sleep, Charlie girl. Now why don’t you go do that yourself, eh?” Pointing out the door he added, “In your bed, not in the stables.”

Groaning at him she asked, “Well, if I can’t go to the horses, can I stay here with you? I’ll read and be quiet, I promise.” Agreeing, he stood up and headed to the door, “Sure you can. But I’m going to put the kettle on. You want a cup?” She nodded and heading down the stairs he called to her, “Get those muddy boots off the bed, Charlie.” Groaning she walked back to her room, rid herself of the boots and found a book to help her fall asleep.

That night Charlotte had fallen asleep in Tommy’s bed with a book in her hands before he ever made it back upstairs with their tea. Putting her cup of tea on his table, and pulling her book from her hands he sat down next to her on top of the blanket, his back resting against the bed frame. Looking at her book in his hands he read the title, ‘Dubliners’. Well, it looked like James Joyce would be keeping him company tonight. He didn’t trust himself to fall asleep with her in the room. For fuck’s sake, he’d nearly shot her tonight. He needed to be more careful. No more loaded guns under his pillow. In the morning he’d double check that she was alright, and make sure she promised to never bring this up to anyone else, ever. This needed to stay between them.

Thinking back on what was probably the worst night of her life, Charlotte put the stopper back on the vial and put it back where she’d found it. It felt a little like a trap to her. If Tommy remembered the vials and went to retrieve them and they weren’t there, he’d think she’d used it and she’d be in for it. Her brothers rarely let her drink whisky, snow was definitely out of the question. But she also knew that if she handed them over, they’d likely end up in Arthur’s hands, and months ago Polly had enlisted her help in keeping the stuff away from him.

She’d read in the papers that the government was working on a new law to ban certain drugs throughout all of England, and cocaine was at the top of their list. She was just going to pretend like she’d never found the vials. Putting them back where they were she decided to forget about it and move along. Nothing to see here.

Getting back to her business she reached behind her, holding onto the top ledge of the wardrobe, to grab her stack of books. She grumbled to herself as her fingertips just barely grazed the top of the stack. Damn. She could barely touch the very top book, she wasn’t going to reach the entire stack unless her arm grew about six inches in the next six seconds.

Trying not to abandon all hope she slowly shifted her feet so she was standing to the side and could more easily see and reach the books. She gently bent her knees trying to maintain her balance as the stacked chairs wobbled underneath her. Reaching over a little farther she tried to get a grasp on the books. As her hand made contact with the top book, her fingers holding purchase to the wardrobe ledge slipped, and she felt the full force of her weight falling into the chest of drawers.

As the chairs collapsed and the room tilted out from underneath her she made a small squeaking yelp before the chest crashed over and she followed after. She heard something shatter and felt a sharp pain before her head hit the ground and everything went black.

Down in the shop, the head of the men milling about jerked upward as they heard a crash followed by a thud that actually did shake the walls. Arthur, his irritation growing at the continuation of her noise after his assistance, nearly shouted, “I’m gonna kill her if she does that one more time.”

Shushing her nephew Polly stepped in to calm his nerves, “Don’t worry. I’ll go upstairs and see what she’s doing and if she needs more help.” Placing her cup of tea on his desk Polly marched up the stairs calling her nieces name, “Charlotte! Charlie? What in the bloody hell are you doing up here?” Reaching the end of the hall she turned into Charlotte’s room and froze. “Holy Jesus...”

Charlotte lay in the middle of the room a puddle of blood beginning to form near her leg. She was unconscious and her shoulder looked to be at an odd angle. Polly turned, walking briskly back to the top of the stairs and trying to keep her voice calm as to not cause any chaos she called down, “John! I need you upstairs for a moment. Quickly.”

She herself turned and ran back to Charlotte. She fell to the ground beside her niece, and picking up her head to place it in her lap Polly simultaneously checked the girl’s breathing. Polly sighed in relief and tried tapping Charlotte’s cheek hoping to wake her up.

Making his way up the stairs Polly heard John's voice, “Alright ladies, what is it this time?” Walking into the room he too froze, silent. Polly began to give him instructions while he stood in shock at the sight before him.

“Go fetch you wife, John. Go get Esme. She told me she had some nurses training while Ada was giving birth. Go get her. Look at me, John. Look at me. Walk downstairs calmly. And don’t you dare run until the shop door is closed. Not a person down there needs to be panicked at this sight just yet, and we sure as hell don’t need to go running off any bets. Now, go! John! Go get your wife!” Her firm voice snapped him back to reality, and nodding at her instructions he left.

