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fandomficticn · 1 month ago

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Lost Then Found* — Prologue

LOST THEN FOUND* Masterlist

Word Count: 1952 words

Series Synopsis:

"So, none of us can fly?" "So what, we all just punch and shoot?" "I know someone who can fly"

After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Bucky Barnes and Maggie Bauer haven't spoken in a very long time and with unknown and known enemies looming in the horizon, with the Avengers nowhere in sight, Bucky knows that he has to end this prolonged silent treatment and ask the one person who swore hell would have to freeze over before they ever spoke again for help to stop Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Seems like that time has come to see the light of day.

Chapter Synopsis:

Warnings: thunderbolts* spoilers, therapy, drug trial mention, mental health mention

Author Notes: thank you to everyone who's wanted to be apart of the taglist for this new series! i'm so glad that I was able to put this prologue out and I finally was able to complete a rough outline of the story. This series will follow the plot fo the Thunderbolts* movie with my own oc's and certain scenes added in. I hope you guys enjoy!

Prologue | Chapter 01 »

"This is Maggie Bauer and it is…10:42 a.m. on February 14th, 2027. I'm here with Robert Reynolds for his morning session." The brunette woman adjusts the notepad in her lap before addressing the man in front of her with a warm smile. "Good morning, Bob."

The short-haired man smiles hesitantly at her and nods, "Good morning."

"You seem uneasy this morning." She stated, clear from his demeanor and body language, "Are you settling in okay?"

Bob nodded, ruffling his hair as he shifted in his seat, "I'm, I'm settling in fine. Just fine." He sighs, "I just…"

Maggie set her pen down, "Is everything okay, Bob?"

He nodded rapidly, "No, No, yeah, everything is fine. I just…I just don't know why I'm here?"

She was confused now, "You don't?"

He sighs again, "No, I mean, I know why I'm here." He scratches at his arm as he looks around the room, which looks very much staged to be homely. "I mean at this place specifically. I thought I'd get turned away because I'm not…you know, super."

Maggie, realizing where his train of thought was going, nodded, "Oh, I understand, but you know that you're not the only non-super patient here at Solace."

He tilts his head to the side slightly, "I'm not?

She shakes her head, "No, of course not. Solace not too long ago opened its doors to cater specifically for enhanced individuals going through different types and levels of trauma and recovery. I know a lot of the advertisements for this place are geared more towards "super people" but I promise you that you'll find the care you need here."

Bob nodded along as she spoke but still appeared on edge with nerves. He began playing with and fiddling with a royal blue friendship bracelet on his wrist as he kept eyeing his surroundings, a bracelet Maggie noticed and knew where it came from, "I see you've met Steffi."

Bob gave her a confused look, "Who?" Maggie gestured to his wrist and his eyes followed, realizing who she was referring to, "Oh, yeah. She, uh, she found me this morning during breakfast. She said that even though I'm pretty new around here that it doesn't mean I shouldn't get a gift on Valentine's Day." He laughed as he recalled that morning's events, "She actually put it on my wrist before I could say anything and then she just walked away."

Maggie nodded with a fond smile on her face, "Yeah, she does tend to give gifts without prompting." She said, lifting her wrist and showing a similar bracelet in a vivid red color. "She said red is very much my color."

The two shared a light chuckle before a now comfortable silence enveloped them. Maggie leaned over to the side table for her water when the necklace around her neck came into view. Bob thought nothing of it until he noticed that it wasn't an average necklace with a jewel glittering in the light. "That's a pretty ring, Ms. Bauer."

She looked at him peculiarly and he mirrored her earlier actions, gesturing to his necklace and her eyes following to the necklace that she normally kept hidden beneath her shirt. "Oh, uh," Maggie swiftly hid the necklace once more before forcing a tight-lipped smile on her face.

Bob shook his head before she could go further, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have— I didn't mean to pry or point it out, I wasn't trying to— "

Maggie shook his apologies off and morphed the forced smile into a genuine one, "No, no, it's okay. I don't normally have it out so it's not something that gets brought up a lot."

He nodded at her explanation, "Can I ask a question about your ring?" She was visibly hesitant but nodded for him to continue, "Did it belong to someone important? Is that why you keep it hidden?"

Her mind wandered as she tried to find the right words to use. She rarely talked about herself or put herself as a center of attention but on the off chance that she did, she made sure not to give too much of herself or information away. Keeping her personal life to herself was integral to her protection here.

She placed her hand over her chest, feeling the lump of the ring through the fabric. "It did belong to someone important," She smiled but Bob could see the smile wasn't reaching her eyes, a smile he was very well versed in, "That person gave it to me with love and trust and this is where I like to keep it."

Bob nodded, a small smile appearing on his face, "That's nice."

Maggie nodded and placed her hand back onto her notepad, grabbing her pen in hand, "Okay then, Bob, let's talk about your day yesterday."

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It's been a a handful of months since Bob's arrival to Solace and so far it seems he's adjusting well to his new surroundings. He's made nice with other staff, opened up slightly more each day with Maggie and he can confidently say that he and Steffi are the closest two patients that have ever been there. Even with Steffi being in another wing, she would still find the time to leave little gifts or trinkets for Bob in the morning or after group to brighten his day even just a little bit.

Around the end of the summer, Maggie began to notice some of her usual patients were no longer in the facility and initially she didn't question it. After the first two, she chalked it up to being moved to outpatient treatment, and then after the next couple she began to grow curious and suspicious at the lack of familiar faces in the halls.

After finding out her tenth charge was "moving on", Maggie knew something more serious was going on.

She had no reason to question it at first but she began to grow concerned more and more, especially when no one could give her a straight answer. Asking her co-workers, her supervisors, and even going as far as to ask the director of the facility but she was either given vague answers or dead ends.

Something was going on around the clinic and she could tell it was affecting more than just her.

Maggie was making her rounds, checking in on new arrivals and her usual group when a certain bouncy redhead appeared in her path.

"Maggie! Mags! Magpie!"

The brunette chuckled as she placed her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders and held her in place, "Steffi, that's a lot of energy this morning, even for you."

Steffi scoffed and became serious, "Please, this is important!"

It was rare for the redhead to be serious, she was anything and everything but serious, and when those rare moments of focus happened, Maggie knew to give her attention to her. "Is everything okay, Steffi?"

She shook her head aggressively, "No! Bobby's leaving!"

It was like ice was running through her veins, her mind racing a mile a minute, "Steffi, I'll be right back" She began jogging in the direction of Bob's room, "Go to group, I'll be there shortly."

Out of everyone that had been transferred out, Bob was the first one she'd be able to catch before he left. Everyone else was already gone before she could question where they were going and why but now she was determined to get answers once and for all.

Out of breath and only slightly dizzy, Maggie arrived at Bob's room, catching him off-guard with her thundering footsteps, "Maggie?"

She took a few quick deep breaths before walking further into his room, "Bob, I'm glad I caught you. Steffi told me you're leaving, is that true?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I, uh, I'm gonna take your advice and spread my wings so to speak."

Maggie felt relief that he wasn't being transferred to a mysterious outpatient facility but she still felt sadness over him leaving. She was seeing the progress he was making and wanted to witness him grow even more. She crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm glad you're going out and seeing more of the world. Where are you heading?"

"Malaysia"

It was like experiencing deja vu.

This wasn't the first time that she'd heard about a patient traveling to Malaysia. She'd heard from one of the nurses that one or two patients mentioned heading that way, one for sure said that it had been due to some unheard of drug trail but had no more information on what was in Malaysia or the trial itself.

Maggie shook her head, approaching Bob slowly, "Bob, I really don't think you should be heading there."

He stopped packing up his things, what little he had, and turned to face her with genuine confusion written all over his face, "What? What do you mean?"

She truly didn't know what she meant. Maggie had been trying to crack this on her own for months and was hitting dead end after dead end. Nothing was forming in her head as a good reason as to why he shouldn't leave nor why he would believe her. "Bob, I can't explain this properly but something is going on around her and people are disappearing. I just don't think it's a good idea that you leave."

The silence was heavy as Bob processed her words but Maggie could tell him his body language alone that she wasn't swaying him. "Maggie, I can't stay here." He had a sad, tight-lipped smile on his face. A look Maggie had seen with many patients. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, talking things out with me in the beginning but I just…I just can't keep talking about the same things. I can't keep going through the same routines day in and day out." Bob let out a sigh, a sigh that not only held the relief he was feeling about finding his solution but also his exhaustion.

Maggie knew very well that there was nothing she could do or say that could change his mind and it broke a part of her inside that she couldn't. She nodded, the same sad, tight-lipped smile on her face, "I get it." Bob nodded back to her, zipping up his bag before slinging it over his shoulder and heading towards the door where she was standing, "I understand, Bob, and I hope you find what you're looking for."

She gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before he stepped out into the halls and down towards the exit. Maggie watched from her spot as Steffi stopped Bob before he left, the two having what she could only assume was their own personal goodbye. With the racing thoughts in her mind and despite knowing she couldn't make Bob stay, she knew she could make sure he stayed alive.

Maggie reached into her pocket for her phone, dialing the one number she swore would be the last number she'd call. She rolled her eyes at the generic voicemail message, grabbing the ring on her necklace as she waited for the beep, "Hey, it's me." A breath to center her emotions and her thoughts, "Look, I know it's been a while since we last spoke but something is going on with my patients at Solace. They're leaving the facility for out-patient services but no one knows where they go once they leave here. I can't explain it and I don't have proof but I think they're in danger." Her eyes followed to where Bob was after saying his goodbyes to Steffi and finally stepping through the doors, "I can't lose another one. I need your help. I need you, Buck."

Ending Author Notes: Ahhhhh! I'm loving what i have thus far and I hope you guys do too! I haven't really come up with a schedule per se of when I'm releasing my chapters but every Monday seems nice unless the fire strikes me and I post more than that. Speaking of fire striking, the brain is already storming with ideas for spin-offs, like what happened during the 14 months of being The New Avengers and even some New Avengers tower vibes! One step at a time!

🏷️ tag list;;

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fandomficticn · 2 months ago

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LOST THEN FOUND* SYNOPSIS:

"So, none of us can fly?" "So what, we all just punch and shoot?" "I know someone who can fly"

Seems like that time has come to see the light of day.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: This story takes places during the events of Thunderbolts* and if you have not seen it yet then be warned now that there will be spoilers. I do not own any characters, scenery, locations or dialogue that comes from the movie, only my OC's and their descriptions and dialogue.

CAST

Sebastian Stan as James "Bucky" Barnes

Minka Kelly as Magdalena "Maggie" Bauer

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova

Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent

Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost

David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian

Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds / Sentry / Void

Emily Rudd as Steffi Tobin / Sanguine / Crimsona

Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel

CHAPTERS

Prologue ( coming soon )

CHARACTER MOODBOARDS

James "Bucky" Barnes ( coming soon )

Magdalena "Maggie" Bauer ( coming soon )

Yelena Belova ( coming soon )

John Walker / U.S. Agent ( coming soon )

Ava Starr / Ghost ( coming soon )

Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian ( coming soon )

Bob Reynolds / Sentry / Void ( coming soon )

Steffi Tobin / Sanguine / Crimsona ( coming soon )

Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster ( coming soon )

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine ( coming soon )

Mel ( coming soon )

PAIRINGS MOODBOARDS

Bucky and Maggie ( coming soon )

Steffi and Bob ( coming soon )

Void and Crimsona ( coming soon )

🏷️ tag list;;

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fandomficticn · 3 months ago

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Party For One (s.h. & e.m.)

Request: Yes/No

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson x Original Female Character

Characters: Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler (mentioned), Jonathan Byers (mentioned), Argyle (mentioned), Eden Bingham (mentioned), Dustin Henderson (mentioned), Max Mayfield (mentioned)

Word Count: 5130 words

Summary: Birthdays are important and the birthday of your partner is the most important one. Since they started dating and even before that, Monica Baxter has planned her birthday every year because she wants it to be perfect but this year Eddie and Steve both promise to make this a birthday she'd never forget...unfortunately not in the way any of them wanted.

Warnings: OFC is afab using she/her pronouns, sex mention, angst, crying, fighting, strong language, silent treatment from ofc, groveling eddie and steve, minor little cliffhanger

A/N: definitely rusty these days, it's been a while since I've written out of enjoyment plus these ideas are just spilling out of me so I gotta share them with everyone! what's even crazier is I wrote this whole first part out without a name for my female character because I just had to get everything out before I forgot a detail! this one is a little on the sad side but I promise that part 2 will result in a happy ending!

If you asked anyone in Hawkins, there wasn't a single person who loved planning parties and celebrations as much as Monica. She was a planner at heart — from throwing a mini party for Max passing her driver's test to the engagement celebration for Argyle and Eden, Monica has planned the friend group's every celebration, no matter how big or small. She was so good at it, not just because she could plan a party with short notice and it still be a hit, but because she made everything so personal.

She knew her friends so well that she was able to plan a party with details that would make the honoree feel seen. When she planned Dustin's graduation party, she made sure to get everyone dressed up as the D&D characters he created for them for a joint session one Christmas and he was so excited to see his creations come to life; even Nancy and Robin dressed up and they still don't understand what they were doing.

Monica loved to plan special events but birthdays were her favorite with, of course, her birthday being her favorite day.

Since she had started dating Eddie and Steve three years ago, and even before she moved to Hawkins, she had planned her birthday each time because she loved to plan things so much with no qualms about it and it wasn't until Robin pointed out at Monica's last birthday to Eddie and Steve that while she may like to plan her own birthday, it would probably mean a hell of a lot more if she was surprised by the two people that love her the most on her next birthday. So, the dynamic duo swore they'd do something simple but intimate for Monica's next birthday, telling her that she didn't have to plan a single thing because she was going to be treated for a day she would never forget.

Boy, were they well underprepared for how right they would be.

Leading up to her birthday, there had been such a flurry and fuss of things that made the days just glaze by. The kids were making plans for colleges and careers so the unofficial babysitter's club was doing what they could to help them out. Then there was the planning of Eden and Argyle's wedding and Nancy finding out she was pregnant with her first child with Jonathan, not to mention Eddie and Steve were working nonstop to make sure they not only had the money to get their girl the gift of her dreams but have her whole birthday weekend off to make the celebration extra special.

Monica couldn't contain her excitement as she counted down the days and she was so proud of her boys for all they were doing to make her birthday special. They were working themselves ragged every day; Eddie had taken up working at the mechanic shop downtown on top of his shifts at the music store plus guitar lessons on the weekends while Steve was practically working open to close at Family Video to the point that he was falling asleep in his vest most nights on the couch. They were working so hard for her, the least she could do was make sure Eddie had lunch packed when he had to work at the mechanic shop and music store on the same day as well helping Steve to bed on those nights he was too tired to make it past their living room.

Soon her special day was on the horizon, Monica being too preoccupied with the special plans her boyfriends had for her making it difficult to fall asleep had spent the last hour running through her mind the different things they could've planned for her. She didn't care if it was a big party with their friends or just the three of them, she was getting to spend her special day with two people who cared so much about her to plan to do something for her without her help. As the time ticked down, Monica counted along with the clock she could hear from the kitchen until she glanced at the nightstand to see 12:00 am staring back at her.

Today is her birthday!

Not knowing what her boyfriends had planned for her, Monica knew it was as good a time as any to get some sleep. Hours later, the annoying beeping from the alarm clock was blaring which actually wasn't what woke Monica up, at least not the only thing. The sound of shuffling feet and curses was the rousing wake-up call Monica got, blearily opening her eyes to see two mops of hair flying back and forth as they threw clothes on and sometimes at each other. Glancing over at the clock she sees the time and she could feel more confusion. It was almost noon. Wow, they really let me sleep in. She knew that both of them should've been off today because they had told her months ago they wouldn't work the whole weekend so they could be with her on her special day.

"Shit, shit, fuck, shit!" The curly-haired metalhead exclaimed as he hopped along on one foot trying to put his pants on. "Steve, hurry up!"

"Fuck, Eddie, I'm moving as fast I can!"

Monica heard his voice from down the hall, presumably in the bathroom and her guess was confirmed correct when she saw Steve come barreling in the room with his shirt half on and the Family Video vest hanging off his arm. "How the fuck did we sleep in?"

Eddie, finally with his pants on, shoved his shoes on quickly and didn't even bother to tie them up, "I don't know, okay? But we need to go." He slung on his signature leather jacket, "Your car is still in the shop and I gotta drive you to Family Video and still make it down to The Hideout to start a practice I'm already late for. Why did you even take this shift?"

Steve finally put his shirt and vest on, trying to make his hair look at least somewhat presentable and not like he got dressed in the dark. "It's a new kid that Keith hired to open and he told me yesterday that he had a funeral to go to which obviously wasn't planned. I felt bad for the kid."

Monica just stared at the two of them, both moving and talking to each other like they didn't know what today was. There's no way they would forget what today was, not after all the big talk and effort that they put in for this. She rubbed more of the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up straighter in bed, "Boys?" she called out as she shut off the alarm that was still blaring and somehow not stopping Steve and Eddie in their tracks or ushering them to switch it off themselves.

They must've thought she was still asleep with the way their heads snapped towards her. Eddie gave her a quick smile before making sure his bag was packed for practice while Steve grabbed Eddie's keys and quickly walked over to Monica, "Morning, honey." He kissed the side of her head, "Sorry to kiss and run but Eds and I are running really behind."

He turned around and left their shared bedroom with Eddie following his previous action, making his own way over to her and giving her a quick kiss on her lips, "Sorry sweets, morning cuddles are put on hold but we'll make it up to you later, okay?" He said, rubbing the side of her head.

"Munson, let's go!"

With another quick kiss, Eddie was out of the room and the next sound she heard was the door slamming shut. Monica sat there in stunned silence, thinking over everything she just saw because there wasn't a single chance that what happened had just happened.

Not a single "Happy Birthday".

No birthday breakfast in bed.

Not even a little birthday shower sex.

Which was crazy to not happen as it was a fan-favorite activity among the trio and the reason Eddie picked their apartment, the shower was extremely spacious.

Another ten minutes passed with Monica sitting in the same spot her boyfriends left her in, slowly becoming stunned that what had happened even happened in the first place. She moved like she was on autopilot, getting herself out of bed and to the kitchen as she fixed her usual cup of coffee that both Eddie and Steve had told her had too much sugar and creamer to be coffee. She sat at the table, coffee in hand, as she slowly came to the sudden and sad realization.

They forgot her birthday.

Her boyfriends both forgot her birthday.

Well they had been working so hard lately, Steve's been practically walking tired on his feet, and Eddie has so many odd jobs—

No.

Monica was not going to think that her two boyfriends who loved her with their whole hearts would be so frazzled and tired to forget her birthday.

Maybe they're planning something, a party maybe? Yeah, that's it. That has to be it.

Monica convinced herself that there was going to be a surprise party planned for her birthday with her friends all there, probably at The Hideout. She quickly scrambled to finish her coffee before getting dressed so she could get herself all dolled up for the party. Making a mental list of the places she needed to get to so she could look her absolute best.

After getting her hair done and her nails, something she hadn't gotten professionally done since she was a pre-teen when her mother would force her to, Monica headed over to her favorite thrift store to see if there were any lucky finds to put together an outfit for tonight. She wasn't a picky person when it came to shopping, clothes shopping in particular, loving the thrift stores more so as the items could be one-of-kind or rare finds and then when assembled created a hard-to-duplicate look.

She'd found a few cute things to try on when she heard someone call her name. Looking around for the source, her eyes landed on her friend and bowling partner. "Robin! Hi!"

Robin rushed over to her friend, pulling her into a tight hug, "Oh, happy birthday, Mon Bon!"

Monica hugged her back and thanked her, "Well, don't get too tired of saying that, gotta say it loud at the party, right?"

Robin smiled but gave her a confused look, "Party? What party?"

A laugh bubbled out of Monica as she continued to look through the racks, "Don't worry Robs, I did figure it out but it's totally okay! I can be surprised since I don't know what's gonna happen or anything."

The smile on Robin's face dropped a little the more Monica spoke, "Oh, I have no problem beliving that you can but I still don't know what you're talking about, Mon."

