#also I read the first few chapters of reunion when they first came out but now I just wanna read the whole series again

[numbuh424]

going to reread noelverse just to feel something again, wish me luck

[flanaganfilm]

I heard "Wind Through the Keyhole" is your favorite Dark Tower novel. What makes it your favorite? It's my second favorite, after Wizard and Glass, and I was surprised most other fans didn't like it as much as I did. Although I did read in right after Wizard and Glass since I start reading after everything was released, maybe it would be a different experience coming to it after finishing everything else.

There's something about The Wind Through the Keyhole that just breaks me. I adore all the books, of course, and of the big seven, Wizard and Glass is also my favorite. But Keyhole is a fascinating coda, a beautiful reunion, and a devastating goodbye.

Because it came out after the others, there is a sense of homecoming that kicks in right away, as you find yourself reunited with these characters you love so much, who have yet to find their fates. The ka-tet is unbroken. It is that rare, beautiful, impossible thing that we all yearn for - a chance to be with those we've lost again, and to see them as we prefer to remember them. I started crying in the first chapter.

The story itself feels like a lullaby, a beautiful little epilogue that ties together all of the themes of the other books and distills them into their most pure, potent form. There are lines of dialogue and prose in this that pierce me, and encapsulate even the most elusive emotions from the journey of The Dark Tower. Here are just a few passages that tattooed themselves on my heart while reading:

--

“What if I fall?', Tim cried.

Maerlyn laughed. 'Sooner or later, we all do.”

--

“It was not fair, it was not fair, it was not fair. So cried his child's heart, and then his child's heart died a little. For that is also the way of the world.”

--

“Time is a keyhole, he thought as he looked up at the stars. Yes, I think so. We sometimes bend and peer through it. And the wind we feel on our cheeks when we do - the wind that blows through the keyhole - is the breath of all the living universe.” --

“In the end, the wind takes everything, doesn't it? And why not? Why other? If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.”

-- And finally, my favorite quote from the book:

“The two most beautiful words in any language are: I forgive.” That's the thing about this book - it is full of forgiveness, and empathy, and looks back at the road behind us with older, wiser eyes. It deepens and somehow completes Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake. The Dark Tower (book 7) gives us final mental images of them, and even admonishes us to "remember them well, like this," but I find myself remembering them in Keyhole more than anything, sitting at the fire, lost in a story. The final moments as they walk on, wading back into the raging river of the story I know so well and toward their inevitable fates, gives me a sense of loss, of love, and of things being right. Ka is a wheel, and I feel it turn twice in the series. At the very end of Book 7, for sure, but also here - I feel the wheel turn in Wind Through the Keyhole in a profound way, and find myself moved as I huddle with these characters on one small spoke of that wheel, reveling in the kind of stolen reunion we only dream of in life.

It's a thoughtful, mature, beautiful look back, and for me it somehow ties the whole enterprise together in a way I could never have expected. The Dark Tower isn't complete without this book, and in a lot of ways, this book reveals the soul of the journey more clearly than the others. Just speaking for myself, of course, and I imagine mileage may vary. But this one brings a smile to my face and a tear to my eye, maybe because it carries all the other books with it.

[pedrito-friskito]

strawberry wine - joel miller x ofc!liv stone/fem!reader

during - part ten

series masterlist | main masterlist | read on ao3

your reunion comes with a price.

a/n: can’t stop won’t stop part today part tomorrow we are AMMMMMMMPED people. and this is the first official chapter with the use of Liv’s name! she will still be as nondescript as possible for now (this plot is ever-evolving) with sparse use of her name. but like I said in the announcement, if named OCs are not your thing, there’s no hard feelings here! also a bit of Joel x Tess starting in this part - I do want to say that there is ZERO hate on my end for their relationship, I love what they did/are doing in the show, but for the sake of the plot, they are not as established in this fic.

word count: 4.4k

warnings: MY BLOG IS 18+, MINORS DNI, angst, some questionable choices, drinking, Joel has a lot of feelings and doesn’t know how to express them.

✨follow @friskito-library for updates on new works/chapters✨

He can’t stop pacing.

His gut has been knotted with worry since Tommy disappeared into around the bend in the road. Tess has been watching him every since, from her spot perched atop a long defrosted freezer. She’s got her knees pulled up, legs bowed, arms wrapped around. Some kind of comfortable, he supposes.

Joel’s back hurts. It always has, and the end of the world certainly hasn’t put a stop to it. He rubs at his shoulder as he paces, fingers digging into his muscle. The gun holstered at his thigh feels heavier than normal, the knife on his belt even more so.

The gas station is a few miles out of the city. It made the most sense, stopping here for now. It was decent shelter, empty of Infected, good sight lines. The luckiest they’d been in a long time. Luckier still when they found a mostly-intact map of the state buried under a stack of cardboard inside the station’s store. Tommy was sure of the path, and while Joel was loathe to let his brother leave, he knew it was the best play. But that hasn’t stopped him from pacing the floor so long he’s actually worn the tiles clean.

“Would you sit down or something?” Tess quips, her voice exasperated. “You’re making me fucking nervous, pacing like that.”

He gives her a hard look, but relents, heads for one of the windows dotting front of the store. He crosses his arms over his chest, stares through the grimy glass. 

They found Tess just outside of Kentucky, nearly three years back. Her and her husband, Nate, were just trying to make their way, same as Joel and Tommy. After a close call with a horde of Infected, they’d joined up, more convinced that strength was in numbers than anything else.

Tess is strong, capable. She’s proved herself a hundred times over, by now, saved both Joel and Tommy’s lives more than Joel cares to count. He doesn’t like feeling like he owes anybody anything, but with her, it’s different.

And after Nate turned, it got…different, again.

He hadn’t meant for it to happen. She worked through her grief quietly, all too similar to himself. The name came up, and she shot it down. “I don’t need your fucking sympathy, Miller.”

Joel’s still holding onto you, in a way. It’s a spark that never truly goes out, a prick of warmth in his chest that he knows he has to keep small. It would burn its way straight through him if he let it get any bigger. He just…hopes you’re alive. That’s all he can allow himself to do.

But Tess, with her brash tone and her slim tolerance for bullshit, he can see the similarities, between you two. His mind wonders if you’d be friends, given the chance, and he has to force the thought from his head. There’s no guarantee you’re still in Boston, still breathing. There are not guarantees at all.

With Tess, it’s stress relief. He knows that. She knows that. The ground rules were laid out right from the first time. He hadn’t meant for it to happen, but it did, and…it felt good. A small comfort in a world that was still hellbent on ending him.

A small comfort. A small spark. That’s all he’ll allow himself.

That’s all he can live with.

+

“Joel’s alive.”

Your boots squeak on the kitchen floor. You stare at Tommy, open-mouthed, gaping like a damn fish.

“He’s…alive.” The truth tastes funny on your tongue. You say it again. “Joel’s alive.”

Tommy nods, and you pull him back against you, hugging him a second time, a nearly shouted oh my god falling from your lips as you collide again. He laughs, the sound like music to your ears, hugging you tighter still. “So are you, Liv,” he says, his voice low in your ear, cracking on your name, and you pull back again.

“Where is he?” you ask, gripping his shoulders. “Where have you been? How long, since you left Austin? Is Sarah with Joel? What’s…” The questions keep pouring out of you, something triggered in the back of your brain. You need to know everything; where they’ve been, what they’ve been doing, how they stayed alive all these years. You need to know.

Tommy lets go of you just enough to take your hand, but before he can get a word out, Deanna speaks. “Maybe you two should go downstairs,” she says, putting a soft hand on your shoulder. “Kiddos should get to bed soon, y’all should have your privacy.”

You nod, and Tommy follows suit. “Thank you, Deanna,” he says, catching her hand before she can walk away. “For everything.”

She smiles at him. “You’re welcome, Tommy.” Her eyes slide to you. “Go on, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You just nod again, the questions still stalled on your tongue. Tommy follows you out of Deanna’s apartment, down the hallway to the stairs. You only hit the first landing before you can’t hold your tongue any longer. “How did you find me?”

“I asked around at the clinic, after I got through the gate,” he says, keeping pace with you as you head down the next flight of stairs. “Didn’t think FEDRA soldiers was a good place to start. The first nurse had no idea what I was on about, but another heard me say your name and pointed me in Deanna’s direction. Took a bit of interrogating at the business end of a shotgun to convince her I really knew you, but she warmed up to me in the end.”

“Shotgun?” you balk. You’ve told her a million times not to keep the thing around, in case FEDRA ever came knocking. (Pot calling the kettle black, you’re well aware…) But she’s insisted on keeping it strapped beneath the kitchen table ever since the mall. “That woman, I swear.”

“She had nothing but nice things to say about you,” he informs you, and you can’t help the grin that tugs at your mouth as you hit the second landing, pushing the door open that leads to the hallway. “Sounds like you’ve been making quite the living.”

“Doing what I can,” you reply, fishing your keys out of your pocket. “This is me.” You stop in front of your door, unlock it, push it open. “Not much, but it works.”

Tommy follows you in, shucks off his jacket. You do the same, hiding your bag beneath it on the hook. You point out the bathroom, offer him some water.

“Is this a cup of tea conversation,” you ask, handing him a water bottle, “or a something stronger kind of conversation?”

Tommy’s eyes widen. “You have something stronger?”

You tell him to sit, walk into the kitchen and shove the fridge to the side with a heave, revealing the hole you cracked into the drywall, stacked with bottles of liquor. “Pick your poison, Miller.”

He’s gaping at you. “You’re joking.”

“I’m serious,” you laugh, pushing a hand through your still-damp hair. “Lots of abandoned houses outside the wall, lots of rich people who left a lot of good shit behind.”

He points to one of the bottles, and you pull it out, set it on the counter, shove the fridge back into place. Mismatched glasses are laid out on the table, filled with two fingers of dark liquor, some barrel-aged whiskey you haven’t even tried yet.

“To you,” Tommy says, raising his glass to you, and your mouth twitches, the soft clink reaching your ears. The first sip burns, and you wince, setting the glass on the table. “Where do I start?”

“At the beginning, ideally,” you quip, and he laughs, draining his glass to nothing and reaching for the bottle.

“May I?”

“‘Course.”

