#I look stupid with my yellow tinted glasses in this here target

[rem-and-co]

Scott summers core is having a headache so bad you have to wear tinted sunglasses everywhere

[comeon-eileen]

it’s not wip wednesday, but I need to somebody other than me to know that this fic exists/harass me to finish

So, I present a snippet of sugar d*ddy au

There’s a the soft whoosh of hair brushing over shoulders as necks turn. Max has never felt more uncomfortable as he does at this very moment, with mouths wet and drooped open. Charles is gone, in a blink and flash, off charming the literal pants off of a man.

“Don’t look hunted, Max,” Lewis whispers in his ear, a cleansing breath of jasmine washing over him. “We don’t make it easy for them to tear us apart.”

Max starts by releasing the tension in his neck and then relaxing the slightest bit, forcing his body to be inviting and warm, desperately reaching for the last dredges of summer heat as a comfort. “Okay.”

“Remember that we demand admiration. They’re paying for it,” Lewis says before floating off to find his target for the night.

Max takes as deep of a breath as he can manage and walks into the crowd. He shouldn’t be nervous. He knows that he looks good, Lewis made sure of that, but.

But nothing, he shouldn’t be nervous.

Still, Max has to laugh at himself; he wasn’t meant to be here like this. He’s in Monaco and so close to the race track that he can smell the asphalt. Biting and chemical and burning the inside of his nostrils. But he’s plucked and primped within every inch of him. He’s cold in the half-buttoned white collared shirt, open just enough that if he leans forward, his nipples are on display. He’s perfect, like a centerpiece.

Still and stupid like a centerpiece, too.

Grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, he walks over to the railing to have a full view of the party. He tries to look into the yellow din of people laughing and drinking, but he finds himself staring off the side of the yacht instead. There’s a gray curve in the distance that he can see under the glow of the moon, and if he tells himself a nice lie, he can say that the curve is the asphalt of the racetrack. Just a moment longer, he tells himself, one more minute and then I’ll turn around and I’ll do my job.

“Hello?” Or his job can find him. Max stiffens, turning around to see a grin, white teeth shining even in the low light.

“Yes?”

“I wanted to see if you were thirsty,” he says, eyes twinkling at him. “But I see that you have a glass of champagne, so I guess I’ll have to drink both then,” waving the glasses.

Max smiles, practiced and demure. “Your name?”

“Daniel Ricciardo.” Daniel’s grin slants mischievous, “But I think the more important question is what’s your name?”

“Max,” he says, slouching enough so that he can look through his eyelashes.

Daniel downs a glass of champagne, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “No last name?”

“Do you really need it?” Max asks.

“Other than the fact that I want it?” Daniel curves his body towards him, curls dipping over his eyebrows, almost predatory. It makes Max’s belly warm, inviting him to lean into Daniel.

Instead, Max looks into Daniel’s eyes, watching the light catching to turn them golden. “You can’t have everything that you want.”

Daniel looks expensive. Max needed to learn that the first year he left home. Lewis had tested him, running fabric over his fingertips while he was blindfolded and pressing slips of perfumed paper up to his nose. He now knows that the watch on Daniel’s hand is a Rolex. The thin, white collared shirt is Gucci. The tie—vintage Dior.

“Can’t you?” Daniel asks.

Max makes a moue with his lips, “Maybe. If you offer the right price, I suppose.”

“Oh?”

Max moves closer so that he feels the warmth of Daniel’s body. He places a kiss on the edge of Daniel’s jaw, feeling the brush of stubble rough on his lips. It’s going to tint them red.

Daniel’s hands grip his hips, holding him still against the cool railing of the yacht. His leg sneaks in-between Max’s leg. “You wanna do this here?”

Max grinds down while staring at Daniel. “What do you think?”

“I think I got lucky.” One of his hands drifts up to caress Max’s jaw, drawing him closer until their lips meet. Gentle for the first brush. A hello. It doesn’t stay gentle for long. Daniel pulls Max closer, pressing his lips against each other harder, drugging kisses, his tongue darting into Max’s mouth. And Max—Max forgets where he is. Can only focus on the heat, the wet of Daniel’s mouth. The strength of his hands—how Daniel’s beard scratches against his neck when Daniel starts kissing down the length of his jaw. His own hands betraying him, pulling Daniel closer and closer and closer.