Stoically John walked back down the stairs, through the shop, and to the door. In the back of his mind he knew Arthur was calling for him, but he kept moving. He ignored his oldest brother and just as Polly said to, he calmly shut the door before letting out a breath and running down the block shouting for Esme.

As Polly examined Charlotte’s injuries she discovered a bleed at the back of her head, her shoulder was definitely dislocated, and the pooling blood was coming from a large shard of ceramic lodged into the girl’s leg. Looking around the room she saw two chairs on their sides; one desk chair and one stuffed lounge chair. Charlotte’s chest of drawers had fallen face down, the pitcher and basin that had once sat atop it shattered in pieces on the ground next to the glass that had once belonged to the frame holding their family portrait. Looking down at her nieces face nestled in her lap she muttered, “Bloody hell. What were you up to?”

Back downstairs the door to the betting shop flew open and John ran in, breathing heavily and holding Esme’s hand. Polly had told him to keep calm, but to hell with that. John rushed Esme up the stairs and into the same room he had just exited not five minutes earlier. Upon arriving at the mess of books, glass, and blood Esme got to work examining Charlotte and talking to Polly. Standing and staring, waiting for instructions from Esme he startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“What in the fuck happened here?” Arthur shouted, fear audible in his voice. Polly raised her head to the men standing in the doorway. “Keep it down. This is family business and none of the men downstairs placing bets needs to know that something is amiss up here.” Both brothers nodded, agreeing with their aunt’s assessment. Finally concluding her assessment of their sister Esme turned and spoke to the brothers, “Which one of you can put a shoulder back into place?” Arthur, stepped forward, “That’d be me. I can do it.”

As Arthur walked forward Charlotte began to cough, eyes fluttering open. There was a sigh of relief from the room and Charlotte looked around and muttered, “Fuck.” She tried to sit up and Esme held her down, “No. No. Don’t do that. Lay still.”

Ever the stubborn one, Charlotte became indignant, “Wait for what? Just lemme up.” Turning around, Esme called to John, “Come here and help. John you’ll need to hold her while Arthur does the job.” Still confused and trying to sit up Charlotte became concerned as the boys walked toward her, “Wait. Wait. Hold on just a minute. Just hold on a fucking minute.”

Turning to Esme she questioned, “Why’s he got to hold me? And what’s Arthur about to do?” John and Arthur looked to one another and continued walking toward her without speaking. Getting up, Polly switched places with John and he hoisted Charlotte into a sitting position.

Heading for the door Polly announced, “I’m going to go get some rags and whisky, I think we’ll need it.” Calling after her, Esme added, “And bowls for water... And a sewing kit!” Settling in so that Charlotte’s back rested against his chest John started to explain what was about to happen. “You just gotta hold still Lottie. Esme knows what she’s doing and she says Arthur’s gotta put that shoulder back into place. So just hold still and then we’ll get that chunk of glass outta your leg.”

Trying to put on a brave face Charlotte tried, unsuccessfully, not to panic. “Just hold on. Just lemme breathe a second, ok? You all need to wait.” Leaning forward Arthur reached out to grab ahold of Charlotte’s left shoulder and elbow. “It’s gotta be done now, Charlie. The longer you wait, the worse it’ll be. Just take a breath. It’s not gonna hurt that bad. I bet that piece of pitcher sticking outta your leg there hurts a lot worse.”

Staring back at Arthur Charlotte asked, “Do you even know what you’re doing? I mean, how many times–”

Charlotte’s line of questioning was cut short as Arthur tightened his grip, locked eyes with John, and jerked her shoulder up and into place. The room went silent for exactly three seconds as Charlotte opened her mouth to scream.

Air escaped her lungs, but no noise came.

Closing her eyes and finally inhaling she released a scream that nearly shattered the windows.

Wincing and trying to cover his ears Arthur said flatly, “Well, there goes Polly’s plan to keep this family business.”

Another three seconds passed and opening her eyes wide Charlotte found her words, “Fuck you, Arthur Shelby! You fucking liar. Fuck you! It’s not gonna hurt?” Holding up his hands in defence Arthur backed away as Charlotte flung her leg up, trying to kick him. Unsuccessful, she tried again and continued to yell. “Get back over here. Lemme show you how much it’s not gonna hurt, you son of a bitch.”

