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alphabetbill · 2 months ago

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Macabre [ HEMLOCK GROVE ] - Chapter 10

~ description ~

A werewolf whose only skill is running from his fears and a half-upir with no idea of the true darkness lying inside of him, supernaturally bound to each other after the mysterious death of a girl they both knew, and the grim visions that haunt them.

Some secrets in Hemlock Grove should have just stayed buried. In a town that isn't so sleepy after all, monsters of all kinds are wide awake under the surface, crawling their way up.

~ warnings~

This story will contain mature and heavy themes that may involve potentially explicit content, gore and murder, talk of kidnapping and stalking victims, animal death, supernatural/paranormal/religious themes and trauma, any other themes not covered in the general description will probably be tagged here at the start of the chapters that other significant warnings apply to.

A list will be linked here upon completion and upload of each chapter:

Cicada and the Snake

Chapter 1 . Chapter 2 . Chapter 3 . Chapter 4 . Chapter 5. Chapter 6 . Chapter 7 . Chapter 8 . Chapter 9 . Chapter 10 . Chapter 11 .

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c h a p t e r t e n .

Peter Rumancek

<<>>

"YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT I THINK?" Roman Godfrey asked, because no one actually had.

"Not really," Peter replied.

He was stretched out on the couch with a joint dangling from his fingers, and at the current time, he possessed no interest in anything the half-upir had to ramble on about this time.

The rich boy paced back and forth across Peter's living room, covering the distance in a span of about four steps, which for Roman equated to the average stride of a giraffe.

"I think your cousin is a liar," he said. "Either all this ritual bullshit is fake, or she's not telling us on purpose."

He took a drag from the joint as Peter gave it back to him, shivering fingers concealed by designer winter gloves.

"Visions don't just appear on command, fuckwit. Even rituals don't work every time," Peter replied. "Besides, have you even considered the thought that maybe Jude's the one not telling us anything?"

"What?" Roman stopped his pacing, as though the audacity of the werewolf's suggestion had offended him on a profound level.

"That's bullshit. She'd tell me if she— she'd tell us if she saw something important."

"Would she though? Because I don't know what you've been seeing, but I've seen the way she stares off into space. I've seen the way her eyes go blank, like she's not really here, like she's somewhere else. When she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night and still insists everything is fine."

"Maybe she doesn't remember what she sees," Roman insisted.

Several weeks had passed since Jude and Destiny had tried to make contact with her spiritual memories, and since then, nothing had come of it. Of course, Peter wasn't stupid, and like the fresh snow accumulating outside, his doubts had begun to settle in too. Someone had seen something, one of them knew something, and whatever it was, there was a reason they didn't want him and Roman knowing. A reason he could only choose to respect for now.

"I'm gonna go check on her," Roman announced, as if he had been stressing in silence over whether or not he should, ultimately losing the battle. He took off down the hallway and rapped his knuckles thrice against the door to the spare room.

Peter couldn't shake the light smirk on his face. His concern for her was sweet in the most ridiculous, tragic way. Oh what the world had come to— in which his childhood best friend was Roman Godfrey's only soft spot, the only thing that shifted the attention away from himself for a while.

Peter tried to think of a world in which the two of them would be okay, but as it had many times before, the possibility escaped him.

It became clear after a while that the gypsy should find something else to occupy himself with, and so with his mother's grocery list in hand, he headed outside. The December morning air was cold and crisp, cutting cleanly through his coat like a knife. The boy climbed the wooden stairs leading up to the roadside, nearly slipping on several of the frosted steps.

Once in town he was on his way to the grocery store, rounding the corner near the ice cream shop, he spotted her.

Letha Godfrey. She was leaning against the brick wall, her gold-spun hair tucked under the fluffy hood of her woollen jacket, but the locks framing her face caught the sunlight at just the right angle.

The two of them had gotten to know each other more ever since he'd moved here, often opting to sit together in the classes they shared. Maybe it was just that she looked like an angel, or maybe it was just the allure of her being Roman's cousin, but he often found himself in quiet awe of her.

She was eating an ice cream cone, her glossy lips curling in a friendly smile as she caught sight of him.

"Oh hey Peter," she said, her voice light, teasing. "You know, all this time I thought you must be a hermit. I've never seen you out around town at all."

Peter grinned, eyes softening.

"And all this time I thought you were one of the only sane members of the Godfrey family, until I came across you eating ice cream in the middle of winter"

His gaze lingered on her a little longer than intended.

Letha laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as her cheeks flushed pink—not from the cold.

"It's ice cream, good to eat in any weather", she defended, despite her violent shivering. "Besides, I like to suffer for my pleasures."

There was a beat of quiet between them—comfortable, curious. He watched a flake of snow catch in her hair and melt without her noticing.

A quiet hum of energy existed between the pair, something unspoken, but familiar. A pleasant warmth that caressed his soul– providing a nice change from the stress of everything that was happening.

"You want to grab coffee or something?" he asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them. Groceries could wait. Letha didn't answer immediately– instead, she wiped her hand on her jeans and pushed off from the wall.

"Sure," she said, falling into step with him.

The smile on her face made the air feel warmer than it was.

They ducked into the cafe on the corner of the main street, the wood fireplace inside generating a comfortable heat. The place was small and cozy and smelled of cinnamon.

Letha ordered something sweet and absurdly complicated. Peter just asked for plain black coffee.

They slid into a booth near the window, stained glass fogged up. For a moment, neither of them said much. It wasn't the kind of silence that felt strained or forced, not the kind of silence that made things awkward.

He noticed the Godfrey girl observing him, and he didn't know why, but Peter felt a small, pleasant shiver go down the back of his neck.

"So. You and Roman," Letha started, stirring her drink lazily, "you two have gotten close."

Peter shrugged, blowing into his cup to cool down the beverage. "He's alright, when he's not being a pain in the ass."

She smiled at that, eyes glinting with some fondness. "He's always been a pain in the ass. But he means well, sometimes. He could really use a friend like you after everything he's been through."

There it was. The glimmer of sympathy in those pretty blue eyes.

"He um. He told me that you knew Judith too. When you were kids."

"Oh. Yeah. My family and hers were close before she and her dad moved here. We were kids the last time we saw each other."

"It can't have been easy, coming back like this. How are you dealing with it all?"

"It hasn't been too bad. I know Roman's been pretty shaken by it, he knew her for longer. He really liked her, didn't he?" Peter asked.

Letha's smile faltered for a moment—just for a flicker—before she took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I think he did."

She toyed with the edge of her napkin, gaze dropping briefly before meeting his again. "Roman doesn't open up easily, so when he finds someone he trusts, it's hard for him to let go."

Peter nodded. He watched the way the steam from her drink curled toward her face like it wanted to kiss her.

"He's been on edge lately. I don't know, he just thinks there's something's off with everything that happened."

Letha arched a brow. "Do you think something's off?"

Peter hesitated, the weight of all the things he couldn't say pressing into the space between them. "I think this town has a way of keeping secrets. I think there's no way something isn't off."

"That," she said, giving a quiet laugh, "might be the most accurate thing anyone's ever said about this place."

They lapsed into silence again, but this one was heavier, thoughtful. Outside, snow began to drift harder against the glass, muffling the world. Peter studied her a moment longer, her smile, the way her hair fell like light over her shoulders.

She looked soft.

Safe.

Peter dreamed that night.

He was standing naked in the middle of a lake, murky black water rising to his knees.

The cold slashed right to his bones, leaving him a shivering mess in the middle of the water as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

A wall of trees lined the shore like monoliths, ancient and always, their branches clawing at a starless sky, trapping him in this endless place. Fog unfurled over the surface of the lake, like a living thing with a pulse.

A full moon swelled in the sky, the only source of light. Where he may have expected to hear the croak of a frog or the buzzing of mosquitoes, the wolf heard only silence, and the faint, distant scamper of his own heartbeat.

Sloshing through reeds and rotting fish that had died and begun to float, Peter caught sight of something on the shore which made him pause.

She was a figure of light, draped in milk white silk, her smooth pale skin stained with inky water and mud. Her back was facing him, golden hair spilling in perfect curls like a halo. He knew it without needing to see her face.

Knew it was Letha Godfrey.

He knew it was her—not from the clothes or the hair, but from the feeling in his chest.

Relief bloomed in his ribs for a single, perfect second.

Then it curdled.

Something sour rose in his throat, leaving a bitter, almost bloody taste in his mouth. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t call out. The air around him thickened into something unbreathable, like thick smoke without fire. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to wake up, to do anything—but all he could do was stand there, locked in place, dread pooling in his gut. The longer he looked, the more wrong it felt. Her stillness wasn’t calm—it was eerie. It was final.

As she walked further into the trees, disappearing in the dark, Peter could not submit to his temptation to follow her even if he wanted to, for the lake held him still, powerless.

In the dark between the trees, in a place he could not see, her scream rang out.

Peter shot up from his bed, sweat pooling in the sheets. Dragging a hand through his hair, he tried to steady himself, lungs heaving. For a long time he just sat there— frozen, heart slamming against his ribs. It wanted out.

The echo of Letha's cry never left him, not even after lurching out of bed and violently washing his face in the bathroom sink. Stop it. Stop it. Stop screaming.

When he looked up, he met his own blue gaze with a certain understanding.

He needed Jude to talk. Talk about what she had seen. Because if she didn't then they would never come close to avenging her. Never come close to finding out who was doing this. More would be next. More girls would die.

Letha Godfrey would die.

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Me when my diabolic plans for chapter 11 involve Christmas 👀

#bill skarsgard #roman godfrey #hemlock grove #bill skarsgård fanfiction #bill skarsgård #bill #fanfiction #skarsgard #billskarsgard #roman godfrey x reader

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amayaonly1 · 5 months ago

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Verses Unwritten: A Rap Odyssey

Eminem x Rapper!OC

Verse 22

About: Eminem confronts Genji after learning from Paul that she has decided to end any future collaboration without telling him first. Fueled by frustration and hurt, he demands the truth, forcing her to admit that walking away isn't as easy as she pretends. As tensions rise, unspoken feelings surface, leaving them both at a crossroads between denial and something real.

Disclaimer: This work is a work of fiction, and any involvement of the character Genji is purely fictional and not representative of any real person.

Eminem's pulse pounded in his ears, his grip tightening around the steering wheel as the city lights blurred past. His stomach was a tight knot, wound so hard it ached. He wasn't sure if it was anger or something worse pressing against his ribs, making his breath come short. All he knew was that he wasn't about to let this sit, not after hearing it from Paul instead of her.

"She came to me. Said she's done. No more collabs, no more features."

The words had been rattling around his skull for hours now, carving trenches into his brain.

Done.

So now they're just business partners? Like she could just walk away from everything: the late-night sessions, the back-and-forth in the booth, the way she always lingered even after the track was done. Did none of it mean shit?

He scoffed, his jaw clenching so hard it felt wired shut. It was bullshit. She didn't even have the decency to tell him first. Just went straight to Paul, like he was some PR disaster waiting to happen, or like he was a goddamn mess she needed to clean up before it got out of hand.

But it already was.

Paul hadn't said much else, just that Genji seemed sure of her decision. That pissed him off more than anything. Sure. It's as if she had thought it through and decided that whatever the hell had been happening between them wasn't worth the risk.

And she hadn't even told him.

By the time he pulled up outside her hotel, his jaw was locked so tight it hurt. He wasn't sure what he was going to say; he just knew he needed to see her. He needed to hear it from her own damn mouth.

With his hoodie up and cap pulled low, he strode into the lobby, barely sparing a glance at the quiet luxury of the place. He didn't give a shit about the sleek chandeliers or the polite hum of conversation. He made a beeline for the front desk, where a young receptionist looked up, her expression polite but cautious.

"I need to see Futaba Hagihara," he said, voice clipped.

The receptionist blinked. "Do you have an appointment with the guest, sir?"

Eminem exhaled sharply, shifting his weight. He wasn't in the mood for this. "Just call her room."

The receptionist hesitated, probably debating whether he was some kind of stalker. But protocol won out, and she picked up the phone. As he waited, his fingers tapped impatiently against the counter. His heart pounded like a drum, frustration twisting in his chest.

"Miss Hagihara? There's someone here asking to see you." A pause. Then a nod. "Understood."

She hung up and glanced back at him. "You may go up. It's Room 4015."

He needn't wait.

She answered the door on the second knock. No surprise in her expression. No hesitation, either.

She had been expecting this.

She stepped aside without a word, and he strode inside, his pulse hammering in his throat. He barely registered the room: the soft glow of the lamp, the neatness of her things, the faint scent of something floral lingering in the air. None of it mattered.

He turned to face her, arms crossed tight. "So, that's it?" His voice was sharper than he intended, but he didn't care. "You just go to Paul, tell him that you're 'done' like I'm some PR issue you need to handle?"

Genji shut the door behind her and leaned against it, exhaling softly. "I was going to tell you."

"When?"

Her eyes flickered. A hesitation. A crack in her usually unreadable expression. Guilt? Doubt?

"Marshall—"

"Don't fuckin' Marshall me right now." His voice was low, edged with frustration. "You really think this is just business?"

She parted her lips like she was about to answer. Nothing came out.

And that was it. That fraction of a second. That tiny pause where she didn't have an answer ready. It told him everything.

"You know it's not," he said, quieter now.

Her fingers twitched, gripping the sleeve of her hoodie. "I thought it'd be easier this way," she whispered. "For both of us."

"Easier," he repeated, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. "For who? 'Cause it sure as hell doesn't feel easy to me."

Her arms crossed, a small movement, defensive. He could see how she was holding herself together, keeping her voice even, her shoulders straight. He'd always known that she was calm and controlled, like she had built walls so thick nothing could get through. That had been part of what drew him to her in the first place, for it made her so different from everyone else in this industry.

But this wasn't business. This was them. And she was running.

The realisation settled in his stomach like a stone.

"You're scared," he said, softer now, watching her carefully.

Her fingers tensed against her sleeves. "I'm being realistic."

He shook his head. "Bullshit."

She flinched. Barely. But he caught it.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched thick and heavy between them, the weight of everything left unsaid pressing on his chest.

Eminem let out a slow breath, dragging a hand over his face. He wasn't good at finding the right words, saying the things he should say instead of the things that would just make it worse. But he had to try. He needed her to understand.

"Look, I get it," he said. "You don't want the media in your business. You don't want Paul or my label on your ass. You think it's easier to just cut this off before it gets... before it becomes something real." He paused, letting the words sink in. "But if that's the only reason, then you're full of shit."

Her breath hitched, barely, but he caught it.

"And if it's not?" she asked, her voice quieter now.

He took a step closer, closing the space between them. "Then tell me." His gaze locked onto hers. "Right now, look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel anything. That you never have."

She didn't move or breathe. For a split second, he saw it. Her walls were starting to crack. She parted her lips like she was going to say something. Nothing came out. And for once, since he'd known her, she had no answer.

She looked away. "This doesn't change anything."

"The hell it doesn't."

Before he realised it, his hand reached out, finding hers. She didn't pull away, but she didn't hold on either, just let it stay there.

He swallowed hard, searching her face. The moment stretched, fragile and uncertain, like a wire drawn too tight between them. He could feel the warmth of her palm beneath his fingertips, the slight hesitation in the way she let him touch her but refused to give him more.

"I don't know what this is," he admitted, his voice rough. "I just know I don't want it to be nothing."

Something in her expression shifted.

Her fingers curled slightly around his, barely enough to be called holding on, but enough that he felt it. And yet, it was her other hand that caught his attention: the one clenched tight in the sleeve of her hoodie, the faint tremor in her fingers betraying her. Then, before he could say anything, she turned her face away. But it wasn't fast enough.

He saw it.

The rapid blinking, the hitched breath. A single tear slipped down her cheek before she brushed it away, almost violently, as if furious with herself for letting it fall.

Eminem felt something in his chest lurch, a pull so deep it left him momentarily unsteady. He wasn't sure what hit him harder: that she was crying, or that she was trying so damn hard not to.

"Fu—" His voice came out softer, almost breathless

"I don't either," she finally admitted.

And just like that, everything changed. It wasn't just her words. It was how she said them, like they had been torn out of her. Perhaps she hadn't meant to say them but couldn't hold them back. He knew her well enough to understand how much it must have cost her to admit that.

His grip tightened slightly around her hand as he whispered, "Then let's stop acting like it is."

#eminem #eminem fanfiction #eminem imagine #eminem x reader

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finest-galaxy · 6 months ago

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Bullet With Butterfly Wings

The full playlist for this story can be found below:

1. Bullet With Butterfly Wings- Smashing Pumpkins

2. Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down

3. Scotty Doesn't Know- Lustra

4. Basket Case- Green Day

5. How the World Works- Bo Burnham

6. Crazy Bitch- Buckcherry

7. Killer Queen- Queen

8. Heart Shaped Box- Nirvana

9. Howlin' for You- The Black Keys

Be kind ya'll. This is the first fic I've written in fifteen years. Also, sorry the formatting is shit. I'm a computer illiterate Millennial.

The bird hadn’t answered his phone in four fucking days.

Not that Blitzo cared or anything. The stupid bird could do what he liked. No skin off his ass.

Only...he always answered Blitz’s texts. And he’d sent some quality horny memes. It was still a couple weeks out from the next full moon, but it never hurt to do a little pregaming. Plus, he knew Stolas would find them funny. This time, though, he hadn’t even sent so much as a “haha” or a fucking thumbs up.

The imp tapped his fingers against his bulky phone case, frowning. It was probably fine. He was probably just off on some royal bullshit, but it was still a little worrisome. The last time they’d seen each other, the avian horndog had seemed a bit more run down than usual. The sex had still been eventful, and he’d seemed to enjoy it, but it did seem like something was off. He hadn’t pushed and no details had been offered up. Now that he thought about it, Stolas hadn’t really talked much at all. Normally, he didn’t shut his beak the entire time Blitz was there.

“Fuck.”

Blitz: (10:41pm) Brd, answer ur phone.

Blitz: (10:47pm) Asshole. Just say if Via iz ther

Stolas: (10:55pm) No.

Blitz: (10:56pm) Gud. Be out side in 20

Stolas: (10:56pm) I’m not in the mood, Blitz. I would prefer to be alone. Thank you for offering, though.

Blitz: (11:06pm) 2 bad. 10 mins

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Stolas pulled his sweater tighter around himself. He was perched on the bottom step of the palace, waiting to kindly tell Blitz to go back home. He’d had a truly awful few days, and for once he wasn’t feeling up to whatever sexual experience the imp was planning. Stella had spent most of the week silently stalking around the palace, setting his nerves on end. His awful brother in law had joined her for hours on end, and it had felt like the two of them were plotting something awful. It was probably nothing, but it had ensured that this week hadn’t held a moment of peace for him. He had barely slept and was beginning to feel the exhaustion settle deep into his bones.

He glanced up to see the IMP van screeching into the driveway. Blitz rolled down the drivers side window and leaned out.

“Hey, birdie.”

The owl raised an eyebrow at the smaller man, but remained on the steps. “Blitzy, I’m sorry you’ve driven all this way, but I’m—”

Blitz held up a hand to stop him. “Nah, we’re not doing excuses. Come on.”

Well, that was rude. Stolas frowned. “But, I’m not in the mood for physical contact with anyone tonight. I’m sorry.” He rose and turned to start back up the stairs.

“Bitch, I didn’t come here to get laid. Get in the damn car. I promise to keep my hands to myself.” Stolas turned his head to glance back at the van. Blitz lifted both of his hands in a mock surrender. “No touching. This won’t take long.”

The bird sighed, deeply, and trotted down the stairs. He climbed into the passenger seat and shifted into the closest he would come to a comfortable position. “There. I’m in the damn car. What are we doing?”

Blitz didn’t answer. Instead, he shifted the car into drive and slowly pulled out onto the highway. He pointed to two large styrofoam cups resting in the dash. “The one on the right’s for you. It’s shitty coffee, but it’s coffee and it’s hot. Figured your princess ass could use a pick me up.”

Stolas took a sip of the very acidic coffee, sneaking a glance over at the driver. “Blitz, what are we doing?”

After a few moments of silence, Blitz cleared his throat. “I don’t know what to say. You didn’t answer your phone. That’s not like you.” He checked his mirrors. “So, whatever the fuck is goin’ on, it must be bad. So, I’m here to help.”

“Well, Blitz, that’s very kind, but I’m not sure this is something that can be helped. It’s complicated and messy and something I need to work out on my own.”