It’s only when Daniel’s hand starts dipping underneath his pants, hot and curious, when he realizes that he’s here to work—a cold dunk of water on his senses. He drags himself away from Daniel, but Daniel follows, head sinking down so that they’re staring at each other—lips centimeters away. His eyes are dark, pupil taking over his irises, looking like he’s seconds away from dragging Max in again. “Max?”

“You’re going to have to pay for more.” Clunky. Lewis would kill him for that, but Max’s mind has been delivered to Daniel’s hands.

“What?”

Max repeats. “You’re going to have to pay for more.” His hands are shaking by his side.

“I’m not—I don’t-“ Daniel stutters.

“Okay.”

And Max starts walking away. No use wasting time on someone who’s never going to be a client.

He’s only a few steps when Daniel calls out. “Wait—“

Max stops. Turns around. He hopes his lips are swollen, red enough for Daniel to imagine what they would look like wrapped around his cock.

“I need somebody to date me,” Daniel blurts, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

“I did not think you would have a problem with that,” Max says, eyes widening when he realizes what he said.

Daniel laughs, big and full, blocking out the rest of the party. “I didn’t一I didn’t expect you to say that.”

I didn’t expect that either.

“Why do you need a date, Daniel?”

“My parents want me to settle down. Get married.” He leans against the railing of the yacht. “I need一time. I can’t一”  

Max hackles rise. “I don’t need charity from you, Daniel. I’m not ashamed of being fucked or fucking someone else for money.”

“It’s not charity.”

Max takes a sip of his champagne. It’s more bitter than he expected, tickling the back of his throat.

Daniel’s cheeks pink. “I—my parents want me settled, but I can make my own decisions.”

Max turns back to stare out into the harbor, anger fizzing in his veins.

“Will you do it?”

“Date you?”

“For a price,” Daniel recovers, grinning and Max feels like he’s pressing his thumb against the edge of a knife. About to slice it open.

Max swallows. “How long do you want?” The lights on the harbor twinkle. It’s pretty.

“How about a year?” Daniel steps up next to him, leaning his forearms against the railing. “Nice and even.”

Max stares at the lights, dangling the champagne glass in his hands above the blue-black water. He idly wonders if he would even see a splash if he dropped it.

“You’re so sure? No trial period?”

Daniel stares at Max. “I think一I don’t think that it’ll be necessary.” It’s strangely odd to see Daniel without the edges of his mouth stretched wide in a grin. Max feels a little bit steadier when he smirks and says, “My parents know my type.”

“Blonde?”

Daniel grins. “And pretty.”

And Max hopes that his foundation’s lasted the night. Hopes that the red blush he can feel on his cheeks isn’t visible to Daniel, blaring even under the cover of night.

[always5hineee]

The Final Bell - Chapter 1: Ringing Ears

Chapter warnings: Mild Language

Word count: 2216

Story is also available under Taffysamg on Quotev and Wattpad. 

To see the full chapter list, go to the “Final Bell” Tab on my page.

-----

       The pain was practically unbearable. Y/N had barely opened her eyes when it hit, sinking into every cell of her body and taking over her mind. There wasn't a bone in her that didn't feel broken. Her lungs struggled to pull in air and her skin stung. As her vision swam, she tried to pull herself up. The best she could do was barely make her way into a sitting position.

       The air around her was arid, the sky a sickening shade of yellow. Everything was dusty and reeked of old meat, and the wind blew dirt into her eyes. Shielding her face, she swallowed a few times, disgusted as she tried to clear her throat. Once she could finally make out her surroundings, she started putting the pieces together.

       She was lying on an asphalt bed- the center of the street. Every pane of glass in the windows of the buildings around her was shattered, bricks tumbling out of the foundations. There wasn't another person in sight, but there were occasional smoldering fires that indicated a recent presence. She almost laughed, thinking to herself how her family used to warn her against running into the road.

       Wait... her family! They were probably worried sick- or worse, were they alive? Why had this happened? The last thing she remembered... Think... Think... At first, she recalled a few weeks ago. Tensions were high between practically every country on Earth. People were beginning to question if there would be a third world war in the near future. Of course, this wasn't necessarily uncommon, so she hadn't been too worried about it.

       It kept coming back to her as she remembered a later news broadcast... more recent... China had just created a biological experiment. By tweaking a version of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, they believed they had created a perfect biological weapon that they were now threatening other countries with. It had worked, for a time at least. People began allying with them, convinced by the promise that the disease was perfectly controllable. That is, until the U.S. got involved.