Tommy has been with Joel the whole time. “I was in the truck with him, when he called you that night,” he says, and the memory makes your shoulder prickle. “When the phone cut out, I thought he was gonna put his fist through my damn dashboard.” He chuckles, but there’s no humour in it. “The plan has always been to come to Boston.” His dark eyes flick up to your face. “To find you. Or try to. After—” He stops, cuts himself short, empties his glass again.

“After what?” you prompt, reaching out and laying your hand on Tommy’s forearm. “Tommy, tell me. Please.”

“I was in jail, the night everything went down. Got into some stupid bar fight, didn’t realize until after that the guy was infected; tried to bite the fuckin’ waitress. But I called Joel, and he came to get me. We saw all kinds of weird shit happening in the city, heard weirder shit on the radio, then he called you. We went home, got Sarah, tried to get the hell out of dodge. We got stuck, in the city. Fuckin’ plane fell right out of the sky, crashed my truck.

“We got separated, for a while. I had to circle around, try to meet up with them again, and when I found them, Joel, he…” He trails off, his brow furrowing, eyes going shiny. “Sarah died. That night.” He sets the glass on the table, leans back in his chair. “She hurt her ankle, when the truck crashed, and Joel was carrying her. Found them at the bottom of a hill, fuckin’ soldier with a gun pointed right at Joel. He’d already fired at them and then I…I shot first.”

You plant your elbow on the table, cover your mouth with your hand. There are tears pouring down your cheeks, and you’re still holding Tommy’s arm. He covers your hand with his own.

“Joel was on the ground, hurt but okay, but Sarah, she…” His brow pinches, eyes wet. “Just like that, she was gone, and he…it broke him.”

Slowly, you pull your hand away from your mouth. You refill your glass, toss the entire thing back in one go. It burns like hell, but you barely notice it, wiping the tears from your face. “Tommy, where is he?”

“Gas station, maybe ten clicks outside the city. Cumberland Farms, or something like that.”

“I know it.”

He nods. “The plan was for me to come first, see if they’d let me in, figure out how easy or not it would be to get them in, since…”

“Since what?” you prompt, lifting a brow.

“We got kicked out of the last QZ we were in. Baltimore, before it fell. Tess, she—”

“Who’s Tess?”

He gives you the story; Tess Servopolous, badass extraordinaire, according to Tommy’s description. They’d joined up with her and her husband originally, but he’d been infected, and she’d been the one to put a bullet in him. Smart as hell, apparently with ideals similar to your own; Joel and Tess had been kicked out of Baltimore for smuggling, and the FEDRA soldiers in Baltimore were using exile as punishment. Tommy, refusing to leave his brother, had left of his own accord.

“So it’s just the two of them?” you ask, your brain churning, an idea already starting to form.

Tommy nods. “That’s it.”

You push back your chair, startling Tommy, who catches your arm.

“What are you doing?”

“Stay here,” you say, ignoring his question, grabbing a different — dry — jacket off the hook. Tommy gives you a hard look, crossing his arms over his chest. “Eat whatever you want, drink whatever you want. The bed’s not half bad.”

“Where are you going?” He gets to his feet. “I’m coming with you.”

“No,” you say quickly, shaking your head. “You just got here. You can’t get caught.”

“And you can?”

“I can get them in, but I have to go talk to someone first.”

“What about the curfew?” he asks. Your eyes dart to the clock on the wall; almost an hour past. “Liv, don’t—”

“It’ll be okay, Tommy,” you say, trying to muster up something resembling a smile. “I promise.”

+

You’re soaked again by the time you’re tapping on Nick’s window, perched precariously on the fire escape outside. McCoy was on the overnight patrol; you’d seen him halfway between your building and Nick’s. The city is dark, night taking hold, curfew emptying the streets and lighting windows, casting shadows onto the pavement. 

“What the fuck are you doing out here?” Nick says by way of hello, sliding the window open. You climb through immediately, shivering violently as the warmth of his apartment covers you. He tries to reach for you, but you step out of his grip, arms crossed over your chest.

“Are you working the gate tomorrow?” you ask, and he just stares at you, one brow raised. When he doesn’t answer right away, you ask again. “Nick, are you working the gate tomorrow?”

He’s looking at you like you’ve got three heads. “I am…why?”

“I need your help,” you say quickly, your knees knocking together as you shiver again. “I’m bringing two people through the gate tomorrow, and I need you to get them through, no matter what, no questions asked.”

Those blue eyes of his darken. “I can’t do that.”

“You can,” you insist, staring him down. “I know you can. I’ll…I’ll vouch for them, feed them with my own fucking ration cards until they can pull their own weight. They can sleep in my apartment, I don’t care. I just need them inside the QZ. Please.”

For a moment that feels like an hour, he just stares at you, mouth slightly parted, deep lines on his forehead. “Who is it?”

“Does it matter?”

Nick scoffs. “I guess not. But you…why can’t they just go through the gate like everyone else? Doesn’t matter what I do, if they’re infected, they’re not—”

“They’re not infected,” you tell him, cutting him off. “I’m not an idiot. That’s not the problem.”

“Then what…?”

“They were kicked out of Baltimore, before it fell. Which means they’re in the system, which means any other soldier would turn them away on the spot.”

He scrubs a hand over his face. “And you want me to just let them through? Why’d they get kicked out of Baltimore?” His expression changes, something like understanding, but you know before the words are out of his mouth that he’s wrong. “What kind of fucked up deal have you made, Liv?”

“I didn’t make a fucking deal,” you say, exasperation creeping into your tone. “I just…I need them inside, Nick. Please. I’ll do whatever you want me to. Throw me in lockup for a week, I don’t fucking care. Just get them inside. Please.”

After a moment, he replies. His face is a hard mask, thick arms crossed over his chest. “Not a week. Two days. You go in the moment they’re through the gate. It’ll have to be official shit, on your record, proof that you were in lockup when they were brought through. I swear to god, if they pull any shit, if anything traces back to—”

“It won’t, Nick,” you say, forcing yourself to relax, reaching out a putting a hand on his arm. “I promise.”

He narrows his eyes at you. “So says the smuggler.”

You crack a smile. “So you’ll do it?”

“Yeah,” he nods, almost rolling his eyes at you. “I’ll do it. You owe me. And you know I can’t protect you in lockup.”

“I know.”

You know you shouldn’t do it; in fact, everything in you screams in the opposite direction. But when he reaches out, grabs the zipper of your coat and hauls you close, you kiss him. It lingers, the feeling of his hands moving to your waist all too familiar, but the entire time, your mind is whirling.

Joel is alive.

+

You’re gone, as soon as the sun’s up.

Nick’s awake, pulling on his gear, as you’re doing the same, nursing the cup of good coffee he’d pushed into your hands almost the second you opened your eyes. You tried to wave it off, but he wouldn’t let you. “Drink it.”

You sink onto the edge of his bed as you tie up your boots. He’s watching you, pulling a clean t-shirt over his head, tightening his belt.

“How long will you be?”

“Five hours, maybe longer.” You get to your feet. “It’s a long trek.”

His brow twitches. “I don’t like this.” Nick steps towards you, and that little voice in you, the one that had screamed when he first kissed you last night, almost has you flinching away. He reaches out, swipes his thumb over your cheek, down and over your chin. “At least tell me who they are.”

“Does it matter?” you ask, echoing yourself from last night. “They’re survivors. They deserve a safe place, right?”

He drops his hand, crosses his arms over his chest. “Right.”

“I’ll bring them through the alley,” you tell him. “Same as yesterday. Then through the empty warehouse and to the gate.”

Nick just nods.

“I’ll see you later,” you say, grabbing your jacket, and you’re gone.

You take the same path you’d used the day before, stopping at one of your caches to grab the bat from where you’d stashed it, a backpack with supplies. Your adventuring gear.

Ten miles feels like twenty. The caffeine gives you a bit more pep in your step, and you’ve always travelled faster on your own, but you haven’t felt this antsy since outbreak day. Your heart hammers with every step, the bat a heavy weight at your back, hands curled around the straps of your backpack.

Joel is alive.

It pushes your feet faster, but makes the guilt rise in your stomach just as quick. You shouldn’t have let Nick take you to bed, shouldn’t be asking him for something like this, but there’s no one else you can ask. No one else you trust. 

The Joel you find now might be a completely different one. Tommy’s words ring out in your ears, when he’d told you about Sarah, about what happened that night.

“It broke him.”

Part of you has been broken since you left Austin. Maybe there’s a glimmer of hope somewhere in here, maybe you can put each other back together, live, survive.

Maybe.

The guilt simmers thickly. You should have told Nick who it was, who you wanted brought inside. But would his answer have been the same, if you admitted it? He’s pressed a bit, over the years, asking for tidbits of your past, trying to muddle your story together. You’ve stayed tight-lipped with him, but Deanna knows exactly how much gin to give you to loosen your lips, and you have no doubt she’s passed some information along. Not that you can blame her; she loves you both, and she’s still not sold on what you’re doing with Nick. 

“You’re gonna get that boy killed one of these days,” she said one night. A job went slightly awry and you came back with a black eye, the bat caked in Infected blood, Nick half carrying you up the stairs to Deanna’s place. “You can’t keep getting him involved.”

“I know.”

You did. You do. But life is about resources, now. It’s who you know, what you have, what information you can use against someone if you need to. It’s a lethal combination, in every sense, and that’s just behind the walls, never mind what lies beyond.

You know you shouldn’t use Nick. You know you’re just going to hurt him, at the end of the day, but it was never supposed to go this far. You know he feels more than you do, and part of you still wants to feel what he feels, to give him something in return for all these years but—

Joel is alive.

Broken or not, that changes everything.

As soon as Tommy said Cumberland Farms, you knew exactly where you were going. It’s a halfway point, of sorts. You’ve done a handful of deals there, have some supplies stashed beneath the tiles. It’s long deserted, looted to shit and half boarded up, but there’s usually something interesting lurking around.

But you’re definitely not expecting what you find.

There’s a truck at one of the gas pumps, the hood popped and the battery long gone. The door is cracked open, and when you get a little closer, you see them, standing in the window.

The woman — who you assume must be Tess — stands with her back to you, light-brown hair visible through the glass. There’s an arm slung around her waist, a hand fisted in the back of her jacket, and everything in you goes still.

Joel.

He’s standing in front of her, saying something, his lips forming words you can’t discern. Your mind is blank, taking in every detail you can, rebuilding the picture of him in your mind, a combination of your memory and your vision, the differences sussing themselves out.