That stopped her in her tracks as she searched her friend's face for any sign of her lying or trying to act clueless but to her growing sadness, Monica couldn't find a trace of anything that was going to lessen the dark pit in her chest. The same dark pit that formed in the morning when she watched two men who claimed to love her walk out of their shared apartment like it was any other day. Suddenly, Monica wasn't feeling as optimistic as she had when she left that afternoon.

"Oh, Mon," The hand on her shoulder brought her out of her mind. Monica knew it was meant to be reassuring and comforting but all she was feeling was pity. "Maybe they're just planning something for just the three of you?"

Monica nodded absentmindedly as she tried to find that spark that pushed her into thinking everything was okay and this devastating feeling was just her imagination, "Yeah, maybe." The spark she was trying to find seemed to fade faster and faster, seeming too far for her to reach.

There was a far-off look in her eyes; Robin could practically see the gears in her head working in overdrive to find the light at the end of the dark tunnel she was finding herself in and before Robin could say anything more to reassure her, Monica seemed to snap out of it, "I, uh, I gotta go, Robs. I'll see you, okay?"

Robin nodded and waved her friend off, "Bye, Mon, and happy birthday again."

Monica gave her a soft smile before heading out of the thrift store, placing the items in her hand on a random rack, and walking out of there with not a single item purchased. Her sole focus now was to do what she could to distract herself from thinking about everything and hoping she was wrong about how her birthday was going to end.

Robin had a very strong feeling about where Steve was. The guy didn't have a lot of hobbies outside of watching the young ones, hanging out with her, or spending his free time with the loves of his life so if she was going to find him anywhere it was going to be at Family Video.

It was almost comical how she made her way over to the video store because if she were a character in a graphic novel, there would've been flames in her eyes that burned brighter and bigger the closer she got to her destination. She didn't want to believe that Steve was that dumb, was just that much of a dingus to hurt one of the most thoughtful people she's ever met. Robin was proven quite right about the level of dingus Steve achieved when she saw him behind the counter checking out a customer.

She marched over there with anger pumping in her veins and when Steve finally noticed her coming towards him, it was too late to prepare himself for a defense.

"You dingus! You major, absolute dingus!"

Steve eyed her, shrinking back a little as he held up his hands in defense, "What? What? What did I do?"

Robin rolled her eyes and scoffed, "'What did you do?' More like what didn't you do!"

The confusion mixed with fear was still very much evident on his face and Steve was racking his brain trying to figure out what he could've possibly done wrong, "Robin, seriously this is the most I've ever seen you angry which is saying a lot. I have no clue what I could've possibly done to you."

She shook her head, "Not to me, idiot, to Monica."

He lowered his hands and the confusion began to outweigh his fear of Robin, "Monica? What do you mean? What's happened?"

Robin crossed her arms over her chest, "I just saw her at her favorite thrift store and she was pretty upset when she left. She didn't even buy anything."

That's where Steve grew concerned. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his girlfriend always came out of the thrift store with a find. Something was very wrong. There was one thing that could've set her off that came to mind. Steve sighed and shook his head, "Did she tell you about this morning? Eddie and I were just in such a rush, we didn't mean to not spend the morning with her."

"You think that's what Monica is upset about? A rushed morning?" The look Robin was giving him was one of the common looks she'd given him whenever he said or did anything that made her question why they were friends in the first place. "That's not why your girlfriend is upset."

Steve shook his head as he tried to think of how he could have messed up. "Geez, Robin, I've been running on fumes here for weeks now. Can we just skip over this and get to the part where you just tell me what I did?"

The exasperated sigh was fueled with the raging emotions one would feel for their scorned friend and Steve felt every single one, "Really think, dingus." Robin began drumming her fingers on the checkout counter, leaning forward and making direct eye contact with Steve. The kind of eye contact that involves little to no blinking to ensure the point was made, "Really think about what today is. Think about what you and your equally dingus boyfriend did and simultaneously did not do this morning with your girlfriend."

The race his mind was on with the various and admittedly obvious hints Robin gave him was making Steve's head legitimately hurt. He was trying to piece together the morning and was still coming to the same conclusion — Monica was upset about the rushed morning. Then he remembered Robin telling him to think about what day it was.

Well, it's a Friday because that's when Eddie has rehearsals and when the three of them have a late dinner to listen to Eddie talk about the new music they're playing. It's funny that he even has rehearsal today because it's Friday the 13th and—

"Oh fuck."

Robin slapped the counter loudly, attracting momentary attention to them, "Ding, ding, ding! He's finally got it!"

Steve aggressively raked his fingers through his hair, feeling the crazy guilt rapidly filling his entire body as he tried to figure out how he could've possibly screwed up this badly. He could feel the guilt sweats coming on which usually only happened when he had to work late on date nights. "I can't believe we forgot her birthday! We even talked about taking the entire weekend off to make her birthday special!"

Robin rolled her eyes and shook her head, "All that planning and effort and you still managed to forget?"

Steve glared at her, "Look, I'm already feeling like the world's worst boyfriend, you don't have to pour the salt and lemon juice in the wound!"

His friend crossed her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow at him, "Think again, Steve. You aren't the only one that's the world's worst boyfriend."

It dawned on him what she was hinting at once again and Steve sprang into action. He quickly whipped off his vest and tossed it at Robin, nabbing her keys out of her hands in the process, "Please cover for me. I owe you a million."

Vest strewn about her head and face as Steve raced past her made her scoffed. Ripping it from her face, she turned in time to see Steve's fleeting figure out the door and running straight to her car, "Ugh, you're welcome!"

Steve knew if Hopper or any other officer was out while he was racing to The Hideout, he'd have been pulled over with how much he was going over the speed limit. As soon as he pulled in front of the familiar club, Steve quickly put the car in park and raced inside. The club wasn't even open yet as Eddie had arranged with the owner to practice during non-business hours in exchange for a percentage of the door whenever they had a show. So when Steve skidded to a halt inside, it was almost all eyes on him, minus Corroded Coffin who were in the middle of a very powerful and electrifying set.

The bartender polishing glasses noticed Steve first and beckoned him over, "Dude, we're closed right now and this is a closed practice."

Steve figured the guy was somewhat new because the staff there knew who he and Monica were and wouldn't think twice about them being present during a rehearsal. He nodded at the bartender, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm dating the frontman."

The bartender scoffed, "Yeah, right. I heard he was dating some hot chick with bright orange hair."

Steve was already slightly agitated about being told things he already knew about the club and Corrded Coffin's practice and now he was starting to get pissed, "Hey, that's my girlfriend too. They're both with me."

This really made the bartender snort in disbelief and eye Steve up and down, "Really? You?"

Now Steve was gonna lose it. "Look, dude, I know you're probably new here and all and don't know any better so I'm gonna let this all slide but watch yourself."

Steve guessed the bartender was feeling particularly cocky as he set the glass in his hand down and walked around the bar to stand toe-to-toe with Steve, sizing him up, "Oh really? I've got the time, man."

He was no stranger to defending himself or his relationship against people who thought they were or knew better, so Steve was all ready for a showdown, "You've caught me on the wrong day, guy, and I am not in the mood right now. So why don't you go back behind the bar and get to polishing your glasses."

"Oh, I think I'm right where I want to be."

Steve was going to lose it with this guy, "Look, dude—"

"Stevie? What are you doing here?"

Both heads turn to the curly-haired guitarist as he approaches his boyfriend and the bartender. The bartender looked between Eddie and Steve before looking back at Eddie, "You know this guy?"

Eddie smiled and nodded, "Uh, yeah, I would sure hope so as we've been together for the last three years and friends for longer than that."

Steve had a smug smile on his face as he eyed the bartender, "So, if you'll excuse me." He knocked shoulders with the bartender before he quickly walked over to Eddie.

Eddie smiled brightly at Steve, "To what do I owe this surprise visit, Harrington?"

Steve reverted into panic mode as the nature of his visit was present, "Eddie, we fucked up."

Now the confusion was on Eddie's face, "What do you mean?"

He didn't have time to play the guessing game with Eddie like Robin did with him so he cut to the chase. "We rushed through this morning with Monica and she ran into Robin at the thrift store, was upset and didn't buy anything—"

"Wait, she didn't buy anything? That's weird."

Steve exhaled sharply, "Yeah and here's why. We were in such a rush this morning that we didn't remember it's Monica's birthday."

Confusion and disblief were mingling on Eddie's face, "What? No way, there's no way we forgot her birthday."

Steve grabbed Eddie by the shoulders and looked him in the eye, the same unnerving way Robin did to him, "Eddie, really think about it."

Steve watched his boyfriend go through almost the exact same emotions and thought processes as he did and it was painful watching it happen knowing this was exactly what he looked like earlier.

When the reality of the situation dawned on Eddie, he looked completely floored, "Oh, we really did fuck up."

Steve nodded adamently and started pushing Eddie towards the door, "Yes, yes we did and now we have to go before we make it any worse than it already is."

Eddie was in agreement, shouting for the guys to end practice early and pack up his things as he and Steve made a beeline for Robin's car. They could only hope they hadn't royally screwed up.

By the time they made it home, it had started to get dark and the hope that they hadn't completely and utterly screwed up was diminishing with each minute that passed. They scrambled to get out of the car when they finally parked and the thundering footsteps echoed in the stairwell as they bounded up them, forgoing the elevator to get to their apartment faster.

When they finally got through the door, they could hear the TV playing in the living room and knew Monica was either up still watching TV or had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV playing as white noise.

The truth of the matter was that once reality dawned on Monica she immediately stopped at her favorite restaurant for her pick-me-up meal on her way home, bypassing her favorite pj's of Eddie's faded and worn-in band tee and Steve's boxers for her clothes and piled blankets onto herself while watching her favorite movies and shows in an attempt to cheer herself up but to no avail. None of her efforts could stop her tears as she realized her special day was forgotten and ruined by the two people she loved the most which made this all hurt more.

Eddie and Steve walked into the living room to see Monica fast asleep with her very vivid orange hair poking out from under her favorite blankets with nearly empty takeout containers on the coffee table in front of her. Both men looked at each other, their hearts breaking at the sight before them as they made their way over to her. Steve cleaned up the containers, placing any leftovers in the fridge while Eddie found the remote and shut the TV off which made Monica stir awake.

She was confused momentarily before realizing her surroundings and then her sour mood returned. Monica sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, not a single word passing her lips.

Eddie stood almost frozen in place as Steve came out from the kitchen, eyes on Eddie before realizing his eyes weren't on him as well. Steve then trained his eyes on Monica, waiting and hoping she would break the growing silence but wanting to find the right words to break the silence first.

Steve stepped into the living room more, guilt written all over his face, "Honey,—"

Monica held her hand up to silence him and Steve took the silent command and followed it instantly. Eddie however wanted to see if he could break the tension himself, "Sweets, we're—"

The glare she aimed toward him, a look he had never been on the receiving end of for as long as he's known Monica, silenced him just as quickly as it had Steve and both men waited with bated breath for her next move. Monica rose from the couch with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders, choosing to look at neither of them as she directed her words towards them, "I don't want to hear from either of you. I'm going to bed."

Steve didn't want her to go to bed angry at them despite knowing she said she didn't want to hear from them, so he spoke up again, "Mon, please, just hear us out. We're—"

She whipped her head around so fast at him, anger very evident on her face, "'Hear us out'? You want me to listen to whatever excuse you two have for forgetting my birthday? After making such a big deal about taking off the whole weekend to celebrate? Be serious, Steve."

"Mon, we're so, so sorry." Eddie chimed in, "We obviously can't possibly know how you feel."

She scoffed, anger not dissipating as she felt the tears return, "Of course, you can't," With her next words she looked Eddie in the eyes to make sure he could see how she felt, "Because I never forgot either of your birthdays."

Eddie cast his eyes down in shame as Steve stepped around to face Monica to direct her attention to him. Eddie was always the more sensitive of the three, despite his whole rockstar image, and Steve knew that he could handle Monica's venom more, "Honey, we know we fucked up in a royally big way and we can't say we're sorry enough." This caused Monica to scoff but Steve continued, "We are sorry. Neither of us realized what happened with all the hours we'd been working. I mean the cramp in my neck from all the nights I've fallen asleep on the couch from a double shift is evidence of that."

The bitter laugh was like a stab in the heart to Eddie and Steve as Monica angrily wiped at the tears on her face, "Oh, poor Stevie. Your poor neck is just all knotted up, how ever did you sleep so soundly at night?" Monica pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried and failed to keep the building headache at bay, "Steve, I don't care if you got a cramp in every muscle, nothing either you can say or do at this moment will clear the anger I'm feeling for what happened today."

She moved away from the couch to the hallway before stopping, "Neither of you will follow me to bed. Sleep somewhere else. You can sleep in the bathroom for all I care." And with that, Monica walked to the bedroom and slammed the door shut, making both men flinch.

Both of them were crushed at her words but knew they deserved them. Steve had a pit in his stomach, feeling nothing but guilt and sadness over what they did. When he looked towards Eddie, he could see the unshed tears in his boyfriend's eyes even with what little light was in the room. Steve walked over to Eddie, pulling him into a hug and embracing him tightly. Eddie clung to Steve, the dam finally breaking and the tears falling rapidly.

Steve rubbed Eddie's back, trying to soothe him but that only made the tears fall harder. "Eds, it's gonna be okay."

Eddie sniffled as he pulled away from Steve's shoulder, "What if it's not? What if we lose her?" He rubbed at his eyes and nose with one hand, the other clinging to Steve's shirt for dear life, "Stevie, we can't lose her."

Steve shook his head as he wiped at Eddie's face, "We're not gonna lose her, love." The tears began welling up in Steve's eyes but he attempted to put on a brave face even with one lone tear falling, "We fight for her, Eds. That's our girl in there and we love her so we're gonna fight for her and for this relatioship with everything that we have, okay?"

"Okay." Eddie nodded as he wiped away Steve's single tear, mirroring his brave face, "We fight for her."

Steve smiled at Eddie, caressing his cheek before pulling him into a kiss, "That's right."

They kissed again with Steve leaving one last kiss on Eddie's forehead before they hugged again. The sleeping arrangements for the night were the very old and somewhat comfortable couch and they knew once again that they deserved this. Neither of them had a concrete plan for what they were going to do to begin to try and fix things but the plans were formulating in their heads making sleep almost allude them. One thing was for sure, they weren't going to just let her go without giving it everything they had to truly show Monica just how much they were sorry and how much they loved her.

Ending Author Notes: So how are we feeling about that? I will be honest, writing the ending scene formed a little pit in my stomach which I always get when I read or write angst haha but like I said in the beginning, part 2 will have a happy ending! Stay tuned!

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#stranger things #stranger things imagine #steddie imagine #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #imagine

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fandomficticn · 2 years ago

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upcoming fan fictions

so the fan fictions won out for my upcoming works!

now drug/eternal fans do not fret because I will still be continuing and finishing that fic. will I be writing simultaneously? you would be correct!

now, what shall be voted on today is which of my fan fics will I be writing along side of the eternals fan, "the last hope". below will be the summary of each fic and just like before, you all get to vote on which one I will be posting. whichever becomes the top vote will be the next fanfic to be written along side the last hope; the next highest vote will be the next fan fiction and so on.

gonna be honest, most of these I did already start like plotting out!

---

This is Poguelandia ( ofc x jj maybank )

Laurie Dubois was the new kook in town, with secrets that could give everyone a run for their money, but before anything could come to light, she ended up going missing. Four years later, Laurie is caught on camera, alive and well, and the hunt is on to find her. The Pogues could be the ones to find Laurie and be split the reward money and while that is enticing to JJ Maybank, he has a secret connection to the missing girl and knows there's more than meets the eye when it comes to why she went missing all those years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. Xu ( ofc x mafia!shang-chi )

Sara and Shaun come from opposing crimes families, both well-versed in undercover work. Both were sent on jobs in the States when they meet, not knowing the other's true identity. Now, years later after being married and having their daughter, the Xu's are living their secret lives while working for their families until one night changes and jeopardizes everything Sara and Shaun worked so hard to protect.

The Big Fix ( ofc x modern!anthony bridgerton )

It had been years since Anthony Bridgerton and Auralia Bell haven't been in the same room since they broke up their junior year of college. Now, almost ten years later, Auralia is the top performer at The Avalon Group, the top pr firm catering to London's finest. To get the promotion of her dreams, she is tasked with her biggest contract yet: fix Anthony Bridgerton's reputation. Auralia has to out her emotions aside and be the professional she knows she is, not thinking about the feelings that are clearly still there.

The Guardians ( ofc x ben miller )

Ben Miller is the happiest man he's ever been; his winning big with boxing with his brother and friends by his side and he's with the woman of his dreams. One day, everything gets turned upside down when she goes missing with nothing but a distress call from the other side of the world giving any insight. Now, the boys must band together for one more mission in the search of her before it's too late.

Fool's Gold ( ofc x nathan drake ; ofc x victor sullivan )

Victor Sullivan comes to Nathan Drake for a hunt of a lifetime, a hunt that he couldn't refuse. When the hunt takes them on the most dangerous path they've ever been on, up against bigger enemies than they've faced before, Nathan Drake has to decide if what's at the end is ultimately worth his life.

The Legend of Leon Winter ( ofc x simon lewis )

Leon Winter is well-known amongst the downworlders, Magnus Bane himself knew the warlock personally. Due to horrendous crimes committed by him, Leon Winters is locked away and never to be seen or heard from again. Until today. Somehow, someway, the powerful dark warlock has been freed and hell on earth is quite literally about to rain down. The only ticket to his demise is his illegitimate and unknown daughter, Cherish. No one ever knew she was his daughter nor how she could be the one to bring him down but everyone is in a race against the clock to get to her and end this once and for all.

Chrysós ( ofc x rafe cameron )

A new treasure hunt is on the horizon but this could be more dangerous than what the Pogues have already experienced. Blackbeard's treasure is the world's most hard to find bounty in the world but the Pogues are confident they can find it like they've found their last find. They must band together with Rafe Cameron and Barry when it comes to light they know the one person that has the edge to finding this treasure. OFC knows that Blackbeard had many wives and therefore many chances for descendants and she knows one of them. Could this descendant be their ticket to fame and fortune or lead to their downfall?

Don't Panic ( ofc x dodge mason )

The new season of panic is on the books and everyone's eyes are on the prize money, that being their one way ticket out of their small town. Dodge Mason knows what the money could do for his family but what take him by surprise is his old friend, Sherrie Edge, joins the game after she used to tell him that there was nothing wrong with staying in a small town. The two ex-friends are now in competition with other's in their class; the dangers are high, the secrets are big, and someone is not who they say they are...

Shimmer ( ofc x eddie munson )

Monica Nguyen usually kept to herself, little to no friends despite being on the Hawkins swim team, until a freak accident changed her and put her on the “hawkins hotties” map. Being thrust into the spotlight after being in the shadows for so long can be overwhelming but a certain long-haired dungeon master can make the obnoxious sounds of popularity die down. When outside forces come knocking on Hawkins door in search for the result of their "experiment" and the Hawkins Monster Hunting Club must band together to protect their new friend by any means necessary.

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fandomficticn · 2 years ago

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I know it's been awhile since I last made myself known here but let me tell you that I am back in action in 2023! I have some lovely fanfic ideas and some original content set up and of course more imagines in the books as well as fun ideas for themed months and celebrations but do you want to see next?

#stranger things #teen wolf #gossip girl #gossip girl reboot #911verse #marvel comics #dc comics #roswell new mexico #x men #the vampire diaries #the originals

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fandomficticn · 3 years ago

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The Last Hope - Chapter O4

ETERNALS SPOILERS!! PARTS OF THIS STORY WILL REFERENCE PARTS OF THE MOVIE AND IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT I WOULD BE CAUTIOUS GOING INTO THIS

Word Count: 5519 words

Summary: She was never supposed to be needed. The Celestials created Naluma as a last resort; if all else failed, she would be the one to save mankind. Hoping that such a time would never occur, Naluma remained dormient and Lily Shorne was born, living a normal life on Earth with no knowledge of who she actually is or the power she has. When the world is put in jeopardy once more, the Eternals must find Naluma before it’s too late and all of humanity is lost.

Warnings: eternals spoilers, death mention

A/N: Better late than never friends and I am not giving up on this story. It’s gonna get real good from here so stick around and thanks for all the love here and on wattpad!