       America began to defend the idea that biological weapons were a war crime, and they were more than prepared to crack down on this rule. By using disease as a weapon, one was dragging civilians into the mix. A fight was closer than ever. Y/N racked her brain for the rest of the details. Obviously, based on her surroundings, something had happened, but... what? Finally, she decided to figure out where she was and try and make her way back home. She was bound to remember eventually, right?

       As she stood up, she hissed through her teeth, bones cracking. Obviously she had been there for a while. Looking herself over, though, she was just bruised. She began to walk down the street, recognizing various buildings. Soon enough, she found herself in a familiar area. It was at least a 30 minute walk to her house, but she began without hesitation. The monotony of the journey gave her some more time to think, in which she recalled a bit more.

       China had launched what they believed was their complete bioweapon. Obviously, they chose to use it on the United States, their main contender. It wasn't long before things got out of hand, and with some of the biggest airports in the world, the states quickly spread the disease. Some countries retaliated with bombs, others with full-on military attacks. This wasn't the worst of it, though. Eventually, practically the whole planet was infected.

       The bio-weapon was meant to kill people, of course. Less people, less bodies in your fighting force, less money-makers, less of a chance of winning a war. The thing is, it didn't kill people. At first, this may seem alright. It most definitely was not.

       See, this virus was originally derived from Creutzfeldt-Jakob, also known as Mad Cow Disease. To make it dangerous to humans, it was also spliced with some tendencies aligning with rabies. What resulted was a viral, blood-transmitted disease that caused deteriorating brain function, fear of water and sensitivity to bright lights, abnormal digestion and nutritional needs, and a rotting body. It turned people into zombies.

       A zombie apocalypse- that's it, that's what she was missing. Now she had to watch out for these "zombies". Her gut twisted. Y/N couldn't even remember what they looked like, but the little pieces of information that she had retained were already scaring her half to death. Not only that, but she was terrified of what she might find should she return home. Still, there was little other option. She had to check on her family, and maybe get some clean clothes if she were lucky.

       The walk was taking her South, closer to areas where people were living. So, too, she began to see people. Much to her dismay, not a single one of them was alive. Thankfully, she didn't know anyone who she laid eyes on, but it didn't stop her from feeling disgusted as she saw scattered limbs and tattered corpses. It was hard to tell what exactly had killed them, especially as she was trying to avoid looking at them. Twice on her way, she found herself throwing up in the street. The only reason she didn't after that was the lack of food in her stomach.

       It wasn't long before she became thirsty. Every store in the area had smashed windows and splintered doors, so she didn't even bother checking inside. Even if there was anything inside, (which was doubtful), she'd feel bad stealing. Stupid, she knew, but it didn't change the fact that she wasn't going to go rotting around in abandon facilities.

       About five minutes away from her house, she heard something in the distance. It sounded like... church bells? More specifically, one very large church bell. It was getting louder the longer it rang, echoing through the empty area. She tried to ignore it, but it was starting to annoy her. It wouldn't be long before she was home, so she continued tuning it out. That was, until she was knocked to the ground.

       Sputtering as dirt flung into her mouth, she scrambled to get up.

       "What the hell!" She shouted, looking around trying to figure out what had happened. Lying a few feet away, rubbing his head in pain, was a man. He was maybe just below six feet tall, limber, and covered head to toe in what looked like leather and camouflage. A various assortment of blades were seated in his belt. A black cloth bag had slid a short distance away from him, filled to the brim with some unknown articles.

       "Don't yell at me, you're the one who walked out right in front of me." He grumbled, quickly jumping to his feet.

       "Wait-" he continued. "Fuck! We need to get out of here!"

       "I don't even know who-"

       "Now!" He leaned down, grabbing her wrist and harshly jerking her to her feet. Before she could yell at him any further, he began running in the direction she had been coming from. Because of his height, he was much faster, so it wasn't long before she fell behind and wrenched her hand out of his grip.

       "You can't just drag me wherever you're going! I don't know who you are, or what you're doing, or what's going on! I need to go see my family! Go to my house!"

       "Look, I'll explain later, stop being difficult and come on-" She stamped her foot.

       "Absolutely not."

       "Did you not hear the bell, woman? What's wrong with you!"