He looks older. There’s a bit more grey in his beard than you remember, the lines on his forehead deeper. A ratty, camel-coloured jacket, a few buttons on the flannel he’s wearing undone. Tess puts her hand on his chest, his bare skin, and when she leans in, your heart drops into your stomach, knees nearly dropping out from under you.

They’re together.

Thanks for the fucking warning, Tommy.

It doesn’t matter, you tell yourself, tightening your grip on the bat, breathing slowly. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that he’s alive.

Then Joel’s eyes flick up, staring straight through the glass. Straight at you.

You see it, on his lips.

“Liv?”

You’re frozen in place. The world has melted away completely. The bat falls out of your hands, the metal singing as it bounces off the pavement. He disappears from the window, Tess turning to see what he saw, and a moment later, he’s bounding through the door, bee-lining for you, nearly sprinting across the lot to where you’re standing. He’s saying your name like a prayer, over and over and over again.

He grabs you so hard your boots slide on the asphalt. The breath is knocked from your lungs, something hot and desperate making a home in your belly as he pulls you into him. You go willingly, throwing your arms around his middle as he wraps his around your shoulders. He’s solid against you, heartbeat hammering against your chest, as quick as your own. The scent of him is slightly different, more earthy, almost darker, but it’s still Joel.

He pulls back after a moment, holding you at arm’s length, one hand moving up to cup your cheek, eyes raking over every inch of you. “You’re alive,” he breathes out, a surprised laugh in his tone, and you just nod, the words refusing to leap off your tongue. Joel hugs you back against him. “You’re alive.”

You just nod, tears filling your eyes, holding him close, holding the back of his jacket in an iron grip. Please don’t make me let go, please don’t make me let go, please don’t make me—

Joel pulls back again, his brow pinched, confusion in his eyes. “How did you—”

“Tommy,” you answer quickly, moving your grip to his bicep as his grip your shoulders. “He’s in Boston, in the QZ. I left him at my place; I didn’t wanna take any chances.”

“He made it?” Joel asks, and you nod.

“Joel,” you say, your voice low, feeling a tear slip down your cheek as you say it. God, his name feels strange on your tongue. When was the last time you said it out loud? You squeeze his arm. “Tommy told me…” You pause, breathe deep. “About Sarah. Joel, I’m so sorry, I just—”

You regret the words, the second they’re out of your mouth.

It’s like a flip has been switched. He drops his hands, and his expression goes with them. You watch the mask fall into place, hard and unreadable, shutting you out in an instant. There’s suddenly three feet of space between you, and he turns away as Tess walks out of the gas station, calling his name.

“What’s going on?” she asks, confusion on her face, coming to a stop beside Joel. She juts her chin towards you. “Who’s this?”

“She’s…” Joel starts, but loses the words. He looks at you again, something you barely recognize in his eyes. Again, he turns away, hands on his hips, his back to you.

“I’m Liv,” you offer, holding your hand towards Tess. She stares at it for a second before taking it. “You must be Tess.”

“I am.”

“Tommy sent me,” you say, and that seems to soften her slightly. She’s pretty; big green eyes, pouty lips, tall, and she looks every bit the badass Tommy had described. “I’m an old friend.”

Her gaze slides to Joel, who has distanced himself further, putting even more space between you. Tess, thankfully, doesn’t do the same. “I gathered that.”

You push your tongue against your teeth, resisting the urge to yell at Joel. Why did you have to say it? Why couldn’t you have waited, maybe? At least got them into the QZ before you shattered whatever was still tethering you two together.

“How do you know each other?” Tess asks.

You search for the words. Do you give the truth, right off the bat? Has Joel ever mentioned you to her? Why did you have to say it? “It’s a long story,” you finally manage, eyes snagging on Joel’s back. The guilt you’d already felt over Nick has tripled, a solid lead weight in your stomach. “Doesn’t matter. We should get going.” Tess opens her mouth to protest, but you hold up a hand. “Tommy told me about Baltimore. It’s fine, I took care of it; you’ll get in, no problem.”

Joel whirls then, his eyes bright, jaw set. He’s angry. You almost flinch. “What did you do?”

“It’s nothing,” you reply quickly, your brows pulling down. Some fucking reunion. “Don’t worry about it.”

“What did you—” he starts again, taking another step, but Tess’s hand flashes out, smacking him in the chest, and he freezes.

“Relax, would you?” she nearly sneers, and you raise a brow. “She’s helping us.”

Joel stares at you. Long and hard, those dark eyes impossibly darker, making a chill snake down your spine. You barely recognize him. It doesn’t matter, you try to convince yourself, bending to pick up the bat. He’s alive, that’s all that matters. You knew things wouldn’t be the same. Things couldn’t be the same.

You look away from him, feeling his gaze follow you as you turn on your heel, heading back towards the road.

“Let’s go.”

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[strangerquinns]

Deadly Reunion| Chapter 14

Eddie Munson x female!reader // a stranger things apocalypse au

summary: You and Eddie have been best friends since childhood. But when the outbreak happened five years ago, you were torn from one another in the chaos. but now you’re left alone, after your group was killed by another radical crew, leaving you to seek out what was once home. // zombie apocalypse Hawkins set in 1993

warnings: angst + adult themes w/ descriptions of violence, blood, torture + other zombie apocalypse related issues (no use of y/n)

word count: 3.6k+

⪻ previous chapter | next chapter ⪼ | stranger things masterlist

The entire group stayed on top of the apartment building a few blocks from downtown till the security of nightfall washed over the town. Steve and Eddie stood together toward the front of the building with a pair of binoculars as they spoke to each other. You watched the two of them interact and could see they were obviously good friends.

Though Steve was the leader of the team, Eddie was obviously his right-hand man.

“Alright,” Steve spoke as the two turned toward the rest of you. “They are camped toward the North side of the town, with a small patrol group headed toward the south side. South is where we need to leave to head back to Camp.”

“There are a few on rooftops, but if we’re quick and silent we can make it past them. We’re going to move in groups of three. Make it easier and less likely to be spotted.” Eddie finished, his face cast in deep seriousness. Then you could see more of the man Eddie had become and less of the boy you remembered. “Steve is going to head out first with Steph and Patrick. Argyle you’re going to lead the group with Denise and Fowler.” Eddie’s eyes moved to you, and you saw the slight turn of his lips, before speaking your name, “…Robin and Nancy are going to come with me. We’re moving second since we’re the larger group.”

“We’re going to need to be vigilant, and make sure we’re looking out for these people and each other. There are also flayed down there, not many, but some that are moving through back parts of the town.” Steve sighed heavily. “Try and only use your knives if needed, gunfire is only going to draw attention where we don’t want it.”

You looked around and saw that everyone seemed to be in the same somber mood that you were feeling. A part of you was scared, you weren’t going to lie to yourself about that. Since the last time you had a run-in with these people, those you cared about most were taken away.

Everyone moved from the place they’d been resting for the moment and started to split off into their groups. You wanted over to Eddie with both Nancy and Robin at your side. You could read the anxiousness all over Robin’s face and body language. You couldn’t help but reach over and give her hand a gentle squeeze. Her blue eyes shot toward you quickly, before a half smile spread over her lips.

“We’re going to be ok,” You spoke softly, seeing her shoulders relax slightly. “I’m not going to let anything happen to us, ok? We’ve got each other’s backs.”

“I know, I know.” Robin sighed deeply. “I’m a naturally anxious person, not gonna fully relax till we’re out of the clear.”

The sound of footsteps coming closer caught both of your attention, you turned away from Robin to see Eddie walking closer to you. He’d moved his bandana back around the lower part of his face and tied his hair back. His dark eyes stared down at you, and you even saw a bit of worry swimming around in them.

“Robin, gonna have you with Nancy. You two will have each other’s backs.” Eddie looked at you, “That’s gonna leave you with me, sweetheart. We’re gonna move together still, but I think having a partner also works in case we’re separated. If we do, meet at the main street where we came in.”

Robin nodded her head, “Got it, Munson.”

Each group returned down the fire escape at the side of the building. Steve’s group leaves first, with you and your group following closely. You gripped tightly to the knife you held in your hand with your other hovering over the handle of the gun you had tucked in your waist. Eddie stepped forward first, leading the three of you, with you close behind him.

From a distance, you could hear the noise of the radical group that was more up north like Steve said. You moved quickly, and as quietly as you could, down the street with your bodies pressed tightly against the buildings.

Even with the night falling over the town and casting it in darkness, you used the darker shadows of the abandoned buildings for more cover. When the four of you turned around the corner down the alley you, Robin, and Eddie had come up earlier, you all paused for a moment. Your eyes scanned over seeing the bodies of Flayed lying across the back alley, and the further forward you looked, the more you saw.

“Jesus fuck,” You whispered with a groan, your face screwing up with disgust. The smell of the bodies hits you almost instantly. You pulled up the collar of your shirt to try and mask the smell, but it was useless against the pungent stench.

“They destroyed through the pack,” Robin spoke, her voice tight with her face matching yours. “With the amount dead, this group has to be bigger than we thought.”

“More reason for us to get the fuck out of here,” Nancy spoke from behind Robin.

Eddie nodded his head before moving forward more toward the main street. But it wasn’t long till the sound of gunfire caused the four of you to freeze. Everything around you felt like it froze for a moment as ice seemed to rush through your veins.

“Steve,” Nancy whimpered.

Eddie scrambled and reached through his pack for his walkie, before pressing down on it and calling out. “Munson reaching out, anyone?”

“Argyle here, man, gunfire coming from further forward, copy.”

“Harrington?” Eddie called out, but there was a response. “Fuck,”

More gunfire rang out from the direction you all needed to go, in the same direction Steve and his group were leading.

“We need to go and help them,” Robin spoke with her voice straining.

“We need to come up with a plan.”

You reached quickly for your gun, checking the barrel before closing it, “The plan is to fucking get out of here alive, and not leave our friends to fend for themselves.”

Eddie called your name as you quickly turned the corner, gun raised as you headed toward the noise. It wasn’t too far ahead you saw the parks of bullets hitting against the side of buildings and breaking glass joining in with the noise. Your gaze moved up and you saw someone sitting on top of a building, gun pointed down the street.

You didn’t think.

You didn’t hesitate.

Not caring what they were shooting at, cause in your mind, it was made up it was your people.

So, you aimed and fired.

The first bullet was missed. You saw the person rise up slightly and turn in your direction. You took that as your chance, your target becoming clearer, before firing again.