Chicago - Greenhouse Loft

Everyone agreed to the plan before heading out. Phastos and Ben packed bags before driving to pick up Jack; it was easy to explain they'd be going on a trip to visit a "family member" who was ill so there'd be very few questions asked.

The event Kingo was attending was being held at the Greenhouse Loft, a promotional event with a panel of him and his castmates to do Q&As about filming and any behind-the-scenes action. Digit was able to hack into the event and get the schedule of the day as well as Kingo's personal schedule. When they arrived at the venue, Sprite used her powers to make herself, Phastos, Druig, and Digit invisible so they could walk in and past security without any problems while Ben and Jack stayed in the car. When it was safe and they were out of sight, Sprite revealed themselves with illusions of passes that made them look like they were supposed to be there.

They found Kingo's dressing room, Druig knocking on the door before entering without waiting for someone to answer the door. Kingo looked very surprised to see them all there, maybe not Phastos since he knew he was living in Chicago but the other two he knew weren't even supposed to be in the States. The last one was a new face to him.

Kingo locked his phone as he looked at each of them enter the room, "Wh-What are you guys doing here? How did you even get back here?"

Druig waved his hand dismissively, "Not important and we really don't have the time."

Kingo stood from the sofa, surprise still evident in his face but with a smile replacing the slacked jaw, "Well, whatever it is, I'm glad you guys are here. They're showing some never before seen footage from my new movie here and not to toot my own horn but the directing was phenomenal."

Digit clapped excitedly, "Oh, never before seen footage?! We gotta see that!"

Sprite stepped forward and stopped Digit from clapping by forcing her hands down, "Like Druig said, we don't have the time." Digit nodded wordlessly.

Kingo took a look at their faces and quickly sensed that they weren't here for a visit, "What's going on?"

Phastos sighed, "We've got a problem. And by 'we' I mean us and potentially all of Earth."

Kingo raised his eyebrows in astonishment and exhaled a breath, "Wow, intense."

After giving a quick rundown of everything so far, Druig and Sprite's dreams, the viral video, Nova Scotia, Ajak's revelation, and what Digit had found before they got here. Halfway through the entire talk, Kingo had taken a seat as he tried to process the information as fast as they were telling him.

"Wait, wait, wait," He waved his hands in the air to stop all the talking, "You're telling me that's been another Eternal outside the ten of us walking the Earth, even on the Domo, and we didn't know?"

Sprite shrugged, "I guess Arishem didn't want us all to know because we'd ask questions."

Kingo shrugged, "And why not just let the hunter do his thing and we just look the other way?"

Phastos spoke up, "I asked the same thing. Sprite made the point about what happened to the man that had found the girl. He could continue to kill and it could get worse, the number could rise the closer he gets to finding the secret."

Kingo stood up, "Speaking of this 'secret', what exactly is it that the Celestials want so badly that they'd basically send a killer hunter to get it?"

Druig shrugged, "We don't know. We think it has to be some kind of place or thing; if it was a literal secret that she was told by the Celestial Madonna then the hunter would've gotten it out of her in Nova Scotia. The others are gonna see Thena, she might have an idea as to what the secret is."

Knowing where Thena is, Kingo caught on as to why they were all here, "You need a ride to Australia."

Phastos raised his hand, "Not all of us. Digit here," He said, gesturing to the small technopath who waved as her name was said, "Did all the hacking and tracking down of Lily. Both her safe house and where she worked went up in flames and we think the hunter was the one responsible." Kingo nodded along as Phastos continued, "Because I connected them with Digit, and she was found despite being the best at staying hidden, the hunter could come looking for me and I don't want my family in harm's way. They do need you to take them to Thena but after I need you to take my family to Ajak's place."

Kingo shrugged his shoulders, "I can let you borrow the jet and instruct my pilot to take you where you need to go."

Sprite looked at Kingo in disbelief, "You're not gonna come with us?"

He shook his head, "This is the most I can do for you, I'm sorry. This doesn't seem like it's our fight; Arishem hasn't been wrong before, this girl could really be dangerous."

Druig shook his head, "You don't know that, you didn't see or feel what Sprite and I did. Besides, Ajak said she could tell that Arishem was keeping something from her."

"And maybe for good reason!" Kingo sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "Look, if this girl is dangerous, if this hunter is some psycho murderer, why would we want to be anywhere near that?"

"To keep people safe," Digit stepped forward, "Phastos said you guys came here to help the people on this planet and you're just gonna turn your back on them now?"

Kingo sighed, "Look, Digit?" The technopath nodded, "You seem like a smart girl, but you are in way over your head here. You all are," He said gesturing to the rest of them, "Honestly, you really think there's a chance to stand up to someone that the Celestials have sicked on this girl?"

Digit had the look on her face as if she had more to say to argue her point but a chuckle from Druig stopped her. All eyes went to Druig who had that signature grin of his full of snark. "Kingo...the movie star." Druig chuckled again and shook his head before making eye contact with the Bollywood star, but speaking to everyone in the room, "Why would he take time from his cushy life to think of someone else?"

Kingo's face hardened as he focused on Druig. Phastos stepped forward, placing himself between the two in hopes of preventing a fight from breaking out, "Druig-"

Druig held a hand up, waving Phastos off, "Relax, as much as I would love to start, and win, with the movie star, we dont have time for that." He put his hand in his pocket before directing his next words at Kingo, "Just tell us where your jet is and we'll be on our way."

Wordlessly, Kingo pulled out his phone, unlocking it and only tapping one button before pressing it to his ear. He spoke quietly and quickly before hanging up, "Chicago Executive Airport. My pilot is prepared to take you wherever you need to go."

Druig turned and headed for the door, Sprite following after him but not before she nodded in his direction as a silent thanks. Phastos placed a hand on Kingo's shoulder, smiling at him while holding his other hand out to him, "Thank you, Kingo. I appreciate this for my family."

The tense feeling in Kingo's shoulder from earlier released as he shook his friend's hand, "Any time, my friend."

As Phastos took a step back, Digit stepped forward and smiled brightly, grabbing one of Kingo's hands with both of her own, shaking it vigorously, "I am a big fan of your movies, truly. It sucks that you're not going with us but it was a blast meeting you in person."

Kingo gave uneasy laughter but continued to shake her hand back, "Love to meet a fan."

Phastos had to pull Digit's hands off of Kingo before saying their final goodbyes. Kingo watched his friends, his family really, leave and couldn't help but feel his heartache. He had given his everything when fighting the deviants once before, he felt like the life he had was a reward for the work he did. Kingo felt good about the choices he made in his many years, so why did this one feel wrong?

South Dakota

The decision was made to drop Phastos and his family off first; Sprite and Digit helped them get settled in while Druig stood off to the side watching on. There was a lot on his mind and it didn't help that he hadn't slept on the plane ride there, not sure what he would see when he closed his eyes. Phastos could tell there was something off with Druig the entire plane ride. He walked over to the Eternal, leaning against the opposite wall, "You okay?"

Without looking, Druig responded, "I'm fine."

Phastos rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. Druig took notice and rolled his own eyes, shaking his head, "I said I'm fine. Move on."

Phastos shook his head and smiled, "This girl really got in your head, didn't she?"

Druig's hand curled into a fist, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The technopath stood straight, arms still crossed but with an exasperated look on his face, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Druig, you didn't sleep at all on the plane."

He shrugged at the concern, "You didn't either."

Phastos scoffed, "I have a family I'm worried about, that's normal."

All the frustration he was feeling, not knowing who this girl is & the threat of this hunter, had been boiling under the surface and the constant pestering from Phastos wasn't helping to keep the lid on it all. Druig pushed himself off the wall, closing the distance between the two of them, "And what if I'm worried about her?! Huh?!"

Everyone had gone silent, all eyes on the two Eternals. Everyone could tell something had been off with Druig with this whole situation but didn't want to bring it up but seeing him show the same emotions he did all those years ago in Tenochtitlan. Druig's arms were down by his side and hands balled into fists; without looking at anyone else, Druig marched outside and slammed the door behind him.

Phastos realized his mistake and goes to follow after Druig but his husband holds him back, giving him a small smile, "He needs some time, just let him take a breath." Ben took their son and led him to the stairs where their rooms were.

"I know I said that we both have seen this girl in our dreams, but Druig's were worse," Sprite had said, still looking at the front door. She turned to face the rest of them, "Druig told me he saw her die in his dream."

Digit gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she looked at Phastos whose eyes had closed as he shook his head, "I had no idea," He said.

Druig wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting out on the porch; He flopped down in one of the chairs and immediately put his face in his hands, breathing in and out to calm himself. Until now, all Druig thought he wanted were answers, why he felt like he knew this girl and why were all his dream, and nightmares, about her. Now, especially after what Kingo had said, he felt like he cared for her, like with every dream he had he was feeling more familiar with her and he couldn't figure out why.

His head lifted at the sound of the front door opening and he was surprised at who came out to check on him. Digit smiled softly at him, waving slightly as she took a seat next to him, "Um, everyone else wanted to give you space but I thought you could use some company."

Druig thought for a moment before turning his attention back to her, "You thought it was a good idea to come and sit with a stranger who you barely know after he had an emotional explosive episode?"

Digit shrugged, "Well, when you put it like that." She took a breath, "I just know from experience that talking out loud to someone, anyone really, helps get that stuff off your chest so it's not just sitting in there and just making you feel all gross and stuff."

Druig scoffed, a slight chuckle under his breath, "Well, I'm know for unpleasant feelings so seems fitting to just let things fester."

Digit shrugged, "Maybe but don't you think it's time for a change? I mean, I don't know you that well but you said it yourself, you're known for unpleasant things. If that's true then wouldn't you say openly admitting you're worried for Lily is the exact opposite?"

Druig's eyes scanned the horizon as he thought over her words. She wasn't wrong, being worried about someone was a rare thing for him; Makkari was the first person he truly worried over and cared for but with Lily, it felt different. "It just feels like I know her, on a personal level deeper than the others, and seeing her...when she..." Druig couldn't finish his sentence, thinking about the dream he had of her that started this journey. "It felt so real."

Digit sighed and nodded slightly, "I believe you. People have dreams that feel like that, not all the time but it happens." She shrugged, "Maybe there's a connection between the two of you, like if this Celestial guy didnt want you guys asking questions, he like changed things in your mind so that what you thought you knew was just gone."

Druig went to scoff before he thought about what she said. Would Arishem have the ability to erase memories of Lily if they've met her? If that's true then how could he and Sprite have these images of her like they knew her and no one else did? These questions would have to wait till they met up with everyone else in Australia. As much as he didn't want to, he would have to sleep at one point or another.

The Eternal turned to the technopath and gave her a small, genuine smile, "Appreciate the talk, Digit." Without another word, Druig got up from his seat and headed inside, leaving Digit with a smile on her face as she felt like she really did help.

Florence, Italy

After leaving the antique shop, Lily sought out the familiar feeling that had nestled into her chest since touching down in Italy. The feeling steadily grew with each step she took in the city, getting a little more intense when she met with Aldo and Lucia. The feeling, changed, however, the second she touched the painting; it was like ice water was dumped on her head and every nerve in her body was feeling it all at once. She assumed that if she was around more stuff by the artist then maybe she could pinpoint why she was feeling like this.

It took her some time and wandering around until she found a charter bus that was offering a tour to neighboring cities of the homes of notable Italians, one of which being the home of Leonardo da Vinci. Lily didn't see any other opportunity to get closer to da Vinci so she made a quick decision and jumped in at the end of the line for the tour. When she got to the front, the guide held her hand out, expecting Lily to give her a ticket. The hesitation in Lily's eyes prompted the woman to cross her arms, prepared to give a speech about having a ticket for the tour but Lily closed her eyes, took a breath, and when she opened them again, her eyes shined a bright gold.

Without a word, the tour guide dropped her arms before gesturing to the bus, "Welcome to the Classical Italy Tour with Europamundo. Please take an empty seat so we can begin." Lily blinked, her eyes changing back to normal as she moved onto the bus and took a seat near the back.

This was the first time that Lily thought about what she was doing; on the plane ride there, her thoughts were clouded with where she was even gonna start in Italy but now that she had a lead, or at least the air of a lead, her mind was plagued with what she was going to find. Worst case scenario, what she wouldn't find.

What if she got out there and didn't get that same feeling? If she found nothing that connected her to what she couldn't remember and had to start over from the beginning of what she already knew which was nothing. The panic inside her started to grow and it was making her feel uneasy so she decided to rest her eyes and try not to think about what could go wrong.

The "naps" Lily tried to take weren't that long at the beginning of the tour. The first few stops weren't that far apart and the tour guide spoke majority of the time. Lily wasn't invested in any part of the tour, having her thoughts occupied with her plan to venture away from the group when she arrived to her destination.

After boarding the bus for the fourth time, the tour guide finally announced that they would be going to the home of Leonardo da Vinci next. The panic and excitement feelings were back once again and she couldn't decide which feeling was stronger than the other. Her mind was so preoccupied with finalizing her plan that she hadn't noticed a pair of eyes on her, that had been on her since she got on the bus.

Anchiano, Italy

"Alright, everyone! Let's make haste and getting started with this stop." The tour guide spoke as she stepped off the bus, "Gather here so I can give you guys the introduction before we start."

Lily was one of the last few that got off of the bus and made sure to stay more to the back of the group to draw too much attention to herself; she knew she wasn't gonna stick with the tour and she didn't want anyone to take notice of her in the slightest when she would make a break for it. The guide droned on, repeating the same instructions of what to do and what not to do, what they'd be seeing, and ending with a corny joke that she'd already told at every stop before this one. Lily was starting to second guess using this tour service.

Eventually, the tour began with the guide describing the landscape, and the architecture of the building and telling the story of how Leonardo came to be. Lily was tuning everything out; she wasn't here to listen to this man's life story. Somewhere in this place, she knew she was going to find the answers she was looking for or at least something pointing her in the direction she needed to be. She couldn't put her finger on it, something in her bones was telling her that this was where she needed to be. Lily needed to trust her gut to guide her as ridiculous as that sounded to herself, she really had nothing else to lose so what would it hurt to follow the feeling in her gut?

The guide led them all inside the house and Lily was bringing up the rear when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Her head flashed up before just catching the tail end of a tall person running behind the house, a long black coat flapping behind them before disappearing completely. Her first thought was someone from the tour group breaking free and walking around on their own but that gut feeling came back, this time it wasn't something warm and reassuring, it was almost alarming. She had no idea who or what she really saw and no reason to clue into more so she put that thought to the back of her mind and caught up with the rest of the group.

At this point, the group had somewhat dispersed. The guide was still talking and explaining things but allowed the group to venture somewhat on their own. This was her chance; while the guide was trying to keep her eyes on a family of four towards the back of the room and everyone else seemed to be in their own worlds, Lily stealthily moved to the set of stairs and booked it up them. That part of the home was blocked off, the guide explained that parts of it were very old and dangerous for people to walk around but Lily knew she had to get up there, that gut feeling was talking to her again.

There wasn't much to the home, the living area downstairs seemed to be the biggest part of the home. There were only a few rooms upstairs and the first couple of rooms she'd gone into looked like bedrooms, simple and nothing much to them. When she got to the last room, Lily assumed it had to be some kind of studio with the state of the room. There were tattered canvases, and wooden easels rotting away on the floor and against the walls; clearly, this wasn't meant to be seen by any tour group, they probably would've spruced it up to make it look like it used to.

Lily walked into the room and closed her eyes, trying to picture what this room once looked like. During her research on herself, Lily had dived more into what Leonardo had painted in his glory days. Everything she saw was beautiful, one painting after the other and they just got better. She felt so moved by everything saw and not to sound too self-centered, but she kept reverting to the painting that was a spitting image of her. The painting made her look like a goddess, ethereal and magical like she was a figment of his imagination come to life on canvas.

She was so immersed in her daydreams that she hadn't heard someone coming down the hall.

"Well, this isn't part of the tour."

Lily jumped, hands held up to defend herself against whoever snuck up on her. While she was expecting the tour guide to have heard or seen her sneak away, the man in front of her was a complete stranger. He stood with his hands in the air, signaling he means her no harm, "Don't worry, I won't rat you out to the tour guide."

She was still skeptical of him and her body language conveyed that much. He lowered his hands and took a step forward into the room, causing Lily to take a step back. She eyed him up and down, "Who are you? Are you part of the tour group?"

The man placed his arms behind his back, shrugging, "Yes and no," He stepped further into the room and began circling the room slowly, "I wasn't there when the group left but I arrived with them here."

Realization dawned on Lily, "You were the shadow I saw outside."

He nodded, "Well shadow is a nickname, really, you can call me Matthew Tallum."

Lily felt less on edge but she still wasn't sure of him, "What are you up here for?"

Matthew stopped in his tracks, the two now traded places in the room, "For you, of course."

Her wall went back up and the confusion was evident on her face, "Me? What do you need with me?"

He smiled lightly and shook his head, "No need to worry, I'm here to help you, Naluma."

Lily tilted her head to the side slightly as the confusion only grew, "Wh-That's the name of the painting from the antique shop."

Matthew nodded, "That is true, darling, because he named the painting after you." Lily was still confused by the lack of explanation and Matthew could tell. "Let me take you somewhere in the city, something to eat and drink, and I'll explain everything." He placed his right hand over his heart and bowed, "You have my word."

Lily had no way of knowing how he knew about the painting other than the assumption that he'd been following her but her gut led her upstairs, she knew she was going to get answers, and here they were being delivered on a silver platter. She needed to know more, had to and she wasn't going to turn back now after coming this far. She nodded her head at him, "Fine, I'll go with you but we'll have to sneak out of here so no one will notice."

He chuckled at her and shook his head, "Oh, that won't be necessary." Matthew headed for the door, stopping short to allow Lily to leave first, "After you."

Lily eyed him as she turned and walked out of the room, Matthew trailing behind her. The two of them walked down the stairs and Lily's steps slowed as she came upon the scene in front of her; every single person from the tour was frozen where they stood. Just as if someone hit pause. Lily looked back as Matthew came up behind her; he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, they're just stuck in time. As soon as we leave, they'll carry on as if nothing happened."

Lily nodded at him, casting glances at the people as they made their way down the rest of the stairs. As they stepped outside, Matthew waved his hand around and a portal appeared in front of them. The streets of Florence were visible and Lily was absolutely floored by what was in front of her. Matthew stepped forward through the portal and held his hand out to Lily; without a word, Lily took his hand and stepped through the portal, making it close instantly behind her.

Tavolini - Florence, Italy

Matthew ended up taking Lily to a small coffee shop with a bakery right next door. Lily hadn't even realized how hungry she was until that moment; she was so nervous on the plane ride over, that she didn't even think about eating. She lost count of the number of pastries she ate and the coffee was so warm and delicious, like a dessert in a cup.

Matthew sat across from her, amused by her reaction and letting her be as she ate and drank. Lily realized she'd been wolfing down the food and he was just sitting across from her, causing her to slow her eating and wiping her face with a napkin, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I'd be so hungry."

He waved her off, "Please, it's nothing. Just want to make sure you're fed and taken care of."

Lily nodded, placing her hands in her lap, "That's what I'm not getting, why are you helping me and how do you know me?"

Matthew leaned forward in his seat and clasped his hands together as he placed them on the table, "You and I are the same, darling, we come from the same place."

She was confused because she only knows her life in Nova Scotia and nothing more so how could they come from the same place? "And what exactly are we?"

He smiled, "We are Eternals. Near-immortal synthetic beings created by the Celestials. We came to Earth to protect and help evolve sentient lifeforms; how humans have evolved over the decades is due to the involvement of Eternals."

Lily scooted closer as she spoke, "So there's more of us?"

Matthew's face turned grim, "There were, creatures called Deviants wiped them out. I truly thought they were long gone and I was alone here until a video of you went viral."

She nodded along as he spoke, "So that's how you found me?"

Matthew nodded, "That's how I started my search. One of my skills is a tracker, I can find anyone, anywhere in the world. Of course the task can prove to be difficult if the scent or trace isn't fresh but not an impossible task."

Lily was on the edge of her seat, listening to Matthew explain who she was, "If you and I are the same, do you know where I was before the video? I can't remember anything before waking up on the ice no matter how hard I try."