       "I don't even know what the bell is! You're going to answer me, or I'll be on my way!" Sighing angrily, he bent down to make direct eye contact with her.

       "My name is Jaehyun. I am running. And the bell is an indication as to when an area has been overrun."

       "Overrun? By what?" She asked. Before he could answer, though, she heard a growl behind her. Spinning around, her eyes widened. Coming out of alleys and tripping down the street were tens, if not hundreds, of people. They all moved in relative synchronization, making their way down the street. They weren't normal, though.

       Their flesh was a strange, purpleish-red color, and their eyes were milky and glossed over. Zombies. Unlike the zombies in movies, though, these guys could move. Fast. In fact, they were quickly approaching, evidently targeting the two standing in the road.

       "By those! Now let's go!" Evidently distressed, Jaehyun began to run, with or without his new acquaintance. Panicking, she followed, trying to keep up. The creatures were slowly but surely falling behind. She glanced back occasionally, watching their movements. They occasionally collapsed, whether from their rotting bodies or their lousy depth perception of the obstacles in front of them. If one of their own fell in front of them, they would quickly be trampled.

       "Stop looking and keep running!" He reprimanded her. Looking forward, she saw that they were headed in the direction of a car- a black van. As they approached, she could tell there were more people inside, but the only face she could make out was the man in the driver's seat. The rest were concealed by the tinted windows. Slinging both the passenger and the back door open, Jaehyun pointed.

       "Get in." She hesitated.

       "I don't know if-" Aggravated he stepped up into the passenger seat.

       "Or don't, run for all I care." That was the only convincing she needed. She jumped into the van, shutting the door behind her. Hey, if these guys didn't kill her, the zombies would.

       "Drive-" He said to the man at the wheel, who quickly shifted into Drive and stepped on the gas. She glanced around the car, mostly keeping her eyes to the floor. There were two people in the seats behind her, plus Jaehyun and the driver. The man controlling the car was much shorter. He had blonde hair, but his roots were over an inch long, indicating that he hadn't dyed it in quite a long time. He turned to the only person she now knew.  

       "Who's your friend?" Jaehyun looked back to her, then to the man driving.

       "I don't know, I found her on my way back."

       "And you didn't even ask her what her name was?" He responded.

       "What's your name?" She jumped as she felt someone directly behind her lean forward, asking the question. She turned quickly, coming face to face with one of the boys in the backseat. He was shorter than Jaehyun, but definitely taller than the man in the driver's seat. He hd a big smile across her face, which was strange considering the situation.

       "I, uh... Y/N?" He laughed, sitting back again.

       "You don't seem too sure, Y/N!"

       "I..."

       "Chill out, just messing with you. Stop being so jumpy! I'm Mark, that-" He pointed at the man driving. "Is Taeil. That's Jaehyun-" She already knew that one. And in the back is Jungwoo." She looked to the man that Mark had mentioned last. He seemed fairly passive, straight hair falling slightly into his face. He nodded, as if to acknowledge her stare, but said nothing.

       "So, what brings you into our car, Y/N?" Mark asked. Evidently he was the most talkative out of all the boys.

       "Jaehyun brought me." She muttered.

       "Well, duh, we figured that out. I mean why are you out there by yourself? And why get so close to the zombies?"

       "I just... woke up. I was passed out in the street, I don't actually remember much." She admitted. "I was trying to get home when I ran into him."

       "Literally." Jaehyun groaned, examining his forehead in the cloudy car mirror.

       "Sorry." She said.

       "Don't worry about it, he probably deserved it." Mark consoled her. "Anyway, we have a camp set up about 15 miles from here, so it shouldn't be long before we get there. If Taeil would stop driving like a grandmother."

       "The speed limit is 55." The blonde man shot back.

       "It's the apocalypse. There aren't any police. What is wrong with you." He didn't respond, but didn't speed up, either. Mark just rolled his eyes. "If they keep up that pace, they'll reach the camp in, say... three hours? That should give us time to move out. Honestly, it's unlikely they make a direct beeline, but can't be too safe, right?"

       "That would mean they have a 12 minute mile." Y/N looked at him, astounded.

       "Yeah? So what?"

       "I thought zombies were supposed to be slow." He looked at her blankly for a moment.

       "You're kidding, right? It's a miracle you've made it this long."

       "Yeah, she didn't even run at the bell." Jaehyun added.

       "I didn't even know there was a bell!" She defended herself, slouching, annoyed.