Their head was knocked back by the force before their body disappeared.

“Are you fucking insane!” Eddie’s voice came up from behind you.

You just glared at him before moving forward more, now with the three others beside you. The clear emotion of him being pissed at you was all over Eddie’s face, the bit you could see from the moonlight. But you didn’t care. He could lecture you later after you all were able to get out of here.

“Argyle speaking, moving further forward, coming from west.”

“Harrington, we’re taking cover, we’ve been spotted. Patrick’s been shot in the shoulder.”

“Munson moving forward, coming through the main street, where are you located Harrington,” Eddie spoke back through the walkie.

“Some hardware store, we got spotted by four,” Steve replied.

“Make that three, one was taken out,” Eddie responded.

The three of you came up along where the side alley met with the main street. You saw where the gunfire was coming from and could see the three others Steve was speaking of, and it looked like they were returning fire. Again, you moved with instinct and checked the opposite side and saw no one was approaching. So you pushed forward, with Robin moving with you. Her shotgun was raised as she pointed and shot forward. Now the attention was on you.

“Foreigners!” One of them shouted out before the bullets were headed in your direction. "Call for backup!"

You ducked behind a mailbox and could hear the bullet hitting against the rusted metal before you popped back up and returned fire. Another dropped.

“We need to push toward the warehouse,” Eddie spoke, moving swiftly along the fronts of the buildings, ducking behind what he could.

Your heart felt like it was going to rip from your ribcage with how hard it was pounding with the adrenaline rushing through your veins. A part of you knew, deep down, you were being reckless with how you were moving. But you didn’t care, because these people killed your family – and were not trying to take your new one from you.

One of the men came up beside you causing you to act fast, driving your knife into his neck and pulling his body down with yours. The gurgling sound of blood rushing through his airwave, causing him to choke on it, didn’t deter you. You didn’t feel anything, instead moving again as the backup of the radical group fell upon you.

Eddie was the first to make it to the warehouse with Nancy close behind them. You followed close behind Robin and stood within the doorway, trying to stay hidden as you saw another group sweeping through the street.

“We gotta go, man,” Eddie spoke, watching as Nancy patched up Patrick’s arm, “We don’t stand a chance getting out of here if we fucking hesitate. This group is huge.”

“I fuckin’ know!” Steve spoke, the stress and realization of the situation clearly getting to him, “But our only way forward is going to give us less and less coverage. We can’t risk it; we could lose people.”

“We don’t really have a fuckin’ choice!” Eddie spoke.

A gunshot rang through the store causing everyone to duck down further than you all already were.

“Argyle reachin’ out man, we lost Fowler. Fowler is down, we’re pushin’ forward,” came through the walkies.

“We need to move now!” You called out, shooting back, but unable to see if you were even meeting your target. “I spot about fifteen.”

“This gunfire is going to cause Flayed to rush through this town again, we have to fuckin’ move,” Eddie spoke.

“Ok, ok!” Steve shouted before moving to help Patrick off the floor, “We head out first, you guys cover us, and we fuckin’ book it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, that fear from before seemed to loom over everyone. Knowing, deep down, the chances of you all making it out of this was low.”

“We’ll cove you,” Robin spoke, shotgun already aimed forward as Steve moved closer toward the door.

You stepped out first and returned fire as you knew Steve was moving behind you down the street, his arm tight around Patrick’s waist as he helped the wounded man. From the other side of you, you saw Nancy step up beside you, giving more cover as the other exited the hardware store.

“Shit!” Robin screamed, her eyes wide as she looked to the other side of you, catching your attention and distracting you.

You whipped your head around to see a few Flayed stumbling and moving onto the main street, with one dragging its decayed leg behind him as he moved quickly toward Nancy. You screamed out her name as you fired toward the monster, the shot hitting its shoulder, causing it to slow. Nancy moved and set a shot through its head causing it to drop to the ground.

“We gotta move!” Nancy cried out.

Chaos erupted as the remainder of the Flayed stumbled out onto the streets with the draw of the gunfire pulling them. You didn’t make it far, maybe another block or so, till you felt a burning ripping feeling through your shoulder. It was enough to cause you to scream out in pain as it sent you to your knees. You heard someone call out your name as you fell against the asphalt and reached to grab for your shoulder. Quickly the familiar, sticky, feeling of blood coated your fingers.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Robin shouted as she moved beside you, bending down to grab your hand and move your fingers away. “Gunshot to the shoulder, but we gotta move, ok? We can’t stay here!”

“Robin!” Nancy yelled out.

Robin ignored your screams as she hauled you off the ground and back onto your feet. But neither of you made it far as the few flayed from before had caught up to you. You swallowed down the nauseous pain and tried to raise your other hand to fire, but every shot was missing.

“Run to catch the others,” Robin instructed.

“I’m not leaving you guys,” You whimpered out, crying out again as you sheathed your gun into your waist and grabbed your knife once more.

You bit down into your lower lip as the pain in your left shoulder moved through your body, as you drove your knife into the skull of the one coming toward you. The weight of it caused you to stumble slightly, as you ripped your knife out.

“Alright, let’s go!” Robin spoke as she took care of the last one, “I’m running low on ammo, we gotta get out of here.”

You and Robin watched as Nancy turned to follow the two of you, and then watched with horror, as a bullet split through the back of her skull. Her body dropped quickly with a sickening thud.

“Nancy!” Robin screamed, you stood there frozen for a moment.

Your eyes were fixated on the way her blood spilled and painted across the streets. Robin rushed toward her friend and bent down to move her onto her back. It was like Robin’s brain was allowing her to process what was happening. Her hands frantically moved over her friend's face.

Half of Nancy’s face was gone with a gunshot coming from the left side, where her eye once was.

“No, no…Nance! Oh, god.” Robin sobbed.

You looked to either side of you seeing the group moving closer with the flayed starting to take over the streets, while the other end showed that your group was ahead of you two. You seemed to move on autopilot with your brain only focusing on the survival aspect.

“Robin, Robin…we have to leave.”

Hearing your own voice had you thinking for a moment it wasn’t your own. Forgotten was the gunshot in your shoulder causing blood to drip down your arm and onto the ground.

“Robin.”

You grabbed her shoulder with your good hand, and she pushed back on you, crying harder.

“Robin! Come on!” You screamed, grabbing her harder and pulling her away from Nancy.

Robin worked quickly and grabbed up Nancy’s pack and her weapon, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stumbled away from Nancy’s dead body. You held Robin tightly against you as you moved down the street, keeping your bodies as close to the buildings as possible.

You shot one final look of your shoulder seeing Nancy’s fallen body once more, before turning the block.

“Holy shit!” Argyle spoke the moment you and Robin came into view.

Eddie raced toward you, “Fuck, sweetheart, fuckin’ scared me. I thought you were right behind me.”

His words quickly stopped the moment she saw the blood covering half your body, before seeing the distraught state that Robin was in.

“Guys, where’s Nance?” Steve’s voice spoke from behind Eddie.

You held onto Robin tighter as she seemed to cry a little harder. It made Eddie’s stomach twist to see your face nearly void of any emotion. Your blank gaze moves over his shoulder to Steve.

“She’s not with us anymore,” You spoke softly.

“They shot her, Steve! Fuckin’ shot her!” Robin spoke through broken tears.

“Fuck,” Argyle spoke, everyone else falling silent.

Steve seemed to swallow down his emotions for a moment, turning his gaze away as he stared down toward the ground.

“What the fuck happened to you, sweetheart,” Eddie spoke, his tone frantic and worried, as he stepped closer to you. His hand caressed over your shoulder causing you to hiss and cry with pain. “Shit…I-I should’ve checked that you were with me,” Sorrow filled his eyes as he stared down at you.

“I-I’ll be ok,” You spoke, pulling away from Robin, she stumbled toward Steve. The two of them held tightly to each other. You watched on and your heart broke for them.

“Come ‘ere,” Eddie spoke, grabbing off your jacket and exposing the gunshot more. You watched as he dug through his pack and grabbed some gauze, before grabbing a nearly empty bottle of alcohol. “This is gonna burn, but we gotta stop the bleeding.”

You nodded your head and braced yourself, as he poured over the wound. It burned for a moment before turning into a dull ache. He placed down a cotton pad over either side of the shot, before wrapping it over your shoulder with the gauze.

“We gotta head out,” Steve spoke, reaching up and wiping away the tears falling down his cheeks, keeping an arm around Robin. “W-We need to go before we spotted again.”

Everyone somberly nodded their heads before gathering close together heading away. Eddie kept you close to his side, reaching down and grabbing your hand on the other side of your wound. His eyes were heavy with sadness as he stared down at you. In his mind, he felt selfish to be grateful that it was Nancy and not you.

“You gonna be ok?” You asked, looking up to him.

Eddie nodded his head slightly, “Are you?”

Flashes of Nancy’s body dropping played through your mind again and it caused your chest to tighten slightly.

“I-I think so.” You whispered, moving closer to Eddie with your hand pulling from his so you could wrap an arm around his waist.

As you walked you could hear both Robin and Steve speaking to one another.

“We can’t leave her there, Steve,” Robin spoke softly, her voice cracking as she continued to cry. “We have to give her a burial.”

“I know, but we are outnumbered, once we get back to camp, we’ll see what the Chief says.”

You knew better than to speak up, knowing and witnessing yourself what others did with the death of those that weren’t their own. If Nancy wasn’t going to be eaten by the Flayed, she was most likely to be burned with any other dead. But you didn’t want to speak and take away the last bit from the two of them.

Death wasn’t something that was unheard of, especially in the state of the world now. But that didn’t mean it got easier.

It took four days for the rest of you to make it back to the camp. The moment you walked through the gates it seemed that the entire camp was there to greet you. The first thing you spotted when your eyes scanned over the crowd, was Mike. He stood off to the side toward the front, with his amputated arm wrapped up. He looked better, healthier than the last time that you’d seen him.

The reality of what had happened only hit harder as you saw the hopeful look in his eyes.

Chief stepped toward Steve and Eddie the further you all walked into the camp. You watched with saddened eyes as they talked with the Chief in hushed tones. You could see on the older man’s face the moment Steve broke the news of the loss of Fowler and Nancy.

“Nancy? Where is Nancy?” an older woman’s voice spoke up.