“I’m not here to talk feelings or any of that bullshit, Stolas. I’m here to...I’ve been having a shit week myself, okay? And when I have a shitty day, I have a kind of ritual that helps me feel better. So, I’m going to perform my ritual. And you’re here for the ride. Maybe you’ll hate it, and maybe it’ll make you feel worse. But maybe it’ll help you like it helps me.” The imp’s shoulders had risen as he spoke, almost like he was building a line of defense as he released that small bit of personal information.

“Okay.” Stolas agreed quietly. “How do we perform this ritual?”

Blitz waved him off. “It’s not, like, anything you need to do. When I feel like shit, I go buy a big ass coffee, I gas up the van, and I drive around and listen to music. I’m not putting on any of your fancy fussy bullshit. I’m makin’ myself feel better and you’re just here for the ride. Also, and most important, if you try to talk to me about anything you see or hear in this van tonight, I’m not comin’ over on the next full moon. I don’t do feelings and I don’t do talking. I’m just tryin’ to help. Got it?”

Stolas felt a flood of excitement, despite his foul mood. “Got it.”

The smaller man nodded and reached out to press a few buttons on the radio. A lone male voice echoed around the cabin, followed by a loud, percussive riff.

“The world is a vampire,

Sent to drain.

Secret destroyers,

Hold you up to the flames.”

Blitz bobbed his head gently to the music. Stolas, wary of the warning he’d been given, didn’t watch him directly. He faced forward but continued watching out of the corner of his eye.

Stolas jumped in his seat when he heard Blitz’s voice join the singer’s.

“Despite all my rage,

I am still just a rat in a cage.”

The owl could no longer look forward. His jaw dropped and he turned to stare at the imp.

“Someone will say—Stolas, you’re gonna lose the full moon,

Despite all my rage,

I am still just a rat in a cage.”

The bird’s head snapped forward. “Sorry!”

The song continued to play, but Blitz did not resume his singing. They drove in companionable silence through the next few pieces, each one sounding very similar to the last. The lyrics didn’t seem to focus on any one subject. One song seemed to be singing about a superhero, and the next seemed to be about someone named Scotty.

Blitz was the first to break the silence when the fourth song began. “Oh, Stols. It’s a song for you!” He cackled. A driving guitar screeched across the radio. He winked at the bird, letting him know it wasn’t an insult.

“Do you have the time,

To listen to me whine?”

Stolas rolled his eyes. “Cute, Blitzy.”

Blitz’s response was to roll down the windows and turn up the volume. Wind whipped through the van, ruffling the bird’s feathers. He sang along obnoxiously, occasionally sneaking glances at his passenger. Fuck, he hoped this worked. Otherwise he was making a gigantic ass out of himself for absolutely no reason.

Actually, maybe making an ass out of himself is exactly what he needed to do. He hadn’t gotten a single laugh out of him yet, and if he was being honest, it was bothering him. Fuck it.

He turned down the volume. “Okay, not your song after all. Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll switch it up.” He poked a few more buttons and an old favorite of his began to play. It was silly, and stupid, but full of big words that the bird would probably like. He waited until the opening had finished playing, choosing exactly when he would join in.

He took a deep breath.

“The simple narrative taught in every history class,

Is demonstrably false,

And pedagogically classist.”

Stolas couldn’t help himself. He blinked a few times and turned to watch Blitz. The imp had his arm out the window, drifting his hand through the wind. There was a slight smile playing at his lips, like he knew a secret his passenger didn’t. He sang along easily, taking pleasure in the ridiculous lyrics.

Eventually, the song ended and the cabin was quiet again.

“More your speed, Princess?”

The owl chuckled. “I don’t know how much I liked the song, but I’ve never heard you use the word ‘demonstrably’ before.” He shifted in his seat to lean against the door, granting him a better view of Blitz. “Is this really what you do when you’re not feeling well?”

Blitz shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I mean, yeah. There’s usually nobody around. I can listen to my music as loud as I want to. I can drink my shitty coffee in peace. I can take the van to the right part of the country and drive as fast as I want. There’s somethin’ about having that level of control over somethin’ so big.” He patted the steering wheel gently.

“Oh, I see. It’s a control thing.” Stolas nodded. “I don’t have a lot that grants me that kind of control. It sounds lovely.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door.

“How the fuck?” You’re a fuckin’ prince. You can do whatever the fuck you want.”

Stolas hummed in agreement. “You’d think so, right? But, no. The closest I get to that is opening the occasional portal, but after the first few times it’s not quite so exciting. Ah, well. I’m thankful you’ve decided to kidnap me this evening. Even if your taste in music is abhorrent, it’s done a little for my mental health to get away from the palace for a little while.”

Blitz resumed his playlist, and they settled back into their silence.

A few songs later, Blitz abruptly silenced the radio and yanked the steering wheel. The van skidded to the side of the road, jolting the owl forward in his seat.

“Ow!” He yelped, rubbing his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Blitz shot him a devious grin. He pulled the keys from the ignition and tossed them to Stolas.

“Want a little control, pretty bird?”

#helluva boss #hellaverse #stolas x blitz #blitzø #blitzo #stolas #fanfic #writing #im too old for this #driving #music #i.m.p.#Spotify

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bitterwaters · 10 months ago

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Lacquer Brands

so one day I went to a fugue and wrote a 2000 word essay on nail polish brands

We got four tiers of nail polish brands: overpriced luxury bullshit, drugstore, boutique, and indie.

Overpriced Luxury Bullshit

Don’t buy these! Just don’t! You’re paying for name, not quality. Chanel charges $32 for an 11 ml creme, the second cheapest polish type there is. That’s ludicrous. Every review I’ve seen of a “high-brand” from a real swatcher has been negative. Fuck ‘em all.

Drugstore

This is every other mainstream brand, whether it’s from CVS, Walmart, or Ulta. Wide range of price and quality. In general, you’ll probably get what you pay for. Sally Hensen Insta-Dry is classic and Acceptably Okay; if you don’t have the patience for a full manicure, just slap some of that on. Look for brands that are 3-free or 5-free--that means that won’t have a few nasty chemicals. Anything over 5 is fake and doesn’t matter.

My preferred drugstore brands:

Zoya: Jellies, glitters, shimmers. Tends to have a very thin formula--leave the cap off for a few minutes to thicken it up.

Orly: Cremes! The absolute best, well-pigmented, buttery smooth cremes. Persistent Memory is my perfect dark red. The bottles are generously sized, they have a nice paddle brush, and I love the big rubberized cap. They’re just really pleasant!

OPI: I only use their matte top coat but I use a lot of it. It’s the best! Get their matte top coat! I’ve seen recs to use their polishes over Essie’s, but I’ve never tried either.

Boutique

Now we’re getting into the Good Shit. There’s a price jump here, but there’s also a huge jump in quality. These are small- to medium-sized online-only businesses with semi-industrial production and ample stock. They’re big enough to ship within a few days. They use a LOT more pigment and glitter than drugstore brands, and have far more variety in finishes.

You might see them on Amazon or Etsy--skip it and go order from their sites instead. Shipping costs the same and you can save up reward points.

Charmed Lacquer: Brand new, recently announced, will open in a week or two. Started by a streamer named Janixa. I’m not familiar, but her followers seem excited enough to check it out.

Cirque Colors: CONTROVERSY! I like Cirque. I have a ton of their polishes. A little pricey, but they have frequent small sales and are high-quality. Best known for the jellies and some really stunning magnetics like Mood Ring and Black Swan (which have since been rampantly duped). So why the controversy?

Mystery bags: idk people get het up about ‘em. I kind of feel like if you gamble on a bunch of polishes you don’t choose, you risk pruglies.

Coronation: This is a purple polish with a red-green shift shimmer pigment called, I shit you not, Unicorn Pee. UP was made unavailable for public sale years ago (the suspicion is that it’s now used in some currency). Cirque keeps finding stashes and re-releasing Coronation. There have been complaints that it’s not the same shade as the original, that it’s over-priced ($18.50 is a LOT for a polish), and the FOMO marketing. It always sells out fast. I have a bottle. It’s okay.

Jaritos: The current teapot tempest. Cirque just put out a Jarito-themed line of jellies that’s FOURTEEN FUCKIN FIFTY a bottle. Their regular jellies are two bucks less because JELLIES ARE CHEAP. They have less pigment than other finishes. Cirque has also been caught editing pics from swatchers. Some of the Jaritos shades are outright dupes of existing Cirque colors--but when Cirque reposted swatcher pics that compared them, they changed things to make them look different. Little shady!

I still got Mxcn Cola

Holo Taco: I don’t go to this school. It seems fine. Owned by a YouTuber with a pretty big following, Simply Nailogical. The brand has devoted followers, but I’ve never been real impressed. I feel like I can get everything they do somewhere else for a buck or two cheaper. Lots of limited-time bundles.

ILNP: MY LOVE! Shimmers, glitters, holos. Their formulas are just fantastic. If you follow lacquer reddits you’ll see a TON of posts featuring Flower Child and Fairy Dust; they aren’t for me but I see why people love them. They’re really good with shimmers--Flicker glows like a candle in a dark window. I also like their flakie toppers and magnetics. You really can’t go wrong with anything from ILNP.

One of the rare lacquer companies that doesn’t do FOMO. They never remove anything from their line-up. New collections get a 10% discount for a week at release, and they have an annual Black Friday sale.

KBShimmer: They’re pretty good! They don’t get as much love as I think they deserve--probably because they aren’t quite as flashy and highly-marketed as other brands. They also aren’t as heavily pigmented/glittered. Still pretty good though! I really love All Fired Up. They have big 15 ml bottles for only $12, no matter what finish. KBShimmer is a great place to start if you’re just dipping your toe beyond drugstore brands. Pick up their polish thinner (suitable for every brand except Orly) and glitter smoothing top coat.

Lights Lacquer: Don’t. They have some nice shades, though they tend to be as subdued as drugstore polishes. I was really disappointed by their cremes--the formula isn’t at all self-leveling. That’s just weird in this day and age. And then I found out that black swatchers refuse to work with them because the owner has been openly racist. Her non-apologies did not improve relations. Skip it.

Mooncat: CONTROVERSY! I have over a dozen Mooncat polishes and do love most of them, but it's getting harder to recommend the brand. They specialize in intense shimmer/glitter/holo/flakie/magnetics--all the fancy stuff. They have a few unique polishes that I haven’t seen duped elsewhere. Their formula can be gloopy, especially their flakies; easily fixed by a few drops of thinner. Why controversy?

they’re fukkin expensive bro. Like $15 a bottle. I do feel that you get what you pay for--it’s good stuff. I’ve never been disappointed by a Mooncat. But part of what you’re paying for is brand aesthetic.

they’re fukkin annoying bro. Their site, marketing, and even customer service emails are all lower-case dramatic gothy stuff. Never “nails,” always “claws.”

Their bottles keep shattering. This has happened occasionally in the past, then become more frequent starting in April. Seems like there was some supply change that thinned the glass. Mooncat was also filling about 14 ml instead of the promised 12 ml. Temperature and air pressure changes during shipping started to cause a lot of bottles to break. One person ended up in urgent care to get her hand stitched. Mooncat has promised to make changes and has been quick to refund/replace broken bottles, but there’s still a lot of ill-will simmering in the community. I think we’re past the tipping point--I’m no longer seeing broken bottle posts, just love for their new Power Puff Girls collab--but if you like something, I would wish list and wait another month. That should be enough time to make sure the bottles are safe and the weather has cooled.

Indies

Every single indie nail polish company is one or two people working out of their basement. That is not a joke. They hand-makes every small batch, fill the bottles, pack, and ship by themselves. That’s in addition to designing and testing polishes, and just living their lives.

That means that if you order from an indie, expect to wait. Most list a turn-around time of up to a month (they usually say 7-21 business days--people read three weeks but it’s a month). That’s padded to give them safety--nearly all will ship within a week, maybe two. But if they get hit with life stuff or a ton of orders, it really can take a while. My longest order took over a month arrive. It was entirely worth it.

Indies tend to have a big focus on fancy finishes. The biggest trend right now is sheer lacquers that are loaded with aurora shimmer. They’re color-shifty and glowy, and a lot of fun. That’s starting to stagnate a bit--every base color/shimmer combination has been done, so a lot of dupes are emerging--but it’s also starting to evolve. I’m seeing more and more shimmers that also have holo, flakes, or reflective glitter. I’m betting we’ll get some thermal shimmers as fall rolls in and temperatures drop.

Indies have some phenomenal variety and creativity. They’re doing the coolest stuff with the most love. Many also rely heavily on FOMO, and some are just plain not open much of the time. Instead, they have monthly or seasonal release windows. They usually drop a new collection and may retire old ones.

How do you keep track? The Reddit Laquerists (sic) Nail Polish Release Calendar. You can also subscribe to brand newsletters--most give a small coupon on your first order. A lot are on Instagram and Facebook.

There are at least two dozen indie brands, and it’s hard to know where to start. I highly recommend Lyn B. Designs. I love her lacquers, absolutely flawless formula. She has big bottles, fast turn-around, and lots of variety. Get her top coat! It’s the best. But most importantly, she has a 50% off code for ALL products every time she launches a new collection. You can get top-quality lacquers for $6 each, and the big top coat refill for $12.50. No brand of any size can match that value. You can either follow her on Facebook for the code or check the calendar on launch day.

Others I like, in no particular order:

Bee’s Knees, Dam, Polished for Days, Great Lakes Lacquers for fantastic shimmers and reflectives. Garden Path and Rogue Lacquers have great flakies. Lurid Lacquer is pretty new, and she’s doing some really interesting things with intense shimmers and color-shifty chromes. Sassy Sauce keeps a small, tidy line-up, but it’s all quality and creative stuff. She’ll also have some nice thermals once October hits--she doesn’t ship them during summer, which I respect.

Cupcake is kind of a workhorse brand like KBShimmer: nothing too spectacular, but everything is solid and reasonably priced. Likewise, Glisten & Glow isn't too exciting but IS cheap and high-quality. Emily de Molly is Just Good. Drunk Fairy has really nice jellies and cremes. Wildflower Lacquers is closed for rebranding, back 09/06; I don’t have any from her yet but I gotta give props for big bottles, a fan brush, and surviving in Oklahoma.

Death Valley Nails is a little pricey but they’re doing the weirdest, most absolutely unique shit out there. They’re making polish out of rocks and wildflowers. One looks like the sink after your boyfriend shaves. It’s great.

Clionadh gets some hype but IMO they’re overpriced and overrated. They definitely up the saturation on swatch pics. I’m unimpressed by Femme Fatale’s formula and teeny 9 ml size. Shleee polishes don’t self level at all. Stella Chroma still sells Harry Potter themed polishes and I'm very over that.

But really, the best way to check out indie brands is…

Indie Preorders

There are two big indie collabs every month that work on a pre-order basis: Polish Pickup and Hella Handmade Creations. They open for a week each month and feature unique, one-time only products from a ton of indie brands. They can cause major FOMO. If you feel that might not be healthy for you, stay away! But if you’re okay with the possibility that you may never be able to replace a bottle you finish off, you’ll find some great stuff. They’re an excellent way to explore new brands, and creators get to be a little experimental. PPU has fun monthly themes; HHC doesn’t have a general theme, but many creators do a series of fandom-themed designed. Indie polish creators tend to be pretty nerdy.

If you want to try non-US brands, go to Color4Nails.They’re a stockist that carries several brands, drugstore, boutique, and indie. They also have monthly pre-orders for a few Brazilian brands like Phoenix Indie Polish and Penelope Luz. I find the Brazilian brands to be a little pricey, with smallish bottles and fairly thin consistency, but they’re doing some interesting stuff. I’m pretty consistently impressed with Phoenix; PL less so.

#nails #I have a few posts I'm going to schedule during the next week #they are not remotely this long

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g-l-o-w-y-l-i-g-h-t-s · 1 year ago

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1. The most likely explanation for the Mary Celeste is that a misreading of the volume/rate of water the ship was taking on (possibly caused by a sudden brief shift in pressure) scared the crew into a panicked evacuation in the missing lifeboat but the lifeboat drifted away and everyone died.

2. Jack the Ripper almost certainly existed and the important thing we know about him is fuck that guy what an asshole. Idc who he was I'm sick of mythologizing serial killers. He was some fucking guy. Some fuckin pussy ass bitch who went after victims he knew he would get away with killing.

3. The most likely explanation for the house burnings imo is that they were 1) A kind of weatherproofing 2) Allowed for recycling of the materials and 3) it was a spiritual animist belief in the need to cleanse the soul of the house

4. I DON'T FUCKING KNOW. What WAS IT? GOOD QUESTION

5.ALSO GOOD QUESTION!

6. GOOD QUESTION. I think the most popular theory is that it was for spiritual/ritual purposes but I'd love to know what specifically

7. No idea. Good question but I don't care.

8. The prevailing theory seems to be that he was a guy named Eustache Dauger and he probably stole money. The mask seems to have just been some petty bullshit to fuck with him.

9. Probably in the general area of Somalia

10. Avalanche

11. Prevailing theory is woman on top, and some suggest it involves moving back and forth more than up and down.

12. What happened to the Neanderthals?

13. What occured between the Silent Twins (June and Jennifer Gibbons) that caused them to come to their morbid decision and how did Jennifer die?

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snowysosturn · 10 months ago

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Speeding Car - Matt Sturniolo Part 19

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29

Pairing : y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Summary : After six years with your boyfriend Alex, you start to mentally check out. At a UCLA party, Alex reconnects with his childhood friend Emily, who proposes a double date with her boyfriend Matt. Your attraction to Matt grows as he pays you the first real attention you've had in years, sparking a complicated emotional journey.

Warnings : MDNI, angst, fluff, tension, guilt, swearing, betrayal, confrontation

Matt's POV

Sitting alone on the couch, I ran my hands through my hair, trying to make sense of everything. Y/n had gone off to my room a couple of hours ago, completely drained from all the crying she’d done. I couldn’t blame her, the weight of what she’d just unloaded was enough to break anyone. But now, with the silence of the room hitting me, I was left alone with my thoughts. And they were spinning out of control.

The betrayal, the realization that Emily had been cheating on me, hit me all at once. It was like I was suddenly seeing everything with a new set of eyes, and the truth was uglier than I could’ve imagined. She’d been using me and manipulating me, all while I’d been trying to keep our relationship together. And with Alex? That was the part that really stung.

I let a bitter laugh out. How did I not see this coming? All those times Emily had been so insistent on knowing where I was, who I was with, what I was doing - she’d been projecting her own guilt onto me and being honest all it did was push me away. I thought she was just insecure, maybe a little paranoid, but now I knew better. She wasn’t worried about me cheating. She was terrified I’d catch on to her own bullshit.

And Y/n.. She didn’t deserve any of this. She’d been so good to Alex, always supportive, always there for him. The fact that he’d betray her like that, with Emily of all people, it made me sick. But even more than that, I was angry at myself. I’d known something was off for a while, but I’d let Emily manipulate me, let her drive a wedge between me and Y/n when she was the only person who actually understood what I was going through.

My mind flashed back to the day we went skating. The way Y/n’s eyes lit up when she was on the ice, how she’d laughed so freely, how she’d looked at me with a kind of warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time. That day, something had shifted for me. I knew, in my gut, that things were over between me and Emily. But I’d been too much of a coward to face it, to really think about what that meant.

And now? To now know everything Y/n found out that day, gave me a new perspective on everything. Now, it was too late to pretend everything was okay. The truth was out in the open, and there was no going back.

I glanced toward my room, where Y/n was asleep. She had no idea how much she meant to me, how much I cared about her.. how much I was starting to fall for her. But I couldn’t help feeling guilty. We’d crossed a line. Sure, we were both in these fucked up relationships, but that didn’t make what we did right.

Or did it?

Alex had betrayed her. Emily had betrayed me. Did that mean we had a free pass to do the same? Part of me wanted to justify it that way, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t that simple. What Y/n and I have, whatever it is, felt real. It wasn’t just a reaction to being cheated on. It was something that had been building for a long time, even if neither of us wanted to admit it.

But where did that leave us now?

Emily didn’t know that I knew. Alex didn’t know that Y/n knew. We were sitting on this massive secret, and sooner or later, it was all going to blow up. I just wasn’t sure how to handle it. Should I confront Emily? Break things off before she could try to worm her way out of it? Or should I let it ride until she and Alex got back, confront them both at the same time? But they were my own thoughts, I knew I had to respect the way Y/n wanted to go about it too.

I stood up and started pacing, the silence of the room amplifying the chaos in my head. I’d been in tough situations before, but jesus, nothing this messy.

One thing was clear. I couldn’t keep pretending. Not to Emily, not to myself, and definitely not to Y/n. She deserved better than that. We both did.