He smiled at her, "That's the beauty of being immortal," Matthew gestured around them, "We have seen everything and traveled everywhere throughout centuries of celebrations, achievements, and excitement." He placed his hands back on the table, "Though the only hitch is you don't remember any of that. I can only guess something traumatic happened to you that might've blocked those memories."

Lily nodded, "That's what the doctor had told me; she didn't know if I ever would remember what happened to me before waking up."

Matthew placed a hand over hers, "That's alright. A gift I have is the ability to peak into the minds of others. I might be able to navigate around the walls of the trauma you'd gone through to figure out what had happened, if you'd like."

She nodded quickly, "Yes, please."

Matthew smiled at her, patting her hand, "Of course. Let's get you another coffee and something sweet and well get started, okay?"

Lily nodded at the man and watched as he rose from his seat and went inside the cafe. Her eyes were on him when she felt a hand grab her arm and a woman's voice in her ear, "You need to come with me now."

She tried to look at the woman but the girl was quick to stop her, "Don't turn around. Trust me, that man is not who he says he is and you are in danger. Move quickly and follow me."

Lily wasn't believing what she was hearing; this man had shown her kindness as Henri had and who was she to deny it or not believe and trust in it? She was on the fence about getting up until the woman said something that froze her in her seat.

"I can tell you about the man from your dreams."

She was shocked. She had said nothing about the dreams she'd been having of a mysterious man with dark hair and blue eyes, not even to Henri. Lily felt that was all the proof she needed and in a flash, she scooped up her bag and turned to face a dark-haired woman with a scarf over her head. No other words were exchanged as she and this unknown woman quickly left the table and sprinted away from the shop.

Matthew, holding a coffee in a hand, made his way outside only to find the table empty. There was confusion and fury in his eyes as he got closer to the table; his eyes searched frantically around to catch a glimpse to see where Lily would have gone but to no avail, she was no longer in sight. A breeze blew and he caught a whiff of a light, floral scent; with his eyes closed, Matthew breathed in and let out a chuckle, "Oh, Psyche, you are truly a thorn in my side."

Lily and the mystery woman ran through the streets of Florence so quickly that Lily couldn't even look behind them. She was practically out of breath before they turned down a dead-end alleyway. Lily stopped short trying to catch her breath as the woman kept walking. She glanced up at the woman, still panting, "Why did, why did we have to run? Who are you? Why am I in danger?"

The woman turned around as she placed a hand on the wall. Light emitted through the cracks of the brick before shuffling and moving to open a doorway. She turned completely around to face Lily as an open field could be seen behind her, a field of lavender that resembled the one from her dreams, "All of your questions will be answered, but there's someone who wants to speak to you first."

Lily's mouth was dropped in shock, her mind racing with questions that only grew the longer she stood there. The woman held a hand out to Lily, "You can trust me." This was the second time a helping hand was offered to her and unlike before, blinding trusting the words of a stranger, Lily listened to her gut and her heart and both felt the tug of the field calling to her. She walked forward, taking the woman's hand, and together the two of them walked through the doorway. As they stepped all the way through, the bricks rumbled and moved back into place, sealing the doorway as if nothing had happened.

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fandomficticn · 3 years ago

Text

Peaches (e.m.)

Request: Yes/No

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC!Veronica Lyons

Characters: Eddie Munson

Word Count: 2844 words

Summary: Eddie feels a little insecure when he realizes he doesn’t have one of those cute names for his girlfriend and makes it his mission to find the perfect one.

Warnings: mentions of sex, alludes to sexual activity

A/N: I have discovered a new love watching the new season of stranger things and this little diddy was born. I don’t know if I’m gonna continue with this OC but I do have an idea for a different OC with a different imagine and/or series so keep your eyes peeled!

"Sweetie?"

"No."

"Honey?"

"Fail on that."

"Uh...cutie pie?"

"Seriously? Do I look like I would be a cutie pie?"

The look Veronica Lyons gave her boyfriend Eddie Munson was a mixture of disbelief and faux anger. He had been at this game for almost half an hour, racking his brain for any cute pet name he could think of. It all started when Eddie and Veronica were walking down the halls and while she was laying out potential date plans for the two of them but Eddie's mind wandered as he spotted the different couples loitering by lockers.

He could hear the cute nicknames they had for each other, someone that Veronica called him, but the names the guys had for their girlfriends were what caught his attention. The realization hit him that he, Eddie Munson, did not have a nickname for his own girlfriend.

She called him an array of nicknames like Eds, Bubs, Bubba, and behind some closed doors, Pretty Boy. That one was his favorite and a name only shared between the two of them. He wanted to have a name for her that only he called her, like a private joke just between the two of them. He was so distracted by this that he hadn't even realized that Veronica had stopped talking or walking for that matter until he felt a tug on his hand.

Eddie glanced back at his girlfriend and the look of confusion on his face made her laugh lightly. Man, did he love the sound of her laugh.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Eds?"

He couldn't stop the warm smile that grew on his face as he shook his head at her, "Nothing, nothing, just mind on the next campaign." He pulled her closer, bringing her hand and kissing the back of her hand, "Come on, you're gonna be late to class." Eddie might not be full force into caring about school but he knows it's important to Veronica and whatever's important to her is important to him.

She could tell there was still something on his mind and a good part of her didn't believe it had anything to do with D&D. The two of them shared two classes together before sharing their lunch period; well, it was her lunch period originally and he may have made some changes to his schedule so their lunches lined up. Veronica was heading towards the self-proclaimed "Hellfire Table" when she spotted the same deep in thought look on her boyfriend's face.

She honestly had never seen him that deep in thought before except for the time he ask her out and he was trying to figure out how to word everything on the fly since he stopped her right as she was getting on her bus. Veronica knew her gut was right earlier and she was determined to figure out what had his mind so distracted.

Eddie remained lost in thought until snapping out of his daze at the sound of Veronica setting her tray down on the table. He smile at her as she sat down, resuming his eating as if he wasn't just staring into space, "Hey, took you long enough."

Veronica scoffed and shook her head, "Cut the crap, Munson." Eddie gave her a confused look, much like the one he had on his face earlier but before he could question her, Veronica beat him to the punch, "Something is on your mind, something was on your mind this morning and I firmly believe that this 'something' has nothing to do with your next campaign. Spill it."

Eddie chuckled nervously and shook his head, "Ronnie, I told you this morning that it's nothing."

She rolled her eyes, picking up a fry and throwing it at his face. "You can lie to your little hellfire club all the time but you can't lie to me." Veronica sighed, "C'mon, is this like a secret you can't tell me or something?"

Eddie felt crushed at the look on her face, knowing that his non-communication was the cause of it. He reached out and took her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles while giving her a reassuring smile, "Ronnie, you know there is nothing I wouldn't tell you."

Veronica squeezed his hand back, "Yeah, I know that so what's going on?"

He sighed, "It's stupid and silly..."

"Hey," Veronica reached for his other hand, prompting Eddie to look her in the eye, "Nothing you say is stupid or silly to me. What's up?"

Eddie took a breath before speaking, "I just heard all the couples in the hall calling each other like these cute nicknames and it made me realize that we don't have that."

Veronica scoffed and shook her head, "What are you talking about? I call you all kinds of cute names."

He nodded, "Yeah, you do but I don't."

Veronica thought about it, "But you call me 'Ronnie'."

Eddie shook his head, "No, everyone calls you 'Ronnie', I want something that only I get to call you. Something that's like just us, you know like..." He made the gesture to allude to what they both know she calls him when no one's around.

Veronica could easily tell where he was going with it and the fact he wouldn't say it made her smirk. She leaned forward and spoke under her breath so only he heard her, "You mean when I call you my pretty boy?"

It was almost like in a blink of an eye Eddie's cheeks started turning a shade of pink, a smile creeping on his face. He took one of his hands and ran his fingers through his hair, "Shut up..."

She giggled at his reaction, "Relax bubs, no one heard." She moved some of her hair behind her ear, "So, you got any ideas for a cute nickname for me?"

An excited glimmer appeared in his eyes at her question, "I may have some ideas."

Veronica giggled and nodded, "Alright, bring it on, rockstar."

Thus their date plans that night and the next few nights consisted of Eddie going through a list of nicknames a lot longer than Veronica anticipated. They figured out that they weren't the babe/baby type people, bubs and bubba seem more fitting for just Eddie, and the whole sweetie, sweetheart, and sweet pea triangle was not their vibe.

Though there were some rejections, they did come to an agreement about one nickname while spending a night at Eddie's. They were supposed to go out but Veronica didn't feel up to going out anymore so they decided to stay in and bake. Well, Veronica was the one doing the baking since it was a hobby of hers and Eddie was the perfect taste tester.

Veronica was in the kitchen, laying out all the supplies she brought over with her and bopping along to one of Eddie's records she'd gifted him.

The man himself made his way into the kitchen, hopping up onto the counter as he watched her work, "So what is the theme for tonight, Ms. Baker?"

She laughed as she stood to the side to showcase what she brought, "Well, it was going to be a broad theme of fruit desserts but then I stumbled across fresh peaches and went a little overboard with them. To sum up, tonight's theme is peaches."

He laughed at his girlfriend, shaking his head at her, "What is with your obsession with peaches?"

She scoffed, "It's not an obsession, but a deep love and appreciation for the best fruit ever." She turned to grab one of the jars from the counter, opening it and popping a peach slice in her mouth, "Seriously, nothing else compares to peaches."

Veronica turned her back on Eddie as she began to get the prep work started so she missed the look on his face. He couldn't believe he missed it. You had this love for peaches for as long as he's known you and it wasn't something you hid; hell, everyone knew about it to the point of getting you peach-themed gifts for your birthday. How could he have missed that?

Eddie hopped down from the counter with a joyous look on his face; the contact his feet made to the floor had Veronica turning around concerned until she saw the look on his face. She couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out, more confused than concerned, "What, did your foot fall asleep or something?"

Eddie chuckled and shook his head, "No, no, no! I just figured out your nickname!" Veronica smiled and nodded for him to continue, "Peaches," Eddie said, hands in a "ta-da" motion, waiting for her reaction.

Her face lit up instantly, a wide smile on her face, "Yeah, I like that!"

Eddie clapped his hands together, jumping up and down, "I knew I would get it!"

Veronica smiled at her boyfriend, happy to see the smile on his face after the series of frustrating frowns from previously rejected nicknames, "I knew you had it in you, bubs."

He had a bashful look on his face as he ended his celebratory jumping, shuffling to where she leaned against the counter. Eddie placed his hands on her waist, placing a kiss on her forehead before moving his head to the crook of her neck, "My peaches," He mumbled into her skin.

She smiled up and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, "My pretty boy."

Eddie shot up and playfully glared at her, "Not fair! You can't call me that and still get me all tomato faced, I have to have one for you too!"

Veronica shook her head at her silly boyfriend, "Relax, bubs. I won't get you all riled up if that's what you want."

"No," He shook his head, pointing a finger at her, "I'm gonna figure this out and for once you're gonna be the one all red in the face."

Veronica chuckled and kissed the tip of his finger, "Okay, Eds, whatever you say." She turned in his arms and continued setting everything up to start baking.

Eddie was sure he could figure this out, it had to come to him like peaches did. All he had to do was think back.

It had been only a couple of days since the birth of Veronica's new nickname; if the other members of the Hellfire Club didn't already think the couple was sickenly sweet then hearing Eddie call Veronica "peaches" or "peach" was surely confirming that fact. And since that night, Veronica could tell the gears were really turning in Eddie's head as he tried to think of a nickname that was gonna get her all flustered like she gets him.

Initially, it was tricky for Eddie because Veronica was a little more dominant than he was, not that he was complaining about that. If he could, he'd have a series of photos commissioned of Veronica in her element when she got in her dominant moods.

Though Veronica was dominant majority of the time, there were times that Eddie had the upper hand and those were the times he had to focus on. He had to really think and not get distracted reminiscing on those moments and it only took until those couple of days after figuring out the first nickname before Eddie realized what would work on Veronica.

And Veronica could tell from the look on Eddie's face when he met her at her locker.

Eddie was walking with this pep in his step, almost a cocky swagger, and the look on his face was equally cocky. He strutted up to her locker and leaned his shoulder against the neighboring one, trying to play off the cockiness as if he was totally chill.

Veronica chuckled at his demeanor and shook her head, exchanging some books out of her locker, "What's gotten in your pants there, bubs? Looking awfully cocky right now."

Eddie shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, "Oh, nothing really...just figured out what gets you all hot and bothered."

She turned to him and swatted his shoulder, "Alright, loud mouth, let everyone hear about our sex life."

There were a couple of looks given by other students passing by but none zeroed in on the conversation. Eddie chuckled and shook his head, "Relax, peaches, I won't go spilling the beans to everyone in earshot but I just thought you should know I figured it out." He said, still looking smug.

Veronica eyed him, searching to see if he was telling the truth or just yanking her chain, "You sure about that?"

"Oh, I'm so sure about it that I figured out not one, but two pet names." He stepped forward, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, "For when you're in charge and when I'm in charge."

The turn in the conversation was starting to ignite something inside Veronica and she was starting to get the all too familiar itch. The bell rang out and everyone made a rush to get to class; lucky for the two of them, Veronica had a free period and Eddie was supposed to be in study hall. The hallways cleared out until there was only them.

She continued to eye him as he backed away still looking as cocky as ever, "Alright, bubs, since you sound so confident. Let's hear 'em." She said as she closed her locker.

Eddie raised his eyebrows at her, "You sure you wanna hear them? I'm not responsible for any reactions or actions you can't control."

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Oh, come off it, I've got more control than you do."

He beamed at her, his smile almost saying 'I know something you don't' which made her more skeptical than she already was, "I'm so glad you said that. Remember that."

Eddie dropped his arms from his chest, moving them behind his back as he started pacing in front of Veronica, "Like I said, there's two pet names, one for when you're in charge and one for when I'm in charge." Veronica nodded for him to continue, "Will start with the one for when you're in charge."

Veronica crossed her arms and nodded, "Okay, continue."

Eddie walked towards her until they were toe to toe, placing his hand on her waist, "Since you like to call me your pretty boy," He said as he looked down at their feet, "I thought calling you mistress would be fitting." He finished, looking into her eyes.

The look on Veronica's face was going to be committed to Eddie's memory until the end of time. She'd bit her lip, took one of her hands, and gripped his jean vest, "Now, that," She said as she tugged him closer to her, "That sounds like something I can get on board with." She said as she looked into his eyes.

He smirked and nodded, "Yeah, I thought you would."

Veronica mirrored his smirk, "So what's the other one?"

Eddie raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, "Oh, you wanna know what it'll be like when I'm in charge?" Veronica nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Well, tell me how you feel about..." He was purposely dragging it out and she knew it.

Veronica smacked his chest, laughing slightly, "Eddie, quit stalling!"

He laughed and nodded, "Alright, alright, so impatient, princess."

It was almost comical how one word could make Veronica speechless, the same person that went on a wild 20-minute rant on why pickles were the best invention. Eddie could see the effect the word had over her and he couldn't not continue to pull at that thread, "What's the matter, princess, cat got your tongue?"

The same red that would grace Eddie's face when she would tease him. Oh, he was gonna have some fun with this.

Veronica said nothing as she grabbed his wrist, and looked both ways down the hall before dragging him along behind her.

Eddie chuckled but continued to follow along, "You gonna say something, Ronnie?"

Veronica glanced behind her before turning her head and facing forward, "Zip it, Munson. You started this."

Eddie scoffed, "Started what?" She stopped once she reached their destination and Eddie had his signature look of confusion, "What?" He said, looking at her.

Veronica stepped in front of him and gestured behind her to the women's bathroom, "Get in the bathroom, Munson."

He laughed, still not understanding what she was hinting at, "What, why?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed open the door, "Get in the bathroom so you can finish what you started, pretty boy."

It was like a lightbulb went off in his brain and Eddie started scrambling, patting his whole body trying to figure out where the condom was. Once he located it in his pocket, he walked forward and held the door open himself, "After you, princess."

Veronica walked in but not before turning around and grabbing him by his collar, yanking him into the bathroom. Without a doubt, there were sure to be consequences for this, plus skipping first period but neither of them could really find a single care in the world.

🏷️ tag list;;

@bamfkurt, @readingslumpfanfic, @gvthic-gvrl, @mamallama613, @theranger50, @princess-of-the-fandoms, @mini-ranger, @smileofthesun27

if you want to be added to the tag list of your favorite fandom(s), click here

if you notice your blog is struck through, please refer to this post here

#stranger things #stranger things imagine #eddie munson #eddie munson imagine #imagine

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fandomficticn · 3 years ago

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Aww, I’m blushing!! This is really the first time someone has said this about my writing and it truly warms my heart!!!

THE LAST HOPE SYNOPSIS: She was never supposed to be needed. The Celestials created Naluma as a last resort; if all else failed, she would be the one to save mankind. Hoping that such a time would never occur, Naluma remained dormient and Lily Shorne was born, living a normal life on Earth with no knowledge of who she actually is or the power she has. When the world is put in jeopardy once more, the Eternals must find Naluma before it’s too late and all of humanity is lost.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: this story will start the same as the movie but everything else is completely separate from what happens in the movie. as of 11/15/21 i’ve added two new characters, digit (my oc) and eros. as of 12/2/21, i’ve added a new character, psyche (my oc) based on the greek myth. As of 1/13/22, this story is being published on wattpad.

CAST

anna siwai as lily shorne / naluma

douglas booth as matthew tallum / zeren

aimee garcia as digit

barry keoghan as druig

salma hayek as ajak

richard madden as ikaris

gemma chan as sersi

kumail nanjiani as kingo

lia mchugh as sprite

bryan tyree henry as phastos

lauren ridloff as makkari

don lee as gilgamesh

angelina jolie as thena

harry styles as eros

emma dumont as psyche

CHAPTERS

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

MOODBOARDS

Lily Shorne / Naluma

Matthew Tallum / Zeren

Digit

Psyche

Druig and Naluma ( coming soon )

Eros ( coming soon )

Eros and Psyche ( coming soon )

🏷️ tag list;;

@carlsonione32, @juliette151, @deaderra, @kit-aislinn, @ebonyrabbit, @torioshorio, @wanderingxmuses, @dragonqueen4205, @awmileven, @avengerquake123, @zaddyraeken, @unabashedly-bi, @insert-username-right-here, @bumblebeesbestknees, @0–smolbean–0, @febecmanns, @deepcollectionmagazine, @attackonjacksons, @jujugatinha, @jovialkryptonitewolf, @carriedbrass36, @ceccille, @ocfairygodmother, @hellzbellzz18, @omgnctchina, @beelee9109, @eliana-shilan, @summerly-03, @giedra4real, @pascal124, @dancingwourhandstied, @baby-bree-74, @younevermakeitasafollower, @dovesandorchids, @jovialkryptonitewolf, @kyla-queen, @findinglilsblog, @viktoriaeke, @iftaylorswiftcanthensocani, @cloudparadox, @abmariexo, @bookishluvlove, @n1ghtlux, @bouncy0309, @patatas-things, @edithbeck,@jurassicobsessor, @downtheally, @captainofthemaze, @she-wintersoldat, @androgynousslimemakerstudent, @peopleralunique, @electrapetrova,

if you want to be added to the tag list for this story, shoot me a message here or like this post

if you notice your blog is struck through, please refer to this post here

#fanfic: the last hope

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fandomficticn · 3 years ago

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author announcement

i forgot this in my last announcement but i will be rolling out themed prompt months!

each month will be dedicated to a writing concept like alternate universes or halloween prompts. below is what each month will be centered around:

january: jingles january - song/lyric prompts

february: love it in the air - romance prompts

march: meet-cute march - meet-cute prompts

april: affections of april - casual affection prompts

may: it’s gonna be mermay - mermaid/merman prompts

june: mcu madness - au prompts

july: dceu madness - au prompts

august: au august - alternative universe prompts

september: fall into september - fall prompts

october: spooktober - halloween prompts

november: no simple love november - enemies to lovers prompts

december: deck the halls december - winter/christmas prompts

what this means is that non-requested writings will be for what is listed above and a schedule of the month will be posted with each day dedicated to a character and a concept. on the last day of the month, next month’s schedule will be posted to get a preview of what’s to come. this will be a yearly thing and some of the months might feature a specific fandom from my fandom list and it will be random!

requests can still be made at any time regardless of whether or not it’s for the themed writing or not. any character from my fandom list or any fandom can be requested for any of the months!

reminders!!

i do not feel comfortable writing smut so don’t expect it

writings will star an oc of my creation

requests can be made for continuations of a writing from any prompts

#author announcement

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fandomficticn · 3 years ago

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The Last Hope - Chapter O3

THE LAST HOPE Masterlist

Word Count: 7020 words

Warnings: eternals spoilers, death mention, mild gore

A/N: y’all, i am so sorry about this being ever so late. i was dealing with school and then i was also in the process of moving and then school stuff again. ugh, either way, i’ve been thinking about this story the entire time, even have things mapped out for future chapters! i can’t wait for you to see how things unfold!!