Looking over you saw an older woman step toward Hopper, her blonde hair was pulled back from her face, but even with the different colored hair, you saw the resemblance. This must’ve been Mrs. Wheeler. Soon enough Jonathan joined Mike with another boy. He was roughly the same height as Mike and stepped up to grab onto Mike’s hand tightly. Between the resemblance between him and Jonathan, this must’ve been his brother that you had not met yet.

“Where is my Nancy!” Mrs. Wheeler screamed more, the Chief gently guiding her away from everyone else.

Your eyes squeezed tightly as you heard the horrid, heartbreaking scream of a mother that just learned that her child was gone.

It brought tears to your eyes as you walked away.

You didn’t feel it was right of you to mourn with the others.

The pain in your shoulder became a dull ache and knew you needed to get to the medical wing. You stumbled past the crowd and through the main doors of the old Lab, heading in the direction of the Medic.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie called out as he rushed to follow after you. You stopped for a moment for him to catch up. “Turned around and you were gone, where are you goin’?”

“I-I thought I should get my shoulder checked out,” You spoke, clearing your throat a little. “I-It didn’t feel right…watching the Wheelers and everyone getting the news.”

Eddie nodded his head, “Come on, let’s get you taken care of.”

He reached down and grabbed your hand and pulled you down the hall. You fell to his side as the two of you walked, nuzzling your face into his t-shirt. With each step the two of you took the fatigue of the last week or so started to weigh heavy on your shoulder.

As you rested against him the tears came again, your heart aching for a girl you barely knew. Memories you thought you’d buried deep only ripping back up to the surface.

Well, that was...that. I realized my mistake in the last chapter of mentioning Nancy was with the group when previously I sent her home with Mike. But I changed that and now she's dead. I hoped you enjoyed it...next chapter is gonna be Reader and Eddie focused. Lots of comfort and cuteness I promise. Please leave your thoughts or come and chat! I love speaking with you guys about this and seeing your predictions/thoughts and such!

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[escrivoir]

For the send me a fic, can I have "stay all night" pleeeease?

Oh lord, the fic you inspired! Congratulations and thank you for that, @reallylilyreally haha.

My favorite scene

Right after the awful snow/Bastogne-adjacent scene, wherein Nix accidentally kisses both Dick and Tab and then nearly wrecks his car when he realizes what he's done, racing home to call his secretary and tell her that he won't be in because they're all sick - and she's already rescheduled all of his meetings.

My favorite chapter (if it's a multichapter)

Chapter 8: Dick scaring Stanhope, and everything related to planning the wedding, especially because everyone in Easy is so fucking baffled about it. And there's the Easy reunion / real wedding.

Hardest scene to write

This one - it kickstarts so much insanity.

So: while she travels, she’s been bringing along reading material - journals and articles about fertility and birth control, both of which are progressing in the most marvelous way these last few years. In the most unlikely of fashions, it appears that her Stanford education is serving her well. It turns out there are options she’d never thought of, although some of them are … undignified.

“Undignified!?” her brother yelps when she lays it out to the boys that evening. “It’s a farce!” 

Dick and Tab exchange a significant look. Neither of them are rejecting it out of hand, which is encouraging. It’s something that had never even occurred to Dick, she can tell; there’s surprise and a little bit of discomfort at the frankness of the topic, but he’s not disgusted, and he’s certainly not panicking like Lewis.

“It works in animals,” Tab points out reasonably. “With quite a bit of success, and even less dignity.” Of course Bunny would know; agriculture engineering was a lot of math and science, but he’d also spent time at working farms, which has paid off in the immediate success of Ferme Parachute, as she’s now termed it. Blanche doesn’t actually know what their business is, and she’s not sure she cares. It has something to do with… food for cows?

“My sister is not a cow! ” Lewis cries. She rolls her eyes and bites back the urge to look him straight in the eyes and moo. It’s a tough sacrifice, but that’s what good sisters are for.

Favorite character to write in the fic

Blanche! The struggles of being a wealthy heiress sound laughable, but just like Nix, there were so many impossible expectations thrown at her.

Favorite dynamic to write in the fic

Friendly: Blanche & Nix - siblings with a whole lot in common, and similar chips on their shoulders Unfriendly: Stanhope & Tab - very very mildly touched upon. I love that Tab is everything Stanhope despises, and steals his daughter and son from him, more or less.

Why I chose that title

Most folks know Stay All Night, Stay a Little Longer as a song by Willie Nelson, but it was originally recorded in 1945 (released in 1946) by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. It's a swingy tune, and the chorus is so good for Blanche and Tab especially: Stay all night, stay a little longer Dance all night, dance a little longer Pull off your coat throw it in the corner Don't see why you don't stay a little longer

A fun fact about the fic

The fic was literally born because I had just started to talk to @reallylilyreally and we were joking about how weird it would be for Blanche to meet Tab, which is when I came up with the opening scene, and the whole fic kind of spiraled into what it is now. Will say I did NOT expect it to go the direction it did at first, and then I was just like, shrug, guess we're doing this!

[ayelbee]

MORE THAN LOVE | K. MBAPPÉ | 5

previous chapter | next chapter

masterlist

Summary: Sometimes even love is not enough for relationships. But it's fine because you are over it. But getting again in a contact with his younger brother wasn't smart.

TW: French translation from a translator, some curse words

Notes: I know that this chapter took me long enough and I'm sorry for that, but better later than never?! Also, what do you think about this reunion? And how do you think the explanation will go? Tell me your thoughts! I will try to come up with a new chapter in the next week hopefully, if not.. im soory. Anyway enjoy this chapter i love you and i thank you for your comments<3.

Masterlist

---

Are you really coming? 

You read the message that lit up your phone.

I’m already on my way

You answered. You were currently on your way to the stadium, Ethan invited you to his game today and you couldn’t say no. He was also texting you for the third time if you didn’t change your mind about going. Which you didn’t. You still saw his hurt eyes, when he was talking about missing you the last time you saw him. You needed to do this for him, to show him that after everything you would still be there for him no matter what.

The car stopped and you saw the familiar stadium in front of you. The last time you were at the stadium you were there with Kylian. You felt like it was ages ago, but at the same time like it was just yesterday. You went straight to the stands, texting Ethan again that you just arrived. He didn’t answer but you already saw him on the pitch getting warmed up with the other players. He was really similar to his brother, just a younger version. Kylian was a god to him, he was everything and Ethan wanted to be in the future (just with better behavior to his future girlfriend).

 You looked around making sure that Kylian was not there, which you already knew because Ethan made you sure earlier that Kylian wasn’t coming today. If he did, Ethan would not invite you. He didn’t want to create drama and he knew that Kylian would be upset with him, not knowing that the two of you were in contact. After seeing that the stadium was safe you went to the fourth row, in your usual place so Ethan could easily find you. Four was your lucky number and it was also a spot where you could perfectly see from, in Kylian's games you were always seated in the family box way higher, where it was also good to see from but it was too far from Kylian, so every time you got a chance to sit closer to the pitch you would go to the fourth row.

You noticed that the players were getting ready for the kickoff, you quickly find Ethan who was looking around right now, probably trying to find you. and he noticed a few seconds later. You sent him a quick smile and showed him your fingers crossed which made him smile. After that, the kickoff happened.

The little gesture that you made to Ethan earlier made him calm and positive about today. You always did that, Kylian always used to say that you were their family’s lucky charm and Ethan always agreed, but he also knew that the biggest lucky charm for him was when Kylian came to his games with you. But that changed, and he was happy to at least have you there alone today.

—-

It was a few minutes after the second halftime started, you took your phone out to snap some photos of Ethan, normally you would send them straight to Kylian or post them on your close friends, but none of that happened… It felt weird being there. Yes the game was great and Ethan’s team was winning, but that still didn’t make you happy. You smiled on the outside, but the feeling of betrayal was somewhere inside of you. But in reality, you didn’t betray anyone, so you had no reason to feel that way.

You didn’t know that Ethan was feeling the same way you did, but he actually had his reasons to feel like that. Ethan didn’t tell Kylian about today’s game. Yes, it was because Kylian told him first that he had some plans today, but he also told him that they weren’t important. Ethan knew that if he told him, he would cancel these plans because Kylian loved to support him, but Ethan didn’t want him there today, he wanted you. He knew how sad Kylian will be once he finds out that his little brother had a match today, which he missed, but Ethan hoped that he will have time to think about a lie that will save him from his older brother.

Unlike Ethan's luck in the game today, he had no luck in hiding his game from his brother.

—-

Kylian’s meeting ended sooner than expected, so he decided to call his little brother if he wants to hang out with him this evening. After a few minutes of Ethan not picking the phone up, he decided to call his mum instead to find out why Ethan is not answering his call. 

Kylian was surprised, but he wasn’t disappointed. He noticed that his brother was acting weird the past few weeks, but he also had in his mind this mystery girl that Ethan didn’t say a word to Kylian about her. Kylian asked about her a few times already, but his brother always quickly changed the theme. The older brother put two and two together today, already making a theory of why Ethan was silent about his game today.

Kylian was one hundred percent sure that Ethan didn’t want him at his game today because he invited this mystery girl to watch him play. Kylian knew this tactic from the heart since that was one of the steps he took before he got together with you… So he made up his mind about finding who this girl was on his own. 

—-

 The game ended up with a win for the PSG, after the final blow Ethan looked at you and you smiled. You turned around and went to wait in front of the stadium for him. You promised to take him to McDonald's afterward. 

You called a cab and the rest of the waiting on Ethan you spent on Instagram. Good for you Ethan was trying to be as fast as possible so in 15 minutes he was already running to you.

“How did i play?” he spoke as you hugged him.

“You played like a Mbappe’s do.” he laughed. 

“And you will buy me a McFlurry for that.” Now you were both laughing. You heard a car stopping in the distance. Ethan put his hand on your shoulders as you both turned to the parking lot expecting there to see your taxi. Instead, the two of you froze.

“C'est quoi ce bordel!” a third voice spoke.

----

Kylian was angry, he was furious and mostly he couldn't believe his own eyes. What was happening? And why did he see an interaction between his younger brother and an ex-girlfriend that looked like they never stopped talking? Were they still close? Was Ethan in contact with Y/n all the time? And why he never mentioned that.

Ethan was supposed to be on Kylian’s side no matter what. They were brothers, they were from one blood but Ethan was clearly lying to Kylian all the time. Ethan knew how the breakup messed up with Kylian but he still didn’t try to help him. Every text that Kylian sent to her, every call when he needed her she wasn’t there but Ethan? He was there and he still chose to not help him.