The thought of losing Y/n, of her thinking that everything we’d shared over the last week meant nothing, was unbearable. I needed to be honest with her, but I also needed to protect her from more pain. I didn’t want to rush into something just because we were both hurting, but I also couldn’t deny what I felt for her.

My heart raced as I tried to make sense of it all, knowing that whatever decision I made, it was going to change everything. One way or another, the next few days were going to bring things to a head, and I had to be ready for it.

I just hoped Y/n would still be by my side when it was all over.

I opened the door to my room quietly, the door creaking open. Y/n was sprawled on the bed, cuddled up to Mr. Wrinkleton, my old stuffed animal that sits on top of my bed. The sight was almost too peaceful, and for a moment, I was tempted to slip under the covers next to her, just to hold her and forget about the chaos waiting for us. But then I heard the front door opening and the muffled voices of Nick and Chris coming through.

I sighed and stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind me. Nick and Chris were coming in from Tara’s party, and I needed to make them aware of my nights events without giving away too much.

“Hey, Matt!” Nick called out, his voice a bit louder than necessary, probably from a few drinks. “What did you and Y/n get up to?”

I cleared my throat, trying to keep my tone casual. “Ssh ssh..” I gestured. “We just chilled out. Y/n got a bit emotional during the night, so she went for a lie down in my room. She’s still asleep, so let’s keep it quiet.”

Nick nodded, but I could see the concern in his eyes. “I hope she breaks up with that piece of shit when he gets back tomorrow night” he said, his voice dripping with venom out of pure backing for his friend.

I felt a bit of awkwardness at his words. Everything I’d learned about Alex and Emily was still heavy on my shoulders. How could I answer that? I had to be careful, especially with everything I knew now. I settled for a neutral response. “Yeah, I hope so too. I know she’ll be fine. She’ll find someone who’ll treat her right, I know it for sure.”

Chris, who had been listening quietly, offered a supportive smile. “If Y/n is still sleeping, you can crash in my room tonight.”

I hadn’t even considered sleeping elsewhere, as much as I wanted to sleep beside Y/n, I knew I couldn’t. I agreed with a grateful nod. “Thanks, Chris. I’ll be down in a bit.”

Nick and Chris went off to their respective rooms, and I walked back to mine. I glanced at the closed door, my mind full of conflicting emotions. I crossed the room and gently pulled the blanket up over Y/n, tucking her in to make sure she was comfortable. I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, my heart aching with the desire to make everything right for her.

With one last look at her peaceful face, I left the room and headed for Chris’s room. As I settled into the bed, my mind was a whirl of thoughts, about Y/n, about Alex and Emily, about what the next few days would bring. Tonight had been a whirlwind, and as I lay there in the dark, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change.

Y/n's POV

I woke up feeling slightly disoriented. I blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings, only to remember that I was in Matt’s room. I was still in my work clothes from yesterday, and as I looked around, I noticed that Matt wasn’t there. The other side of the bed was untouched, and disappointment hit me. I had hoped he’d be there, but I understood why he wasn’t.

I stretched and rubbed my eyes, feeling the heaviness of last nights emotional rollercoaster. I decided to get up and grab some water, feeling dehydrated from all of last nights crying. As I stepped out of the room, I noticed that the kitchen was already occupied.

I reached the kitchen, I was greeted by the sight of Chris, who was shockingly cooking breakfast. “Six little mini sausages in the paaaan” he sang out in a strained voice, completely absorbed in his culinary performance. Chris’s antics never failed to make me smile, no matter how exhausted I was.

“How was your night last night Chris?” I asked.

“It was great, but the whole internet is dying to know why Matt wasn’t at Tara Yummy’s party.” Chris joked.

Matt was at the counter, I laughed as I looked at him. Our eyes meeting, I felt a rush of relief. His gaze softened as he took in my disheveled appearance. “Hey” he said, his voice warm and inviting. “How are you feeling this morning?”

I gave him a small, grateful smile. “Better. Thanks for letting me sleep here.”

He nodded and motioned for me to take a seat at the kitchen table. “No problem. Just sit down and relax. I’ll sort out breakfast once Chris finally decides to stop playing with his sausages.”

Chris looked up from his cooking with a grin. “Oh, come on, you know this is the most important part of breakfast!”

Matt rolled his eyes, but his expression was full of amusement. “Sure, sure. Just don’t set off the smoke alarm again.”

I chuckled softly and took a seat, watching the scene unfold. It was oddly comforting to see Matt and Chris interacting so casually. The chaos of the past few days seemed to fade away for a moment, replaced by the normality of their morning routine.

Matt joined me at the table, his eyes still holding that tender concern. “I’m glad you’re here” he said quietly, we knew Chris couldn’t hear a thing as he now had his headphones on. I could hear the faint sound of Ken Carson in the distance. “I didn’t want you to be alone last night.”

I felt a warm flutter in my chest at his words. “I appreciate that. Last night was.. intense. I didn’t expect to end up staying here, but I’m grateful I did.”

Matt gave me a reassuring smile. “Well, you’re welcome anytime. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad we had that talk. I know things are messy right now, but I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

Before I could respond, Chris clattered his pan onto the stove and turned around with a triumphant grin, removing one side of his headphones. “My breakfast is served ohhhh yeaaah.” he announced, holding up a plate of what looked like a decent breakfast of some sort.

Matt and I laughed as Chris took his plate off the counter, giving us a casual wave before he headed downstairs to eat in his room. The kitchen was now just Matt and me, and I felt a sense of calm as Matt moved around, preparing breakfast.

“What would you like for breakfast?” Matt asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice. “Pancakes, waffles, french toast?”

I didn’t have to think twice. “Pancakes, please. They’re my favourite.”

Matt smiled and began to get everything ready. As he started mixing the batter, he glanced over at me, his mood slightly shifting, “I have to go pick up Emily and Alex from the airport later.”

The mention of Alex and Emily reminded me of the awkwardness and tension I had been trying to push to the back of my mind. I wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.

Matt’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts. “Do you want to come with me? Or do you think that would just cause more issues?”

I hesitated, unsure of what to say. The idea of all four of us in the car, with Matt and I aware of the truth while Alex and Emily remained clueless, felt almost unbearable. The thought of facing Alex and Emily with Matt by my side overwhelmed me. It might be best to take some time for myself, to clear my head and prepare mentally for everything that was about to happen.

“I think it might be best if I stay home” I said slowly. “I have work in a couple of hours anyway, so I should head back home after breakfast, I’ll need a new set of work clothes since I slept in these last night.”

Matt nodded, understanding. “Thats understandable, but I’ll bring you to work if you like? You can change into some of my clothes if you want, and I’ll throw your work clothes in the wash while you eat your breakfast.”

I appreciated his thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Matt. That would be really helpful.”

After changing into Matt’s clothes while he cooked, we chatted casually about the upcoming day. He did his best to keep the conversation light, focusing on everything but the looming confrontation with Alex and Emily. It was clear he was trying to ease my nerves, and I was grateful for it.

When breakfast was ready, Matt served me a stack of fluffy pancakes with a generous helping of syrup. We ate together, and soon after I knew I had to leave.

The drive to work was quiet but comfortable. Matt's presence was soothing, a reminder that even though things were complicated, I wasn’t alone.

When we arrived at Target, I thanked Matt for his kindness and for making the morning a little easier. He told me he’d update me when he collect Alex and Emily later to keep me in the loop.

I walked into work and checked the planner for the day, shocked to see that today I was on checkouts. It had been a while since I had last been on them but the interactions with customers kept me occupied, providing a welcome distraction from the shitshow in my personal life. Each scan of an item, every exchange of pleasantries, was a momentary escape from the anxious thoughts about the confrontation with Alex that awaited me later.

During a brief lull in customers, I decided to tackle the mess that was my hair. I had a hair tie on my wrist, so I fumbled with my fingers to claw my hair back into something presentable. The process wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped. As I tried to gather my hair, I felt my fleece catch in one of my hoop earrings, the wool snagging on the tiny faux diamonds. The earrings were a bargain, just $8 on Amazon for a pack of six. I used up all six earrings, to fill the three lobe piercings in each ear.

Despite my efforts, my hair remained a hot mess, mirroring the mess I felt inside. It was one of those days where the internal chaos seemed to transfer over to the external one. It wasn’t just the hair, it was everything. The uncertainty of the upcoming confrontation, the strain of keeping up appearances, and the raw emotions that I had been trying to keep at bay.

I took a deep breath and tried to push those thoughts aside, focusing on the tasks at hand. The time at work passed quickly with the help of customer interactions and routine tasks, each beep of the register was a step closer to the evening. All I could do was try to stay grounded, deal with the present, and prepare myself for whatever came next.

I arrived home just after 7pm, a half an hour before Alex and Emilys flight was due to land, giving me just enough time to take a quick shower. The warm water helped to ease the tension in my muscles, but it couldn’t wash away the anxiety chipping away at my insides. I knew I had to face him soon, so I wanted to look presentable, to feel like I had some control over the situation, so I focused on the small things like washing my hair.

When I stepped out of the shower, I felt a little lighter. I wrapped a towel around myself and approached the mirror, brushing my wet hair. That’s when I noticed it, one of my hoop earrings was missing. The first lobe piercing on my right ear was bare, the hoop lost somewhere during the day. I must have lost it at work, probably when my fleece pulled on it earlier.

I stared at the empty space where the earring used to be, feeling an odd sense of loss. It was just a cheap earring, easily replaceable, but in that moment, it felt like more. I almost related to that missing earring - lost, unsure of where I belonged, not knowing where or when I would find myself again. The earring was a small thing, but it symbolized the uncertainty I felt about everything in my life right now.

But I knew I couldn’t dwell on it. The whole situation. I had to focus on the positives, on what could come from all of this. Moving forward with Matt was a real possibility, a chance for something good to come out of the mess that Alex and Emily had created. I needed to remind myself of that, to hold onto the hope that this confrontation would lead to a new beginning, not just an ending.

As I finished getting dressed, my phone buzzed with a message from Matt.

They just landed. I’m sitting outside arrivals waiting for them. I’ll try to text again when they’re at the car.

I stared at the message for a moment, feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves. Matt was out there, waiting for them, and soon they’d all be in the car together, blissfully unaware of what was coming. Or at least, Alex and Emily would be. Matt and I were on the same page now, united in the truth that we both knew but hadn’t yet confronted.

Taking a deep breath, I put my phone down and focused on getting ready. I couldn’t control what was going to happen next, but I could control how I faced it. I needed to be strong.

At 8pm , I found myself perched at the front window, my heart racing with anticipation. I needed to be ready, to hear when cars pulled in and out of the complex. I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to handle this confrontation, but I knew one thing. I wasn't going to mention Matt. That part of my life, our connection, needed to stay out of this conversation. It was too personal, too raw, and it wasn’t time for that yet.

A few minutes passed, and then I heard a car pulling into the complex. My breath hitched as I carefully pulled back the corner of the window blinds, just enough to get a glimpse outside. Matt's car sat there, idling quietly. My stomach twisted in knots as I watched Alex slide open the back door. The sight of him, sitting in the same spot I had occupied just a few nights ago when everyone went to Top Golf, felt painfully ironic.

Emily's voice rang out as she hopped out of the passenger seat, her tone light and cheerful as she ran around the back to help Alex with his luggage. She threw her arms around him in a quick hug once he had retrieved his cases from the boot. My chest tightened at the sight, a part of me wondering what Matt was thinking seeing this, knowing everything we did now.

I hoped he felt the same way I did, that this display of affection between Alex and Emily was as jarring for him as it was for me. They said their goodbyes, their voices low but friendly, and then Alex started making his way up the stairs to our apartment, his cases in hand.

I quickly released the blind, making sure I wasn't seen. My heart pounded in my chest as I took a step back, my mind racing with everything that was about to happen. This was the moment. The moment that everything was going to change. There was no turning back now.

I could hear the faint clink of his keys as he unlocked the door, and I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

It was time to finally put an end to the lies, the deception, the charade we'd been living. And in doing so, I would set the course for whatever came next, whether that was with Matt or on my own.

The door swung open, and Alex stepped inside, looking tired from the flight but otherwise as composed as ever. His eyes met mine, and for a split second, it was like nothing had changed. But I knew better. I knew that this was the beginning of the end.

I stood up as Alex dropped his bags and made his way toward me.

"Hey baby, I missed you" he said, his voice casual, giving off a warm welcome as he pulled me into a hug and lifted me off the ground.

I forced a smile, every muscle in my body tense, bracing for what was to come. "Hey" I replied, my voice steady despite my feelings raging inside me. "We need to talk."

Alex set me down, his face shifting from casual to concerned. "Is everything okay?" he asked, his eyes searching mine.

"No.." I responded, my tone unwavering. "You might want to sit."

The shock on Alex's face was undeniable. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, wondering if he should come clean about something or if this was about something entirely different. We both sat down, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. I took the armchair, while Alex sat on the two seater sofa, staring at me from across the room.

"The board of management emailed." I began, my voice stern. "I thought it would be best to tell you in person."

Alex's eyes widened in alarm. "What did they say?"

"They’ve suspended you for six weeks.” I said, watching his reaction closely. "And your captaincy has been revoked. Permanently."

"What?!" Alex exploded, his voice filled with disbelief and anger. "It was a stupid fight! I didn’t even start it.. I-It didn’t have anything to do with me! It didn’t even happen on campus grounds, and they’re going this extreme with it?!"

Alex was distraught, but not distraught enough.

"I got to speak to the board myself.." I added, bluffing to see how he'd react. "When they greeted me, they greeted me as Emily. Emily, Alex Jenkins' girlfriend."

I could see the color drain from his face as he struggled to find the words. He was cornered, and he knew it. It may have taken a few lies to get there, but it’s what I needed to do.

"Emily was out the night the fight happened, t-there’s obviously a mix up" he stammered, trying to cling to any thread of denial he could find. "I swear, that’s all it is."

But his voice trailed off, his earlier anger shifting to a frantic desperation to justify why this punishment was unfair, to shift the blame anywhere but where it belonged.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself before continuing. "Emily was with you that night, yes you're right. But are you sure the fight wasn’t because you two were.. holding hands? Because your teammates didn’t like that you were cheating on your girlfriend?"

The accusation hung in the air, heavy and damning. Alex flinched as if the words themselves had physically struck him. His face paled, and his eyes darted away from mine, desperately searching for an escape.

"I-I.. don’t know what you’re talking about" he stuttered again. He sounded defeated, his lies crumbling around him.

"Don’t lie to me, Alex." I said, my tone sharp. "I’m not stupid. I know what happened, and so do you. Your teammates saw it. They saw you with Emily, and that’s why they confronted you."

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair, his composure slipping further with each passing second. "It wasn’t like that.. They.. they misunderstood."

"Did they?" I shot back, my anger flaring. "Or are you just trying to convince yourself that what you did wasn’t as bad as it really was?"

Alex had no answer. He sat there, staring at the floor, not able to maintain eye contact with me as his hands clenched into fists on his knees. The room felt suffocating, the truth finally laid bare between us.

His face turned a shade paler, the blood draining from it as my words sank in. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. The silence that followed was deafening, the truth hanging heavily between us.

I took a deep breath, my voice cold as I continued. "When you were gone I decided to clean a few things around the apartment." I said, forcing myself to stay composed. "You know, to keep myself busy.. And guess what I found? The condoms we bought last year together. The unopened ones. Unopened because we haven't fucked in over a year."

I watched his expression shift from confusion to horror as he realized where this was going.

"Yeah Alex, I found them." I said, my voice hardening. "Except they weren’t unopened anymore. Would you like to tell me why they were opened? Why would a box of condoms we never used, would suddenly be missing some?"

Alex’s hands were trembling, his eyes wide as he looked at me, desperately searching for something to say, some excuse to get himself out of this. But there was nothing. He was caught, and we both knew it.

"It’s not what you think" he finally managed to choke out, but even he didn’t sound convinced.

"Then what is it?" I demanded, my anger boiling over. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been fucking around behind my back and now you’ve been found out.”

Alex's eyes darted around the room, his mind clearly racing for a way out, but there was no escape. The truth was out, and no amount of backtracking could undo the damage he’d done.

"You don’t understand.." he whispered, his voice hoarse. "It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. It was a mistake. A mistake Y/n I promise."

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "A mistake? A mistake is hitting the curb and getting a flat tire. A mistake is forgetting you have plans. But what you did, Alex? That’s a choice. A deliberate choice to betray me. And now you have to live with that choice."

He sat there, defeated, his shoulders slumped as the weight of his actions finally seemed to hit him. For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him, seeing him so broken, but then I remembered the lies, the betrayal, the hurt.

And any sympathy I might have felt disappeared.

"I took care of you for those four weeks." I continued, my voice trembling with a mixture of rage and betrayal. "I was there for you every single day, doing everything for you. And all that time, you let me believe you were the victim, that you were just unlucky to be in that position."

His head dropped, eyes fixed on the floor, unable to meet my gaze.

"But you weren’t unlucky, Alex" I spat, my anger bubbling over. "You were in that position because of the consequences of your own actions. You got yourself into that mess, and you let me clean it up for you. How could you stand there and lie to my face every day while I bent over backward for you?"

"I didn’t want to hurt you.. I can't believe I done that to you." he mumbled, his voice barely audible, as if that could excuse what he had done.

"You didn’t want to hurt me?" I repeated, incredulous. "Well, guess what? You did. You hurt me more than you could ever imagine. And not just because of what you did with Emily, but because you let me carry the weight of your lies, all while pretending to be someone you’re not."

Alex’s silence was deafening, his guilt hanging in the air like a thick fog. He had no defense, no excuse that could undo the pain he’d caused.

He finally looked up, his eyes filled with regret, but it was too little, too late. The damage was done, and there was no going back.

"I’m sorry" he whispered, but the words felt hollow, empty. They didn’t change anything.

"Sorry doesn’t fix this. It never will." I said quietly, my anger giving way to exhaustion.

"I want you out of this apartment right now." I said, my voice cold and unwavering. "I pay for this place, so you have no say. Get your shit and leave."

Alex stared at me, his mouth slightly open “Where do you expect me to go?” He said, as if I’m meant to feel pity for him.

“I couldn’t give a fuck Alex, maybe Emily might let you stay with her.” I said abruptly. The shock of the situation was starting to settle in when he realized there was no room for negotiation.

"And, I’ll be needing your car key." I continued, holding out my hand. "It’s now back under my name. You do not have access to anything I was providing before."

His eyes widened, but I didn’t flinch. He slowly reached into his pocket, pulling out the car key, and placed it in my hand. The weight of it felt like a final seal on everything I was reclaiming. My space, my dignity, my independence.

Alex walked into our former shared bedroom to gather his things, stuffing clothes and personal items into his bag. The silence between us was heavy, but I didn’t let it get to me. I was done letting him walk all over me. I was done letting him take advantage of my kindness.

When he finally came back out, bags in hand, he looked at me, his eyes filled with something resembling regret. But it was too late for that. He had made his choices, and now he had to face the consequences.

Without another word, he walked to the door. As it opened, he paused, as if waiting for me to say something, to stop him. But I stayed silent, my expression hard, until he stepped outside and the door clicked shut behind him.

I stood there for a moment, letting the reality of the situation sink in. It was done. He was gone, and I was finally free.

Matt’s POV

I pulled out of LAX and the car ride felt like I was walking on a tightrope. Alex sat in the back seat, his face unreadable, while Emily, who was sat beside me, kept glancing at her phone. The silence was palpable, and every passing minute seemed to stretch out like an eternity.

When we finally stopped in front of Y/n’s building, I saw Alex’s shoulders slump as he prepared to get out. Emily hopped out of the passenger seat to run around and give Alex a hug. The way she interacted with him was so weird to see now knowing everything I do. It made me wish Y/n could see it too, knowing we’d have the same thought process.

As Emily slid back into the passenger seat, the weight of what I was about to confront hit me hard. I started the engine, and we set off towards my place. Nick and Chris were home, but at this stage, I couldn’t give a fuck if they overheard what was about to go down. This was more important than any of their opinions or any sort of eavesdropping.

The drive was excruciatingly quiet. Emily seemed lost in her own world, staring out the window, maybe the jet lag getting to her, but it was almost like I could almost see her mind working, trying to piece together her next move. When we finally reached my place, I barely registered the usual small talk. I just needed to get this over with.

I let Emily use the bathroom and told her to put her cases in my room before we had any sort of conversation. The silence of the house rang loud. I sank into the couch in the living room, ironically the same spot I sat in when Y/n unveiled all that had transpired between Emily and Alex. I tried to collect my thoughts but the room spun with the weight of the truth I was about to unveil.