       "It's fine, we'll show you the ropes." Mark said, pointing through the windshield. "See? We're nearly there!" Peering through the windshield, she found that he was right. Just on the edge of the horizon, there were several cars and tents. She could even just barely make out the forms of a few people walking around. She took a deep breath as they approached, her situation beginning to dawn on her. She was still dirty and terrified, but maybe it would be okay. At least, she hoped so...

Go to Chapter 2

[whitelightning9999]

Button Kids, Part 4

Previous

He could no longer feel the solidness of the other’s girls mind. Instead it felt like a popped balloon, the gas swirling all around him.

Music slowly drifted to him. Growing louder with each second.

Goggles opened his eyes to muted colors of a city. The music turning into a distorted 80’s sound track, skipping every so often.

The boy took a step back from the unfamiliar environment, feeling the edge of a cliff beneath his bare feet. Behind him stretched an endless chasm filled with black bubbling goo.

“F-Fire?” Goggles shouted. “Whisper?”

No answer.

“Coraline?” He whispered hopelessly.

The Other Mother’s laugh echoed from every direction.

We never saw them again. Fire’s words replaying in his head.

Without thinking he ran into the city, turning randomly to throw off the Beldam. He couldn’t let her catch up to him. He had been a bad boy. He had left the room. He had followed Coraline. He had learned about the sun.

Goggles slammed into the oddly plushie road face first, tears flying off his face. And the boy stayed like that, shaking, not bothering to get up.

“Hellow?” a voice said.

Goggles turned his head to face the darkened alley way. Two pairs of cartoon eyes stared back.

“Hellow?” the voice said again.

He pushed himself up, ready to bolt.

The eyes blinked. “Hellow?”

“He- Hello” Goggles answered, his eyes making out a giant yellow and black star. No, he shook his head. The star was covered in that black goo from the gorge.

The eyes blinked at him.

“Do- Do you know where I am?” Goggles tried, only to get blinks. “Do you know how I can get out? I want to get back to my…“

What are they? We’ve been living in the same room but… Goggles questioned.

The star stared at the boy before slowly speaking. “Mabel”

“Maple?” Goggles repeated.

The star blinked twice, before its color started to darken and it’s body stiffened.

The boy frowned picking himself up. Ahead stood a tower and with no better place the boy started toward it.

Coraline stood up, cracking her back. Next to her Wybie eyed her.

“You- you be careful okay.” Wybie said.

She smiled before punching his arm. “You too. Can’t have you getting caught now can we.”

Coraline squinted, was that blush on Wybie’s cheeks?

Wybie awkwardly laughed. “Yeah don’t want to be eaten by some fake mother. Ha ha.”

Coraline watched him as he walked up to the door. Then a thought struck her. “Wybie wait!”

He stopped.

“I need somethings, can you get them?”

Wybie nodded determinedly. “S-sure what do you need”

Coraline listed a group of items.

“Y-yeah should be pretty easy. I’ll bring them to you to-tonight.” Wybie said before slipping out the door.

She stood there, staring at the door, counting to a hundred, then left the room in the opposite direction.

It took her a while, but she finally made it back to the mirror without being spotted. With any luck, Wybie would be home asleep by now.

Pushing her hand against the liquid surface, she walked through into the chaos.

It took a few U-turns but finally Goggles made it to the white sand beach where the tower stood. He looked around nervously. The beach was devoid of any life or sheltered. It was nothing like the cramped space he had been in for the last number of years. Should he choose to cross the stretch of land he be an easy target.

Maybe too easy. He looked up at the darkening sky. What would Coraline do? He thought looking at the sole light coming from the tower.

Taking a deep breath, he ran.

The tower coming closer and closer to him, as he solely focused on running. He was halfway when the sand exploded, launching him into the air.

He landed on his back.

Groaning he watched a misshaped clay version of a giant boy with a hat emerged from the sand.

Goggles looked back. He was too far to run back to the city.

The giant boy yelled, blowing up sand into the wind. Forcing, Goggles to cover his buttons.

Be like Coraline. Be like Coraline. The boy thought to himself as he clamped his namesake over his buttons.

The monster rose his fist into the air before bringing it down onto the boy.

Goggles jumped out of the way, using the opening to hit the monster with his own giant hand.

The monster howled before swinging its arm. Goggles could only watch as the arm hit him dead in the chest, knocking him a few feet away.