Heading toward the door Arthur announced that his work here was done and he had to be somewhere to be. Yelling at his retreat, Charlotte continued, “Where you going, Arthur? Come back here, it’s not gonna hurt, I promise.” Trying not to laugh John kept hold on his sister, “Lottie, calm down! You got a whole pitcher stuck in your leg there and you’re gonna bleed out if you don’t stop thrashing around.”

Kneeling down and pressing her hands on either side of the ceramic sticking out of Charlotte’s leg, Esme came to his aid, “Charlie, you really need to stop moving, you’re making it worse.” Charlotte immediately stopped moving and looked down at her leg. It was as if she was seeing the damage there for the first time. The blood drained from her face and she leaned back into him once more, “Shit, that looks bad.” Rolling his eyes John responded, “You’re not wrong there.”

Tommy had decided to move his work into his office after his aunt and both brothers had abandoned him to head upstairs. He tried to ignore John’s leaving, then returning with Esme. He was busy. Whatever it was, Polly could handle it. Opening up his journal, he got to work. Minutes later he looked up as Polly made her way back down the stairs and into the family’s house. He tried to catch her eye, but she pointedly refused to acknowledge him.

Closing the book he sighed, stood, and went to follow her. “Polly? What’s wrong? You look stressed.” Digging around in the pantry and pulling out some towels she replied, “It’s fine, Thomas. Go back to your work. I’ve got this under control.” Not quite convinced he pressed her further, “Are you sure Pol? What’s Esme doing up there? And what the fuck are you looking for in there?” Responding without answering his questions Polly asked, “Where’s the whisky?” Rolling his eyes Tommy decided that two could play this game.

“What’s going on upstairs, Polly? Is there something wrong?” Polly continued to ignore him and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing her by the arm he forced her to stop what she was doing and look at him. “Fucking answer me. What is going–”

He was cut short by a raging scream that could've risen the dead. Polly’s eyes went wide as Tommy locked his eyes on hers. Raising his eyebrows, he waited for an explanation.

“Right. Well, that was probably Arthur putting her shoulder back in place.” His own eyes grew wide at her explanation. Before he could get a word out Polly was back to digging around under the kitchen sink. “We need a bottle of whiskey and a sewing kit. Wait, no. Make that two bottles. Here, take these, and grab those towels.”

Handing him two bowls she pointed to the towels sitting on the table. Still paying him no mind she walked into the front room and returned with a sewing basket. Looking to him she asked, “Well, where’s the whisky?” Nodding his head, Tommy moved in the direction of his office.

As he headed toward his office he heard Polly shouting, “What in the fuck do you all think you’re looking at? Eh?” Looking up Tommy finally realised that all movement, conversation, and betting had stopped inside the shop. There were about 20 men standing still, all watching them intently.

Moving to him Polly took the dishes and rags out of his arms and started up the stairs, “Get everyone out of here Tommy. Close up shop, and we’ll deal with business tomorrow. Grab that whisky and get your ass upstairs.”

Turning to his audience he announced, “Alright lads, you heard the lady, finish your business and make your way home. The shop is closing.” Walking into his off for the bottles of whisky, Scudboat followed in after him. “What’s going on Tom? We all heard that scream a few minutes ago. Nobody’s said a word since and they’ve all been standing there watching Polly.”

Grabbing two bottles from his desk drawer he responded, “If you’d believe it, I have absolutely no idea what is going on up there. But it looks like Polly’s on a path, and it’s best to either get on board or get outta the way. I’m already on board, mate. You best be moving along.” Scudboat laughed, “You want me to lock up?”

Nodding at him Tommy instructed, “Check all the doors in both houses, we don’t need anybody robbing us blind.” Grabbing his keys, Scudboat moved to follow orders and Tommy made his way up the stairs, passing Arthur on the way out. “Where you going?” Without looking back, Arthur responded, “I did me part up there, I got a meeting across town.” Tommy knew it was their father. Arthur was meeting with that son of a bitch, and he knew the man would end up disappointing his brother. Putting it out of his mind Tommy continued his way upstairs. There were clearly more important things at hand.

#peaky blinders #peaky sister #shelby sister #tommy shelby #arthur shelby #john shelby #peaky blinders oc #polly gray #Charlotte Shelby

20 notes · View notes