South Dakota - Ajak’s Home

Sersi and Dane took a plane out to South Dakota but to get to Ajak’s house Sprite had told Sersi that it was located in practical isolation so they would have to drive the rest of the way. It had been a while since Sersi had seen Ajak, since Tenochtitlan, but she knew Sprite had been to Ajak’s home. Sersi wished she hadn’t waited till now with these circumstances to visit her.

As they drove down the long dirt road, Sersi’s eyes were trained on the house and she could easily make out the Prime Eternal standing out front. Though her eyes didn’t stay there for long. Both sets of eyes soon honed in on the sky as another figure flew from the clouds and landed next to Ajak.

“I thought you said Ajak lived alone?” Dane questioned.

Sersi let a breath, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter, “She does, that’s what Sprite told me."

Dane turned in his seat, sensing the change in Sersi’s tone, "What’s wrong? Do you know who that is?"

She nodded, "Ikaris."

He looked back at the then back to Sersi, "Ikaris? The Ikaris? Your pilot ex?” Dane sighed, sitting right in his seat, “I guess when you said he flies, you meant that literally."

She sighed as well, glancing in his direction before looking back to the road, the house now right in front of them, "Look, we are here for one thing. Ikaris can help, along with Ajak, but that is all we’re looking for here. Help.” Sersi placed a hand on Dane’s arm and smiled softly, “Okay?"

Dane sighed softly and nodded, "Okay. Okay, let’s ask for some help."

Sersi turned off the car and the two of them exited the car. Ajak had a bright smile on her face as she opened her arms to Sersi, "Oh Sersi, I can’t believe you’re here!” The Prime Eternal welcomed the brunette into her arms, hugging her like it was the last time she’d see her.

Sersi smiled softly as she hugged Ajak back just as tight, “I’m sorry I hadn’t made the time to visit before."

Ajak shook her head as she pulled back from the hug, hands still on Sersi’s arms, "Nonsense. You’re here now, that’s what matters.” Her attention now on Dane, a smile still on her face, “Sprite’s mentioned your friend here over the phone.” She moved from Sersi to stand in front of Dane, “It’s so lovely to meet you, I’m Ajak."

Dane smiled as he shook Ajak’s hand, "Dane. Sersi has spoken very highly of you."

"Spoken highly of all of us then?"

All attention turned to the Eternal who had been standing in the background, arms crossed as he observed silently. Sersi smiled politely and nodded at Ikaris, "I’m no storyteller but Sprite sure has been singing the praises of the great and mighty Eternals."

Ikaris smiled back at her, the feelings that had been buried between the two resurfacing with just a look. "Good to see you, Sersi."

Sersi nodded at him, "You look well, Ikaris."

Dane stepped forward, handheld out to Ikaris, "I’m Dane. Dane Whitman."

Ikaris glanced in Dane’s direction but made no move to shake his hand. He turned his attention back to Sersi, "What brings you two here?"

“We could be asking you the same thing,” Sersi knew from Sprite that Ajak lived on her own.

Ajak stepped around Sersi, a hand placed on her shoulder, as she moved to stand by Ikaris, “Ikaris visits from time to time to catch up on what’s new with each other. Sometimes he helps run supplies for me to the nearest town.” Her eyes studied Sersi’s face, seemingly knowing something was important about this impromptu visit, “There’s something troubling you, isn’t there?"

Sersi sighed, "I don’t know if you know about what’s been on the news but there’s a girl in Nova Scotia that has some eerily similar gifts as us."

Ajak shook her head and shrugged, "I haven’t watched anything recently. Ikaris?"

He shrugged, "I heard people talking in town but I wasn’t really listening."

Ajak clapped her hands, "Let’s take this inside, okay? You can tell us more about this."

Sersi, Ikaris, and Dane followed behind. Dane’s hands were clasped behind his back as he spoke, "It’s really more of a show, rather than a tell."

The same silence experienced after Phastos had watched the viral video was happening all the same after showing it to Ajak and Ikaris. The look on Ikaris’ face when the girl used the exact same powers as him was a look of astonishment; each Eternal was made to believe that they were the only ones with gifts like theirs and seeing someone being capable of what he can do was something he didn’t think he’d ever see. Ajak, on the other hand, didn’t look the least bit surprised. And Sersi noticed this, "You knew about her, didn’t you?"

All eyes turned to Ajak, who remained calm as she spoke, "Arishem spoke to me the day this attack happened. He said she was an abomination and that she is holding a secret that the Celestials needed."

Dane’s arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the kitchen table, "What do you mean by ‘abomination’?"

Ajak got up from her seat at the table as she spoke, "Arishem is the Celestial that we took our orders from, the Celestial that woke us, created us. The only one."

Ikaris spoke up, connecting the dots, "Another Celestial created her."

Ajak nodded and continued, "Her name was Madonna. She created the girl the same time we were woken up by Arishem. I thought I felt something on the Domo but I put my focus on our mission."

"Did Arishem tell you her name?” Sersi questioned.

“Naluma.” Ajak answered, “Arishem said that she is stronger than us, stronger than all of us combined. Capable of destroying us all with the secret she possesses."

Dane stood up straight, "What secret could she have that’s so dangerous? It can’t be her existence because I’m guessing with how powerful you all say these Celestials are, they would’ve done something to stop her before she went viral."

The Prime Eternal nodded again, "You’re right but Arishem wouldn’t tell me what the secret was. He said it wasn’t what was of importance, finding Naluma was."

Ikaris shrugged, "So is that what we’re supposed to do, find her?"

Ajak shook her head, she looked perplexed, "I don’t think we are meant to find her. It was like Arishem was warning me to warn us all about her, like she was here to hurt us.” She sighed, remembering her last time with Arishem, “He said that someone was sent to retrieve Naluma but if we were to find her or run into her first, we were to call for them."

Ikaris and Sersi exchanged mutual looks of confusion before Sersi spoke, "Them like the Celestials?"

Ajak wrapped her arms around herself as she shook her head once more, "No, I don’t think so. I think we are meant to call for the one looking for Naluma through Arishem."

Sersi could tell from Ajak’s body language that something was off, "What’s wrong, Ajak?"

The Prime Eternal shrugged and shook her head, "I don’t know why but the entire time Arishem spoke with me, it felt like the whole story wasn’t being told. Something was missing from what he said."

Sersi pressed her to continue, "Like what?"

Ajak sighed, "Arishem has the power to pull us from Earth without hesitation. If he knew who this girl was, why didn’t he just find her himself?"

Dane rose his hand, "Uh, I’m not too familiar with how these Celestials operate but if you’re saying this Celestial Madonna created Naluma when only one Celestial can, it would be safe to assume that she was hoping to do this in secret?” They all nodded as he continued, “Then it can also be assumed that Madonna either told Naluma this secret or gave her something secret before sending her here. By that logic, Madonna probably hid Naluma so Arishem couldn’t find her, hence this other person sent to retrieve her.” Dane crossed his arms over his chest, “Honestly, I don’t think this person is here to retrieve Naluma, it sounds more like they’re here to hunt her."

Sersi thought over Dane’s words, "If Arishem is looking for Naluma, even going as far as to send a hunter after her, whatever she knows must be something huge. Not to us, but to the Celestials."

Ikaris shrugged, "How are we supposed to figure out what’s so important to them?” He turned to Ajak, “You’ve worked with Arishem for millennia, what could be so important to the Celestials that they’d hunt one of us down?"

Ajak shrugged, "I don’t know but whatever it is, Arishem was not keen to share but I think I know someone who might know.” The others looked at her as they waited for her to continue, “I worked with Arishem for a long time but the Celestials had this pull to Thena. She might remember something."

Sersi nodded, "Last I heard, she and Gilgamesh were living in Australia; he’s been looking after her like he said he would when we all separated.” She fished out her phone from her pocket, “I’m going to call Sprite and let them know our next step and see if they’ve learned anything."

Digby, Nova Scotia

Druig and Sprite stepped off the plane and headed straight for the town. They didn’t need to beat around the bush or linger about. They weren’t just worried about finding the girl but also that Deviant that attacked the town. Was it the only one? Were there more hiding that they didn’t know about? Sprite assumed that if the girl had run into the Deviant before it had reached the town then maybe she could tell them where it had come from.

They started in town, asking around if they had seen the girl recently and none of them could say where she was. A store owner who had been present during the attack had said that he thought he saw the girl once go to the local clinic. The duo headed for the clinic and as they crossed the threshold, Sprite cast an illusion that made her and Druig look like two detectives.

Sprite walked up first and flashed her badge at the receptionist, "Can we speaker to whoever’s in charge of this clinic?"

The receptionist nodded quickly and picked up her phone, speaking in a hushed whisper before hanging up, "Dr. Charter will be right with you."

The duo nodded and stood off to the side. Druig glanced down at himself and scoffed, "Detectives?"

Sprite shrugged, "It’s easier to be detectives, asking the questions that we’re gonna ask, than being ourselves and explaining why we’re so nosy."

Druig shoved his hands in his pockets, "I could’ve just wiped the good doctor’s memories of us or better yet, made her tell us what she knows."

Sprite shook her head, "I think you’ve done enough of that."

Before Druig could fire back, a woman in her 40s came to the front with a smile on her face, "Hi, I’m Dr. Charter. How can I help you detectives?"

Druig stepped forward, "We just have a few questions about the attack that happened here. Some locals say the girl from the video has been to this clinic before?"

Dr. Charter nodded before opening the door she’d just walked through, "Let’s go to my office.” She held the door open for the two “detectives” before gesturing to the end of the hall, “My office is at the end and to the right."

As they walked into the office, Dr. Charter walked around to stand behind her desk, gesturing to the seats in front of her, "Please sit.” They sat down and the doctor placed her clasped hands on her desk, “So, what questions do you have?"

Sprite reached into her jacket and pulled out a photo of the girl, "Do you recognize this girl?"

The doctor took the photo and nodded as she looked at it, "Of course, her name is Lily. Although that wasn’t the case when she first arrived here to Digby."

Druig furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

Dr. Charter sighed, "Lily was brought here about a year ago. She had only a tank top and short on and with the weather, she should’ve frozen to death but the man that found her said she was as warm as any person would normally be.” She handed the photo back, “She couldn’t remember anything, her name or where she was from. I deduced that some kind of traumatic event caused her to repress whatever happened to her. There were no physical signs of any injuries so I finished my exam of her and Henri left with her."

Sprite leaned forward, "And who is Henri?"

The doctor sat up straight, "Oh, Henri Moreau. He’s a fisherman that lives on the outside of town. He was the one that found her outside his home on the frozen lake. It was weird though."

"What was?” Sprite questioned.

The doctor leaned back into her chair, “Well, Henri had told his customers that he was leaving on a trip to visit family in France and was supposed to be gone for some months. So when he showed up here, I figured he either cut his trip short or never left.” She shrugged. “When he showed up at the clinic, it had been three weeks since he was supposed to have left.”

The two Eternals exchanged looks before looking back at the doctor, Sprite speaking first, “Can you tell us exactly where Mr. Moreau lives?"

After getting directions from the doctor, Druig and Sprite rode in a cab to Henri’s home. After paying the driver, the duo eyed their surroundings; the house looked more like a deluxe shack than something found in a suburban neighborhood. From the piles of wood surrounding the shack, Druig guessed that Henri did a lot of construction, probably even built the shack for himself. Druig pointed to an open area, catching Sprite’s attention, "Probably the lake where he found Lily."

Sprite nodded, "I read up on Nova Scotia, the lakes freeze up and majority of the fisherman ice fish. The doctor said Henri found her on the lake, not in it.” She looked at Druig, “Lily could’ve been in the lake at one point, or even on it, and as it got warm, parts of the lake could’ve thawed and revealed her to the surface."

Druig nodded in agreement before heading for the shack, Sprite following behind him. They opened the door to the shack and were met with silence. Not a sound of anything or anyone inside. They split up and looked around to see if they could find anything; Druig found where Henri slept, noticing the bed looked slightly disturbed, and Sprite found what must have been where Lily was sleeping, it didn’t look like the most comfortable place to sleep but if this place was built for one then Henri must’ve done what he could to make a place for her.

They met back in the living room and realized Lily might’ve been long gone. Sprite noticed that while Henri’s things were there, there wasn’t a trace of Lily except for the space Henri made for her. She sighed, "Lily must’ve left after the attack, either to get away from it or find answers.” She looked to Druig, “Do you think Henri went with her?"

Druig shook his head, "I don’t think so. If she took her things then he would’ve taken things too. It looks likes his stuff are still here, doesn’t look like he left on a trip. Plus if he was telling his customers he was leaving for France, he would’ve told them he was leaving again."

Sprite nodded in agreement and looked towards the backdoor, "Let’s look outside, maybe he’s a outdoorsy guy and he’s been out there the whole time."

The two made their way out to the back and found more of the piles of wood they saw earlier. There was an ax in a giant log, a pile of logs on one side, and a smaller pile of cut logs on the other. They split up again, going to opposite sides when there was an audible crunch under Sprite’s foot. She stopped in her tracks as Druig turned at the sound, walking over to where she was standing.

Sprite stepped back a little and bent down to where her foot had last been. She brushed away some of the snow on the ground and picked up something small and white, "What is it? A piece of wood?"

Druig bent down next to her and shook his head, taking the item out of her hand, "Actually, I think it’s a bone."

Sprite looked shocked as she rubbed her hands over her pants, trying to rub the "bone germs” from her hands, “Oh gross, like an animal bone?"

Druig shrugged, "I don’t know, maybe.” He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach as he dropped the small bone and used both his hands to brush more snow away, revealing sections of various bones but it was clear it wasn’t an animal.

Sprite gasped and stood up quickly, standing back from the bones, “Oh, my god, a body? A human body? Do you think it’s-” Her words were cut short when she tripped over something in the snow. Her hands took the brunt of her fall and as she flexed her fingers, she felt the snow but also something cold that wasn’t the ground. Sprite looked to her right and brushed away some of the snow but what she saw made her jump up like she was on fire, a scream and sounds of disgust emitting from her lips.

Druig turned as soon as Sprite had tripped and stepped closer as she’d screamed, Sprite herself taking refuge behind Druig. Down at his feet was what looked like a rubber suit, a very real rubber suit, but from the photos he’d seen from down at the docks of Henri, Druig knew this was not rubber. Buried in the snow was the skin of Henri Moreau.

The fact that there were bones buried not too far away, Druig assumed that Henri had been dead for a long time and whoever was with Lily all this time was using Henri’s skin in some fashion to be him. Druig moved Sprite inside the shack and out the front door. As soon as they reached out front, Sprite’s phone started to ring.

She pulled it out of her pocket and saw who was calling, “It’s Sersi.” She was still visibly upset by what she saw and was shaking so Druig took the phone from her.

He put the phone to his ear, “Sersi."

"Druig? Where’s Sprite?"

He glanced at the young Eternal, "She’s a bit shaken right now. Kind of made a gross discovery."

"What do you mean, what happened? Is she okay?"

"She’ll be fine. We found out from a local doctor that the girl’s name is Lily and she’s been living here for about a year with a guy named Henri, some local fisherman."

"So you found her?"

Druig shook his head, "No, we showed up to Henri’s house and it looks like she isn’t living here anymore."

"What about the man with her?"

"That’s where the gross part comes in.” Druig took a breath, “We searched the house and he wasn’t inside so we figured he might be out fishing or something. We were looking around when Sprite stepped on something."

"Something?"

"Yeah,” Druig sighed, “Henri. His bones were buried in the back and there was something else."

"What else, Druig?” Ikaris’ voice came through the call, slight irritation and impatience in his voice. He must’ve been on speaker.

“Ikaris, lovely to hear from you again.” Druig rolled his eyes and went back on topic, “Henri’s skin. It seems that Henri has been dead from sometime, probably at least a year, and whoever everyone has been seeing over town as Henri, whoever has been housing Lily, was using his skin as a disguise."

"We think we might have an idea who that is.” Sersi spoke.

There was shuffling over the line before Ajak spoke, “Hello Druig. As I explained to the others, Arishem spoke to me the day this attack happened, warned me about the dangers of this girl but he told me her name is Naluma, not Lily."

Druig nodded as Sprite moved closer to him, having put the phone on speaker as Ajak spoke, "Lily must be a name she or Henri picked because the doctor we spoke to said that when Henri first brought her in, she had no idea who she was or where she’d come from.” Sprite said.

“It’s possible that until the day of the attack,” Sersi started, “She didn’t even know what she was capable of. Probably doesn’t even know what she is or the secret she has.”

Sprite and Druig looked at each other in confusion. “What secret?” Druig asked.

“Ajak says that Arishem told her that Naluma carries a secret that the Celestials need,” Ikaris explained, “She wasn’t created by Arishem but another Celestial, Madonna, and is an abomination because of that. Arishem sent a hunter to retrieve Naluma and whatever secret this is."

Druig connected the dots, "That’s probably who was walking around as Henri."

“I would imagine that this hunter that was impersonating Henri is a dangerous individual,” Ajak said, “We cannot underestimate what they will do to get to Naluma. He clearly isn’t against harming innocent humans.”

"Thena had a pull with the Celestials, a different bond than Ajak,” Sersi spoke next, “She might know what this secret is so we were gonna head to Australia to talk with her."

Sprite took the phone in her hand, "Do you want us to meet you there?"

"No,” Sersi said, “Go back to Chicago and find Digit. If Naluma’s not in Nova Scotia then Digit can find her again."

The duo nodded at each other before Sprite spoke into the phone again, telling Sersi to stay safe and keep them updated with Sersi telling them to do the same. Sprite hung up the phone and pocketed it before looking at Druig, who had his hands stuffed in his pockets.

He shrugged, "Think Phastos will help us again?"

Chicago - Phastos’ Home

"I thought we were done here?” Phastos stood at the entrance of his home as he eyed Druig and Sprite, speaking in a hushed tone as to not alert his husband. He wasn’t keen on getting involved further in whatever the others were up to in an attempt to keep his family as far from it all as possible.

Druig’s hands were in his jacket pockets as he shrugged his shoulders, “This is reality, Phastos, did you think it was all going to just come together after one trip?"

Phastos pointed at Druig, "Seriously, this attitude of yours is zero help."

Druig rolled his eyes and his retort was on the tip of his tongue until Sprite stepped around him to put some space between the two, "Look, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t urgent but it turns out this girl is being hunted and she probably doesn’t even know why since she doesn’t remember who she is. If this girl is as dangerous as Arishem says she is, then a lot of people could get hurt."

"Not to mention whoever is hunting her,” Druig said, “They killed a fisherman that found her just to keep tabs on her."

"See, that’s what doesn’t make sense to me,” Phastos thought over their words, “If this hunter is after whatever secret that Naluma, Lily, or whatever her name is, why didn’t they just take her when they found her in Nova Scotia? Why even let her leave?"

Neither Sprite nor Druig thought about that and it was a good question. If what Arishem had told Ajak was true then the hunter should’ve grabbed Naluma a year ago, well before the attack even happened. So what was with the waiting?

"If this is all about the secret,” Sprite spoke, trying to put what pieces they had so far together, “Then it can’t be something she knows but something she has or something that Madonna hid that only Naluma knows the location to."

Druig nodded, finishing Sprite’s line of thinking, "And if that’s the case, and she can’t remember anything before a year ago, the hunter is gonna have to follow her in hopes she remembers and leads them to it."