Before I could think of a plan or even begin to think about how to confront Emily, I heard the door to my room burst open. Emily stormed out, holding something up in her hand. Her face was flushed with anger and confusion.

"Matt, whos earring is this in your bed?"

a/n: two parts in a few hours.... you'll have to wait a day or two for the next chapter to let people catch up...

a/n 2 : also sorry can we talk about how the reader stood on BUSINESS with alex

taglist : @muwapsturniolo @anitahunt @sturnfannn @jayde510 @chrissfavhoe @babyalliah-777 @v33angel l @urmom69lol @willowrites @ribread03 @2muchofaslvt @sturnsaver @sleepysturniolo @jcsturniolo11 @jessie-essie @hoeforchrizz @mynbbys @sturniolopanini @mattsturnxoxo @delicatechrry @t77te @sturnsyaper69 @hotdismylife @maggot3647 @ivysturnss @noplaceissafeanymore @mattssgf @yourfavsturniologirl @maethem0nth @sillyponygrl @mattyblover07 @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut @dominicfikeenthusiast @mattsfavbigtitties @ncm9696 @chrisstvrns @schlutt4matty @chrissolos @ilusa @amelia-sturniolo3 @wonnieeluvvr @pussydestroyer100 @amexiass @mystinkylefttoe26 @lizzysmith110 @sturniololovebot @secret-sturniolo @freshythefishy

#snowy speaks #speeding car #matt sturniolo #matt sturniolo x reader #sturniolo triplets #matthew sturniolo #chris sturniolo #nick sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #the sturniolo triplets #chris sturniolo x reader

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danglovely · 2 years ago

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Regrading Taskmaster: S02 E03 A pistachio eclair.

*Score changes noted in parenthesis.

Prize Task: Best dinner party guest.

Doc correctly calls out Greg saying The Last Skeptic looks like a car thief as racist. Jon brings in Greg, but surprises him with it, which is not bringing him in. Katherine bringing in a family member is essentially a kid forgetting to do the assignment and grabbing what's closest. Richard brought in a dog . . . I'm very much not a dog person, but I acknowledge this is great for a lot of people. Joe brings in Britain's sixth strongest man, which is awesome.

Doc: 4 (+1) Joe: 5 (0) Jon: 1 (0) Katherine: 2 (-2) Richard: 3 (+1)

VT 01: Impress this mayor.

Wow, nobody liked doing this task. Jon was very correctly embarrassed about being able to do nothing and rightly received one point. Katherine's rap was pretty terrible and definitively worse than juggling. Joe maximized what a talentless person could do but probably still falls behind Doc, who is a talented singer and Richard, who can juggle.

Doc: 4 (+2) Joe: 3 (0) Jon: 1 (0) Katherine: 2 (-3) Richard: 5 (+1)

VT 02: Make the most unexpected silhouette on this screen.

Alex explains this task as what shadow is most different from the items that compose it, but when reading it out one can infer that it means the shadow that seems most impossible to achieve.

I like Doc's, but it seemed pretty easy to get to. Richard's had an animation aspect to it. Joe just kind of ignored the call of the task. Katherine was ambitious and achieved her vision somewhat (Greg is not wrong that "Simba" looks closer to a severed horse head). Alex described Jon's as "nearly beautiful," which is right. However, it's also the worst.

Doc: 3 (+2) Joe: 1 (-2) Jon: 2 (-3) Katherine: 4 (+2) Richard: 5 (+1)

Studio Task: Buy a gift for the Taskmaster.

Donating to charity in someone's name is universally a terrible gift. It's an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, so Richard deserves last. Joe goes for a non-sequitur in water skies. Jon got a cookbook which Greg correctly identifies as pointless. He would have been better off spending the whole amount on penny sweets. Doc recaptured a childhood game that Greg called "really great." Greg is so excited about being a lord that I really don't know how Richard wrestled five points out of him.

Doc: 4 (+1) Joe: 2 (0) Jon: 3 (+2) Katherine: 5 (+1) Richard: 1 (-4)

Team Task: Put on this blindfold. Put the earplugs in your ears and the ear protectors over the earplugs. You must remain within your bandstand. Do not read this out loud. Get a potato.

It's always a delight to see Josh Widdicombe. Joe actually did an amazing job of directing his team. It is inherently unfair to have a former champ on one team. Also, there is no instruction that only one team gets points. So, a point split is appropriate.

Doc: 2 (+2) Joe: 2 (+2) Jon: 3 (-2) Katherine: 2 (+2) Richard: 3 (-2)

Live Task: Throw the rabbits into your hat.

Ahh, the bullshit task. Katherine wins on this because nobody realized that each rabbit counted for an actual series point. Upon review, it isn't explained or implied. The task should be graded as most tasks normally are. As such . . .

Doc: 4 (-8) Joe: 4 (-8) Jon: 1 (-3) Katherine: 5 (-10) Richard: 2 (-5)

Final

Doc: 21 (0) Joe: 17 (-8) Jon: 11 (-6) Katherine: 20 (-10) Richard: 19 (-8)

A major score shift due to an unfair task; Doc rightfully should have had a win streak going.

#taskmaster #doc brown #joe wilkinson #jon richardson #katherine ryan #richard osman #tm regrade

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dragons-and-yellow-roses · 2 years ago

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I have to wake up at 4am (five hours from now) and work a six hour shift. I'm going to get less hours of sleep than I work. And personally, I don't think anyone should have to work at 5am. I think that's cruel and unusual punishment. A person that normally wakes up at 11am (me) should not have to do a shift that ends at 11am.

#im covering for a coworker tomorrow #when my boss asked me to cover i lied and said i had a dr appointment at noon #i hoped she would let me work later instead of earlier #but instead she scheduled me from 5-11am #what kind of shift is 5-11. what is this bullshit #i should probably go to sleep #but i usually go to sleep at 2am! this day is throwing my schedule all out of whack #and i have to run an errand after my shift :( i have to drive and turn in paperwork. i hate driving #driving is the worst thing in the world #we should never have invented cars #morning shifts and waking up early and driving are the worst. and i have to do them all tomorrow #sorry i just wanted to complain

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uvobreakmylegs · 4 years ago

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The Sixth Floor Game

heavy inspiration from the Elevator Game, as well as the Three Kings Game and a little bit of Silent Hill 3

demon!Shalnark

Warnings: blood, death, kidnapping

The Sixth Floor Game is a ritual that will put you into contact with otherworldly forces and, if done correctly, can take you to a world that exists outside of our own. To play this game, you must follow all of the instructions that have been written below. Take care to remember all of them, as one mistake could result in death.

First you must enter a dark and empty building that has an elevator and only five floors in between the times of 3 and 4 AM. The only items you can bring with you are a fully charged cellphone, an item of sentimental value to you and an offering for the demon.

It is not recommended that you give an offering that bares any resemblance to that of a clown or magician.

When you enter the elevator, you need to ride it up to the 5th floor and leave the offering just outside the elevator doors and then head back down to the 3rd floor. When you reach the 3rd floor, you then need to exit the elevator and use your phone to call the last person in your call history. The game begins when you call that number.

When the line is picked up, you must say “I want to visit the 6th floor”.

Be warned that at this point you may hear strange noises on the other end, as calling the number at this time and place has put you in contact with a demon. It is possible to gauge whether the demon is happy with your offering or not based off the things he may say, if anything at all. Do not hang up on the demon; you will go back up the elevator when he hangs up on you.

There are three possibilities awaiting you when you go back to the 5th floor to see what has happened to your offering.

If the demon doesn't care for your offering but hasn't been upset by it, you will find it in the same place as you left it outside the elevator. You must then collect the offering, go back down to the first floor and leave the building.

If the demon has been offended by your offering, you will find the offering destroyed in some way. Leave the building immediately if you find this, as it means that the demon is angry with you and will try to kill you if you stay too long.

But if the demon likes your offering, there will be no trace of it when you get back up to the 5th floor. If this has happened, you must close the elevator doors and then hit the button for the 5th floor again. This time, instead of the doors opening again, the elevator will begin to move up, taking you to a 6th floor that shouldn't exist.

The amount of time it will take to reach the 6th floor varies from person to person, but it should not take longer than two minutes.

When you reach the 6th floor, you will find yourself in another world. Accounts of what this other world looks like also varies from person to person. Some have said that the floor they entered was run down and wrecked to pieces in some parts. Others have said that the floor didn't look any different from the other floors. Regardless of the state of the floor, the one thing that is consistent is a giant glowing red cross that can be seen if you look outside. You will see nothing else outside aside from the cross.

It is not recommended that you to try to open any windows or try to climb down the building.

You are free to explore this other world until you are ready to leave. It does not matter how long you stay in the other world. When you want to leave you must simply walk back to the elevator and hit the button for the first floor. It is possible that you may come across the offering that you left for the demon earlier while you explore.

Do not take the offering back; it now belongs to the demon.

Reality on the 6th floor can be distorted and you may find yourself becoming confused. If you find yourself entering into such a state, take out the sentimental item you brought and focus on it. It will keep you from losing yourself and allow you to continue as you explore the other world.

Above all else, while exploring the other world, you must never look behind you. Even though the demon may have liked your offering, he also likes trickery and will try to make you turn around to look at him by making noise or by speaking to you. If you look at the demon you will be unable to leave the 6th floor and he will keep you there forever as he has claimed you as his.

It is not recommended that you speak to the demon even if you don't look at him.

Regardless of the outcome of your offering, when you have returned to the 1st floor you must exit the building and you cannot enter the building again for any reason until the time is 6 AM.

If you have upset the demon with your offering, it is not recommended that you try the game again.

There is no reward for playing this game. There is only the experience of leaving this world and venturing to one beyond our own.

This game is dangerous and could result in the death of the player, so please consider the possible outcomes of playing before you decide to do so.

You finished reading aloud the instructions displayed on the sketchy-looking site and looked to your friend Farah, who had her hands clasped together as she looked hopefully at you and the rest of your group who had gathered in her apartment.

“Well?” she asked after a moment, “what do you think?”

“.... Why does a demon have a phone?” you asked.

“Yeah and what phone company does he use?” Cliff asked after you, “or do demons have their own phone companies.”

“You're missing the point!” Farah exclaimed.

“And the point is....?”

“We need to try this!”

There was a collective groan throughout the apartment. The other one in the group, Carmen, rubbed their forehead as they told Farah “you're our friend and we love you, but I don't think any of us want to repeat that time we tried summoning ghosts in a public bathroom.”

“This is nothing like that!” Farah insisted, “it said that we need a building with five floors and an elevator! I promise, there won't be anything gross!”

“Where do we get a building like that?” Carmen asked.

Farah pointed to Cliff.

“You work security overnight at that one office building, right?”

“Do you seriously think I'm going to risk my job for this?” he asked.

“We won't do anything bad! We'll just play a game and leave some stuff on the top floor. If the demon doesn't like it we'll take it with us. It's literally in the rules that we need to clean up after ourselves.”

Farah stopped herself, but you could tell she wanted to continue about getting a chance to visit another world. She loved the supernatural and those kinds of urban legends, but she never wanted to try these things on her own.

Carmen sighed.

“Is anyone else even remotely interested in trying this?” they asked.

Neither you or Cliff said anything at first, and Farah's face began to fall as no one volunteered. Then, when it looked like Carmen was about to speak again, you tentatively raised your hand.

“It might be fun,” you said. At least in terms of memories of 'dumb shit you did when you were younger'.

Farah beamed while Carmen gave you a look that screamed 'I hate you'.

With you willing to give the game a chance, the other two ended up conceding to do the same, and Cliff had been convinced by Farah to let you all in a week from that day when he worked at that particular building. With his shift being 11 PM to 7 the next morning, there would be plenty of time for you to play the game and then let him get back to work. As long as nothing was messed up by the end of it, there would be no harm.

At first you were rather stumped on what to give the demon as an offering. Farah was the same, but she ended up deciding on a horror anthology book from the 1920s. Carmen just got a shirt they had been wanting since they were certain that this ritual wasn't going to work and they wanted to spend the money on something that was useful to them. Cliff went out of his way to get a particularly creepy clown doll. He claimed that he wasn't annoyed by all of this, but you found yourself questioning that statement when he sent a picture of it through the group text. You had no clue where the fuck he had found something that unsettling.

The night you all had settled on was approaching and you still didn't have an offering. It shouldn't have been that hard, and yet you felt like if there was the chance that you were going to run into some otherworldly creature, you didn't want to half-ass it and make it upset. If the supernatural was real it seemed better to try and keep it on your side.

You found yourself browsing a few online forums where people were discussing the game. Unsurprisingly, most said that the ritual didn't work, and the few that claimed that it did had written some uninspired stories about how the demon had told them how they were going to die or when the world was going to end, with at least one mentioning the coming of the Antichrist. When you scrolled down to the end of the page you were pretty bored of all of the comments you read and you were about to exit the page when one particular comment caught your eye:

the demon likes bats

It was buried beneath the comments of others, and nobody had interacted with it. Common sense would tell you that this was just more bullshit, but it just seemed like such a random thing to make up. Nowhere in the instructions had it mentioned bats, and no one else on the forums had said anything about it either. The user who had posted it hadn't interacted with anything else and seemingly just came on to put out that little tidbit. For that reason, you found yourself wondering if their ritual had been successful.

You leaned back in your chair while you considered the information.

Bats, huh?

And then by complete chance the next day, when you were in the mall trying to find something because it the date you'd set for the game was only hours away and you still had nothing, you spotted something through the window of a toy store: a pink stuffed bat plush.

It was rather overpriced, but if that comment was correct, then it should be worth it. If not, at least you got something cute out of it.

Surprisingly it was Carmen and Farah that had been less than impressed by what you had brought.

“I didn't realize you wanted to offend the demon too,” Farah commented bitterly.

“Maybe the demon likes pink,” you responded as you shrugged.

Nothing more was said about it as Cliff opened the front door of the building. In exchange for doing this, he made the rest of you go about the building to turn off all any lights that had been left on which you all grumbled about but agreed was fair enough. By the time you were finished scouring the building, it was 3:13 in the morning.

It had been agreed that Farah would go first, and the rest of you waited in a darker spot of the parking lot while she went in, watching the building to see if you could spot her movements through the windows. You had pulled out your phone, as you were the last person she had called. It would probably be proven pretty fast if this was real or not if she called you and it went through to you, though Carmen had said that they felt it was likely that Farah would probably not call and just say that she had.

You checked to make sure the sentimental object you had brought was in your pocket: a small, stuffed bear keychain that you had gotten as a present from a childhood friend. It was special to you, but you didn't feel like you'd be absolutely devastated if anything happened to it.

Farah came out a few minutes later, carrying her book and looking disappointed.

“It didn't work,” she said as she sighed.

“Did you call?” you asked.

“Yes,” she answered, somewhat indignant. To prove that she had, she pulled out her phone and opened up her call history. It listed her last call as being made to you only a few minutes ago. When you opened up your own call history, it showed that she had called you over an hour ago.

….. Okay. That was weird.

Carmen went next, and it was the same story with them, as they came out a little bit later still holding their shirt. Unlike Farah, they didn't seem too upset.

Cliff went after, holding that creepy clown doll and waving it around a bit as he walked to the elevator.

It was quiet again after that. You, Carmen and Farah waited patiently in the parking lot while the electric lampposts around you hummed. Cliff had been talking earlier so you hadn't noticed it, but it seemed eerily quiet outside. Usually there were bugs or other forms of wildlife at night that would keep things from being silent, but right now there was nothing; only the humming electricity of the lot and the occasional comment from Carmen.

Farah seemed anxious as she looked at the building, her hands playing with the charm on her phone while she waited for any sign of Cliff. The thing with the phone history seemed to convince her this was for real and she seemed nervous about Cliff's offering. Carmen didn't appear to be the same way and seemed more impatient, who'd begun to tap their foot as they waited.

“Did you hear anything when you called?” you asked the both of them. They looked at you, and both shook their heads.

“It was quiet when I called,” Farah said.

“Same here,” said Carmen. Farah smiled at that.

“That means that it's real, right?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Carmen wasn't the best person to be around when they were tired and cranky, and you could see that Farah wasn't trying to take it personally. But looking back to Carmen, you noticed a slight furrow to their brow, and the impatient tapping seemed to have increased. At first glance you would have assumed that they were just really done with this whole thing, but as you kept looking, it seemed less like they were annoyed and more more like they were apprehensive.

“Cliff's taking a while,” they commented.

It was taking Cliff longer than the two of them, you realized, and you were about to try and crack a joke about him making it to the sixth floor when you saw the elevator doors in the lobby slide open, followed by Cliff walking out.

More like storming out, actually.

“What the hell?!” he exclaimed as he shoved open the main doors.

“Don't shout!” Carmen responded, “this is your job that we're not supposed to be doing this at, remember? What're you going to do if someone calls the police on us?”

Cliff ignored them, looking to Farah as he continued “are you serious? You want this stupid thing to be real that badly?!”

He was holding something that he then thrust in front of Farah's face. It was the clown doll that he'd brought.

Or at least, what was left of it.

It looked like it had been stepped on repeatedly, the body broken and the head having been caved in. One of the legs were also missing, you noted.

“You.... You think I did that?” Farah asked.

“Who else!” Cliff yelled.

“I've been here the whole time!” she shrieked back.

“She has,” you added as you felt the need to jump in, “none of us have moved from this spot.”

“Oh fuck off,” he answered, “I needed to return this. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Maybe you shouldn't have gone out of your way to be an asshole,” Farah spat back.

It quickly devolved into an argument between the two, with Carmen pulling you back when you tried to jump in again. It made sense why Cliff was upset, but Farah hadn't done anything.

“.... Should I not go?” you whispered to Carmen after a bit.

“No!” Cliff exclaimed, this time at you, “you should go! Do this stupid thing, and then let me get back to my work!”

“You're not allowed to go back in for the rest of the night,” Farah pointed out.

By that point Cliff was done, and he stormed off to another area in the lot. Carmen motioned for you to go while Farah quietly steamed. It wasn't the first time those two had fought, but the arguments seemed to be getting nastier every time they happened. Best to get this over with so they could be separated and have the time to cool down.

You walked through the darkened lobby of the empty office building, your path illuminated only by the streetlights outside. There was something about darkness and artificial light that somehow made it feel more foreboding, more dangerous. Even though you were an adult there were still thoughts that ran about in your head of creatures that you couldn't see awaiting you in the dark, and those thoughts made you tense a bit. It was such an irrational fear, but one your brain wouldn't let go of. The argument between your friends had only put you more on edge as well.

The elevator doors slid open, the bright blinding lights hurting your eyes for a second before they adjusted to them, and you stepped in the car, pushing the button for the fifth floor.

Fifth floor, leave the offering, then down to third.

There were some bits of Cliff's creepy clown doll that were in front of the elevator when you reached the top floor. It vaguely occurred to you that the instructions said to leave immediately if the offering had been destroyed, but it seemed like Cliff had tried to clean up some. Though that made sense, since he didn't want to leave a mess behind after his shift.

You pushed away some of the leftover bits with your shoe, and carefully placed the bat plush laying on its back in front of the doors.

Down to the third floor, then.

You checked again to make sure that the bear keychain was still in your pocket during the ride down, stepping out when the doors opened after you confirmed that it was.

Now to make the call....

There hadn't been anything saying you needed to wait until the doors closed to begin, but you waited anyway. When the double doors slid shut behind you, you hit the button on your screen to call Farah, the last person on your call history.

It rang twice before the call was picked up. Just as Farah and Carmen had said, it was silent on the other side. You cleared your throat before saying the words that had been instructed.

“I want to visit the sixth floor. Please.”

There was nothing that said you needed to be polite, but you figured it couldn't hurt.

You still didn't hear anything from the other end, and that silence continued for several more seconds. You held the phone close to your ear, straining to hear anything, any sort of indication that someone was on the other line. The “demon” was supposed to hang up first, you remembered, so you were stuck until something happened.

“.... That's actually cute.”

The male voice you heard on the other end was unexpected, but you didn't get a chance to say anything back before the phone call ended.

You stood very still for a few moments.

That.... That hadn't been any of the others who were still outside. Unless they had gone so far as to hide someone out there and have them answer the phone when you called Farah and all of this was just an elaborate prank. But none of them were really the kind of people to do things like that.

Remembering the instructions from the site, you turned back to the elevator and got on when the doors opened, pushing the button for fifth floor once again.

If the demon likes your offering, there will be no trace of it when you get back up to the 5th floor

The ding of the elevator signaled that you were once again at the top floor of the building, and when the doors slid back open and you looked to the spot where you'd left the bat, you found.... Nothing.