The ground shook as it started to lumber towards the boy.

Goggles, slightly stunned, chose to run. In the background the Other Mother’s laugh rang out once again.

“Mabel?” Goggles skirted to a stop. Ahead of him stood the star.

“No, we have to run! There’s a mon-“ Goggles never got to finish. A hardened lump of clay fell from the sky, crushing the star. Splattering black goo onto the pavement.

Goggles just stood there, stray black drops sticking to his face.

The monster roared in aggravation.

Goggles whipped around. The star hadn’t been a part of this, yet it still paid the ultimate price.

With his own roar, Goggles unleashed a raw wave of psychic power.

Drained the boy looked up. His attack had blown up the sands. The few remaining trees lay uprooted. And the monster was now just a lump of clay. He looked back down with a small smile.

“Embrace your gift huh?” He said out loud remembering Fire.

He froze hearing the thick sound of liquid moving. Ahead of him the lumps of clay had begun to move together.

Goggles stumbled forward. I can’t fight that thing again.

A steadily as he could, the boy limped toward the tower. Ignoring the roars of the misshapen monster and the pounding of the ground as it came closer.

He had just closed the tower door behind him before he felt the monster throw his weight against the wood.

Goggles could only brace against the rotting wood as the monster slammed into it again and again. Praying that the door held up.

“Mabel!” The monster roared, finally giving up.

Goggles breathed in relief, taking in the room. Black goo hung everywhere, leaking from the ceiling and walls. Ahead of him was an elevator with a crooked out of order sign. A glowing light with the words ‘stairs’ pointed left.  

It took the boy a few tries to get his feet under him. On the way up he almost face planted several times. In the end, he had to rest at the top of the stairs, too exhausted to keep walking.

What am I doing? This Maple might not even be here.

“Hello?” the boy yelled out, listening to his voice bounce off the walls.

The laughter of the beldam started again, and the tower started to violently shake.

Tiny pieces of ceiling fell onto his face. Goggles groaned, peeking up at the red tinted ceiling.

With a yelp the boy threw himself out of the way just before a large boulder crushed his spot.

Slowly the tower stopped shaking but his attention was left solely on the boulder.

That could have killed me. He thought darkly.

That would have killed me. He started to chuckle, before full on laughing. He took no notice of the tears dripping down his face.

She leaned against the window, looking out through the dirty glass at the dead gray colored city. Had this been a movie it would be raining now.

She continued to pick at her sweater numbly, slowly looking through every window of every building in the lifeless city.

That’s all it ever was. That was all anything ever was. Numb and lifeless. No happy music. No happy people… No happy family.

All she would ever do was stare.

And deep inside her she knew it was all she was ever good for.

“Mabel” someone said behind her.

She blinked away from the city window. John used to live there with his wife. They had been expecting a baby. She got to feel the baby kick.

“Mabel” They spoke again. “Mabel”

“Go away” Her voice badly cracking from lack of use.

She was met with silence.

Robotically she turned her head. Her long hair falling into her face.

No one.

She turned back to the window, not bothering to push away her hair.

Cruel laughter echoed around the girl. Flinching, she curled up, her memories taking over.

She was at school. The teacher had stepped out and everyone was quietly drawing.

She looked down at her desk, crayons were scattered around a blank piece of paper. She didn’t feel like drawing.

She looked over at ‘him’. He was happily drawing something, humming quietly as he worked. His happiness, his warmth made her almost feel like smiling. Almost.

She sat there, watching ‘him’. Watching how happy he was.

He turned to speak to her before his paper was ripped away.

“Hey!” he screamed at another boy.

“Hey, everyone look what Stupid made”. The bully announced, waving the paper high.

She could see the paper clearly now. ‘He’ had drawn a werewolf dressed in a mailman outfit.

Around her, other students laughed at ‘him’.

“Don’t you know we’re supposed to draw something real, Stupid” The bully said.

“It is real!” ‘He’ replied.

The class laughed harder. Around them, she could make out taunts being thrown at ‘him’.

“It is” ‘He’ insisted. “Ma-Mabel believes in it too.”

The class grew silent. “Is that true?” The bully asked harshly.

In front of her, ‘he’ looked at her with hopeful eyes.

And she wanted to. She wanted to agree with ‘him’. But someone else spoke through her body. A cruel someone.

“Pfbtt, of course not” She said.