Phastos sighed as he moved his glasses to the top of his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, "If this girl is supposed to be dangerous to us then why are we looking for her? Shouldn’t we just let the hunter do their job?"

Sprite spoke up, shaking her head, "This hunter killed an innocent man just to get close to Naluma, who knows what kind of harm can be done by actually looking for this secret."

Phastos sighed as he put his glasses back on, "Okay, okay, fine. I’ll send a message out to Digit; under her old circumstances, she used to change locations after finishing a job but with the police not being able to track her anymore, she still might be at her safe house."

"Phastos, get in here!"

The three Eternals heard Phastos’ husband call out and all three made their way inside where Ben was standing in the living in front of the tv. Phastos stood next to his husband and Druig and Sprite stood on either side of the couple. On the tv was a news report about two fires that happened within minutes of each other, both locations familiar with the Eternals.

"Oh, my god,” Phastos gripped Ben’s shoulder, “That’s the library where Digit used to work,” He said, pointing to one side of the screen, “And that’s where Digit’s safe house."

There was cause for alarm at this revelation, resulting in a stunned silence, and Ben was the first to speak, "I take it this is not a coincidence."

Druig shook his head, eyes on the screen, "Can’t be. The hunter killed the man that had found the girl we’re looking for and something tells me, they figured out that Digit was the one that tracked her down."

Sprite looked to Phastos, "Can you get that message to Digit? Maybe she wasn’t in her safe house, I doubt she went back to the library.” Phastos immediately pulled out his phone, “Digit gave me a number to call her if it’s an emergency, quicker than the cryptic way she has me usually contact her."

Before he could dial, the electricity in the house flickered before going out. Luckily Jack was at a friend’s house neither parent had to worry about checking in with their son. After a few seconds, static on the tv appeared before Digit’s smiling face appeared.

Phastos sighed in relief, "Oh thank gods, Digit, you’re okay."

She scoffed, "Barely. I did a bit more research on your mystery girl before I left to replenish my supplies at the safe house and when I got back, the whole thing was up in flames. Someone in the crowd said there was another fire at Get Book’d. Luckily no one was hurt there either."

Phastos shook his head, "Digit, I’m so sorry about the fire."

Digit shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders, "What are you sorry about? Unless you caused the fire."

Phastos adjusted his glasses, "Uh, not intentionally."

The confusion was evident on Digit’s face so Druig explained, "There is someone hunting Lily, the mystery girl, and we’re pretty sure they killed a man that had found her in Nova Scotia."

"And somehow, he figured out you had tracked her down and set the fires to stop you from looking.” Sprite finished.

Digit looked surprised and took a breath, “Well, okay, there’s an alien hunter after me now?"

"We’re not aliens.” Phastos said with exasperation in his tone.

The technopath waved her hand dismissively, “Alright, alright, 'Eternal hunter’. So what do I do now?"

The group thought in silence before Ben suggested something, speaking with a little raise of his hand, "Aren’t there security cams in the area?"

Digit nodded, "Yeah, I usually have to alter them when I come and go so I don’t get picked up on any of them.” Her eyes widened as she realized where he was going with this, “But this hunter could be on the cameras."

Sprite shook her head, "Why would they? Wouldn’t they just do the same thing as you and alter them?"

"Not necessarily,” Phastos spoke, “Not one of us has seen the hunter’s face and Digit’s the only one that could’ve hacked into the cams to find their face. By setting fire to the library and the safe house, the hunter was probably hoping to destroy any chance of us to identify them or Naluma."

Digit interjected, "Naluma?"

Druig sighed, "Naluma is her given name, Lily is the name she goes by here.” Digit gave a silent thumbs-up.

Phastos continued, “Anyway, Digit, see if you can find the hunter’s face and be careful; we don’t know how they found you but they did a better job than the police did."

Digit nodded, already typing as he spoke, "Oh, I’ve gone so far underground right now, more than I’ve ever been before.” Her eyes quickly scanned whatever screen was in front of her as she typed and not even two minutes later, a sequence of beeps emitted, “Got him."

Sprite placed her hands on her hips, ”'Him’?“

The screen changed from just showing Digit to a split-screen of her and the image of a man. It looked like he was standing across the street from the safe house and the library; for a minute or two he didn’t do anything until he tilted his head, waved his hand, and a red light emitted from his hands. Then in a flash, both buildings went up in flames.

Phastos shook his head, "I’ve never seen anything like that. When we use our powers, the color is gold and not red. If he’s an Eternal, he’s something different."

Druig remembered something Digit had said early, "Digit, what did you mean when you said you did more research on the girl?"

Digit smacked the top of her head lightly and scoffed, "Ha, right! Almost forgot about that.” She typed some more and then a series of images started to print out from the home office in Phastos’ home. Ben went over and retrieved the photos, handing them out to the rest of them. They were all photos of Lily but from different locations and clearly different times, “Your girl has been quite busy."

They all looked at the photos in disbelief; most were photos of artworks from different time periods and Lily wasn’t the center of them but she was clearly seen in the background. As time went on, technology advanced and a few photos were of camera footage of her.

One thing Sprite noticed was a lot of the artwork that she was the center of looked like the first one they’d seen. "Look at this,” She held the photo up, “It’s like the first one and there’s a lot of them like this. Could mean she was around Leonardo a lot."

Druig had a few like that in his stack as well and nodded at Sprite’s words, "Could be someone in Italy, a distant relative or someone, might know more. Speaking to the man himself could be difficult, don’t know what time he’s in."

Phastos put his hands up, "Hold on, back to the hunter finding Digit, however he did it, could mean he could find me through her.” He eyed Ben before continuing, “I need to keep my family safe."

Both Sprite and Druig nodded in understanding, Sprite offering a solution, "You guys could stay at Ajak’s home. It’s isolated and off-grid."

Ben nodded as he placed a hand on Phastos’ shoulder, the Eternal putting his own over top of it. "What’s next?"

Druig turned to the television, "Digit, can you find out where Lily is?"

The hacker scoffed as she started typing, "I am the best hacker in the world, better than anyone ever seen in movies. If you want to find this girl, I can do it no problem.” A few seconds later, she pulled up footage of an airport, “She left Nova Scotia entirely. Looks like she bought a one-way ticket to Florence, Italy; it’s a 12-hour flight and her flight left about 3 hours ago."

Druig looked to Sprite, "It’ll take us a day to get to Australia and another half to get to Italy; there’s no telling if Lily will stay in Italy or where the hunter is and how close he is to her."

Sprite shrugged, "It’s a chance we’ll have to take, we don’t have any other options."

Phastos snapped his fingers, "Kingo.” Druig and Sprite looked at him confused so he continued, “Kingo is in town doing some promo tour for his new movie. He has a private jet, pretty fast probably, could cut that time in half."

Digit gasped audibly, all eyes turning to her, "Kingo the Bollywood star?!” She clapped her hands and let out a squeal, “Oh, my god, I love his movies. If you’re gonna ride in his private jet then I’m so going to be there."

Phastos went to say something along the lines of a joke about her being underground until he heard the sound of a door opening and closing then footsteps coming from the basement. Digit turned the corner, backpack on and a bag of chips in hand, "So are we leaving now or what?” Digit questioned.

Each of them looked at her in astonishment but Phastos was the one that spoke, “Digit, have you been in my basement this whole time?"

She nodded at him as she ate a chip, "I remember you saying that your house is totally reinforced so I thought this was the safest place to be. Of course, this was before I realized I was being targeted."

Phastos muttered under his breath about Digit being unbelievable and Ben whispered calming words to him to ease the mood. Digit was only smiling as she continued to eat her chips.

Sprite spoke up, "Okay, let’s get moving.” She turned to Phastos and Ben, “We can get your son, wherever he is, and head to Kingo. If we can convince him to help, he could drop you guys off at Ajak’s before taking us to Thena."

Florence, Italy

As soon as the plane landed, Lily realized she had no plan, not even a clue as to where she could start. Following her hunch about the photo of her could be just that, a hunch; there’s a huge chance that it could mean nothing and she’s just in Italy for nothing. Henri was the only friend she had and it wasn’t until she left the airport that she realized she had no way of contacting him or anyone for that matter.

When she looked up where the photo had come from, it pulled up the image and name of an art studio but there was no address. She hoped if she asked around, someone would be able to point her in the right direction. She came up empty at the information desk at the airport but there was a street vendor outside the airport and on a whim, she asked him and he told her that he was familiar with the area and directed her to the heart of Florence where a tram could take her to the home of Leonardo da Vinci.

Lily took an airport shuttle into the center of Florence and was overwhelmed by everything she saw as she stepped off. There were more people here than in Digby and while everything was different and lively and new to her, it still felt like there was something familiar about the place like she had been there before.

Something inside her started guiding her through the city; coffee bars and little shops passed by her until she ended up at a hole-in-the-wall type shop. She hesitantly stepped through the door and felt a sense of easiness pass over her, like she had nothing to fear as she crossed the threshold. The walls were covered with paintings of all varieties. Watercolor, acrylics, and oil paintings, all of which left her speechless. Not even a single thought entered her mind but she wasn’t distressed by this feeling, she was at peace.

She was so wrapped up in the artwork that she hadn’t heard someone coming out from the back room.

"Ciao, sarò da te in un momento."

Lily turned to the voice and saw an older couple walk through the doorway, arms cradling what looked like scrolls or even rolled-up pieces of art. They had soft smiles on their faces and those smiles remained as they noticed the confused look on Lily’s face as she had no idea what the man had said to her. The woman sat what was in her arms down on the table before heading towards Lily, "Aldo, the poor girl is confused. She isn’t Italian!"

The man laughed alongside the woman as he arranged the items she had set down and the ones in his own arms. The woman had a big smile on her face as she walked closer to Lily, hand outstretched, "Hello, I’m Lucia and that is my husband, Aldo. Welcome to the Bianchi Casa dell'Antiquariato, ah, House of Antiques.” She gestured around her, “My husband and I collect rare and old items and display the most treasured and resale others."

Lily looked around with a faint smile on her face, the feeling of familiarity still there, "This place is beautiful, I really felt drawn here.” She looked at the woman, “Which is crazy because I’ve never been here before but it feels familiar."

The smile on Lily’s face turned into a smile with confusion in it as she noticed the look on Lucia’s face. It was a weird look like she was searching her face for something. Lily gave an uneasy chuckled and tried to keep the smile on her face, "Um, is there something on my face?

Lucia shook her head, "No, no, tesoro, you’re fine. It’s just,” She sighed, placing her hand under her chin, “Your face looks so familiar to me but I can’t place–Aldo!” She turned her back on Lily to face the direction of her husband, “Come take look at her."

The sounds of rustling and scuffling were coming from behind a shelf before Aldo appeared with something in his hands, "I don’t have to look again, amore mio, I saw her the second she arrived!” He boasted loudly, waving the rolled-up parchment in his hands, “I was looking for this.” He strolled up next to Lucia and handed her what was in his hands, “I knew the moment I saw her walk through that I needed to look for this painting."

Lucia unrolled the painting and a look of realization washed over her face, ”Esattamente!“ Lucia moved the painting so it faced Lily, "This was painted by Leonardo da Vinci many years ago, he called it Naluma."

The breath was nearly gone as Lily looked at the painting, she truly had no words. It was like looking in a mirror; the painting looked exactly as Lily did at that moment as if nothing had changed in her features. That familiar feeling resurfaced again and almost at full force the more she looked at the painting, like she could remember sitting for it and what she had been wearing.

Lucia had been watching her the entire time and could see that this painting had meaning to her, a meaning she might not know about yet but enough to feel a pull on her soul. "Oh, tesoro, take it."

Lily snapped out of her trance and looked to Lucia, "Oh, uh, how much is it?"

Lucia smiled at her and shook her head, "No, no, take it.” She placed the painting in Lily’s hands, “This painting calls to you, I can see so in your eyes. You take this, start your own collection.” Lucia was clearly not taking no for an answer as she continued to place the painting in Lily’s hands. She even went as far as to clamp her hands around it, making it known she truly wanted her to have it.

This was the second time that someone had shown her kindness without knowing her. It truly baffled her how people could show unwavering kindness to someone they don’t know for no reason other than to be kind. Lily smiled at Lucia as she rolled the painting back up, holding it close to her chest, “Thank you. I won’t forget this."

Lucia placed a hand on her cheek, "You never forget the moments of kindness in your life. Remember that."

Lily nodded and took a step back, "Thank you, both of you.” Aldo stood next to his wife, holding her close, and smiled, “I hope to see you both again soon, I’d love to see more of your treasures."

Aldo waved her off, "Oh, come back any time. We don’t get much visitors so company is plenty welcome!"

Lily waved goodbye as she exited the shop, completely missing the conversation the husband and wife were having once she was out of earshot. Aldo looked at his wife, "Should we tell him she was here?"

Lucia turned to her husband, a knowing smile on her face, "We could, but why tell the man she was here? An artist always knows when his muse comes home.”

🏷️ tag list;;

@carlsonione32, @juliette151, @deaderra, @kit-aislinn, @ebonyrabbit, @torioshorio, @wanderingxmuses, @dragonqueen4205, @awmileven, @avengerquake123, @zaddyraeken, @unabashedly-bi, @insert-username-right-here, @bumblebeesbestknees, @0--smolbean--0, @febecmanns, @deepcollectionmagazine, @attackonjacksons, @jujugatinha, @jovialkryptonitewolf, @carriedbrass36, @ceccille, @ocfairygodmother, @hellzbellzz18, @omgnctchina, @beelee9109, @eliana-shilan, @summerly-03, @giedra4real, @pascal124, @dancingwourhandstied, @baby-bree-74, @younevermakeitasafollower, @dovesandorchids, @jovialkryptonitewolf, @kyla-queen, @findinglilsblog, @viktoriaeke, @iftaylorswiftcanthensocani, @cloudparadox, @abmariexo, @bookishluvlove, @n1ghtlux, @bouncy0309, @patatas-things, @edithbeck,@jurassicobsessor, @downtheally, @captainofthemaze, @she-wintersoldat, @androgynousslimemakerstudent, @peopleralunique, @electrapetrova,

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fandomficticn · 4 years ago

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Hi darling, I've started reading The Last Hope and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for what's next, could u be so kind to add me to the tag list of the story? Pleaseee, your writing is amazing, I can't wait to read more of your work 🌼♡

thank you so much for the kind words, that really warms my heart! added you to the taglist!

#answered

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fandomficticn · 4 years ago

Photo

the last hope ;; moodboards

»» Psyche

↳ powers and abilities: eternal physiology, power augmentation, kinetic absorption, pheromone manipulation, telescopic vision, elemental manipulation, & sonic scream

“I left Titan for a reason and it wasn't because of you. I needed the space; I didn't think I could be Princess of Titan, I wasn't ready."

🏷️ tag list;;

@carlsonione32, @juliette151, @deaderra, @kit-aislinn, @ebonyrabbit, @torioshorio, @wanderingxmuses, @dragonqueen4205, @awmileven, @avengerquake123, @zaddyraeken, @unabashedly-bi, @insert-username-right-here, @bumblebeesbestknees, @0--smolbean--0, @febecmanns, @deepcollectionmagazine, @attackonjacksons, @jujugatinha, @jovialkryptonitewolf, @carriedbrass36, @ceccille, @ocfairygodmother, @hellzbellzz18, @omgnctchina, @beelee9109, @eliana-shilan, @summerly-03, @giedra4real, @pascal124, @dancingwourhandstied, @baby-bree-74, @younevermakeitasafollower, @dovesandorchids, @jovialkryptonitewolf, @kyla-queen, @findinglilsblog, @viktoriaeke, @iftaylorswiftcanthensocani, @cloudparadox, @abmariexo, @bookishluvlove, @n1ghtlux, @bouncy0309, @patatas-things, @edithbeck, @jurassicobsessor, @downtheally, @captainofthemaze

if you want to be added to the tag list for this story, shoot me a message here or like this post

if you notice your blog is struck through, please refer to this post here

#moodboard #moodboard: psyche #fanfic: the last hope

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fandomficticn · 4 years ago

Text

The Last Hope - Chapter O2

THE LAST HOPE Masterlist

Word Count: 4954 words

Warnings: eternals spoilers

A/N: insert any notes about the imagine, background information, etc.

December 2023 - Nova Scotia

After being found in the middle of nowhere, the man that found her had taken her inside and got her warm clothes and food. True to her words, she was fine, felt fine except for feeling quite disoriented. At his insistence, she allowed him to take her into town to get checked out by the local doctor; he informed her that she had to have been out there for hours before he found her. The doctor was thorough in her assessment and concluded that the girl was indeed fine despite how long the man said she was out in the cold.

The most concerning thing was her not being able to remember how she ended up there or even her own name for that matter. The doctor suggested that some traumatic event led her to block out things leading up to being found in Nova Scotia but she’s never seen blocking on this kind of scale. The man, Henri, offered to house the girl while she attempted to figure things out. The girl was moved by this; a complete stranger that could’ve just dumped her at the doctor’s office and left without another thought did the opposite and was opening up his home to her.

They’d done some shopping in town for clothing for her after her examination. He explained things around town, where everything was as they made their way back to his home. Henri made space for her, utilizing the spare he had that was usually just storage for him.

After getting her settled in, Henri and the girl coexisted almost flawlessly. Henri showed her what he did for work, showing her how he ice fishes with friends nearby, and even let her accompany him to the fish markets where she was able to help him sell his catches. The girl was talked to the locals at the fish markets and in town when Henri would take her to do some grocery shopping; everyone in town had already heard of the “mystery girl from the lake” and were kind to her as they saw her. Something she was entirely grateful for as the wandering eyes and constant questions would’ve added to the stress of figuring out the truth.

Two months into their cohabitation, Henri was preparing dinner for the two of them. Placing a bowl in front of her, Henri sat down across from her, “Digby scallops and fresh vegetables from the garden. Hope you enjoy."

She smiled at him and started stirring the contents of her bowl, zoning out as the seconds ticked by. Henri noticed her far-off look and cleared his throat, gathering her attention, "Perhaps, with not knowing your real name, Mademoiselle, we can find one for you. I guess this ‘Jane Doe’ is not much of a name anymore."

She smiled again and nodded, "I guess you’re right. It just doesn’t feel like me, then again I don’t know who I am."

The two shared a laugh before Henri spoke up again, "If you don’t have a name in your mind, perhaps you can search the internet." Henri stood from the table and gestured to his laptop, “Quite a few people turn to there for naming their children, the same could be used in this case, no?”

The girl agreed and followed Henri as he showed her where his laptop was. There were so many names in the world she could choose from and she had no idea where to start. She was searching lists for the top girl names, Ashley, Rebecca, and Molly, and even some unique names like Arya, Everleigh, and Juniper but none of them felt right. Then one name came up that stopped her in her search. Lily.

"Henri, I think I found one."

2024 - Chicago

The 8-hour flight gave Druig plenty of time to think about this girl and the video. It made no sense how she was able to do the things that she could do; did she have the same powers as the rest of them, more than that? Sersi did have a point, if this girl was on the Domo with them then they would’ve known she was there and if she wasn’t, when did she arrive on Earth and why? Why would Arishem not tell them there was another Eternal on Earth?

They had all been wondering the same thing since they left London; Dane was along for the ride too despite the many warnings and heavy sarcastic comments about his ability to defend himself. Sersi and Dane were seated together in front of Druig and Sprite; Druig could tell they were asleep and he envied them for it. They weren’t plagued with the nightmare of this girl getting killed by a Deviant. Plagued with this feeling of loss and pain. He’d never felt like this before and while it was only a dream, it felt real as if it had actually happened.

At least he wasn’t alone in his thinking, Sprite hadn’t been asleep once, not even to shut her eyes for a few seconds. She’d been busy searching through all the videos of the girl online, seeing the different ones that Dane had mentioned. One of the new things she’d seen was the girl using those portals while running; she threw one right in front of her and went through it before another opened and she landed right on top of the Deviant. She moved with skilled and practiced ease; Sprite didn’t want to admit it but this girl was probably better than any of them.

The plane soon landed and the four of them made their way out of the airport, renting a car and heading straight for Phastos’ home. Sersi wasn’t sure how their sudden and unannounced arrival would be welcomed; she knew things had been tough for Phastos after what happened in 1945. As they walked up to Phastos’ home, they could hear the laughter of a small child, and the sight of the happy family warmed each of their hearts.