That space you had cleared from the broken bits of that doll was empty, the white tiled floor shining in the light that came from the elevator.

….. If this was all just a prank by your friends, you weren't sure if you'd be able to trust them after this.

The doors closed once again, and you took a deep breath before you pushed the fifth floor button.

The elevator began to move up.

There wasn't a sixth floor; you'd double checked that the building only went as high as five.

You told yourself to wait until the doors opened before you jumped to conclusions. You'd need to see this “other world” before you could say for certain that all of this was real.

The website said that it could take up to two minutes, but mere seconds later did the doors slide back open.

Everything looked normal. Just another floor of an office building.

Or it would have looked normal, had it not been for the fact that everything was bathed in a red glow that came from the outside.

Clutching your phone in one hand and the keychain in the other, you took a small, tentative step out of the car, looking to either side of you.

The hallways were empty. Nothing jumped out at you.

Slowly, you walked over to a window.

In the distance stood a glowing red cross.

…. This was real.

This was actually real.

It was almost too much to process for your shock-addled brain, and you had to wonder if anyone else who had been successful had the same reaction as you, to just stare dumbly at the scene before you.

It then occurred to you to get proof for when you went back.

You pulled up the camera on your phone. Or you tried to at least. Of all the times for your phone to act up, it needed to be when you needed to get a picture so people would believe you. The app kept taking forever to pull up before it would close and you repeatedly tapped on the screen as you tried to make it work. Somehow you managed to snap a few pictures of the cross before the camera closed again and you weren't able to open it back up. The lighting and your uncooperative phone made the pictures appear quite blurry, but one would be able to tell what they were looking at. No doubt some people would claim that it was fake, but it was enough to satisfy you.

You checked the time, finding it to be 3:30, if the phone was to be trusted. You wished you had checked before you came up here, but it was a bit too late for that now.

You stepped away from the window and went down one of the halls, looking all around before you remembered that the site said that you shouldn't look behind you. Or was that only when you heard the demon? Regardless, you kept glances behind yourself to a minimum as you made your way through the floor.

Aside from the red light that covered everything, it looked like a normal office floor, filled with different offices and supply closets and nothing that was particularly interesting to you. The one strange thing was that the red cross outside seemed to move along with you, as when you would move to a different room you would still be able to see it clearly outside. You went back to the windows a few times and tried to see if there was anything else outside, but all you found was an endless darkness with no signs of any kind of life or structure. Unsurprisingly there was also no sign of your friends down below, though it would have been hard to see where they were standing outside anyway given the angle.

The red light made you slightly sick after a while, and you tried opening up the flashlight option on your phone. But it refused to turn on. In fact, nothing on your phone was working now, and when you looked at the clock, the time was still 3:30.

Either time was being distorted or your phone wasn't able to function properly. Given how your phone was acting earlier the latter would seem to be the most likely option, but you also weren't sure what the rules of this place were. There was nothing that said that this world was bound to time in the way yours was.

The website had said that you could stay up here for as long as you wanted, right?

You began to see things out of the corner of your eye, little bits of movement in the darkness that dared you to look at them. You did a few times, mentally slapping yourself as you remembered what the instructions had said as you were now desperately trying to remember everything that had been written so you knew what you could and couldn't do. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time as you recalled what the site had said about possibly dying to this game, and at one point you felt so overwhelmed that you thought you were going to throw up. You managed to keep it down, but after that you decided that it was time to leave.

When you started to head back to the elevator was when you felt a headache coming on. It was mild at first, but when you went further along your route to the exit it started to hurt more, turning into a stabbing pain that jammed into your skull.

Had the website mentioned this? You couldn't be sure. Where were you even going again?

You stopped at an open door, leaning against the open door frame to rest. There was movement from inside the room, and without thinking you looked over to it.

The bat you had left on the fifth floor sat in the room in front of a whiteboard. A whiteboard that had been absolutely covered in drawn on hearts and your name repeated over and over.

…. The website hadn't mentioned that.

“Do you think it's a good place for him?”

The voice you heard came from a few feet behind you. The same voice you had heard over the phone.

You needed to get out. Now.

You brushed your hand against your pocket as you tried to stand up straight again, still fighting the pain of the headache when you remembered the little bear keychain.

It will keep you from losing yourself

With that thought in mind you pulled it out and focused on it, and the pain seemed to lessen by a good amount.

“You've got a thing for cute stuff, don't you?”

The voice came from directly behind you this time, like whoever was speaking was staring down over your shoulder as they were practically on top of you.

Don't look don't look don't look

You pushed off of the door frame, the keychain still in hand as you power-walked back down the hall. The headache was still there a little bit but it was nowhere near as debilitating as it had been before.

The voice whined from behind you.

“You're leaving already? You just got here.”

Don't speak. Don't look.

It was following you. You could hear the footsteps that trailed after yours, keeping up with your pace and almost being purposefully loud. Sudden noises accompanied the footsteps, making you jump and urging you to turn around. It was a natural thing to react to sudden sounds like that and you needed to catch yourself a few times from looking behind.

It was trying to keep you here and you didn't want to stay to find out why that was.

You turned several corners and walked down many halls, and the elevator wasn't anywhere in sight. That wasn't right. You had made a mental note of where the location of the elevator approximately was. As much as the headache was still messing with you, you should still be able to make it back. You knew where it was, goddammit.

…. Was it just you, or were these hallways getting longer?

A chuckle came from behind you.

“You didn't think I'd let you go that easy, did you?”

You started to run.

You weren't sure how long you continued like that – time didn't seem to be a thing up here. Around you the halls extended, stretching out and prolonging your time in this hell as you turned corner after corner and you still couldn't find the fucking elevator. The temptation was there to look behind and see how long the halls had become, but the laughter that followed you kept your eyes straight ahead.

Turning another corner, the doors to the elevator came in sight, and you let out a gasp of relief as you ran faster. Just a little bit more and then you'd be free.

…. The elevator seemed to be was moving away from you, messing with you just as the halls had done before.

You could hear him breathing directly in your ear as you ran. Still trying to freak you out, still trying to make you turn around. He hadn't touched you at all, though, and you wondered if there were rules for him that prevented him from doing so.

The attempts to get you to look back at him seemed to be getting desperate. If this thing was getting to a point where even he was desperate, you didn't want to know what the hell he'd do to you if you made the mistake of turning around.

Despite it all the elevator was getting closer. Escape was literally in your grasp-

And then something in the floor shifted that caused your knee to buckle and you were sent flying face down on the flat white tile.

The phone and keychain went flying out of your hands and there was blood in your mouth as you bit your lip. Your head ached again, though you weren't sure if it was because of him or because you'd just landed on the solid floor.

You lay there for a few moments, catching your breath as you tried to compose yourself.

You then became aware of the presence that was standing over you. He was quiet now, but you could feel his eyes burning holes into your back, as if trying to will you to look at him.

Pushing yourself up on shaky arms, you began to crawl forward, your hands searching for the phone and keychain that had gone flying and had vanished into the darkness, the light from outside now much duller than it had been when you'd first arrived.

Don't look don't look don't look

He can't touch you

He can't force you to look back at him

Just keep facing forward and-

A horrifically loud shrieking noise sounded through the hall. It was the loudest thing you had ever heard in your life, the noise so great that you felt the floor vibrating, and your hands immediately went to cover your ears to protect your hearing as best you could.

Don't you dare fucking look back

With your hands still over your ears, you crawled forward on your knees. It was slow and it had gotten so dark that you couldn't see the elevator anymore, but it was still progress. When your knee brushed against your phone you ignored it. Who gave a fuck about proof anymore? You just wanted to get out.

But you were still trying to keep a lookout for the keychain. It had helped before; if you could find it, it would probably make getting out easier.

You put out one hand on the floor as you blindly searched for your sentimental item, your eyes scrunching up in pain as the horrible sound continued.

For a split second your fingers brushed up against something soft.

You grabbed it.

Immediately after the shrieking noise stopped.

For just a moment, there was relief, even though you still had that noise ringing in your ears. But it took only another moment for you to realize that something was wrong.

You hadn't grabbed that bear keychain. It was larger and heavier.

Opening your eyes, you found that you were holding that fucking bat plush.

“Ah. You messed up.”

A hand reached from behind you and grabbed the plush out of your grip. A different hand was placed on your shoulder and you were spun around on the floor.

A fair-skinned man with what looked to be blonde hair stared down at you, one hand still on your shoulder as he waved the bat in front of you.

“You're not supposed to take this back, remember?” he asked as he smiled at you.

“No.... I didn't...” you trailed off.

“But you did, though! You grabbed and picked it up,” he said.

That wasn't possible. You had left that thing behind in that room that felt so far away now. But as you glanced to the side you saw that, to your horror, you were sitting next to that room again, the hearts still visible on the whiteboard. You were barely able to note that it had gotten brighter and that somehow the red lighting seemed less harsh before he was talking to you again.

“So you lost and now you don't get to go back,” he told you.

“No.... You cheated.”

It felt so juvenile to say that out loud, but it was all that could come out of you in your current state.

Strangely though, he didn't deny it.

“Can you blame me?” he asked, “I've never gotten a visitor as charming as yourself. When I heard you on the phone and saw what you left me, I just needed to keep you.”

He looked at the bat plush again and smiled at it as he sat down in front of you.

“Did you just pick this at random, or was it something else?”

You struggled to comprehend the question, and it took you a bit before you were able to blurt out “someone else said you liked bats.”

“So you mean you went to the trouble of looking up what things I liked? That's adorable. I love it!” he exclaimed.

You tried to subtly scoot away from him as he sat in front of you but you were noticed instantly.

“Where do you think you're going?” he asked. The look he gave you was so innocent.

“I-I need to go home. I want to go home,” you insisted.

“That's not an option, remember?” he asked, waving the bat around again.

You shook your head.

“You cheated. I should be allowed to leave because you did that.”

He laughed.

“There's no rule against cheating. As long as I didn't touch you it was fine. Don't be a sore loser.”

“Fuck you.”

You spat out those words in a bout of frustration, trying your best to sound strong, but it probably just made you seem more pathetic.

He only hummed at that, just staring at you for a moment.

It had been getting steadily brighter, the red going away with every passing second and you were able to make out different colors. The purple and teal on his clothes, the shade of blonde his hair was and the blue of his eyes were visible to you for a few moments.

He set the bat plush to the side, and the world began to darken again as red and black took over.

“That's okay,” he said, more to himself than to you, “you're scared and that kind of reaction is normal, so I'm not too mad.”

It was getting harder to see him, but you could see movement about him, things about his body changing. Horns that slowly curled out from his forehead. The tips of his fingers that darkened around long claws that took the place of his fingernails. Large, bat-like wings that unfolded from behind him and spread themselves.

You caught a glimpse of his teeth in the low light, and they looked sharper than they had before.

Panic shot through you as you began to scramble away from him, but your escape attempt was short-lived as something wrapped itself around your legs and pulled you back towards him.

A tail? Oh God that was a tail.

He was on top of you, and he caged you in his arms as he leaned down to whisper in your ear “don't worry, I'll go easy on you this time.”

You tried to push him away, but he ignored it.

“Oh! Before I forget, I should introduce myself shouldn't I? I'm Shalnark. Nice to meet you.”

With that, his lips claimed yours in a searing kiss.

Your friends had been waiting a while.

Farah and Carmen stayed where they had been directly next to the building while Cliff hadn't moved from where he had stormed off to. Farah had been getting upset as she had become convinced that you were being an ass to her as well with how long you were taking. It was all Carmen could do to try and keep her calm.

Because of his distance away and how distracted they were, neither of them noticed the state Cliff was in.

They only noticed when he began to violently cough.

With Farah still slightly bitter from their earlier argument, Carmen was the one to check on him, asking if he was alright as they walked up to him.

Cliff gave no answer as he had begun to cough up blood.

Carmen's hands fumbled when they pulled out their phone to call emergency services, and they yelled at Farah to go inside and get you. The sight of the blood Cliff was coughing up had Farah sprinting towards the building, throwing the front doors open as she made a beeline for the elevator.

Carmen didn't notice it at first when Farah fell to the floor. Only when the ambulance had been confirmed and they looked back to the building to see if the two of you were coming out did they see her body lying limply on the floor.

Ambulances and cop cars arrived eventually, and both Cliff and Farah were declared dead at the scene. The autopsy reports later would declare that they had been poisoned. A thorough search of the building would find no source of where the poison had come from.

Nor did they find anything from you.

Carmen had told them that you were in there, but when they searched they found no trace of you. No personal belongings and nothing to even indicate that you had entered the building. When the search for you grew beyond the confines of the office building, there was still no trace of you. You simply vanished into thin air.

The case would puzzle investigators before they would ultimately put it aside for other cases that needed their attention. It would only gain some traction online when the files were released to the public and certain parties saw that you and your friends had been playing the Sixth Floor Game. For some people it added weight to their beliefs that the game was real and needed to be avoided. For others it was just a coincidence.

Regardless of what they thought, you remained a missing person that would never be seen again, forever immortalized by your unexplained disappearance and an urban legend.

#reader insert #Shalnark #shalnark x reader #yandere shalnark #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere hxh #yandere hunter x hunter

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punkpandapatrixk · 4 years ago

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'Surely, we were born into this world to be loved.' — everywhere by Sakamoto Maaya

Your being hard on yourself; your hating and blaming yourself; somebody else who didn't know how to love you taught you darkness. It's not your fault. Now it's time you let go of what they taught you. You don't have to associate anymore with their bullshit perception of reality. You must make the choice, though.

Let's stop being an enemy to ourselves.

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Pile 1 - Dragon with An Amnesia

King of Pentacles, 9 of Pentacles Rx

Priestess of Patience & Gold Magus (Johannes Faustus)

I'm sensing this group attracts strong-minded people who feel like they've done very bad things in life. You may have needed to engage in certain behaviours that are considered bad by society as part of your survival. Whether that survival entails material possessions or simply your sense of belonging to this world. The thing with this world is... good people sometimes do bad things just because they think it's the right thing to do so as not to cease being.

What I'm seeing here is you've come from very harsh backgrounds. Probably a masculine figure in your life is/was a bully and you watched how they behaved or dealt with issues in their uniquely bully ways as you were growing up. Subconsciously, your child mind took it that if you didn't toughen up, you'd be eaten by the world. Because the world is full of big bad hurtful wolves, you thought it necessary to become a dragon yourself.

But the reality of you is, you're not at all a selfish nor mean person. You're far from that. If only the world were kinder and more ideal, you'd be the most generously loving person on the Planet. You care about other people's wellbeing and wish to share a lot of your abundance with even the people who don't deserve you. But maybe that's the thing—stop sharing yourself with those who make you feel like you could never be enough.

If you would shift your focus and from now on work on only healing and providing for yourself (and also distance and eventually leave behind those who are hard on you), eventually enough a lot of your innate kindness and gentleness will resurface. It takes time to heal ourselves from the toxicity of the world we took as our own as part of survival, but it's gonna be so worth it because it'll bring you home to your true self.

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Pile 2 - Your Life Is not A Mistake

Queen of Pentacles Rx, 5 of Pentacles

Priestess of Intuition & Red Astronomer (Johannes Kepler)

Exhaustion seems to be the name of the game. You have this immense feeling of lethargy and exhaustion that never seems to resolve. Do you know why or how this happens? Someone you look up to or expect to shower you with love and affection never fulfils their duty. There is either chaos or a pang of emptiness in your heart that constantly needs to be tended by you. So much of your mental energy is spent trying to fix this hole in your heart, but nothing seems to be working.

I think it's mostly because you grew up with a motherly figure who didn't know how to be a mother—in the real sense of that word. Whether this was a grandma or your actual birth mother or even your single-parent dad (gender and role don't matter here). At any rate, an adult figure who should've been your shelter failed, quite horribly, at doing their job. If anything, you've witnessed how even they failed at taking care of themselves. You may even have had to be their caretaker instead.

But you were just a child; what could you have known better? Still, you have carried a lot of burden with you, and so many habits that you still have now are accrued through years and years of survival. You may have been receiving insights lately, about how unhealthy—physically or mentally—you've lived practically your entire life. Your gut instinct is trying to tell you it's high time some things changed.

The very first thing to do is make peace with your childhood and how you've had to grow up. None of that was ever your fault, and know that you're not the only one going through such a thing. Millions of young adults in this generation are broken as a result of the failure of our previous generations. It sucks and it isn't okay, but accepting this is the first step towards the resolution of your unpeacefulness.

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Pile 3 - Channel for the Divine

7 of Cups Rx, 3 of Pentacles

Priestess of Integrity & Silver Astronomer (Galileo Galilei)

You seem like a person who's constantly torn between options. On the one hand, you're an imaginative dreamer with a rich inner landscape of mind. But on the other, you also have the analytical and practical aspects of your personality that urge you to making your dreams and visions a reality. The problem here... is that your dreams are not dreams that belong to the frequencies of this Earth plane...

Due to the high-frequency nature of your dreams and visions, they seem blatantly impossible to you and you often brush them off as mere dilly-dallying loiter. The more conscious, practical aspect of you wants to focus on the mundane—that which seems more realistic than abstract daydreams. But in doing so, you hurt yourself a lot. Because this is an act of rejection of the true divine nature of your being.

Let me give you this insight: the dreams you dream, the visions that bother you every so often, the urging that takes you back to the same daydreams again and again; they are a clear transmission from your Higher Self. Literally, your team of Guides showering you with directions and setting up signposts here and there. Within the inner landscape of what your mind's Eye sees. The more you follow these seemingly erratic promptings, the clearer your Life's direction becomes.

However, one sure thing about following these visions is your feeling like a fool. And you don't like being made to feel like a fool. After all, you are indeed an unusually extraordinarily intelligent person. Remember that your high levels of imagination and such a rich mind are attributes of the highly intelligent beings on this Planet. So now that you're clear about that, you should also be clear that none of your dreams and visions is silly, to say the least.

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Feel free to support me on Patreon if you love this kind of content🍑I create stories and tarot readings that calm the mind & heal from within🍒

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domoz · 2 years ago

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9, 11, and 16 for the ask game! Your choice of fic (or all of them for 16)

(Ask game) 9 - What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

If I'm restricting myself to just founders stuff (and lbr I dont remember enough about older stuff to be able to quote it off the top of my head) it's probably this bit from this oneshot because the lines are so cold (imo).

"If you want it to stop --" Says Butsuma, forcing Tobirama's face to turn the other direction and digging the kunai in to the other side, a perfect match to the first cut "-- Then stop me. Get strong enough to stop me." But Hashirama can't stand up. There's no sudden burst of strength -- he used that up ages ago. All he can manage is to drag himself a few inches forward through the dirt, fingers just able to reach where a spot of blood (his brother's blood!) has been flung to the ground. "Please." His voice is hoarse, "Please, I understand. Please stop." The look Butsuma levels at him is cold, a frown that says he doesn't believe him. He tilts up Tobirama's head, cuts a final slash into his chin, before letting go. Standing up, stepping back, uncaring of the way his son has dropped to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut. "Guard your heart or grow strong enough to keep it safe, Hashirama. Those are your options."

11- What scene are you most hyped for this chapter/fic?

For Hand over Hand Over Hand, there is a bullet on my outline labeled "Hikaku's very long and sexy day" which I think about often, and is basically: Hikaku doing what he signed up for to the extreme, and going from Tobirama, to Madara, and back to Tobirama all in a row.

For another fic... the whole second arc of Trust in Reverse, which is a fic where Tobirama and Izuna were forced to marry, with the expectation that it would fail. The arc is all courtly drama and the two of them begrudgingly working together to figure out why it all happened in the first place (and learning to trust each other along the way :)) Not a scene exactly, but most of that fic is in the outline phase.

16 - Write the next 5 sentences and share. ...For every fic you say? (...I was gonna put a readmore here, but the text editor tumblr assigned me for this post wont allow it. So, sorry if this is annoying long)

Brothers in Bond

Before he could stew on that for too long, the door pulled open with a creak that was deafening in the relative silence of the room. Izuna scowled reflexively, unused to having to squint into the light -- not that it mattered. Whoever this was, they were wearing the same nondescript grey uniform and mask as the shinobi who had captured them in the first place. Two more, dressed the same, slipped in to flank door even as it was pulled closed and latched from the outside. The chain quietly scraped on the stone floor as Tobirama shifted his position to better study the new arrivals. Tight security, Izuna thought with a mental sigh, and shitty interrogation tactics.