The class raged into laughter and taunts, but she paid no notice. No, all her attention was on ‘him’ and his heartbreaking expression.

She blinked.

She was back in the gray city. Back to the numbness.

Her hand picked at her sweater.

She hated it here. But she didn’t deserve to leave.

Mabel looked out the window again. Focusing on a new window. Bone’s lived in that room. He used to try to make her laugh, using his rib cage as a musical instrument.

A roaring caught her attention. The guardian? Mabel thought.

Stiffly she swung around, slowly walking toward the door.

She made it to the hall when the laughter came again, bringing another memory.

She chewed at her lip. She was in her house this time. ‘He’ was storming up the stairs with his school backpack.

She reached out to him. “Will you just talk to me!” her voice screamed.

He kept walking.

“As your older sister I command you to stop!”

‘He’ paused. “That’s just it, Mabel. You’re not my Sister.”

She watched as he disappeared upstairs. Tears running down her face.

Her memory-self moved. Stomping down the hall to their father’s study. Wasting no time throwing the door open. It didn’t matter anyways their parents were never home. It was always just her and her brother.

She sat down at the nearly-new desk and took out a sheet of paper. Carefully, she started to write.

It took her awhile, crossing out words and rewriting everything. Her eyes full of tears the entire time. When she was done she folded the letter in half, sliding out of the chair.

She was ready to leave forever.

But something caught her eye. In the corner, next to a small door, was a doll. A doll that looked like her.

Curiously, she pushed the doll away and opened the new door.

She was back in the hallway. Leaning against the wall. What had she been doing?

She should be back in her room. Back where she can’t hurt anyone.

Mabel started to turn back, but the sound of crying caught her attention.

Numbly she turned around heading toward the sound.

Mabel paused, ahead of her was a boy, younger than her possibly, in his pajamas, red goggles covering his eyes. He was curled up against the wall crying.

Something told her to comfort the boy, but she just stood there, staring like a horrible person.

It was only when the boy wiped his nose with his sleeve did she move.

“Here” Mabel said, holding out a tissue box she had summoned.

The boy flinched before looking at her. Shakily snatching a tissue.

They just stood like that, both of them not saying a thing.

“He- Hello” The boy finally started. Mabel knew he was looking at her buttons.

“Do- do you know where- where we are?”

“Sweater town”

The boy gave her a confused look. “Do- do you know where my friends are?”

Mabel blinked. “Friends?”

“Coraline and Whisper.” The boy said before mumbling, “At least I think they’re my friends.”

“There’s- there’s no one here- uhh”

“Goggles”

“Goggles?” She repeated.

He nodded. “It’s the only name I know.”

“Oh…” She noted that the boy seemed to be recovering.

“Do you know where I can find Maple?”

She blinked, how odd. “Mabel?”

He nodded.

“I’m Mabel” She pointed to herself.

“Mabel?” the boy oddly questioned. “Oh.”

A roar came from downstairs, startling Goggles.

Mabel tiredly walked toward the stairs. Ignoring the boy.

“Wait!” She heard the boy cry, but she continued.

Behind her she heard Goggles start down after her.

Then the laughter started.

She was in the middle of the ceremony. Choosing sparkly pink button eyes instead of that ugly black.

That’s when her brother came in with a bat.

After knocking her mother to the floor, he grabbed her hand. The thread still hanging from her unfinished eye, preventing her from seeing.

“Come on Mabel we have to leave.” He yelled.

She pulled back.

“Mabel, what are you doing come on!”

“I don’t want to leave!” She yelled back.

“What?” Her brother sounded heart broken.

“I don’t want to leave. I like it here.” She had smiled at him.

“Mabel what are you saying? You have to come home… you- you’re my sister”

“But I don’t know you” she had said that. She had said that to the best person in her life.

He looked like he was going to puke. “Mabel, sis, please, please come with me.”

“Ok” she said in response to his hopeless tone.

She awoke to Goggles holding her arm, keeping her from sliding down the stairs.

“A- Are you okay?” Goggles ask from above her.

She was too tired to respond.

Everything was so heavy, so she just sat there.

“Mabel?” Goggles asked.

“Go away”

She heard the boy shift on the step above her.

“Ma- Mabel… I- I’m here be- because…”

“I said go away.” Mabel said harshly.

He released her arm.

“I just want to be alone” she mumbled.

She was met with silence.

She had pushed Goggles away.