Though Druig would deny it if asked.

Phastos saw them first and with a look shared with his husband, Ben took their son inside with the promise of a snack to distract him. Phastos walked up to the group, eyes trained on the new face. "I’ve heard about you from Sersi, you must be Dane?"

Dane took the hand Phastos offered and shook it with a smile, "I’ve heard some of the stories Sprite has told about you."

Phastos laughed, "Yeah, she can tell quite the story,” He said as he eyed the young Eternal. Placing his hands in his pockets, “So to what do I owe this unexpected and unannounced visit?"

The hostility was evident in his voice and Sersi gave him a gentle smile to ease the situation, "We have a favor to ask. But first,” There was a pause as he waited for her to continue, “There’s a video you need to watch."

Phastos removed his glasses, leaning back in his chair as the video faded to black. Unlike the others who spoke here and there throughout the video the first time they watched it, Phastos was silent the entire time. He was at a loss for words from beginning to end. He turned around in his chair and faced the others before finally speaking, "What the hell was that? I mean who was that?"

Sprite scoffed, "If we knew that, we wouldn’t be here asking for this favor."

Phastos pointed at her, "First of all, your tone is helping no one. Second of all, no favor was asked of me. You all just showed me a video that is making question my entire existence."

Druig was leaning against the countertop, hands in his pockets, "She’s an Eternal." This caused Phastos to roll his eyes, "You know, I can clearly tell that from the energy blasts coming from her eyes. What doesn’t make sense is why she’s here or when she got here. More importantly, why a Deviant is running around."

Sersi stepped up and put her hands up to settle the situation, "That’s what we want to find out. We want to talk to this girl and figure out what happened to cause this but we can’t figure out where she’s from. Sprite’s tried looking everywhere online but she’s had no luck."

Phastos crossed his arms and shrugged, "What do you want me to do?"

Sersi smiled at him, "Well, I remember in one of our phone conversations, you mention someone who was good with technology, hacking was what you said. You said this person was even smarter than you."

Realization dawned on Phastos at what she was asking, "You want me to talk to Digit?"

Sprite looked confused, "Who’s Digit?"

Phastos sighed, "Digit is brilliant like I told Sersi. She’s-"

”'She’?“ Dane interrupted, receiving a pointed look from Phastos that had Dane silently apologizing so Phastos could continue.

"Like I was saying, she is actually what people like her call a 'meta human’. She’s a technopath like me except not on a cosmic level but still pretty damn good.” He placed his glasses back on as he directed his next question to Sersi, “What makes you think Digit is gonna help? Last year she got caught and has been on probation; she hasn’t been able to be near a computer or any kind of tech since."

Druig smirked, "I’m sure we can figure something out. So,” He stood up straight, “Where is she?"

Chicago - Get Book'd

Phastos agreed to go with them to talk to Digit since she knew him and it would be easier to get her help. Phastos said that Digit was a bit mistrustful with people after an ally of hers turned her in, hence her working at a bookstore whose only tech was the light switch. Safe to say this served well for her punishment.

Get Book’d is a local library/bookstore; it used to be called Chicago’s Little Nook until it got bought out by an organization that helps lesser offenders get on the straight and narrow. This particular branch of the organization helps cyber offenders like Digit who can’t be around any kind of tech. Of course, she is a special case since she’s able to create her own tech with a wave of her hands so her ankle monitor was created so that if anything caught a wifi signal or any kind of electronic signal, authorities would be alerted.

The level of skill that Digit has made every law enforcement agency, local and federal, pay very close attention. Anything and everything she did was either done on paper or in person; Digit didn’t even have a house phone in her apartment. Phastos honestly thought she’d jump at the opportunity to get her hands on a keyboard again.

He was wrong.

"Are you out of your mind?” Digit practically laughed in Phastos’ face as she was stocking books, “I’ve been a model offender for almost a year, why would I mess that up now?"

Phastos groaned before continuing to plead his case, "Digit, we’re not gonna mess up your record. No one here wants to do that."

Digit sighed, shelving one more book before turning to face her friend, "I appreciate that you and your friends want to keep me out of trouble but it’s been a year and I’m doing good for once in my life."

Sersi stepped forward, "I apologize if we’re intruding and asking too much of you but this is very important. A lot of people could get hurt."

The technopath eyed Sersi, arms crossed, "How could people get hurt if I don’t help you?"

Each of the Eternals eyed each other, silently having a conversation on what to reveal when Druig spoke first, "She’s a meta human for god’s sake. Just tell her."

Digit looked as confused as ever, "Tell me what?"

Everyone looked to Phastos to fill in the blanks, something he had been trying to avoid since befriending Digit. He felt the fewer people knew about his true past, the safe he and his family would be. He groaned and rubbed at his temples, "Okay, fine.” He looked up at Digit, “They are not my “friends from college”. We’re not even from Earth."

Digit eyed Phastos before looking at each of his friends behind him, "What are you talking about?"

Sersi spoke again, "We’re Eternals. We came here 7,000 years ago to protect humans from the Deviants."

The look on Digit’s face was comical; eyes bugged out and jaw dropped. Then all of a sudden she started laughing, shaking her head, much to the confusion of everyone around her, "This is a joke, right? I mean, it’s a believable one with the amount of stuff the world has seen, the Avengers and all that, but 7,000 years? Come on, be serious."

The Eternals looked at each other before Sprite stepped forward. She waved her hands and a light emitted from her fingers and in a blink of an eye, duplications of Sprite appeared all over and the ever-comical look Digit sported earlier reappeared. In another blink, the duplicates were gone and Sprite stood with a smirk on her face, "Believe us now?"

Digit scoffed then shrugged, "I’ve seen crazier things. Done crazier things” She placed her hands on her hips, “What do you need me to do?"

Druig spoke, planning to remain silent but he had this sense of urgency in his bones, "We’re looking for someone and all we have is this video to go on."

Druig took Sersi’s phone and pulled up the video before handing it to Digit but she stepped back from it. "Dude, what part of 'probation’ do you not understand? If I get close to that thing, cops are gonna start showing up here."

Druig rolled his eyes before looking at Sersi and Phastos, "Something either one of you can handle?"

Phastos stepped forward with a raise of his hand, "Let me take a crack at it.” He bent down on one knee, taking Digit’s ankle in hand to look at the monitor. “It’s sophisticated, that’s for sure. It tracks her whereabouts, wi-fi signals; they really weren’t messing around when they made this.” He looked up at his friend, “Girl, what did you do?"

Digit rolled her eyes, "If people don’t want you poking around secure, federal databases then they should be more secure."

Phastos chuckled at her before getting to work. He dismantled the device, shutting down the GPS and wi-fi tracker, and removed it from around her ankle. Digit was in awe but the hits keep coming when Phastos handed the monitor to Sersi who turned the whole thing to dust in seconds.

Digit laughed as she clapped her hands, "Well done, five stars. That was amazing.” With a smile on her face, she held her hand out to Druig, “Alright, hand over the phone."

Druig gave it to her and Digit watched the video intently. She was amazed by it all; clearly, Phastos was not just the happy family man she thought he was. "What is this thing? The crazy beast thing."

“It’s a Deviant,” Sersi spoke, “The things we were sent here to destroy. We destroyed the last of them 500 years ago…or at least we thought so.” Digit handed the phone back before stuffing her hands in her pockets, “So you want to find where these things came from?"

Druig took the lead on the conversation, "That’s secondary. We’re looking for the girl."

Confusion was on the technopath’s face, "You don’t already know who she is? She obviously does the same things you guys can do, with the yellow glowing hands and stuff."

Druig pinched the bridge of his nose, "If we knew her then we’d know how to find her and we wouldn’t be here, now would we?"

A pointed finger was aimed at Druig, Digit glaring at him, "I don’t like your tone, my guy, but I’ll choose to ignore it for the sake of moving forward.” She turned to the others, “If I’m gonna do my thing, we’re gonna need to relocate. While I appreciate freeing me from the shackle, I’m sure local authorities will be notified that my monitor has gone offline and will be here soon so let’s scaddle cattle."

Digit pushed past them; the Eternals with Dane included, stared at the girl and then each other before following after her. The librarian on staff was at a loss for words when the group had first entered and she continued to be unable to find words as she watched Digit and the same group walk out, "Later, Miss Dolores, don’t wait up!” Digit called out as they exited and all Miss Dolores could do was wave them goodbye.

Chicago - Digit’s Hideout

Phastos took in their surroundings as Digit ushered them all inside, “This isn’t your apartment."

Digit moved things around, bringing chairs out for them to sit as she spoke, "That apartment was where I was supposed to be because the police wanted to make sure I was completely off-grid and in the dark.” She motioned for them to take a seat, Druig being the only one that remained standing as he leaned back against a wall. “This place is a safe house of mine that I wasn’t forced to reveal so police don’t know about it and they can’t track me here."

Digit walked till she was in the center of the room and faced all of them, "Alright, let me bring up my gear and we’ll get started.” She turned her back and moved her arms till they are outstretched in front of her. Her fingers started glowing a pale blue as pieces of technology appeared from different corners of the room, hiding places all over, and were being put together to form a massive computer setup, fitted with several monitors; some were running codes and a couple had what looked like feeds from surveillance cameras.

Phastos scoffed, “’Doing good for once in my life’. Really believing that right now.”

“Ignoring that.” Digit rolled her eyes, ��Anyway, that video and the others like it tell me everything I need to get started,” She took a seat and started typing away.

Dane spoke for once, “How exactly? It’s not like a state or country flag was flying around to tell us where she is."

Digit continued typing, pulling up various videos of the attack, "No but we can see the surrounding area. See here,” She zoomed in on the building the girl had thrown the Deviant in, “The mountain range behind the building is as unique as a fingerprint. Locking in on that and searching tourist sites, social media posts, and even sites that feature natural surroundings, I can find where these videos came from."

She continued typing, flashes of different images coming and going as her system started to rule out places. "Also running this girl’s face. This might be the first video of her doing this but this can’t be the first time she’s ever been seen. Some of these people in the videos looked like they actually knew her.” On a separate monitor, a close-up of the girl’s face was being run against hundreds of thousands of images all over the internet. “It could take some time."

Phastos stood from the chair and walked towards Digit, "Maybe I can help speed along the process.” He used his abilities to enhance Digit’s system and the images that flashed on the screen were coming by faster and faster.

Suddenly, beeping started emitting from one of the monitors, causing all the Eternals to get out of their chairs and move closer to the screens. Digit turned her focus and typed a bit before pulling up the image of the mountain range, “Got a hit on that topography. It’s a mountain range in Nova Scotia, close to a small town called Digby. Population 2,000."

Sersi crossed her arms as she looked at the image on the screen, "With a town that small, someone there has to know her pretty well."

A different set of beeping brought their attention to a different screen with the girl’s face. Digit moved her chair to face the other screen, pulling up various images of the girl, "I was right, there are images of her in this town, other places there too. So she’s been living there for some time.” Digit’s eyes had been scanning over each image until one caught her attention, “Hold on, this one’s different."

She blew up an image different from the rest. Digit’s eyes were still on the screen as she spoke, "The image is of your girl but it looks like it’s from a painting."

Dane eyed the image and he noticed some similarities to someone else’s works of art that he was quite familiar with, "I recognize the techniques,” He pointed as he spoke, “The gentle lighting, earth color tones, and the use of Sfumato.” Everyone’s eyes were on him, waiting for him to get to the point, “It’s, well it’s Leonardo da Vinci. But anyone could’ve painted this, mastered the techniques."

Digit turned back to the computer and searched for the origin of the painting, "Well, this is the only record of this painting, no fakes made, and if what this is saying is correct then this is an original da Vinci."

Dane put his hands in his pockets, "That’s impossible."

Sersi placed a hand on Dane’s shoulder, "Does it say what year this painting made?"

Digit typed some more, "It says this painting dates back to the 1600s."

Dane shook his head, "Again, impossible. Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519."

Phastos shook his head, "That’s not entirely true. While Leonardo was an adventurer and a painter, he was part of a secret organization dedicated to preserving all life on Earth, not like us but still."

Sersi turned to Dane, "Leonardo is a true genius and engineer. He told me that he perfected time travel, left a robot to live out his mortal life."

Dane looked at Sersi in surprise, "You’ve met Leonardo da Vinci?"

Before Sersi could answer, Sprite pushed her way to the front of the group and interrupted, "Okay, story time is gonna have to wait. Look, if da Vinci painted this in the 1600’s, that means she has been here on Earth for some time. Maybe even further back than that."

Sersi nodded at the young Eternal’s words, "She’s right. Maybe even longer, as long as we have. Ajak might know something more than we do about this.” She took a breath, “Half of us can go see Ajak, ask her if she knows the girl or why she’s here. The other half can go to Nova Scotia, maybe we’ll get lucky and find her ourselves."

"No. No can do.” Phastos shook his head, “I can’t just pick up and leave the country, I have a husband and son."

Sersi gave him a sympathetic look, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I understand and I appreciate your help. Both of you,” She said, nodding to Digit who smiled back, “We’ll call if there’s anything you need to know, okay?” Phastos nodded at her words as she moved to face the others. “Dane and I can go see Ajak. Druig, you can take Sprite with you to find the girl; you two are the only ones that have truly seen this girl and have some kind of connection with her through these dreams. This connection might help you track her down."

As much as Druig wanted to work this alone, Sersi was right. They all talked over what little of a plan they had before leaving Digit. She promised to keep in touch with Phastos if she finds anything else about the girl and he in return told Sersi and the others he’d pass along anything Digit shared. They drove Phastos back to his home, telling him to be safe in case things started to go south. They all parted ways at Phastos’ home, vowing to keep one another apprised if anything of importance came up.

Nova Scotia - Henri’s home

The few weeks following the incident in town, Lily kept getting people coming up to her and questioning what happened. Some were even giving her gifts for saving their lives and it was getting too much for her. It had only been days before the attack that Lily even discovered what she could do and then that thing showed up, there was no way that could be a coincidence. Henri had been understanding given the situation, but certainly was freaked out when she’d blasted a hole through the side of his home when she’d sneezed.

Lily couldn’t believe how understanding he truly was and how helpful. Given the situation, most people would’ve gone running for the hills but Henri helped Lily; he even patched her up after her fight in town. Not that she needed it as her wounds had healed before they even made it back to the house. As kind as he has been, Lily couldn’t take the chance that whatever attacked her was the only one; there could be more, a whole army and she couldn’t risk Henri or anyone else’s life.

After dinner, Lily quickly and quietly started packing a bag, hoping not to wake Henri. She didn’t want Henri to try and stop her or worst-case scenario, go with her. The journey of searching for any clue as to who she is could be dangerous, could have more of those big ugly things, and she couldn’t defend herself and take one of those things down and keep Henri safe. He could even get caught in the crosshairs of her using one of her powers and she wouldn’t be able to live with that on her conscience.

Checking to make sure she had everything she needed for the final time, Lily put her backpack on and made her way out. Her shoes were in her hand as to give herself away with one wrong step. She knew where all the creaky steps were, had been planning this for some days, and was almost to the door.

"Lily?"

Muttering under her breath, a profanity most likely, Lily turned in her spot and gave Henri a sympathetic smile. "Henri, you should go back to sleep." Having been caught in the act, Lily felt there was no longer a need to keep holding her shoes so she slipped them on.

Henri rubbed at his eyes, yawning a little as he stepped closer, "Lily, where are you going? It’s late."

"I know,” She sighed, trying to figure out her next choice of words, “Henri, I have to go, for your safety. That thing from a few weeks ago may be dead but there could be more and you and everyone in town could be in danger the longer I stay here."

He crossed his arms and shook his head, "You could be in danger out there. You don’t know what is there waiting for you, who knows you. Friend or foe."

She knew what he was saying was true but he wasn’t in her position. He didn’t know what it felt like to have a missing part of yourself and not just a little part but a very colossal chunk just gone. "Henri, I know the risks but I can’t just stay in the dark. I don’t know why I can do what I do or what that thing was but I know that the answer is out there somewhere and I have to find it."

Henri nodded, "Well, I get feeling it would be hard to stop you.” He put his hands in his pockets before continuing, “Where will you start?"

Lily thought about it and shrugged, "I don’t have a concrete plan but a couple days ago, I did some image search, one of the ladies at the local library showed me how to do it. I used a picture of myself and besides all the videos from a few weeks ago, there was a photo of what looked like me but it was like hundreds of years old. It’s a long shot but maybe someone can tell me something."

Henri smiled at her but there was sadness in his eyes and it tugged at Lily, knowing she was leaving the one friend she had behind. They both knew there was no guarantee that Lily would come back. He was the first to make a move, pulling Lily in for a hug that he hoped conveyed what he couldn’t say. "Good luck, mademoiselle. Be safe."

The tears were hard to hold back as she hugged back, feeling a few of them slip down the side of her face, "Thank you for everything, Henri. You have no idea how much I appreciate everything you’ve done.” With the final goodbyes, Lily gave Henri a faint smile before heading for the door and into the night.

Shortly after the door closed, Henri’s eyes rolled in the back of his head before his body collapsed to the ground. Standing where he once stood was a man who had the air of supremacy and the look of royalty. The man craned his neck and let out a sigh, “Well, that’s better."

He glanced down at the body, giving a mocking sympathetic look, "Poor chap. Thanks for the body though.” He stepped over the body, hands behind his back as he stared at the door, “She’s progressing, getting closer. It’s only a matter of time now.” With a smirk on his face, his eyes began to glow gold before he vanished into thin air.

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fandomficticn · 4 years ago

Text

The Last Hope - Chapter O1

THE LAST HOPE Masterlist

Word Count: 3172 words

Warnings: eternals spoilers, violence depicted

A/N: thank you all for the support and love with this series, i’m really enjoying writing it! i know there’s a lot of back and forth with the time periods but i like how it goes, trying to keep ya’ll on your toes. while i enjoy it, if you guess have some critiques, comments, suggestions, etc. please leave a comment or drop me a message, i’d love to hear from you guys!

October 2023 - Nova Scotia

“Bonjour? Mademoiselle, ça va?"

Her eyes shot open at the unfamiliar voice. Where am I? She tried to scan around her but things were still fuzzy. A figure was looming over her, she assumed it was the one that had spoken to her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, the figure helped her sit up and the blur in her vision started to fade. The first thing she noticed was her breath, she could see it clear as day and she could also see the ice and snow on the ground.

Nothing was making sense and the more she thought about it, the less she could remember about where she was. She turned to the figure kneeling in front of her and the sense of unfamiliarity grew, she had no idea who this person was. "Where am I?"

The man in front of her was confused but answered her anyway, "Nova Scotia.” She had no idea how she could’ve gotten to Nova Scotia, more importantly, where she was before that. The man continued speaking, “We must get you inside. You are exposed to cold weather, you freeze."

She finally looked down at herself and sure enough, all she was wearing was a grey tank top and grey shorts. The man’s words rang in her head but she didn’t feel anything, not that she was going numb but she felt fine like she wasn’t even cold in the slightest. "I’m fine."

She was lost in thought, trying to wrack her brain for a hint as to how she ended up here when the man’s voice spoke up once more, ”Mademoiselle, where is your home?“

She turned her head back to him and shook her head, "I don’t know."

The man gave her a confused look again, "What is your name?"

She sighed, feeling the tears of frustration build, "I don’t know."

5000 BC - The Domo

The ten Eternals awoke on the Domo and were given their mission by Arishem through Ajak and set out to start. Back on the ship, hidden away in a room none of the Eternals knew existed, laid a still "sleeping” Eternal. Only this Eternal wasn’t sleeping, but dormant as the Celestial Madonna continued creating her. She was on borrowed time, not knowing when Arishem would catch onto her plan. Madonna was with child, something that was deemed forbidden by the other Celestials, Arishem included, and she knew that if she tried to get the nutrients for his birth, she would be stopped and they both would be destroyed.

Madonna felt that her only option lay in creating an Eternal that would carry something similar to the Celestial Communication Sphere inside Ajak. The only difference was that this sphere carried Madonna’s child, hidden away from the Celestials so there would be time for the child to emerge.

“The gifts you are given are like your fellow Eternals, you can do all they can and more. You are stronger.” She said as she ran her hand over the Eternals body. “You are Naluma, you will bring to light the greatest thing any being has ever seen."