Trust in Reverse

There is no greeting, but instead one handed gesture at the papers on the table. "Infrastructure plans." He explains, voice so flat that Izuna can't tell if he thinks if this is serious or all a ridiculous farce. "Utilities. We're inevitably going to have to share, since we're living so close, and moving forward without input from both sides is asking for trouble at this stage." No, he must think it's all bullshit if he's asking for Izuna's opinion on -- he glances down -- plumbing. He's not educated on sewer systems, aside from the one mission he'd taken to the capital that had required him to crawl through them for several hours. This is some kind of trap -- has to be.

Wood Tar, Charcoal, Ginger, and Honey

Tobirama doesn't show a hint of fear at a compound full of active sharingan tracking his movements, nor so much as react when he's searched for weapons. He easily hands over the pack of medical supplies he's brought, only raising an eyebrow at the challenging look that Hikaku gives him when a pack of senbon is pulled from an inside pocket. "You're free to have your own healers examine the contents, it all has medicinal use." He says evenly,the way he folds his arms betraying nothing but annoyance, "And I'm unlikely to need any of it right away." "Take it." Madara grunts with a wave of his hand, already gesturing for Tobirama to follow him. He doesn't have time for this, and Izuna certainly doesn't, either.

In the Corner of Another Room

Izuna can admit to enjoying a little luxury from time to time, but he's still a shinobi born and raised. He can pass as an air-brained nobleman when he has to, and even enjoy it, but excess still makes his skin crawl when he thinks about it too hard. The inn and onsen high up in the mountains is lovely, truly, but the price tag to stay there is most certainly not. Mission success will make this more than worth it, but his nagging guilt at the cost combined with the constant vigilance makes him unable to really sit back an enjoy it all. He could -- his mark isn't due to arrive for another few days, yet -- but Izuna was trained better than that.

Heart of Flowers

Madara slips into his office without knocking. It had taken him a while to figure it out, but Tobirama doesn't actually chew out everyone who comes in unannounced, just those who insisted on loudly interrupting his work. Madara would never pretend that he hadn't before, or that he never would again, but the village had helped him start to be patient in ways he'd never had to be before. He is, in fact, capable of not tearing out Tobirama's throat. These days he doesn't even want to, most of the time.

Fic Trio (Specifically, Ambitious Uses for Hands and Tongues)

His entire existence has whittled down to to the agonizing white-hot pulse of not-quite pain. At some point -- Izuna doesn't know when, he was already starting to lose time even when he was conscious -- the feeling spread, changing from something sharp into a full body prickly-numbness that made it impossible to think or to keep his eyes open. He'd always thought it'd be cold, but he feels warm, almost pleasantly so, except for the uncomfortable points of heat that are pressing into his side. Fingertips, he manages to dredge up after what might have been an age or might only have been moments. Who's touching me? And why doesn't it hurt?

Hand Over Hand Over Hand

He raps on the door anyway, and hefts the bottle he's brought along when it opens and Izuna appears in the crack, squinting meaningfully. He lights up at the sight of it -- it's umeshu, from the same brewer that Tajima used to buy from when he went into court; the cheaper stuff he drank himself, not the fancy gifts he presented the daimyo, and by extension, the stuff he hid under the floorboards that Izuna and Madara got drunk on for the first time. Madara got sick, Tajima forced him to train through it as punishment, and he's all but forbidden plum wine from the house ever since, but Hikaku knows Izuna still has a fondness for the stuff. He'd been planning to give it as a birthday gift, but he hadn't anticipated a need to apologize for all but supplanting Izuna from his previous life at the time, either. Nor did he think he'd be trying to learn about the man who was his rival and worst enemy.

What if Hashirama was Evil

Only when Madara's shadow falls across him does he look up, but his red eyes are glazed and uncomprehending, and his head lolls back to its awkward resting angle after only a moment, too tired or too uncaring to struggle. Madara looks him over more closely. He looks dirty and scuffed up like he's been in a fight, though all of the minor wounds have already stopped bleeding. He hasn't even been properly stripped of weapons, just stopped from moving by the wood wrapping his wrists together and his arms behind his back. Madara grimaces but kneels down and starts going through pockets. Much as he hates the idea of doing what's so obviously been planned for him to do, the fact of the matter is that he's got no information, and Tobirama almost certainly does.

#ask meme #oops! no writing tag #........... i aint gonna tag all that. itll be in the fics anyways unless i edit it out

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candied-cae · 3 years ago

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And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - Got To Get Them Back

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Chapter 8/? - - - Read it on AO3

Word Count : 6,747

Summary: Robin's finally getting some time with Vickie! And Nancy's getting time with one of the government workers. She's not going to let them intimidate her to back off like they have before, she's going to get some answers this time. But those answers might not be the kind she's hoping for…

More ST Fics

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Nancy looked back at Steve. He was slowly shaking out a blue shirt while he kept careful eyes on her. He looked like he was ready to spring into action and run over if she so much as pouted too harshly. Which was not something she needed if she wanted to get this woman alone enough to answer questions.

She pointedly looked to the back doors of the gym with a nod, hoping he’d understand she was agreeing to walk away and didn’t need him to run out after her. His face looked pinched like he didn’t like it, but he nodded back to her, giving his blessing in some sort of way. Nancy turned back to the woman and followed her out the through the doors that poured into the track field. Crisp early spring air curled around them while the mystery woman looked around.

Once she was sure they were alone, she peered through her dark lenses at the shorter girl,“ Alright, Ms. Wheeler. I understand you might be frustrated-”

“What is going on?” Nancy bit into her time. She refused to allow her the courtesy of running through her practiced lines uninterrupted.

She didn’t want to be placated like a child. She didn’t want to be worked around and settled like a rebellious middle schooler. She was a big girl who could handle herself. And if this government worker thinks she can get around her right to know what the fuck is going on... then she doesn’t know Nancy Wheeler very well.

The woman flustered a moment, clearly not used to teenagers fighting against her authority, but she kept her corporate-like poise and shifted,“ We didn’t know much at the time-”

“No.” Nancy insisted,” You people keep coming to our town, making problems for us, and getting people hurt. Getting people killed. And it always comes down to us. Letting us deal with all the bullshit you started. Hiding the truth from us until the last second, when we become the ones paying the price to keep everything together. Do you even know how many have been hurt in Hawkins because a bunch of teenagers were the only ones trying to fix your problem?”

The question struck her a bit harder, she pulled the sunglasses off of her face to let Nancy see her vibrant greens as she answered,“ The count is at twenty-two casualties. Injuries are in the hundreds. Yes, I know.”

“So, don’t waste my time with excuses and pushing off the blame so we don’t hold you liable. We do, and we always will, not that it matters since this is all under the table, contractual NDA shit that we couldn’t do anything about if we wanted to. So, just tell me what is going on.” Nancy sucked in a breath to try and still the shaking fear in her next demand,” Tell me why haven’t I been able to reach my brother since this started.”

The woman bristled under her harsh gaze. She fell silent for a moment as those eyes flicked to the ground, running from Nancy's, before letting just a shred of personhood come out,” The last status we had on Michael was that Ms. Byers left him and the other two with Jonathan. She had a sudden business trip she went on. The girl had to go do something, and your brother stayed with the Byers boys, under the watch of agents Harmon and Wallace when the house was… when the house was raided.”

“What-” Nancy's voice croaked out as she struggled to understand that word.

‘Raided’. Their house was raided? What does that even mean?

She continued,“ We believe the three of them escaped with the agents, they weren’t at the house when a team checked in, but we haven’t heard anything about them since. And when the girl disappeared from the facility-”

Nancy was still reeling from the news that her brother was missing when her brain was stopped in its tracks,“ A facility? You just said she had something she had to go do. But there's a facility? What did you people do to El?”

“She voluntarily went in with Doctor Sam to work with Doctor Brenner on-”

“Brenner.” her voice seethed the name.

She already hated the man on principle from what she’s picked up of El’s childhood. But after she saw what she saw… when Henry showed her flashes of horrific memories of that lab, of that man... She hated him with a new fire,” You let her end up back in his-”

“She was there of her own choice.” the woman pushed,” They were working on getting her power back.”

She shook her head at that explanation,“ That’s not enough. That’s not reason enough to- to put her back with that monster. It’s just not.”

“You may feel that way, Ms. Wheeler. But, at the end of the day, the girl chose to be there. And from my last report, she was doing quite well.”

“Last report?”

“A few days ago, communication stopped. I know you think we haven't done enough, but we've been doing everything we can. We’re just doing our part managing-”

“Nothing.” Nancy finished the sentence for her.” You have been managing nothing. We have been the ones managing.”

“And this was the result of your management?” the woman asked, looking back towards the door of the gymnasium with critical eyes.

Nancy clenched her jaw. Her face set with fury at what she was implying. Like this was their fault. Like they could’ve known any better, or tried any harder than they did. They gave everything they had, without any help from anyone else.

“I came out here to get answers and make sure whatever your people try to pull doesn’t make things worse. If you end up giving the police some cover story, you keep the blame off of Eddie Munson. You don't get to make him your scapegoat. We are exonerating him of the murders and we sure as hell don’t need you messing that up for him.”

“We know he wasn’t responsible, obviously. We have no wish to put him back into the line of fire unnecessarily-”

“Good.” Nancy gave the single word and pushed past the lady she didn't bother to catch a name for as she headed back into the building.

The woman trailed after her, paces slower and shorter thanks to her heels,“ Wait, we need to discuss what you kids have been-”

“I’ll tell you what happened this week when you can tell me where my brother is.”

Nancy set the condition to their terms with an iron conviction clear in her voice. She didn’t even look at the woman. Just kept walking until she made her way back to the garment table. She retook her place next to Steve and picked up the first thing she saw to have something to do with her hands.

When Nancy returned to Steve’s sight, she was fuming. He didn’t need a close look at her to tell she was pissed. Even from across the room, Steve could feel it coming off her in waves. Behind her, he saw the suit enter the doors herself, huffing as she futzed with her jacket and slipped the sunglasses back into place. She was clearly less than satisfied with how their conversation had gone.

Something important just happened.

Nancy was folding the clothes with more force than she really needed to, when Steve carefully asked,“ What happened?”

Her hands suddenly stilled as her face twisted further.

“They knew.” she spit the words out as quietly as she could in her steaming anger.

“They knew?”

“Knew something was up when Chrissy died,” Nancy answered, hands fighting with the fabric in her grasp. She wasn’t really folding it anymore, she just kept pulling and twisting as she worked through the words,” Before Freddie and Patrick. Before Max and Eddie. They knew, and they didn’t do anything about it. They just silently poked around. Keeping everything to themselves. While we were out there, risking our lives, actually trying to do something.”

“They-?” Steve started, but Nancy didn’t stop.

“They don’t even know what happened to the others. Mike and El and Will and Jonathan are missing.”

“What?” Steve’s voice came out weak, feeling the pit of his stomach drop to his feet.

“Their house was raided. Raided. Days ago. And they lost touch with the rest of their team out west. They don’t know where any of them are. And before they even lost them, they handed El back to that bastard-”

Steve put his hands over hers to still their movements. It pulled her out of her head enough that she stopped to properly breathe instead of just drawing in shallow huffs between her words. He gently tugged on the piece and she relinquished the fabric without further opposition. Nancy closed her eyes a moment, tensing all her muscles and releasing them to try and reset the part of her that couldn’t stop burning with the information she’d just received.

“Do you want to leave, Nance?” he asked her.

“No.” she opened her eyes and picked up a pair of children’s shorts, actually folding them this time,” We said we’d help out. Let’s just finish up, and then we can all get out of here.”

“Okay.”

As less than an hour goes by of folding and sorting, there wasn’t much said between the two. Not much beyond the ‘excuse me’s they'd exchange as they reached around one another, at least. When Dustin ran out of people to offer water cups to, he drifted over to the two of them and started pressing for what Nancy found out. Steve shook his head to tell him that they wouldn’t talk about it right now. Not that she could have even said much, nothing louder than a whisper of their supernatural secrets would’ve been allowed in the crowded room. Finally, Robin made her way on over with Vickie following behind her.

She was very much a contrast to Nancy’s display. Robin looked like she was walking on clouds, all smiles and sunshine filling the air around her as she got to have nearly a whole hour just talking to Vickie. And Vickie, curiously, looked very much the same.

Robin was carrying a few saran-wrapped sandwiches and held a pair of them out for Steve and Nancy when she arrived at their table. She handed another to Dustin, keeping one for herself, and passed the last to Vickie.

“They’re finished with us. We covered the lunch crowd, got most of the prep for dinner taken care of, and now I think they want us to get out of the way.” Robin told them with a bright smile.

“And we thought you three would be ready for a lunch break, on the house,” Vickie added.

They all accepted the food with polite smiles, but Steve looked into Robin a little bit harder. Because the girl was practically glowing. Steve narrowed his eyes at her, ever so slightly. Just enough to make sure she knew that he could see what was going on. Just enough to make sure she knew that he would absolutely be grilling her for answers once they ditched all the others. She cocked her head to the side with harsh eyes, as if trying to threaten him without words not to spill anything while Vickie was still there.

“Thanks. It’s Vickie, right?” Steve asked, sparing a glace at Robin, whose eyes widened suddenly in response.

“Yeah, it’s Vickie. How’d you know?” the girl asked.

Robin pressed her lips together, eyes boring into Steve with furious anxiety.

Vickie waved her hand to excuse herself, falling into a bubbling ramble like someone Steve knows quite well,” No offense, there’s nothing wrong with you knowing. I just figured our social circles didn’t really overlap when you were in high school so- not that I think I’m better than you or anything, it is absolutely not that. And I don’t want to imply that I think you think you’re better than me so-”

“No, you’re fine.” He stopped her,” Rob and I are just best buds, and she mentioned seeing a fellow band geek when we were at WarZone. I’m good with faces and picked up the name.”

“Oh, yeah. You were with her a couple of days ago, huh?” Vickie nodded along, clearly buying that the only reason Steve caught it was that recent run-in.

Robin’s glare softened as it worked, pulling back on some kind of easy-going smile that she really hoped didn’t look forced. She didn’t know what she’d do if Steve got stuck and just blurted out,” Oh, Robin just talks about you all the freakin’ time. Obsesses over how she looks in the morning because she wants to impress you. Oh, and we’ve had conversations, at length, about the likelihood that you’re into boobies. So yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t be freaked out by that, Miss Vickie!”

That would’ve been a mess beyond repair.

“So,” Steve leaned in towards Vickie with a teasing grin at the girl standing beside her. He lowered his head but spoke in a loud whisper everyone could hear,” Did she do a good job making sandwiches, or should I be hesitant to take my first bite?”

“Nimrod,” Robin called him as the pink already in her cheeks flared.

“Nimrod yourself. I’m just worried your clumsy self might’ve left the knife in the middle of my sandwich, and I don’t want to lose a tooth today.”

Robin reached over the table to shove against Steve’s shoulder,” Just eat your stupid lunch.”

The five of them headed outside to eat on the benches and find something casual to say to pass the time. They shared introductions and wondered about the earthquake, what that would mean for school, and all that, but they only had a few minutes to start to get to know her when Vickie’s parents pulled up and took her back home.

That was becoming a more common occurrence in Hawkins than it previously was: parents driving their kids everywhere. Most of the time, the kids could just wander around: riding bikes, taking the bus, driving themselves, and carpooling with pals.

But now, there were more moms and dads crossing town at predetermined times to take their kids back. Maybe it was because so many of them had unexpected time off of work. Maybe it was because everyone not moving away was still scared shitless that something bad was still coming to hurt their babies. Which wouldn’t necessarily be wrong… But, whatever strange forces were making parents keep their kids on a shorter leash, it called Vickie away sooner than Robin was ready to let her go.

Once she was gone, the four left on the bench, who actually have some idea of what was going on, were able to discuss the current developments. After Robin and Dustin got caught up, they both felt awful. Less of the burning anger that Nancy had felt, but more a sick fear that washed over them with the news that the Byers and Mike were all missing.

And then, before anyone could even think of what to do, Dustin was running.

Or, at least, he was attempting. He still had an obvious limp that was getting in his way of making much haste.

“Henderson- Henderson!” Steve called as he jumped up from the bench after him.

He caught up to the boy with relative ease as Dustin started trying to manhandle his locked rear seat door, the girls following shortly behind.

“Henderson, what’re-”

“Give me your keys!” the boy shouted at him, very seriously.

Steve pulled his key ring from his pocket and handed them over to Dustin’s waiting hand. He immediately pulled apart the car’s key from the others and broke into the back seat. He practically fell over himself as he spilled into the seats and dug his hand around under them. Then he pulled out one of those brick walkie-talkies.

“We didn’t leave that in there a few days ago?” Steve asked, though, it'd be more acurate to say Steve stated it as fact with a note of confusion.

Dustin agreed,“ No, we didn’t. I grabbed one before you picked me up. And, honestly, everyone should have one of their own right now, but that’s beside the point.”

“Well, what’re- what’re you doing?” Steve tripped on the word as Dustin turned up the volume, a light buzzing static coming over the empty radio waves.

“Calling Lucas. We need to give them the update.” And, with that, he clicked the receiver,“ Lucas, this is Dustin. We have news. Over.”

Only a few seconds of buzzing passed. Steve took back his keys while they all climbed into the car with Dustin. Then, as each of them settled in closer, the other boy’s voice trilled through the walkie.

“Is it good news or bad news? Over,” he asked, already sounding like he was dreading the answer.

Dustin paused for a moment. “Pretty bad news. Over,” he solemnly admitted to the other.

There was silence. He didn’t come back through immediately, and just that was enough to make Dustin start to worry,” Are you okay? Over.”

“I’m fine. I’m with Max right now. Can we talk about it later?”

He sounded tired and quiet. Like he didn’t think he could take any more bad news. Like he didn’t even want Max’s sleeping body to overhear it.

The “Over” came through like an afterthought a few seconds later.

Lucas honestly forgot he even needed to say it. At least, he had until Erica nudged his foot with hers and reminded him.

“Uh. Yeah- yeah. No problem.” Dustin shook his head like he needed to loosen the rejection,” I can check in later. How ‘bout around nine? Over.”

“Around nine. Over.” Lucas confirmed.

Dustin turned back down the sound and set the box back into the seat between him and Nancy.

“Hey. He’s okay. Just not ready for more shitty news.” Robin assured him, twisting in her seat to look in his eyes.

“Yeah.” he nodded back, not looking totally convinced.

Nancy leaned over to him and bumped his shoulder to draw his attention. She might’ve wanted to boil over and break something herself, but she didn’t like seeing the little guy get all bent out of shape. She gave him the best reassuring smile she could muster and told him they’d be okay. Steve started the car and began the drive back over to the suburbs to drop everyone off. First Nancy and Dustin, mostly so he could corner Robin and get the latest scoop on the Vickie front, and maybe find some way to kill time just the two of them before he went back home alone.

It didn't take long for them to return to the Wheelers. Maybe fifteen minutes and Steve was pulling into Nancy’s driveway to hand her back over to her family. Her mother stood in the open front door after she heard the car roll up. Karen waved at them as Nancy opened the back door to get out when suddenly she looked to the road confused.

“Did somebody order pizza?” she called to the kids and they all turned around to see a pizza delivery van rolling up.

Surfer Boy’s Pizza. Not a store any of them has ever heard of. And certainly, none of them called for lunch at the Wheelers. But, if it wasn’t anyone inside who called for the food and it wasn't any of them, why was it here?

At least, that’s what they all wondered to themselves until the side door slid open. Until they saw the people tumbling out of it were Will, El, and Mike. Then, from the front seats, there was Jonathan and another guy they didn’t recognize. But who cares if they didn’t know who he was? He helped bring them back, so he's practically a member of the team already.

As soon as they all realized who they were looking at, each of them threw open their doors and ran out for the reunion. Karen ran down the driveway until she had her boy in her arms. She practically tried to squeeze the life out of him, and he all but crumbled into the comfort and safety of his mother's arms. Nancy went straight for her long-distance boyfriend, now that said distance was something she could actually cross. She was lifted off the ground in his embrace. Legs kicked up behind her as he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, just so relieved to see one another alright. Dustin hobbled forward until Will and El crashed into him, wrapping him up in their affection. He had them under each arm, holding tightly around their shoulders like he wasn’t sure he’d ever see them again.

Steve and Robin stepped forward, just a pace behind the others, seeing as they were less desperate to hold onto them. The new guy, Argyle they’d later find out, was his own distance across the way too. The three of them wore fond smiles, though. Even if they weren’t sharing tight hugs with their friends, just watching the others' joyful collisions together made them start to feel better themselves.

Karen doted on her son. Making comments through her teary voice that he doesn’t get to go on vacations anymore and that she wasn’t going to let him go to college because she needed to keep him right next to her. Nancy and Jonathan were whispering about what was going on. Clearly, both understanding that they’ve individually been involved in the ‘situation’ despite the separation. The set of three pulled away from each other as Dustin wiped away misty eyes.