She had finally pushed the boy away.

And like always she was alone.

Just like she wanted.

“Cora-“

Mabel jumped.

“Coraline wouldn’t leave… she wouldn’t leave me… and- and I won’t leave you” Goggles voice came from the step above.

“Now- now let’s’ get out of here.” She heard him stand.

She turned, looking through the curtain of her hair.

Goggles had his hand outstretched to her.

“I’m… I’m a terrible person.” She started. She thought of her brother’s back walking up the stairs.

“I’ve- I’ve hurt people” She thought of how her brother looked at her when she broke his heart.

“I- I shouldn’t-“

“Leave?” Goggles finished. He sat down on the stair next to her. “I know how you feel.”

She stared into his goggles.

“We’re- we’re freaks. Freaks that- that no one wants. That’s why Mother took us in, right?”

Mabel curled into her sweater.

“But… but I don’t care. Be- because I have Coraline, and- and maybe Whisper. And Fire has been… well she’s getting better.”

She watched as he put her hand on her shoulder. “And may- maybe you too?”

He suddenly pulled back. “I- I mean if you want to I- I guess.”

It started slow, at first but before long, her tears became a waterfall. She latched onto the boy, trying to suck in enough breath as she wailed.

Throughout it all, Goggles just let it happen. Patting her back, keeping her grounded with his presents.

She eventually cried herself out, just staying there laying against his shoulder.

“Goggles?” She asked.

“Yeah?”

“Can- can you be my brother?”

He shifted and she felt her heart drop.

“Are- are you sure you want a freak like me as a brother?”

“… only if you’d have a monster for a sister”

Goggles started laughing. “It’s a deal then”

Mabel smiled, standing up. Then a thought entered her head.

“Goggles? You- you said you wanted to get out of, here right?”

She watched him nod.

“Mabel. Do you know how?”

She nodded.

“Then- then we can get back to Coraline and the others.” The boy brightened, running down the steps.

“So, what do we do Mabel?”

She opened her mouth to begin speaking, when a roar came outside the tower. Goggles flinched.

“That… we have to defeat…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Goggles hesitated, looking down the stairs.

“He’s- he’s trapping you in here, right?” Goggles asked.  

“Goggles”

He looked back at her, and through the red tinted goggles, she saw a tiny flickering flame burst to life. It almost looked like-

A large boom echoed up the staircase.

“MAYBALL” A distorted yell followed the bang.

The two kids just stared, watching the dust rise from the floor below. It was only when the giant misshaped hand of clay reached upward did Goggles start to run.

“Go!” He yelled grabbing her hand.

The monster yelled, pounding the staircase. Mabel fell down from the shock wave, catching herself on the step.

“Goggles!” She yelled, watching him tumble down the stairs.

The boy, using the momentum of the fall, jumped up. Slamming a giant orange hand onto the clay-version of her brother.

“Mabel! Run!” he yelled.

Then the laughter started, and she fell into her memories.

They had run to the garage after finding the door locked.

Her brother, determined to ‘fix’ her had said they needed to remove her button.

“It’s not even fully in, we just have to take it off.” He said, slightly stuttering.

She had let him. She had let him crack her button. And that’s when the memories came back. She remembered the bully, the fight, the letter, everything from the past week.

When she came she was kneeling in a pool of blood.

“Leave her alone!” Her brother was yelling, standing over her protectively.

“Brother?” She whispered. She had wanted to say his name, but that was still missing.

He flinched, all of his attention on the spider-like women in front of them.

“I mean it!” Her brother cried.

“Oh, but I can’t.” The women said. “Don’t you see your sister already belongs to me.”

He fell silent before speaking. “Take me then.”

“What?”

“Take me instead of Mabel!” He cried.

The spider woman accepted and weakly she watched as the woman sewed buttons into her brother’s eyes. She watched as he flinched every time the woman touched him. She watched as he started to cry.

When it was done the woman turned to her. “Now dear let’s finish you up.”

Numbly, she let the woman go back on her word.

Numbly, she let the woman lead them through the house.

Numbly, she heard the woman says that she was their mother and they were her children.

It was only when they had entered the room did she break out of it.

She had turned to yell at her brother. Telling him that everything was his fault. How she hated him. Because blaming him was better than admitting that this was her fault.

She had told him to go away.

She had run away after that. Taking a one-way trip to sweater town. And never coming out.

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