To be fair Ethan tried to help him, but the real way of helping would be bringing Y/n back into Kylian's life. Which Ethan could do but chose to not. This thought made Kylian angrier than he was before.

Kylian would normally run to you, hug you, kiss you, and beg you on his knees to come back home. But now he felt only his anger rising, his blood was boiling and everything was happening just because of his OWN brother. A Brother who betrayed him.

----

You couldn’t breathe, you were frozen in place. If you could, you would start running away, but your legs couldn't move. You couldn’t believe that after six months of doing your best to avoid him, he was standing three meters away from you, watching you and his brother. You could see the anger in his eyes, you saw how his hand was in a fist, and his knuckles were white from the firm grip he had, but at the same time, you saw the way he was hurt inside. You wanted nothing more than to hug him, and tell him how sorry you were. 

On the other hand you felt how nervous Ethan was, you broke your gaze off Kylian, who was looking between you and his brother. Ethan’s eyes were red, you saw how he tried his best to not cry. Maybe he was taller than and stronger than you, but he was still a kid who unconditionally loved his brother, but also felt like he just stabbed him in his back. 

You gathered all of the strength that was left in your body to put together one sentence.

“Please don’t be angry, let us explain this.” you looked back into Kylian’s eyes. When he heard your voice his look softened. For a second he forgot in which situation he was.  Hearing your voice after all of these months was the thing he prayed for every day. It felt like his heart was repaired for a second like nothing happened between the two of you. But it did and you weren’t his anymore, he couldn’t kiss you or hold you, well he didn’t even talk to you. But his brother did.

And with that thought his anger was back.

“What would you explain to me Y/n? Because I feel like the only person who should explain something to me is silent.” his words sound harsher than they should, which took you back for a minute before you spoke again.

“He is still a kid.” Kylian’s eyes were dark, they were like that when he was playing games, maybe sometimes when you were in an argument, but they have never been like this when he was talking about his little brother. 

“Well that’s obvious when I see the way he’s hiding behind you!” he angrily pointed at Ethan who was looking at his sneakers. “Y/n don’t try to apologize to him, he is not dumb, he knows what he’s doing and he should also stand behind his actions and not act like a child.” how could Ethan lie to Kylian? Why did he do that, when he knew how his older brother was hurting?

“Kylian.” you took a step closer to him. Hearing his name from your lips broke him. “Please,” you spoke again. Kylian took a deep breath, he looked at his brother for the last time before he also tore his gaze away from you.

“Let’s go away from here.” he started to walk away to his car. You exchanged a look with Ethan.

“It is gonna be okay.” you gave him a small smile. 

“He is going to kill me.”

“Are you two going?” Kylian turned and looked again at the two of you. You and Ethan started to walk to him. “And he is going to do the talking,” Kylian spoke as he opened the door of his car in the passenger seat. No matter how angry or disappointed he was, he will never forget to act like a gentleman. Normally you would smile, but the only thing that was currently on your mind was scared Ethan on the backseats.

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Tag list: @nightlockcornucopia, @she-lives-in-her-dreams, @sorceresski @m4k444 @mrs-dasilvasantoss @kyksgirlgirl @mrswhitethornbelikov @starofavolonea

[fablesrose]

Ch 20 - The Reunion Job

Series Rewrite Masterlist 

Pairing: Eliot Spencer x Ford!Reader

Description: The team goes back in time, to high school with all the insecurities of a nerd turned overly rich and successful bully.

Words: 5.7k

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It was only a couple of days later when after Hardison met the client with Nate, he burst through my door complaining about Eliot being a lurker and Nate playing mind games with him which he very much did not appreciate. At least that’s what I could decipher from his frustrated ramblings. I’ll admit, I was only half listening to him as I was just reaching the most exciting part of the book I was reading.

“How do you deal with him?” Hardison finally asked. 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Well, I mean, he’s your uncle, he raised you. You’ve gotta have dealt with his mind games and little psychological tricks all the time, so…” 

I sighed, realizing that he actually wanted an answer and not just a rant session. Meaning, I wasn’t going to be able to finish the chapter. I closed the book and turned to stare at Hardison. I contemplated whether I wanted to actually answer his question in a fulfilling and helpful way for my friend or find out what happened in the current story arc. 

I think the answer is obvious. Now how to go about completing the goal. 

“Well, Hardison, you are a very smart young man,” I began. 

It was obvious that he was not expecting the compliment and blinked, “Well, I– I’m not sure how that–”

“It is very relevant,” I cut him off, bringing the attention to me again. “The thing with dealing with manipulation tactics is that you first have to understand them.” I stood up from my couch, making a better connection with him by having more direct eye contact. “You see, Nate does use mind games, but it isn’t an always, every time thing so in order to identify when he is trying to manipulate you, well, let's say there is a learning curve.”

“And I am at the very bottom of the curve,” Hardison whined a bit. “I have never been at the bottom of a curve!”

I thought I had him hooked, so said a quick, ‘follow me’ and tried to walk towards my door, and to my satisfaction, he started to follow without a second thought. “That’s okay, I’m sure you will catch on. The thing about manipulation is that it is most often about subverting attention, whether that be to the manipulator, yourself, or somewhere else with a hyper focus that it is hard to redirect back to where you want if you aren’t looking out for it.”

He followed and listened intently, making a few interested comments. 

I walked him across the hall and entered Nate’s apartment, “It takes practice and a lot of self awareness both to spot it and to try to do it to someone. There’s also tricks that can help, in a way it is similar to grifting and hacking, just combining the two.”  I finally led him to where his computer was, “But, I won’t keep you any longer. I think it is better if you did some research on some psychology and the job for the client, right?” I nodded as I asked him that and he instinctively nodded back at me, agreeing as he sat down and placed his hands on his computer. 

“Okay, thanks y/n.”

I hummed in agreement and casually, but quickly, walked back across the hall to get back to my book. Hopefully Hardison didn’t think too much about what just happened when he was doing his research. 

Not too much later Nate came in to bring me along for the recon of an Iranian intelligence secret police hideout. 

“You’re lucky I just finished a really good part of this book and need to decompress a bit,” I said as I slipped a bookmark in and stood from my couch for the second time. 

“Mmm hmm, I think you’re the lucky one because you wouldn’t be able to pull the same thing on me that you did on Hardison,” he said, very self satisfied. 

I stopped in my tracks, “how do you know about that?”

“I was upstairs and heard you.”

“You’re not gonna tell him, are you?”

“Only if you hurry up, we’ve gotta go. Come on, birdy,” he insisted, ushering me along and out the door. 

“Okay! Okay, I’m going!”

Eliot and Hardison went into the restaurant as health inspectors. Sophie was already there as a customer with a bug in her food to give the boys an in to do an inspection. When Eliot wouldn’t help her get the roach away from her after her outburst, she told him that he would pay for it. I’m sure that will be interesting. 

Parker was breaking in one of the back rooms where we were sure all of their sensitive information was. Nate and I stayed in the truck monitoring. Once Parker plugged into their computer, Hardison cloned it so we could all see the screen and Hardison could search the files. Meanwhile, Eliot was doing the food inspection as a bit of a distraction, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he was enjoying himself, just a little bit. 

“There’s nothing on Manticore, starting a syntax search” Hardison said as he remotely connected to the computer. 

“What about the Manticore?” I asked, vaguely gesturing to the graphic on the bottom corner of the screen depicting the creature. 

“The image on the bottom left there,” Nate said, since Hardison couldn’t see where I was gesturing. “Manticore is a mythological creature, Persian for ‘man-eater.’”

“Yeah, I was just about to click on that,” Hardison said unconfidently. 

“Oh yeah, right, sure,” I replied, making sure he knew of my skepticism. 

Hardison clicked on the graphic and a bunch of files opened on the screen. 

“Okay, let’s uh, copy Cyrus’s program,” Nate said. 

“I’d love to, but it’s not here,” Hardison said. “Doesn’t even look like they’ve heard of Cyrus.”

I looked at Nate, “That’s odd. Then who stole the program?”

“I’ve got payment records here,” Parker said. “The last one dated three weeks ago.”

After some searching, Hardison said, “The last Manticore update was also three weeks ago.”

“And who was that payment to?” Nate asked. 

Hardison answered with a low whistle. 

“Larry Duberman,” Hardison began once we got back for the brief on our new mark. “Founder and Ceo of Dubertech. Back in the 90s he wrote the book on digital database security. Literally wrote the book.”

Eliot stepped between Sophie and I with an intricate looking tea set and started pouring the both of us tea as Hardison explained how much revenue Duberman pulled in. I tried to make eye contact with either Eliot or Sophie to question what was going on, but Eliot was focused on pouring the tea, and Sophie wasn’t paying any attention to him at all.

“Why would Larry Duberman be selling software to Iran? He doesn’t need the money,” Sophie said and quietly thanked Eliot for the tea with a soft touch to his shoulder.

I repeated the sentiment to him, without the touch, and took a sip, noticing it was my favorite tea. I smiled a bit to myself, not quite listening to what Hardison was saying. I did catch that Duberman had a lot of competition in the tech industry which required him to expand his market share to make money. 

“So, he sells the technology to embargoed countries and the income is tax free?” Nate asked. 

“That’s a nice way to keep the bottom line from being squeezed,” Sophie commented. 

“Now Duberman has a long term contract around Manticore for Iran, this man has become the IT department for the axis of evil,” Hardison said definitely. 

“Alright, so Eliot was right,” Nate said. “The Veserate didn’t go after Cyrus, Duberman did.”

“It’s not about politics man,” Eliot said while squeezing a lemon into Sophie’s tea. “It’s bad business for him.”

“Okay, so Duberman’s our target,” Nate said, “what are we up against?”

Hardison explained how if we could shut off a certain one of Duberman’s servers then we could shut off Manticore. 

“So, get to hackin’ man,” Eliot said. 

“Dude, what is it about ‘wrote the book on database security’ that you don’t comprehend?” Hardison mocked. “I can’t just access Manticore remotely, we got to get to that server, in person.”

“Have any of you ever trimmed a Bonsai?” Nate asked. 

I looked at him quizzically before following his eyes to see where he was looking at an article saying that Duberman recently installed a Japanese garden. 

“I mean, I took a class in college,” I said, once I thought I had an idea of where he was going with the question. 