Steve hadn’t had as much time to bond with the two of them as he had with Dustin, sure, but they were his kids too. And when Nancy told him that the government lady said they were missing, god, it scared him. It scared him like when he found Max looking near dead in Lucas’ arms. Because some kids go missing and pop back up in a few hours, but not these kids. These kids go missing, and the world goes to shit, and people die, and things don’t just work out for them all the time. So, while he allowed Henderson to be first, he had no plans to go much longer without any hugs of his own.

Steve stepped up and announced,” Alright, babysitter’s coming in to collect his too!”, as he ducked his arms around their waists and swept the two off their feet.

“Steve! Your stitches!” he heard Robin scold him.

But he didn’t care.

This was more important.

El and Will let out their own set of squeals and ‘Steve!’ as he swung them side-to-side, throwing their legs around them with reckless abandon. He didn’t stop until they both began to slap at his back and insist they be let down between their giggles. He set them both on their feet, leaving them rosy-cheeked and smiling. He peeked over and made eye contact with the other boy for a second. Mike, who, despite still being in his mother’s arms, made a face like he was worried Steve was going to come after him next.

Steve swatted a hand in his direction to let him know he was safe.

He never got in good with that kid. Mike was never all that impressed with him and still seemed to hold a grudge from his days with Nancy. Why? Steve had no idea. All he ever did was get caught climbing their gutter once or twice. And it wasn't like he was the one who broke up with Nancy or ever did anything to Mike. But, for whatever reason, that was the one member of the Party he couldn’t win over.

Will looked around them,“ Where’s Lucas?”

Dustin answered simply,“ He’s at the hospital.”

“Was he hurt?” worry found its way onto El's face.

He began to assure them,“ No. No, he’s…”, then he realized,” Oh God... You don’t know.” El looked to her brother for comfort.

“What don’t we know?” Will asked in her place.

Dustin shook his head.

He didn’t want to say the words. Every time someone said it, it became more real. And they didn’t know yet, so in their world, Max was fine. She wasn’t in a coma, body nearly broken into pieces by a twisted telekinetic, with no sign of when she’d wake up. If she’d wake up. But if he said it, he was taking that from them. Bringing them into the grim reality he’s been in the last few days… Making it real.

“Max is hurt.” Steve placed a hand on Dustin’s shoulder, taking the burden of saying the words, and brought his voice low,” We fought this thing, and it got to her. It’s bad.”

“Take me to her,” El said.

And Steve can’t say no.

Can’t seem even consider it when it’s El, he’s noticed.

The girl who’s gone to hell and back more times than any of them. The girl who’s barely even gotten to see the world she lives in. The girl whose hair has been cut close to her head again, just when she had finally been able to grow it out beyond her shoulders. The girl who’s lost too much in saving the world over and over again. Who lost her own dad, not even a year before.

“Nance.” Steve called over, said girl turning away from her boyfriend to look at him,” They want to go see Max.”

“Max?” Mike questioned as he pulled away from his mom.

“She’s in the hospital…” his sister filled in for him and told Jonathan,“ Yeah, yeah, we should all go over. She’s at Hawkins Memorial.”

In truth, Jonathan wanted nothing less than to climb back into that pizza van. After so many days stuck switching between its driver and passenger seat, he was tired of the whole damned thing. But if Max was in the hospital, that’s where they needed to be.

“Nancy, you’ll go with them and explain what’s going on?” Robin asked, receiving a nod as Nancy turned to climb into the very machine that’s made a half-country journey over the last few days.

Karen was resistant to letting go of her son and allowing him to be somewhere out of sight again. But she knew he needed to see his friends, and his sister would be with him. Her husband might try and act like Nancy was a mess of impulse and foolish emotion, but she knew her daughter was more than that. She’s strong and smart and one of the most responsible kids in the world, even if her ambition leads her to be brash sometimes. She moved her hands to pull her son’s forehead to her and smacked a kiss onto it once it was close enough.

“You are to come right back here after you finish checking on them,” she instructed, gently jabbing a finger into his chest to make sure he understood.

Mike rolled his eyes a little, but agreed,“ Alright, Mom.”

El and Will decided to ride in with Steve’s car to tell them their half of the story and catch up, while Nancy took her place in the back of the sun-faded yellow van next to Mike. While Argyle hopped back to the shotgun seat and Jonathan returned to his place behind the wheel, he decided to introduce himself to Nancy.

“I’m Argyle, and you’re my boy, Jonny’s, lady,” he stated instead of asking.

“Nancy,” she corrected his use of ‘Jonny’s Lady’ as a title for her. Despite it, she stretched a smile across her face to keep off any other reaction that wanted to present itself,” And you’re the friend from California.”

“Yes, I am,” he replied, wearing an easy-going grin that looked a lot more genuine and effortless than her own.

She didn’t get him. They’ve only just met, so it’s probably unfair to have decided it, she knows. But, already, she doesn’t get him.

There’s a cadence to his speaking that’s so lax and comfortable, and he just lolls his head around like it’s some foreign weight on his neck that he’s still adjusting to. All that might be something she brushes off as just somebody who walks through the world differently than she does. But apparently, they don’t walk through it so dissimilarly since they’ve both latched onto Jonathan and have gotten mixed up in Upside Down business.

So how is he so… him right now?

There was a beat of awkward silence while Nancy pondered him when Argyle looked like he was gearing up to say something else.

”So, what happened over here?”, Jonathan stepped in. Hoping to bait off another ‘Well, this is awkward’ moment between Argyle and a Wheeler as they started to pull away from the driveway.

“A lot,” Nancy answered,” But before we get into that, how are you all fine? I spoke to someone who said you all went missing after your house was raided.”

Jonathan started explaining,“ Uh, yeah. We got stuck with these supervisors to make sure we didn’t run off while El was with the doctors, and we were planning to sneak away to find her when a bunch of guys came through the windows and the doors, shooting-”

“Shooting?”

“One of the agents died, and the other was hit and came with us while we got out with Argyle. He died just after though.”

“Harmon and Wallace.” Nancy nodded.

“Who?” Mike asked her.

“Those were the agents. Agent Harmon and Agent Wallace. Right?”

“Was that their names? We just kept calling the one ‘Unknown Hero Agent Man’.” Argyle commented, before turning around in his seat to ask,” Do you know which one he was?”

“No, I don’t,” Nancy stated with a shake of her head.

“Man, coulda started calling him ‘Known Hero Agent Man’. Or just by his name, I guess. You think if we just use both, it’ll split the respect 50/50?” he wondered aloud, mostly to himself and Jonathan.

”Anyway, that’s-,” Nancy started as Argyle tried to find the best answer for himself.

"Rest in peace Harmon or Wallace? Rest in peace Wallace or Harmon? Wallrmon? Harlace? RestInPeaceWallaceHarmon?"

"Well, we can leave respect to both of them. They both died semi-heroically, even if only one of 'em did it in the back of the van." Jonathan reasoned.

”Wait, you said you only had one of them with you?”

“Yeah, the other was killed when he answered the front door. He was collapsed against the living room wall when we started running for our lives. Why?” Jonathan asked her.

“The woman I talked to said both of the agents were missing with you guys.”

“No, no, we definitely left the other one behind at the house.”

“And we left the other-other one buried in the desert,” Argyle added.

“So what happened to him before the rest of the team showed up…?” Nancy muttered.

Jonathan checked,“ You’re sure she said they were both gone?”

“Yes, I’m sure. She was pretty clear about it.”

“I’m getting a feeling like that probably doesn’t mean anything good.” Argyle cast wary eyes out the window at all the trees that rolled by.

“Yeah… probably not.” Jonathan agreed with him and turned his attention back to Nancy,” Um, but what do you guys know, what’s been going on in Hawkins?”

“Where to start…? There’s this guy, Vecna-”

“Vecna?” Mike cut her off,” Like our campaign-”

“Exactly like Eddie’s campaign, Dustin started it-” Nancy confirmed until Mike was talking over her again.

“Eddie? Why are you talking about Eddie? How do you know Eddie? You two never-”

“Well, we’ve had a very busy week, Mike-”

“That does not explain why you would-”

“Stop interrupting me, and I’ll get there.”

“Wow, you two really are siblings.” Argyle mused in the passenger seat.

“What does that mean?” They asked in unison, both somewhat offended to be compared to the other.

Argyle put up in hands in surrender,” Nothing bad, dudes. Just making observation and conversation.”

“Anyway- Vecna was one of the kids from El’s thing, the first one-”

“Henry- Or One-" Jonathan said," We know about him. He was the reason Dr. Brenner’s whole experiment got started.”

“Well, do you know how he got started?” Nancy asked, her tone more bitter than she was trying for.

She didn’t know what it was. It might’ve been the fact that they lost to Vecna/Henry/One, it might’ve been the woman in the pantsuit trying to make her feel small, it might’ve been Mike interrupting her like a minute ago... It could’ve been anything. But something was making it sound like she needed to prove herself. She needed to prove that she was smart, and capable, and had information they didn’t.

She took their silence as an answer and started with the things they couldn’t have known about,” Did you know he was the son of Victor Creel? That he murdered his mother and sister right here in Hawkins twenty-seven years ago? Did you know Dr. Brenner was coming to take him away because his parents thought he was off, but when Victor was arrested for their murders was put in Pennhurst, Brenner just took him and started all of this because the boy had powers and sadistic tendencies?”

Jonathan admitted,“ No. We did not know that."

But something in him heard that undercurrent in her. Like she wanted to start a fight. Jonathan's never been the kind of guy who likes fighting, who likes the be the guy on top of someone else. He doesn't butt against her with what they learned, he just simply says it because they all need to be on the same page.

"We do know that, after One became Brenner’s subject, the Dr. took away what he could do and kept him in the facility working as an orderly. He got close with El and told her how to do her stuff better until she got rid of his shackles. He killed nearly everyone there and tried to kill her when she confronted him. But she overpowered him, even as a kid. Sent him to what we know as the Upside Down.”

“Why has she never-”

Mike answered,“ She didn’t know. Blocked it out or something until this week.”

“The woman, she said… is it true? That El has her…”

“Oh yeah, girlie’s got her mojo back and then some.” Argyle smiled as he spoke.

“Wow,” Nancy said, partially because it was the only thing she could think to say when Argyle spoke. She really didn't know how to handle him or his whole… vibe.

“Anyway, the point is that he’s been behind all of it. He’s been the thing that kept reaching in from the Upside Down. And, on the last day before Spring Break, he killed Chrissy Cunningham.”

“Chrissy Cunningham?” Mike asked, eyebrowed hiked halfway up his forehead.

Argyle whispered loudly to Jonathan,“ Who’s Chrissy Cunningham, dude?”

“Cheerleader, really pretty, dating - or, dated - the basketball captain.” he filled in the only non-local in the vehicle,“ But, wait, he killed her?”

“In Eddie Munson’s trailer.”

“What?” Mike’s eyebrows went impossibly higher.

“Whole town thought Eddie killed her, but Max noticed her lights went on the fritz when it happened so we started looking into it as an Upside Down situation. As time passed, Vecna - or Henry or One - got Fred Benson and Patrick McKinney-”

“Kid on the school paper. Basketball player.” Jonathan translated the names for Argyle.

“And he tried to get Max. Twice.”

“Dr. Sam told El that things were crazy back here, but that you guys were fine. El didn’t believe him and checked. Said you guys were planning to take him down and were going to get yourself hurt when Max said she was marked by him.” Mike said to her.

Nancy started talking with her hands as she began to explain what they knew about Vecna’s situation,“ For some reason, Vecna doesn’t come over to this side. He just makes these little tears and stuff, but nothing enough for him to cross. I don’t think he can make something that big on his own. So he was finding these tormented kids, and broke into their heads with nightmares and delusions until he killed them… and somehow, their death's made these little tears that lingered. He needed four of them to open a bigger gate. And he’d decided one of them was Max. We kept him off of her once and put together a plan to have Max draw him away so we could dive or climb into the Upside Down through one of the small ones and destroy his physical body. To put a stop to it.”

“And all of this happened Thursday?” Jonathan asked, looking at her in his rearview mirror.

“Yeah, how did you-”

“We couldn’t get any flights to get over here after we got El back and she said it was looking bad for Max. El figured, if we couldn’t physically get here in time, we could put her in a salt bath like three years ago in the gym. So she could find Max and use her to piggyback into Henry’s head.”

“Mind Fight,” Argyle commented.

“She said while she was fighting him, he started having these reactions like something else was happening to him and then him and everything around them just faded away.”

“We lit him up with Molotov cocktails and buckshot.”

“So it worked.” Mike nodded, but was still confused,” Then why was there an earthquake and-”

“It didn’t work.” Nancy told him sadly,” Where we were supposed to find his body, it was missing. He got to Max. And then he got away. Somehow. And the gate opened for over a minute.”

“Max died?” her brother gaped at her.

“Eddie did, too.”

“What?”

“He went in with Dustin to distract the monsters. We pulled him out, but he bled a lot. Steve had to give him CPR, and we got them both back, but he’s in the hospital with Max.”

“Wait- that’s who El…?” Jonathan began to ask, cutting himself off as he connected the dots.

“What?”

He continued,“ El said there was someone else with you guys. A guy she didn’t know. Lots of hair, right?”

“It was Eddie?” her brother asked, remembering El's mumbling when she came back.

“Yeah.”

“But he’s fine, now?” Mike hoped.

Nancy was quiet for a moment. She didn’t have the kind of answer he wanted,“ He hasn’t woken up yet. Neither has Max.”

“El can check on them.” Jonathan declared.

“What do you mean she can check on them?”

“You remember how I said ‘and then some’?” Argyle asked her.

“Yeah?”

“This is the some.” Jonathan took over,” El, like, remote resuscitated them, or something. We don’t really know what she did. She doesn’t really know what she did. But she did something and they didn't stay gone.”

“What does that mean?”

“We don’t know, not yet…”

“I guess we’ll just have to find out.” Nancy finished as Jonathan pulled into the hospital parking lot.

The other carpool had a somewhat similar conversation as they drove behind. Filled in all the blanks from the past week for each other, but there was notably a lot less bickering between siblings. Dustin had tried to reach Lucas on the radio, but he wasn’t responding. In truth, he might’ve shut it off with the plans to hear from him that night.

When they turned the corner into the lot, Will found one of Steve’s zip-up hoodies in the back seat. It was a dark blue, not quite navy, color with worn drawstrings that’d have come undone in the wash and been retied about a dozen times. With Steve’s blessing, they get El slipped into it to cover her now near-shaven head to avoid attracting too much attention, She steadies her nerves and pulls the hood over as she sets her sights on the building.

It took a minute because it was still so busy with patients coming in and going out, but eventually, both cars got parked, and the members of the slowly reforming Party climb out onto the pavement. They came together and headed inside to see what’s become of their unconscious companions. And to see what they can do about it.

#Okay. I just want to write Argyle dialogue for the rest of my life now. He's just so fun and such a king and he deserves the best lines.#And don't worry about Nancy. She doesn't really hate Argyle.#She's just not sure how to handle new people who are overlyfriendly and don't seem to be taking her seriously at first.#(See: Nancy and Robin before they had the 'We're friends?' convo)#She'll warm up to him soon tho #And I am pushing my Steve-is-very-physically-affectionate-until-it-overwhelms-him-with-feelings-and-he-has-to-push-everyone-back agenda #Little Byers hug had to happen and in my world Will 100% has a baby crush on Steve.#NOTHING is going to EVEN REMOTELY happen there tho #He just sees a lot in Steve to admire and like (Same with Mike @ Eddie) so those characters are going to have interesting interactions #Anyway - next chap is going to be a littler one. About 2k words. But it'll drop soon so you won't have to wait long #Steve Harrington #Eddie Munson #Steddie #Steveddie #Steve x Eddie #Nancy Wheeler #Robin Buckney #Ronance #Robin x Nancy #The Fruity Four #Stranger Things #Stranger Things 4 #Stranger Things 4 spoilers #Stranger Things 4 volume 2 spoilers #stranger things fanfiction #ST4 fanfic #Steddie Fanfic #Ronance Fanfic

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tomhiddelstonandzaynmalik · 4 years ago

Text

Love at first sight?

Chapter 5

Warren Worthington III x Reader

Word count: 1340 words

Warnings: Language, suicidal thoughts.

prologue chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4

"[...] I wish I was a heavenly angel

For I would always cling to my sword

But I am no heavenly angel

Hence I must fight the pain of my fault [...]".

-Heavenly Angel by an unknown author.

"Don't you have a life or something?". Warren teased Hank. It was 3:49 AM when the young man awoke from his slumber. "Not really, thanks to you". Hank's intentions had been good. To return the teasing only. But the purpose got lost when he saw Warren looking down in shame, shifting in bed as he seemed to try to make himself disappear.

It was a touchy subject for him, Hank had forgotten. He knew just how much he felt like a burden to everyone at Xavier's. It was clear Warren was not much of a talker himself. But when those sleepless nights came, where he would jump out of bed covered in sweat and breathing harshly after a particularly awful nightmare, that the idea of staying awake with his companion was more inviting than to go back to his made-up Hell.

Only then Hank had learned about the extravagant life, filled with luxurious items and exotic vacations Warren had grown in. Hank also found out about Warren's handsome but cold-hearted-control-freak father, about his loving but impotent mother, about what it was to have it all only for it to be having it taken away. The lonely days and lonelier nights that followed after, the age-inappropriate behaviours, one bad decision after another, and mostly, Hank realized just how worthless the "poor rich kid" deep down felt.

"It makes no sense". Warren said softly, looking down at the cup of freshly-made tea he was holding in his hands. "What?". The older man asked him while pouring some of it on his mug. "Me! Me being here makes no sense!", "I'm nothing but an inconvenience". Warren let out with sight. Although he was referring to him being at the mansion, the hidden meaning of it sent a shiver through Hank's spine. "Hey, stop saying that! You are NOT an inconvenience, Warren. You should be here!". Said Hank as he got closer to the boy, placing a reassuring hand onto his shoulder. There was some absolute concern in Hank's voice as he saw a glimpse of a tear peeking through Warren's eyes. "Oh! bullshit!". "You more than any other person should be pissed off with me!". "You're working extra hours on a lost cause!". Hank's heart hunched. It was true Hank had been depriving himself a lot so Warren could have the best treatment. Yes, he attempted to kill him and his friends before. But the more time he had spent with the kid, the more he had realized: Warren had been a pawn, manipulated only by the true villain, Apocalypse.

"Hey! Look at me, Warren." He said firmly. "Yes, you are right. I should be taking better care of myself. But I'm only doing so because I'm not willing to slow down until you're heald". He said, with such convincement, it made Warren believe there could be someone being finally genuinely kind to him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I- I was only, umm, you know it was just a joke, right?". Hank nervously stated. "Sure, man". Even though Warren seemed to pay no mind towards Hank's comment, his voice had failed him, having it come out on a lower pitch rather than his usual vigorous one.

in an attempt of changing the topic, Hank pointed at your still sleeping figure. "So... An old friend of yours?".

It was somehow painful for Warren to see you there, resting at the infirmary room connected to all those noisy machines. In the end, your near-death encounter, in theory, had been Warren's fault. Hank's question had rumbled within the blond's mind. You weren't friends. He didn't even know your name. And honestly, he was more preoccupied with the atrocious first impression he believed he'd made in front of you. "You are the biggest idiot on earth if you think she'll ever want to even see you after what you've put her through". Warren's inside voice scolded him.

"No". The young mutant finally answered. "oh! I see". Hank teased again. Even though what Hank was implying: The real reason You were there was because of Warren's attraction to You, was nothing but the truth. Warren couldn't stop the blush from tinting his pale cheeks." It's not what you think, okay!". "Well, your face says otherwise, Romeo". The older man was grinning at him in amusement. "Shut up!". Warren's effort of sounding threatening failed due to his face heating up impossibly harder. His natural porcelain-white face was now a deep shade of red, making his facial tattoos stand out even more. Hank was having the time of his life. While Warren was acting like a teenage boy, he couldn't stop the laughs from coming out. "You done?". Warren said from behind one of the wings he'd been using as a cover. "Hey, take it as payback from running away".

"[...] I wish I was a heavenly angel

For my heart shall always be in joy

But I am no heavenly angel

Hence I must behave just like a boy".

The atmosphere remained comfortable. After an hour or so, Warren fell asleep again, not after convincing Hank to do the same. Who after, some reluctance, finally gave in and left to his room.