A small gold sphere with red accents appeared as Madonna closed her eyes, it floating down before materializing inside Naluma’s body. Naluma’s eyes remained closed as Madonna’s own had opened. With another wave of her hands, Madonna enclosed Naluma like she was in a tomb, cementing her destination with a few whispered words before the tomb rose and disappeared.

Madonna could only hope that her plan would succeed for shortly after the tomb disappeared, she was thrust from the Domo and face-to-face with Arishem. "You have betrayed my orders. You went against the nature of Celestials and my judgement has been made."

Suddenly other Celestials appeared, circling Arishem and Madonna before he moved to join the circle. All attention was on Madonna. She had no allies and no friends. Arishem continued with his judgment, "You will be sent to perish. Your punishment can be changed to a never ending sleep if you reveal the location of the spawn."

Madonna held her resolve and remained silent. Arishem continued, "Very well then. Perish.” With a wave of his hand, Arishem sent Madonna straight to the sun where she perished, her only thought being on the child she would never see emerge. Arishem pulled focus to the matter at hand, addressing the rest of the Celestials, “The spawn must be found at all costs.” A silence fell over them all before Arishem said his final words, “There is a tracker, an Eternal, to find the spawn. To find it and destroy it and anyone that stands in the way."

2024 - London, England

Leaving the compound was a hard decision for Druig; he left them all to continue living on as they always had been with a vague, ominous response on whether he’d come back. He wasn’t sure how this all was going to end, what danger this girl was in, or the danger he would be walking into and involving the other Eternals in. Druig didn’t have a single thought as to what lay ahead of him but he knew that he couldn’t ignore these dreams anymore.

It was easy to find where Sprite and Sersi were; while he hadn’t kept in touch with the others, he could sense them like there was some kind of beacon. He was standing outside their flat and took a breath, mentally preparing for whatever would come his way by knocking on this door before doing just that. It only took a few moments before the door flung open and he was met with a familiar face, well he had to look little ways down before actually seeing said face, "Druig!"

He smirked down at Sprite, "Is that excitement I hear? Almost like you missed me, Sprite."

She shook her head as she stepped back and opened the door wider, "You’re mistaking excitement with surprise."

Druig walked inside, patting Sprite on the shoulder as he passed her, and looked around as he stood in the center room. It was a nice place and deep down he was happy and content knowing they were all living well. The sound of approaching footsteps snapped him out of his mind as he turned to see Sersi and a man coming from around the corner. "Sersi."

A smile was on the brunette’s face as she walked closer to him, pulling him into a hug regardless of knowing he wasn’t much of a hugger, "Druig, what a surprise.” She pulled away from him and continued smiling, “What are you doing here?"

Before he could answer, Sersi spoke again, pulling the man she’d walked in with closer to her, "Oh, before I forget, this is Dane. We work together at the Natural History Museum."

Dane stepped forward, hand held out with a smile on his face, "It’s nice to meet a friend of Sersi’s."

Druig eyed Dane then his hand before looking back at Dane, "Pleasure.” He side-stepped Dane and turned his attention to Sersi. He gave her a tight-lipped smile as he placed his hands back in his jacket pockets. “As much as this reunion is warming my old heart, I’m here because I need to talk with Sprite."

"Me?” All eyes turned to face the youngest Eternal, popcorn bowl in hand, who had been standing behind the three, “Why do you want to talk to me?"

Druig turned to fully face Sprite, "I want to talk about 2,000 years ago.” Sprite stopped mid-motion of putting popcorn in her mouth when Druig uttered those words, “I want to talk about your dreams and mine."

525 BC - Babylon

Druig had yet another dream, mere images really but it didn’t stop him from sketching all he had seen. While the humans were still developing, he and the rest of the Eternals moved along with their advancements; Druig had asked Phastos to quicken his advancements with writing and drawing, specifically paper, and asked to keep this between them. Phastos did it, jumping at the chance to utilize his gifts and technology, and didn’t throw a single question Druig’s way about it.

Druig had hidden his small stack of drawings from the rest of the Eternals. The girl was his hidden secret, whoever she was, and he didn’t want to share her with anyone else. As the images of her came to him piece by piece, Druig would sketch them until he was able to draw a whole picture of her. He would look at the sketch of her face for hours on end until the image was burned in his mind.

One night, the Eternals gathered for dinner, all talks of the mission and advancements to be made. As things dwindled, Druig left them to make his way to his room with plans to do what he’d always done for nights on end. As he arrived at his room, he could hear someone inside and without even thinking of using his powers, Druig rounded the corner to his room and found Sprite holding his sketches. "You better have a good reason for being here."

Sprite sat on his bed, sketches in hand, as she looked anything but guilty for being in his room, "Who is she?” She asked, holding the sketch of the mystery girl’s full face.

Druig swiftly stepped forward and snatched the sketches from her hands, placing them all together and back where he put them, “What’s it to you?"

Sprite crossed her arms, continuing to look unbothered by Druig’s words or mood, "Because I see her in my dreams sometime."

Druig stopped at her words and turned to her, "You see her too?"

She nodded, "It started a couple hundred years ago but I didn’t think anything of it until I saw your drawings.” Sprite gestured to the aforementioned sketches, “Who is she?” She questioned again.

“I don’t know,” He sighed and sat down next to her, “This started happening to me when we got to Earth. I thought it was Mahd Wy'ry but nothing bad had happened so I didn’t say anything."

Sprite listened contently before speaking, "I won’t tell if you won’t.” She offered, holding her hand out to him. Druig eyed her hand before giving in, sealing their secret with a shake of their hands. Sprite wasn’t finished talking, “You have to promise me something."

"I don’t make promises."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms yet again, "I know we’re not close like how you and Makkari are but this is something that bonds us and clearly with those sketches, is in your mind more than mine.” She took a breath before continuing, “I just want you to promise that if this gets worse, if something happens, you’ll tell me."

Being that she is the only one he could confide in about this without ringing an alarm to any of the other Eternals, Druig felt like he had no other option. If something were to happen because of these dreams then it would be better to turn to someone who already had insight into this. He nodded at her words, "I promise."

2024 - London, England

Druig sat in Sersi and Sprite’s living room as he explained the dreams he’d had, Sprite chiming in with her own dreams of the mystery girl that were similar to the ones Druig first had until he finished with the latest dream. "It felt real, very real. When I touched her cheek, when she gripped my wrist,” He wrang his hands anxiously, “When the Deviant got to her. Felt like my heart was going to give out from beating too fast."

"I’m so sorry, Druig. I had no idea you were going through this.” Sersi placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, “And are you sure you don’t know this girl? Either of you?” She asked as she looked from Druig to Sprite.

The young Eternal shook her head, “No, she doesn’t look familiar but she felt it. Like I’ve known her and spent time with her but I don’t know how.” Druig nodded in agreement at her words.

Sersi placed her hands in her lap, “Well, what does she look like?"

Druig rummaged around his pockets, pulling out a sketch of the girl. He’d drawn her so many times, dreamt about her so much, drawing her was as natural and easy as breathing. He handed the sketch to the brunette, herself and Dane gazing at it. Sersi shook her head, "I don’t recognize her but I get that same feeling."

Dane took the drawing out of her hand, looking at it closely, "I’ve seen this girl."

All the Eternals looked at him in a mix of confusion and surprise. Sprite spoke up first, "How could you possibly have seen her if we’ve been seeing her for centuries?"

"Not just me,” Dane eyed Sprite before he spoke, “I have to assume millions of people have seen her at this point.” There was still heavy confusion written on the trio’s faces which caused Dane to get up from his spot on the couch and walk over to where his laptop was, the three Eternals following after him. “This video popped up like a few weeks ago, one of the students in class showed it to everyone.” He spoke as he searched for what he talking about, “I’m pretty sure she was the girl in this video."

Sersi stood behind Dane with Druig and Sprite on either side of him. "What was she doing in the video?” Sersi asked.

Dane finally pulled it up and leaned back in his chair, “See for yourself."

Dane hit play and soon the flat was flooded with the sounds of screams. People were running down a street, frantically looking behind them but running nonetheless, like their lives depended on it. And they all soon saw why. A Deviant, larger than any they’d seen before, was racing down the street. It terrorized those around it, snatching them up and throwing them around as if it had no care or mind in the world. Before it could zero in on a little girl cowering in fear, the Deviant was suddenly whisked right into the side of the building.

Sprite leaned closer to the screen, "What the hell was that?"

Dane placed a hand on her shoulder and moved her back, which made her roll her eyes at him, "Keep watching." He said, pointing at the screen.

The hole where the Deviant had landed had been the focus of the video now, the surrounding people loitering around to see what happened. They all startled back at the sound of something coming through, thinking the large beast was coming back, only to reveal a person. It was the girl.

Druig looked at the screen in awe, "She’s real."

The video continued, showing the girl warning everyone to go and get to safety, and while she was talking, the Deviant threw itself at the girl. There was concern on all the Eternal's faces, concern for this girl’s safety and with the presence of the Deviant in the first place. The safety was of no concern when the girl gripped the Deviant and threw it up in the air before flying after it, cosmic energy blasting from her eyes like something a certain Eternal they know can do.

Sersi spoke in awe, "That’s just like Ikaris. How is that possible? Ajak said what we can do is unique to us, no other Eternal should do what we do."

Dane raised his hand slightly before speaking, "While I have questions about what you’ve just said, among other things, this next part is something else."

They all turned their attention back to the screen as they watched the fight continue. The Deviant was still standing, injured, but still, in the fight and the girl was sporting injuries of her own, though those were healing in a matter of seconds — just like Ajak. The Deviant then charged at the girl and then with a wave of her hands, a portal appeared large enough to fit the Deviant as it ran right into the portal. Where it came out was another portal that faced a storefront and the Deviant went straight into the storefront, spearing itself on what looked like a bundle of fish hooks on sticks. It was still alive, moving to try and free itself but before it could make a viable attempt, the girl quickly locked onto it and decapitated it with her cosmic energy blasts.

The people were in fear that the Deviant would attack them again but seeing the girl still standing and the monster no longer coming after them, the people cheered. The camera then zoomed in on the girl’s face and they could see clear as day that she was the girl from Druig and Sprite’s dreams. The video ended shortly after that.

Dane closed the laptop and crossed his arms, "There were other videos, different angles, some of them from before that moment. Whoever she is, this girl saved these people from that thing which looked a lot like how Sprite described those things in her stories."

Sprite patted his shoulder, "We’ll get there, more important things at hand."

Druig stood up straight, leaning against a table, "Alright she’s real and she’s clearly an Eternal but where has she been all this time? And how come none of us ever saw her till now?"

Sersi shrugged her shoulders, "None of this makes sense. We were all together on the Domo; if she was there, we would’ve seen her or at least felt her presence.” She turned to Dane, “Where was that video from?"

Dane shook his head, "It wasn’t said anywhere in the video. It had been taken down and reposted so many times that you can’t tell where it was coming from."

Sprite threw her hands up in exasperation, "Well, someone has to know how to find where this video came from. At the very least, who she is because I’m sure with her face now all over the internet, she’s not staying there."

The four of them stood in silence as they tried to figure out their next plan of action. Sersi got an idea, "Phastos."

Druig and Sprite looked at her in confusion, "Phastos? What could he do?” Sprite asked.

Sersi shook her head, “It’s not about what he could do but who he knows. I remember there being a time we had spoken and he mentioned someone he knew quite well versed in hacking. Maybe this person could find the origins of this video or even the girl."

Druig stepped up to stand from the table, "And how are we to find this person who sounds quite as mysterious as the girl in the video?"

Sersi just smiled, placing her hands on her hips, "The only way we can is by talking to Phastos, in Chicago.”

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fandomficticn · 4 years ago

Text

The Last Hope - Prologue

THE LAST HOPE Masterlist

Word Count: 2004 words

Warnings: eternals spoilers

A/N: thank you to everyone excited about this story so far! i watched eternals on saturday and literally a day later came up with this story. like i put in the notes of the masterlist post, this story has the same start to it like the movie, the eternals coming to earth and their mission leading up to them going their separate ways in 1521 with some slight differences with my original content to fit my story. hope you guys enjoy!

2024 - Peru

“Druig?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Do you think we have time to do everything we’ve ever dreamed?"

"We have till the end of time.”

Druig woke with a start like a strike of electricity struck him and ran straight to his heart. It was quite warm in his quarters and he often woke with sweat beading on his forehead but this was different. This dream caused the same reaction every time he woke up. The dreams were never the same, different locations and different times, but the voice was always the same. The girl was always the same.

Druig had no idea who this girl was or why he kept seeing her when he closed his eyes. He felt in his gut that she was important somehow, definitely felt like she was important to him, and he needed to figure out why but he didn’t know where to start. This was the process his thoughts went through after every dream; rapid curiosity before the defeated feeling took over and he resolved to drawing her once again. He could cover the walls of his room with the pictures he’s drawn of this mystery girl.

The dreams started when they arrived in Mesopotamia; just quick glimpses of her features here and there for a while until the pieces to the puzzle started to be put together and he could see her face. He’d started drawing her when the dreams became a reoccurring thing. Babylon is where he started getting big pictures, sometimes like he was on the outside of his own body and watching everything unfold before his eyes. He was actually smiling with her, not just smirks and eyes full of condescension.

During these moments he’d just be watching, he could tell the two of them were moving through a different time which made him doubt any of these dreams were more than just his figments of imagination. How could he have been with this girl, have “memories” with her, when nothing around them had happened yet? Maybe he was seeing his future. That idea had crossed his mind but even with everything he knows is possible, he still thought that was far-fetched.

He recalls the moments throughout his times with the Eternals, helping the humans and protecting them from Deviants, when his mind would just go blank. It was almost as if certain parts of his existence were just gone, like blips in his memory and no way to recall them. There were times when he’d look back on what fond memories he did have with the others and the scene would just cut short, like the footage was lost and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t fill in the blanks. With his gift being what it is, it baffled Druig that he couldn’t conjure up even the vaguest of scenes from these missing memories. Parts of his entire existence were just gone and he couldn’t help but think it had something to do with this mystery girl.

400 CE - India

Before Ikaris and Sersi’s wedding, the girl had still been on Druig’s mind and the others could tell his mind was far away just from the look in his eyes. No one had the sense to approach Druig about what was on his mind except for one person.

Druig was off in his mind once more, sitting off to the side as he gaze out at the Babylonian sky when a gust of wind breezed past him. A smirk was on his face as he knew exactly who had joined him. He turned to face the new company, “The beautiful Makkari,” He signed to her, “To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The usual bright smile the speedster possessed had softened to a gentle smile, one that was easily recognized as trying to mask the obvious look of concern. Before he could say anything, Makkari was already one step ahead of him, "Something’s on your mind.” She signed, “We all see it.”

Druig took a glance around and could see the truth in her words. His fellow Eternals were trying not to look but they were all clearly concerned about him and he could also tell they were trying not to look like they were watching to see how the conversation was going. He rolled his eyes as he turned back to his friend, “You’re all very nosy."

She playfully glared at him and shook her head, "Not nosy, worried.” She signed before placing her hand over his.

He knew she didn’t have to tell him how concerned they all were, he could see it clearly in their minds. How was he supposed to tell them what he’d been seeing in his dreams? Would they even believe them? What if they thought he was experiencing Mahd Wy'ry? Druig pushed the idea of telling them out of his mind; if things got worse, if he couldn’t move forward with the mission because of these dreams, then he would say something. Nothing sooner, nothing later.

Druig smiled softly at Makkari and shook his head at her, “Don’t worry, everything is fine."

The genuine look in his eyes seemed to satisfy Makkari’s worries for the time being and with her appearing at ease, the rest of the Eternals also felt at ease. She got up from her seat before informing him that the ceremony would start soon.

Druig watched her go and started to feel a block form inside him from keeping the truth from her. He wanted to say something, maybe someone would have some insight into but the fear of what he’d uncover outweighed his want to spill the beans. For now, he’d keep things to himself, and one of these days, he’d bring his secret dreams to light.

A few moments later, Druig found himself alongside the others as they looked on to the sight of Ikaris and Sersi cementing their love for one another. At that moment, he felt a twinge in his heart; part of him, deep down, wanted to have something like what they had but that was just a small part of him. The bigger part of him felt a hint of familiarity with the ceremony like he’d seen something like this before or even more so, been in the ceremony.

These fleeting moments were new and starting to happen here and there, where he would have feelings of having done something before but never able to recall the actual memory itself. Whatever all of these things were supposed to mean, the dreams and the feelings, the need to figure things out was starting to grow.

2024 - Peru

The compound was one of Druig’s proudest creations and he took great lengths in ensuring everything around it and in it ran smoothly. He was no Phastos but his people had certainly overcome quite a bit and thrived for years and years. He’d been circling around the compound, checking in here and there, before heading to his quarters. After India, Druig would force himself to stay awake, to distract himself when he was awake to keep from having the dreams and feelings and so far he hasn’t had a dream or felt anything familiar since leaving the Eternals and starting his compound.

He’d been working himself to the bone and would try to squeeze in the moments of peace and rest where he could. After finishing his rounds, he entered his quarters and let out a breath, finally feeling relaxed after another hard day’s work. Druig all but collapsed on his bed, throwing his arm over his eyes as he started to melt all the stress away.

All of a sudden he heard the faint shout of his name, his eyes shot open and he quickly realized while he was still in his bed, he was surely not in Peru. He shot up out of his bed and quickly tried to assess the situation but he was completely lost, thrown for a loop. Druig rose from his bed and scanned his surroundings; there wasn’t a building as far as he could see, nothing but an open field of lavender. The smell was familiar but besides that, he still had no clue where he was or how he got there. Was he even still sleeping?

"Druig!"

There is was again. His head quickly turned as he tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from when he spotted a figure some feet away from him. He cautiously started to walk closer to the figure, fully prepared to defend himself, but as he got closer, that familiar feeling was back.

"Druig, help me!"

That voice. Her voice. It was her. He could pick her voice out of a lineup in a heartbeat. Druig was less hesitant to go to her now than before. "Help you? How?"

As he drew near, he could see the distraught look on her face and the feeling to spring into action appeared out of nowhere. Druig wanted nothing more than to help her, he didn’t even have to know what it was he was helping her with or from, he felt like he would do anything she asked him to and he could not fathom why.

They were now mere steps away from each other, within arm’s reach, and now Druig could see the tears falling down her face. He wanted to reach out, to dry her tears, and before he even realized it, his hand was already reaching out to her. Part of him wanted to finally feel her under his touch after all the dreams he’s had of her but the more rational part of him convinced him that this was nothing but a dream and he wouldn’t actually be able to feel her. His eyes widen as he made contact, feeling the heat from her cheeks and the dampness from her tears, "H-how…?"

The girl wrapped her hand around his wrist, making him focus on her, "I need you to save me, Druig. You have to help me."

Druig shook his head, "I don’t know how. I don’t even know who you are or where."

"You know me. You know you do.” The girl kept pressing on, “You have to find me and you have to save me.” Fresh tears began to fall down her face, “I don’t have much time."

A roar behind him broke the two out of their bubble and Druig knew that sound all too well. A Deviant. Druig went to look back at her but she was no longer in front of him. He turned back as the roar ripped through the air, heavy footsteps following shortly after it, and spotted her yards ahead of him. The Deviant was now visible, pounding down the field and destroying the lavender under it.

Druig took off in a sprint to get her, with no thoughts but to save her. The Deviant was moving impossibly fast, faster than he could get to her but it didn’t stop him from trying. What struck him as odd was the fact that she wasn’t running away from the deviant, she didn’t even look back at it, just stood there with tears in her eyes.

"Find me, Druig, before it’s too late.”

Druig screamed out as he tried to reach her but right as the Deviant snapped her up, he woke up. This was the same feeling he had after the very first dream he ever had of this girl but it was ten times more intense. His heart was racing and the feeling of fear and loss was high inside him. Druig clutched at his heart and felt something in his hand. He looked down and saw lavender in the palm of his hand and right then he knew he was right about these dreams from the beginning.

Druig needed to find answers and he knew where he needed to start. He sighed, groaning at what he knew he had to do, “Time to head to jolly ol’ London.”

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