“Really?” Eliot said in an excited and almost conspiratorial whisper, “cuz I actually–”

“Maybe some other time, Eliot,” Nate cut him off, clicking on the screen to enlarge the article he was reading. 

“Okay,” he said, a little dejected, also seeming to realize why Nate asked, more hypothetically. 

I was about to give an encouraging remark to Eliot when my attention got pulled to the other side of the table. 

“Why is Eliot pouring your tea?” Parker asked. “Hmm? You brainwash him again?”

Again? When was the first time?

Sophie hummed in a negative tone. “Neuro-linguistic programming,” she corrected. “It’s amazing what you can do with the power of suggestion. ‘Sugar, squeezed,’” She said, only slightly directed at Eliot and patted his shoulder again. “And a few strategic pats on the arm.”

Eliot seemed to register what Sophie said and paused where he was about to pour her some more tea, “Damn it!”

“You owe me for that roach business!”

“Damn it!” Eliot repeated, “Sophie, not again.” He then took the cup of tea he was pouring for Sophie and marched off. 

Hardison was laughing at the front of the room, and it only took me a moment to give a laugh as well. It seems to be the job for mind games. 

I took a sip of my tea, which Eliot left in front of me, and leaned toward Sophie, “Thanks for including me in the tea, this is my favorite.”

“Oh, I didn’t tell him to do either of those things, but I’m glad you enjoyed it, dear,” she replied casually. 

That made me pause, because it didn’t seem like something Eliot would do on his own, but I took Sophie’s word for it and just assumed that maybe her programming accidentally implied something about me getting tea too. The tea being my favorite must have been a coincidence. 

Regardless, I was going to enjoy the drink in front of me. 

I had volunteered to go into Dubertech as a custodian/gardener to help in the break in, but Eliot ended up doing it. I assume because he also got some nostalgia from the bonsai as well as this part of the mini con involved literally running into Duberman and accidentally roughing him up a little. 

Eliot would shove a bonsai into his hands, spilling it everywhere. Hardison and Parker would immediately come in to clean it up, swiping his keycard and his fingerprint off the bonsai pot. Hardison and Parker then proceeded to break into Duberman’s office to gain access to the Manticore server. 

Sophie, Nate, and I were at his apartment watching through the camera Hardison had with him. When they walked into the supposed server room, they paused. 

“Whoa,” Parker said. 

“It seems like we stepped out of Japan and straight into high school,” Hardison said.

“In 1985,” Parker clarified. 

As Hardison panned the camera around the room, we could see that they were right. There was so much high school memorabilia and 80s tech on the shelves and in trophy cases. The lighting even seemed to be retro. 

“Did you find the server running Manticore?” Nate asked, trying to get them back on track. 

“Oh, I found it,” Hardison said. “Small problem: Nate, he’s running Manticore from his high school computer.”

The computer in question came into view and I was amazed that a program as advanced and complicated to spy on Iranians could even be run on the machine.  Parker picked up and waved a floppy disk with a Manticore sticker on it. 

“Question: can we just smash the computer? Would that work?” I asked. 

“No,” Hardison replied, but didn’t explain as he plugged in to the computer and began to try and hack it. 

“Fair enough, just thought I’d double check.”

“Vintage 1980s technology, man,” Hardison said, mostly to himself, “no wonder I couldn’t hack it from the outside. It’s speaking a dead language.”

“This is bringing a whole new meaning to ‘tech people don’t trust modern tech,’” I commented. 

We watched as Hardison ran passwords through the computer, trying to gain access. After a few moments, an announcement came through talking about a possible breach. 

“Hey, they’re onto us!” Parker said. “What’s the deal?”

“He’s got a multi-tiered password system,” Hardison explained. “Now, I’ve already broken into the first few: uh, Zavransky, MandyDD, a bunch of other random ones.” Hardison’s computer then made an unusual sound. 

“Is that a good beep or a bad beep?” Parker asked. 

“Ohh, that’s a bad beep. We just hit a wall.”

“You didn’t get the password?” Nate asked. 

“Not the master one,” Hardison said, “the last one I got is: L33R15L06.”

Sophie and Nate looked at each other and said ‘high school’ at the same time in a dejected voice. 

“That password is what tipped you off?” I asked sarcastically, mostly to cover up how I wasn’t sure how that password connected to the theme, but with all of the high school themed stuff in the room, it made sense. 

“Come on, let’s go,” Parker said anxiously. 

“Hold on, let me just copy this disk,” Hardison replied. “How did anyone get anything done in the 80s?”

They were able to make their escape once the download finished and made their way back to the pub. We all met down there to discuss what to do from there. 

“Nobody else thinks it’s weird that you can just buy anybody’s yearbook online?” Eliot said when Hardison pulled out Duberman’s yearbook to consult.

“You know, it’s real cute man how you still believe in privacy,” Hardison replied.  

“I’m just amazed he could get his hands on it so quickly,” I commented.

“Here we go,” Nate said as he flipped through it. “Zavransy: math teacher. Now I bet if we turn to the cheerleaders… Yes. Oh, Mandy.”

Eliot gave a low whistle. I glanced at the picture and, well, the double Ds in the password did make some sense. 

“What does the ‘DD’ mean?” Parker asked.

The boys gave some innuendoes towards Mandy’s chest which I rolled my eyes at. I just told Parker that she didn’t need to worry about it. 

“It was the last password that tipped us off,” Nate continued, “L33R15L06, now that has to be a locker combination, right?”

I nodded my head, agreeing, trying to disguise that I was just coming to the realization of what that was now. I guess I never remembered any of my locker combinations that way. Or remembered any at all.  

“So clearly, he’s obsessed with high school,” Nate concluded. “Memorabilia, his high school computer.”

“Yeah, he’s a classic computer nerd,” Sophie said. She glanced at Hardison and apologized. “The girls totally ignored him, the guys picked on him, now that he’s a success, he can’t leave the past behind him.”

“Yeah, he has to remember who he was because it made him who he is,” Nate said.

“I feel bad for the nerd,” Parker said with an almost sympathetic deadpan.

“Don’t feel bad for this guy,” Eliot replied. “Getting bullied in high school is no excuse for propping up dictators. Take Hardison, he got bullied his whole high school career, he’s not a criminal.”

We all looked at him incredulously. Sophie and Parker verbally disagreed.

“Not a bad criminal,” Eliot amended. 

“What makes you think I got bullied in high school?” Hardison asked. 

“A: you’ve got a green hornet doll.”

“First: it’s a limited edition action figure. Second: it is Green Lantern. Educate yourself.”

“Guys, listen, listen,” Nate interrupted, “we’ve got a locker combination, we have a teacher’s name, and we have a crush. So Duberman has made his old high school, his roman room.”

After a moment, Parker confidently said, “Of course.”

“Of course?” Nate asked her, “what’s a roman room?”

She crumbled and admitted she didn’t know. 

“It’s a memory technique,” he explained. “Each of his passwords corresponds with an object in a space he is intimately familiar with. In his case: the hallway of his old high school where he kept his locker. Now if I were to make this bar my roman room, everything I need to remember is in this room. For instance:” Nate stood and clasped me on the shoulder, “my, uh, email password would be Birdy here.” He then approached the bar and picked up a bottle of liquor, “and my bank password would be Balmore,” he said with a shrug. He then poured himself a drink from the very same bottle. 

“Hey,” Parker leaned across the table to Hardison, “Nate just gave us his passwords, huh?”

“No,” Hardison said, “but I already got all his passwords. Want to see his Netflix queue?” He continued with Parker’s nod, “He’s got, like, every season of ‘Rockford Files,’ every season of ‘Sex in the City,’ that show ‘Psych.’”

“Oh, that’s a good one,” I said. 

“Hey,” Nate came back and leaned over Hardison’s shoulder, “Listen, if we can’t get into the main server without Duberman’s master password, you can’t hack into that, right?”

“No, the password's up in the guy’s head. Can’t hack a guy’s head.”

“So the only option is to break inside his roman room.”

“You wanna break into his high school?” Parker asked. “Pft, I could do that blindfolded. Yeah, let’s do it blindfolded.”

“No, no, no, what we’re gonna do, is we’re gonna break into that high school, twenty five years ago.”

“Hmm, what do ya know,” Hardison said, looking at his phone, “Class of ‘85 has a reunion coming up. In eight months.”

We shared a passing look between each other with a smile. I think we could make that work. 

Sophie made some calls as different reunion committee members and was able to get the reunion moved up to this month. She then called Duberman to personally invite him to the party, naming some classmates that should incentivise him to come. And lo and behold, he said he ‘wouldn’t miss it for the world.’ 

Hardison went in and edited a picture of Sophie and put it in the yearbook under the name of Grace Pelts. Nate was going to pose as a student named Drake McIntyre and play the rival, or villain in Duberman’s story. When he came out in his chosen outfit, he for sure looked like the peaked in high school jerk that he was going for. 

Parker posed as one of the caterers and placed cameras around the school so Hardison could keep an eye on everything and help Nate and Sophie out when needed. 

“Oof, so many awkward people in so many ugly outfits,” Parker said as she took a look at the bulletin board with the ‘nostalgic’ photos. 

“You’re lucky you never went to high school,” Hardison said. “Nothin’ but heartbreak and homework.”

I sighed with a nod of my head, though he couldn’t see me, it was true. 

“Didn’t you go to your Prom?” she asked. 

“Uh… I was kinda busy,” he replied in a way that told me he was doing something that he wasn’t supposed to. Probably highly impressive and highly illegal.

“So you guys get to go to the reunion, and I’m stuck on goon patrol?” Eliot griped beside me as he pulled on his gloves.

“What am I? Chopped liver?” I asked, unamused. 

“No, you’re at least a nice Pâté,” he replied with a slight apologetic look. 

I squinted at him, not understanding what he was implying, “I’m gonna try and take that as a compliment, but you’re on thin ice right now.”

“Eliot, listen, once we get the password, you and y/n have to enter it on Duberman’s computer and destroy Manticore,” Nate explained. “Hardison is a little occupied.”

“Besides, I’m sure you already had your high school fun,” Hardison goaded. “Big man on campus. What? Quarterback?”

I watched as a slight smirk of reminiscence appeared on his face and he pulled his hood up, “I had many interests.”

He then waited until a lone employee walked out of the Dubertech building and knocked him out with one punch. I quickly rummaged through his pockets until I found his key card. Eliot then dragged him off to the side in the bushes where we were standing and I tossed his briefcase into the bushes after him. The two of us then entered the building and made our way to the so-called server. 