"Wakie, wakie, sleeping beauty". A hoarse grunt came from Warren's sleeping form as Ororo was poking his cheeks to get his friend out of Morpheus' grip faster. "Come on, Dollface. You have to get out of bed! It's almost 9 PM!". "What the hell?" Warren shifted in bed, reading the big clock on the wall. "You little shit, it's only 9... AM!".

Ororo's giggles were resounding through the room. "Oops". "Well, now that your up, we might as well get breakfast. Don't you think?". He was going to argue about how unholy early his friend had decided to show up when his stomach gave him in. It had been more than 18 hours since the last time he'd eaten, which was why he decided to let it slip. "Fine! But you'll have to give me your bacon to make up for waking up a man who almost died in a fire at 9 AM".

"Yeez, you sure are a Drama Queen, Warren". Ororo was walking toward your bed, peeping at the monitors. "Hank said she was the one who got it bad". "Your problem was only exhaustion, which reminds me of: Hank told me, to tell you that you're free to go".

Warren zoned out the moment Ororo mention you. Under the morning's light, it was easier for him to examine You. Your H/C locks were stiff from all the dirt and ash from the fire; Your face, which had been whipped clean when you arrived, allowed him to scrutinize every inch of it. Nothing was going unnoticed. Even the tiniest of your scars located under your left brow had been seen. He was so lost on himself taking your features in he'd forgotten he was in the middle of a conversation. "Earth calling Fallen Angel, do you copy, Fallen Angel?". Ororo raised her voice. "Uh? Yes, what?". "Dear Lord, you didn't hear a thing, did you?". Ororo was irritated but decided against scolding Warren. Him showing interest in people was an odd sight. "I said if you wanted me to get you your breakfast so you could spend more time with her before your appointment with The Professor?". He only wished his friend wasn't able to see his excitement from such an offering. "That would be ni-, wait which appointment?". "What? Your pigeon brain didn't register that either? The Professor said he had something to tell you. Be at his office at 11 sharp". After that, the girl stormed off the room while yelling something along the lines of "not being people's secretary".

It had been only then, as he stood in the middle of the room when Warren heard a muffled voice behind him.

"I'm I dead?" You said.

#warren worthington iii #warren worthington x reader #archangel x reader #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy #xmen x reader #xmen #ororo munroe #hank mccoy

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paroxysmal-distaste · 4 years ago

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acatalepsy. || prologue

copied and pasted from my wattpad, excuse the old writing.

playlist. 0. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. ----- ◈ Chapter 0 - Prologue ◈ ◈ Date Published: 24/12/2018 ◈ ◈ Word Count: 2147 ◈ -----

UNKNOWN DAY IN AN UNFAMILIAR UNIVERSE

"What the hell are we doing in here?"

"Lighten up! You barely leave the house anyways."

"Yeah yeah yeah, you don't need to remind me. Did you bring the flashlight I asked you to bring?"

"I thought you were taking it."

You face palmed.

Recently, there's been a train accident where it's said to be believed that the tunnel was haunted. Everyone thought this was true because apparently there would be less people onboard after going through the tunnel than before. Almost like they were taken by something.

You thought it was bullshit.

The area had already been blocked off, but that doesn't stop your adventure loving friend from dragging you into her curiosities. In a way, you had always admired that about her, but other times you saw it as a flaw. One of those times being now.

"Mags?"

"Hm?"

"Can I go now?"

"No."

You rolled your eyes and frowned, speeding up your pace to keep up with her, "Wait up, will you?"

"Does your phone have any battery?" She questioned, ignoring your comment.

"Just a bit, I don't know if it will be enough though, especially since the flashlight takes up a lot of it."

"Turn it on for a moment, I can't see where I'm going." The both of you lifted up the Caution, Keep Out! police tape as you carefully stepped over the rumble. The atmosphere surrounding the place was giving you the chills, and you shivered quietly.

"Can we speed this up a little? I'm getting the creeps." You stated blandly, subconsciously tightening your grip around your backpack straps. You kicked a squashed can of Sprite to the left of you.

"Give me a hand with this." Mags gestured for you to help her with what seemed to be a large part of debris from the crash.

"Alright, but if it accidentally drops on your foot or something and it breaks, don't blame me." You raised your hands up comically and pursed your lips, before dropping them loosely to your sides. You grunted as your fragile hands attempted to pull off a large chunk of concrete from the side of the tunnel.

"You know, you're acting kind of weird. What's the rush? You don't have somewhere to be, right?" She asked abruptly.

You froze,"N-no, what makes you say that?" Your body stiffened as your friend squinted her eyes at you suspiciously.

"You seem to be in a really big hurry for some reason and you don't usually care when I pull you around on these trips."

You lifted your arms and shoulders, turning your head to the side, "I-I don't know, I think I'm just tired I guess."

"You're a terrible liar! You're meeting up with someone aren't you?" She placed her hands on her hips and neared you, making you back away nervously.

"Pffft- whaaaaaat? No way." You tugged at your turtleneck, "It's getting a little hot in here. Mind if I just-" Just as you were going to push past her, she said something that made you pause.

"It's Miles, isn't it?" The constant shifting of your eyes made her own widen and her lips to curve into a smile. "I knew it! You can't hide anything from me!"

"Shush! I was going to tell you, but I didn't know if I would call it anything yet." You fiddled with your hands in an antsy way, before pushing a strand of loose hair behind your ear.

"Ooo, you have to tell me what happened!"

"He just asked me out, that's all!"

"That's all! What do you mean- that's great!"

Your face reddened as she hugged you, "Stop... you're making it seem bigger than it is."

Mags nudged you suggestively, before walking forward. "I'll drop it. For now."

After a moment or two, a giant hole in the wall was finally revealed, and your friend carefully put a foot in the gap, trying to squeeze their way in.

"I can't get in! I think I'm stuck." She murmured, her voice echoing since half her body was left through the wall and her legs were kicking up and down in panic.

You snickered at her flailing limbs, and you could hear her getting cross at your lack of helpful action.

Something made a clicking sound, and you shielded your eyes from the sudden bright light in your face. It flickered for a moment, and a loud horn sound blew.

"M-Mags." You tugged at the bottom of her jacket, your eyes widening as you noticed that the light was from an incoming train.

"Huh?" She questioned, "I can't see! What's going on?"

Your face paled as you began to roughly tug at her legs, accidentally slipping one of her shoes off. "Dammit! A train's coming!"

"I thought there weren't supposed to be any trains seen this place had been closed off!"

"Yeah, well, it's not going to be stopping anytime soon - let me help you, stop kicking!"

Just as Mags was easing herself out of the hole, something made you pause momentarily.

Something tickled your arm, and instantly, you began to mentally freak out. Whatever it was, if you made any sudden movements, you were sure it was going to harm you.

"Ow! Something bit me!"

Never mind.

A burning sensation began to occur on your palm, and it felt as if your skin was falling off. You tried your best to not yell out in pain, since you and Mags were trying your best to get out of the place alive.

"I'm out! Quick! Hurry up, it's coming!"

You snapped your head to look behind you, seeing the lights coming closer. Turning your attention back to what was in front of you, a few metres forward was Mags with her hand extended, waiting for you to grab it.

The train seemed to get closer every second, and you bolted forward, almost tripping over the tracks.

You finally managed to clasp your hand around your friend's, and she hoisted you up immediately.

It was right on time too, because the train violently broke through the large concrete rumble, and continued going ahead at full speed.

The rubble of rocks flew everywhere, causing both you and Mags to fall backwards and to scoot backwards with your hands.

"Oh my goodness." You ran a shaky hand through your hair, which was now messed up. By doing so, a striking pain ran through your arm again, and it brought attention to what happened earlier.

You breathed in through your teeth, as Mags grabbed your hand gently in worry.

"I think it was a spider, but it must have been a pretty nasty one because it hur- gah! Careful!" You snatched your hand away from her grasp, making her stumble out a 'sorry'.

"Let's just get out of here." You frowned at her before walking out of the subway, her footsteps following quick behind.

You stared at your hand curiously, wondering what sort of bug would produce a large wound and sensation like that.

A radioactive spider definitely didn't cross your mind.

---

You ended up cancelling on Miles, and it made you feel terrible since you were really looking forward to your 'hangout'. He had invited you to go rollerblading with him, since he knew you loved it.

What you told him was that you weren't feeling very well, but you promised you would make it up to him.

That bite from a week before, was no ordinary bite. Your daily life was increasingly difficult, from accidentally ripping papers the second you tried to remove it from your own fingers, to climbing walls.

You did put two and two together, and realise that it must have been during that train episode because that's where you first started feeling weird.

Going out for a walk, you hummed the song that was playing through your headphones and looked around at the lights and streets of Brooklyn.

The moment was short lived though, since what happened next was only made aware to you when you heard an extremely high pitched scream. It must have been pretty loud since your headphones are always full volume, which signalled that something was seriously wrong.

You pulled your hoodie down, and carefully removed your headphones to find out what was happening.

Another villain.

And Kid Arachnid - as everyone called him - was saving the city once again. You had never seen him in action up close, and it only took you a few moments to notice that his abilities were the same ones that you had.

Your fingers began to tingle, and you looked down at them, slightly startled at the realisation. Were you just like him? You didn't know, and a small part of you wished you were. It would be interesting becoming a hero and fighting alongside Kid Arachnid.

A loud yell pierced your thoughts again, and you jumped at the sudden sound.

A car was thrown your way, but a string of webs managed to prevent it from going any further.

You looked up to see your saviour, who was now struggling to fight against the person opposing him.

A strong urge to help was almost forcing you to get up and assist him, but your fears held you back.

The villain seemed to have said something to him that alarmed him, because he ended up grabbing you and holding you up.

"Y/N!"

Wait, Y/N? How does he- His voice. I know that voice. Of course I do, I could recognise it a mile away. A mile...

Miles.

Everything that happened next was a blur, and you still couldn't process it. Before you knew it, you were free from the malefactor but in exchange for the well-being of someone else.

"Miles." You whispered, before running over to where he was laying. Almost instantly, you moved him off of the wreckage to make him feel a little more comfortable instead of having sharp rocks digging into his back.

"Miles- are you o-okay?" You managed to cry out. "You didn't have to do that!" You kneeled down to his level, unsure how to treat him.

"I did anyways though, didn't I?" He grinned and stated in a raspy voice. Of course that was his response.

"I-I should have gone to our meetup- maybe then I wouldn't have disappointed you, and left things like this. I-I-It's all my f-fault and-"

"Y/N. It's not your fault. This was bound to happen eventually." He was cut off when he gave out a weak cough.

Your hands shook vigorously as you placed them over Miles' cheek, using one to pull off his mask.

He smiled delicately when he saw you a little clearer, and he pushed the strand of hair that was sticking out behind your ear. "You always did have those little bits of hair pointing out all the time."

Your laugh made the tears that were brimming your eyes fall down on his chin.

Miles' eyes trailed to his stomach, where a large and deep, bleeding cut was held. There was no way he was recovering from that.

Suddenly, he squinted, and a pressure built into your head. It felt like a headache, but it actually felt nice. His eyes widened at you, and he smiled.

"Y-you're like me."

"W-what?"

He didn't reply, and his eyes were beginning to close.

"Miles. Miles! Answer me!" You tried your best to try to shake him awake without damaging him, but he wouldn't wake up. "M-Miles...?"

You stood up carefully.

This happened way too fast. First you get bitten by a radioactive spider, next your crush, best friend and also the city's super hero dies in your arms.

You couldn't even cry anymore, because you were still processing what had just happened. The villain was still on the loose.

Of course, at this point, you were fully aware that what ever caused Miles to be as skilled as he was, also got you.

It was a spider.

You dug your fingers into your fist until your knuckles turned white.

If there isn't going to be anymore Kid Arachnid, then there needed to be someone else to be there for him. Not to take his place, but rather, in his memory.

An idea started to form into your mind.

Chapter 1 >

#milesmorales #miles morales x reader #miles morales #acatalepsy

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outerbankswriting · 5 years ago

Text

Could it be? Chapter 11 (JJ x Reader)

JJ x Reader

CH.1 - CH.2 - CH.3 - CH.4 - CH.5 - CH.6 - CH.7 - CH.8 - CH.9 - CH.10

Description: She has a crush on JJ, but he has always seen her as another one of the “dudes”, or at least that’s what she thinks so she just doesn’t even try anymore, until things start to shift between the two of them. (A/N: I’M NOT GOOD AT DESCRIPTIONS BUT THESE IS JUST WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO HAPPEN IN OUTER BANKS WITH JJ)

A/N: THIS CHAPTER GOT DELETED BC TUMBLR WANTED TO MAKE ME CRY FOR A BIT SO I HAD TO REPOST..

Warnings: mentions of sexual trauma

CHAPTER 11

You shot a glance at Sarah once she finished spilling all your business. You watched as she gave you an innocent smile after realising you didn’t want everyone to know about Rafe yet.

“Look, I can explain alright?” You sighed as you reached for a beer. It was going to be a long day.

“Please do.” Kie muttered, raising her eyebrow at you.

You looked at JJ who was staring straight into your eyes, you couldn’t tell if he was hurt or angry but either of those options made your stomach twist.

“He promised that if I faked it for a night, he would leave all of us alone which means th-”

“And you believed him?” Pope was quick to cut you off.

“Why would you even trust Rafe Cameron in the first place?” John B added.

“If you would all stop interrupting me, then maybe I would be able to clear your doubts.” You spat coldly at your friends.

“Go on then.” Kie nodded.

“It’s just for the night, so he can be on the clear with his father and have no problems whatsoever,” you bit your lip, “after that I’m completely done with him.”

The silence was broken by JJ’s sarcastic laugh, making you immediately stare at his movements.

“Well I think it’s bullshit,” he gulped down his beer before standing up, “and if you’re trusting Rafe Cameron, then you can’t be trusted either.”

His words hit you like a thousand knives on the chest.

He definitely felt betrayed by you but his anger was stronger than the pain he was feeling. He tossed the empty beer on the sand, ignoring Kie’s complaining and gave you a final glare before walking away from the group.

“JJ,” you sighed and rushed to walk towards him, ignoring whatever your friends were complaining about as well, “JJ wait!”

You tried to walk faster towards him but the sand wasn’t letting you catch up to his pace.

“JJ stop!” You yelled a little louder but he kept walking.

You decided to run towards him, ignoring how ridiculous you looked trying to run in the sand for trying to chase a guy.

“JJ let me talk to you.” You grabbed his arm making him turn to face you.

His eyes drifted to the sea, not bothering to look at yours.

He was stubborn and you knew him too well to know how whenever he gets angry, his mind becomes clouded with his own thoughts, not bothering to listen or try to understand anything.

“Do you honestly think I want to talk to you right now?” He spat out.

But he was not the only stubborn one here, you were not going to let him leave without first making him listen to you.

“I want you to listen.”

“I don’t want to listen.” His jaw clenched and he pulled his arm away from you.

You were starting to get annoyed but you couldn’t blame him for feeling this way.

“JJ stop walking away from me!”

“You listen to me!” He raised his voice at you as he walked closer to you, your eyes starting to water at his actions, “I cannot trust you if you keep lying to my face!”

“I never lied to you JJ!”

“You said you were not going back to him!”

“I’m not!”

“Then why the fuck are you going as his girlfriend to the stupid party?!”

His eyes were filled with anger and your face probably looked like the one of a scared puppy since JJ’s features softened at the realisation of how loud he was raising his voice at you and how he was projecting his anger.

“I just can’t believe how you can still trust him after everything he’s done.” He lowered his voice but the anger still hadn’t left him.

“Nothing’s going to happen between us JJ,” you slowly walked closer to him, afraid he was going to walk away at any second, “I’m not going to let it happen.”

JJ licked his lips while shaking his head in frustration, he tried to avoid eye contact with you but failed once you softly caressed his cheek, making him calm down a bit.

“If that asshole lays a finger on you, I promise I’m going to kill him.” He muttered as his breathing got slower.

“Sarah is going to be there,” you said and grabbed his hand, “and so will my parents JJ. It’s just one night and then Rafe will be out of our lives.”

His eyes softened as you kept caressing his cheek and holding his hand. You watched as he slightly nodded, knowing he was still not trusting Rafe.

“Let’s go home okay?” You whispered before giving him a light kiss.

The two of you went to your house, not really bothering on letting your friends know you weren’t going back to the beach. You were probably going to send a text later to Kie explaining her everything. Right now all you cared about was calming JJ down and letting him know things were going to be alright.

Once you were in the comfort of your bedroom you decided to grab some beers from the fridge to loosen up a bit and forget the tension that had built a few minutes ago.

You knew JJ was still upset and angry since he wasn’t really talking.

“Last to finish their beer has to cook dinner.” You playfully winked at him before taking a big gulp of your beer.

You noticed JJ take a sip of his beer, not really following your little game to cheer things up.

“JJ come on,” you sat down on the bed next to him, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night.”

“It’s not only that Y/N,” he said softly this time, “it’s the fact you always tell me your relationship with him was bad and I know there’s something about him you’ve been hiding from me.”

You didn’t know what to say so you just stared at your bed covers.

“Do you see?” JJ went on, “How can I trust you completely if you can’t even trust me?”

“I do trust you JJ,” you sighed, “I just,”

You took a deep breath, thinking about the right way to tell him.

“I have never talked about this to anyone because it scares me.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he moved closer to you.

“What do you mean Y/N?” He softly grabbed your hand.

“I just don’t know how to say it.” Your voice trembled and you felt your eyes start to tear up, JJ immediately cupping your face.

“Hey Y/N,” he whispered, “you can trust me, I’ll take care of you.”

You stared at his eyes while letting a few tears fall down your face. The two of you had already seen each other at your most vulnerable times and that’s what had made you feel so close to him.

You knew you had to tell JJ, you knew it was time to let it out, even if it scared you and even if you knew JJ would probably lose his shit.

You took a deep breath.

“I didn’t really want to do it with him,” your voice was low and soft and you noticed JJ’s jaw clench as he realised what you were talking about, “but I didn’t know how to tell him.”

You fought back the tears as you remembered the first time you had sex with Rafe and how you knew you weren’t ready but he somehow convinced you.

“It’s not like I told him I didn’t want to,” your voice trembled again, “I just let him do it because he was my boyfriend at the time even though I didn’t want to, and after the first time I didn’t want to do it again, but when I told him he got mad at me and he started hanging out with other girls so I just,”

You paused to stare at JJ, his eyes were once again filled with anger but there were also tears in them. His hand was still holding yours tightly, giving you the trust and confidence to keep going.

“I just did it again with him until I learnt to kind of enjoy it I guess? But there were more times I didn’t want to do it than times I did want to, and it just haunts me.”

You let the tears fall down as you felt a weight being lifted from your shoulders.

“JJ?” You asked once you noticed he remained silent, his eyes filled with tears and not leaving yours.

“That piece of shit.” He muttered as he trembled with rage.

“JJ,”

“I’m going to kill him.” He spat out coldly.

“JJ I told you this because I trust you, please,” you cupped his face, “stay out of this.”

“Are you kidding me Y/N?” He raised his eyebrows at you, “My fist on his face is the least I could to him to make him pay for what he did.”

“He never forced me to do it.”

“But he manipulated you Y/N.”

“I know that now,” you sighed, “but I didn’t know that back then.”

He nodded and bit his lip but you grabbed his face and made him stare straight into your eyes.

“I’m a different person now JJ, I’ve learnt from it.”

Just when his tears were about to fall down his face, he wrapped his arms around you, making you let out all the tears you were fighting back and feeling safe in his embrace.

“I will never hurt you Y/N,” he sobbed against your neck, “I’ll always take care of you.”

You weren’t even able to let out the words you wanted to tell him, you wanted to tell him how much you loved him but the words just wouldn’t come out because of your loud sobbing.

“I’ll be there.” He whispered once he let go of the embrace and cupped your face.

“What are you talking about?” You asked while wiping away the last tears falling from his eyes.

“I’m going to the party and I’ll be watching over you and I don’t care if your parents hate me for that.”

You smiled with tears in your eyes before nodding and softly placing your lips against his.

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CH.12

A/N: I touched a pretty sensitive topic this chapter and I really want to talk about this. unwanted consensual sex (also known as gray zone sex) is a thing that happens to so many people and it’s not talked about enough. one of my closest friends experienced this and it has affected her sexual relationships deeply. if you’ve ever been through something like this please know that you’re not alone and you can always talk to me. you should never feel pressured to do sexual intercourse or any other sexual activities by anyone, not even your partner.

sorry for all the mess that’s been going on with my tumblr, I honestly don’t know what happened but tumblr support apparently already fixed it...

thank u so much if you’re still reading this story, means a lot!

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