Meanwhile, Sophie was making first contact with Duberman, stroking his ego a bit to get him loosened up. She also helped make the introduction to Duberman of Nate being Drake McIntire. 

Apparently Drake was pretty popular in high school as it sounded like he was swarmed by people greeting him. Nate made sure to point out Duberman from across the room and address him as “doucherman!”

That seemed to sell it for Duberman.

“How’d you know that was his nickname?” Sophie whispered when she was able to take a step away from Duberman. 

“With a name like Duberman, it’s not exactly rocket science,” Nate replied as he greeted more people, asking Hardison to help him keep his cover. 

“Doucherman’s pretty good,” I commented. “If you wanted to just mispronounce his name you could go with Doberman but that might be too cool for him. I probably would have gone for gooberman or nooberman.” 

There was a moment of silence.

“Say, y/n, who were you in high school?” Hardison asked over comms. 

I scoffed, “Please, I didn’t conform to high school stereotypes.”

“Emo,” a couple voices said, including Eliot who was walking alongside me. 

I looked at him and sputtered a bit, trying to deny it. 

“Don’t even try it, y/n,” Hardison teased, “I can always look up your yearbook pictures.”

“Don’t you dare,” I said in the most threatening voice I could muster. 

“Mmhmm,” Hardison replied in a tone that told me he wasn’t convinced but then continued to help Nate by feeding him facts about his supposed classmates. 

Sophie was able to pull Duberman into the hallway and started reminiscing, trying to get any passwords she could out of him. 

“This hall is burned in my mind,” Doberman said as they walked. 

“Say, wasn’t that Mrs. Zavransy’s room?” Sophie asked. 

“Had her for homeroom. Yeah, Pat Brander once gave me a wedgie in front of the whole class,” He replied. 

“Pat Brander,” Sophie emphasized as if she was remembering too. 

“Check out Brander,” Eliot told me as I sat at the computer. 

I typed in the last name which didn’t work and then first, and then first and last, but none worked, “Name isn’t working.”

“Try Brander303, that was the room number,” Hardison said. 

I typed it in, “Uh, looks like we got payroll.”

“Alright guys, patience,” Nate told us. “If we get him riled up, he’ll lead us to the password we want.”

Nate entered the hallway in a drunken manner and started teasing Duberman in a way that was very reminiscent of teenagers. 

“We’re not eighteen anymore!” Duberman whined, trying to get him to stop. 

“I’m just reliving the good old times, ya know,” Nate replied. 

“Good times? You think they were good times for me? Like when you told Amy Tuttleton, the prettiest girl in school, that I had both male and female genitalia?”

Nate laughed, “I forgot about that! Yeah, that was classic.”

I typed in every variation I could think of for a password with Amy Tuttleton, with no hits. 

“Hermaphrodite?” Eliot asked over my shoulder. 

“I’m not trying that,” I said. 

After a few more passing comments between Nate, Sophie, and Duberman, Duberman finally said, “You just don’t get it, do you? I won.”

“Oh come on now, you’re not still steamed about things that happened twenty-five years ago. Come on! Listen, it wasn’t all bad, does your brain only remember the painful bits?”

“Just the important stuff,” he tried to defend. “Like what happened in the library.”

“Oh yeah, go on,” Sophie encouraged. 

“No, you remember, yeah, I was sitting there–”

He was cut off by a newcomer entering the hallway and their little group. It sounded like a flirty woman, who Nate, trying to stay in character, drew her attention to himself. Nate said her name was Nikki and she implied she was a cheerleader. Hardison got to work trying to give Nate information about her, but there were multiple cheerleaders who could have had the nickname Nikki. She then dragged Nate away from Duberman and Sophie to make out. 

“Nate, I hope you know, this is so gross,” I said, trying to block it out. “Hardison, can you mute him for me for a second so I can listen to Sophie?”

He did as I asked and tuned me to Sophie and Duberman’s conversation.

I kept trying passwords that Sophie was giving me, and while a few of them opened different capabilities, none were the master password we were looking for. Eliot paced around the room looking at memorabilia and giving me updates on the others. 

“Ha, Nikki locked Nate in a closet after he turned her down.”

I laughed as I tried another password, “serves him right, he probably broke that poor girl’s heart. And he broke my eardrums.”

“Yeah, Parker said the same thing along with high school being dramatic. She’s gonna go break him out.”

I scoffed, “she can say that again. High school was so over dramatic.”

“Says the emo.”

I glared at him and he changed the subject, looking back at the glass case in front of him, “They give out trophies for chess?”

“Chess is at least a strategy game. It’s better than a spelling bee trophy,” I countered.

He didn’t have the chance to reply as grinding noises and sparks started to shoot through the door. 

“It’s the Veserate, they’re comin’ in!” Eliot told me and the rest of the crew. 

Hardison unmuted Nate for me as he asked what the Iranians were doing here. 

“How are we supposed to know?” I told him. 

As I typed in another password, Nikki crashed Duberman’s and Sophie’s conversation again. She said she just wanted Drake out of the way so she could have Duberman all to herself, she spilled her drink on Sophie in the process, insisting she clean up. Well, there goes our audience with him and our opportunity to get the password. At least for now. 

“What happened? He get away?” Nate asked Sophie when they met up. 

“She took him!” Sophie lamented, “That, that… That bloody little slut!”

I’ll admit, that was not what I expected to come out of her mouth.

“Calm down,” Nate mediated. 

“Just because I’m not some cheerleader or something!” 

Oh, there was some bad blood here. Some history for Sophie. 

“Alright, let’s forget about it for now. Eliot and y/n have company and we’re no closer to getting the password, so I think we need to escalate.”

“You think he’s ready?” Sophie asked. 

“Uh, guys,” Hardison interjected, “I’ve accounted for all the Nikkis in the class of ‘85, your Nikki’s not even in the yearbook.”

“Wait, so she’s a fraud, like us?” Parker asked. 

“What, is she just some random hussy who’s out for his cash?” Sophie proposed. 

“Not exactly,” Hardison answered. “She’s a hired gun.”

I shifted my focus from the melting door to Eliot, “Well, this just got more complicated.”

“An assassin?” Sophie asked. “Nikki’s an assassin?”

“Yeah, I guess we weren’t the only ones with the bright idea to pose as alumni,” Hardison said. “This chick’s connected to wetwork jobs all up and down the east coast. Russian mob, Italian mob, there’s a New Zealand mob?”

“This is our fault,” Nate said. 

“I didn’t do anything,” Parker denied. 

“We lured him to an unsecured environment,” Sophie said. “We exposed him.”

“Now we have to save him,” Nate said. “We can’t destroy Manticore with him dead. Split up and find him. Eliot what’s happening on your end?”

“T minus five seconds,” he replied. “This reunion sucks!”

“I agree!” I said, surveying the room, trying to find something I could defend myself with. I finally settled on using a chair if I had to. 

We watched as a hole was finally punched through the door and a head appeared to assess the room. When he saw Eliot, he said, puzzled, “The health inspector?”

Eliot shrugged, “I’m gonna have to dock ya again.”

Two of them quickly entered the room, the first raising a gun to Eliot. He knocked it away and was able to knock one down at a time to fight off the other. The first was able to drive Eliot into one of the trophy cases, breaking the glass everywhere. I stepped up and stomped on the back of his knee, making him collapse. I then stepped back out of the way to play support, protect the computer, and input the password if necessary. 

“Duberman must have pissed off the Iranians,” Hardison said, “They hire an assassin to take him out while they raid his office? Eliot, you’ve got to keep them away from that computer.”

“He’s working on it!” I yelled at him at the same time Eliot said, “What do you think I’m doing?”

Eliot grabbed the chess trophy and was able to knock out the second Iranian, and for a moment, they were both down, and it was quiet. 

“Check mate,” Eliot said, but the first Iranian would just not stay down and stood up again, ready for another round. “Or not.”

Over comms, it sounded like Sophie was able to find Duberman and Nikki and fight her off.

“I always hated cheerleaders,” Sophie said. “It was always mean girls like you who ruined high school for the rest of us!” It sounded like they kept fighting for a bit before Sophie was able to get away.

Eliot kept playing whack-a-mole with the Iranians, as soon as one went down, the other popped back up. I tried to help where I could, taking any cheap shots that were available while Eliot kept them occupied. Luckily, anytime they turned to engage me, Eliot was freed up to take them down, or at least divert their attention to himself. 

I heard Duberman’s voice come through the comms again along with Nate, so he must have found him again. I was too preoccupied with the Iranians in front of me to pay attention to what was going on with them, but nothing seemed to be going horribly wrong yet. At least, not more than it already was. 

What I did hear was Nate saying, “And, it’s done.”

That was a signal that Duberman changed the password. Eliot was still engaged with the Iranians, so I took a risk to turn my back on them and type in the new password, testing if Sophie’s neuro-linguistic programming worked to put ‘Badger85’ in his head. 

“I’m in, Hardison,” I said, hearing Eliot finally knock both of them out enough to stay down. 

“Great, now deauthorize and delete all directories, like we talked about,” he replied. 

I typed in the commands and watched as the program fizzled out. “It’s done.”

“Manticore’s dead,” Eliot added with a note of finality.

Hardison was able to send some files to the FBI with an anonymous tip that should land Duberman in detention for a long while. 

“Well, I think it’s time we graduate,” Sophie said once the figurative dust settled for a moment. 

Nate agreed, but they were stopped by a loud announcement that even Eliot and I could hear through the comms. 

“Your votes are in for the king and queen of the reunion, and the lucky winner is: Grace Pelts and Drake McIntyre!”

I laughed. I could just imagine the shock on their faces. 

“Uh, very funny Hardison. Y/n?” Nate said. 

“Oh, you think I did this?” Hardison asked. “Nah, I don’t rig elections. I mean, I could, but…”

“How could I have pulled that off? I’ve been across town this whole time,” I pointed out. 

“Parker, was this you?” Sophie asked. 

“I didn’t even know they had kings and queens in high school,” she replied. 

“Yeah, um. I guess it was a good con,” Nate said. “Hardison, why don’t you set off the fire alarm right about now?”

“You two enjoy this, you earned it,” Hardison replied.

Music started and Hardison asked Parker for a dance. 

“Everybody having a good time at the dance, anybody wondering if we’re okay? If we made it out alive?” Eliot grumpily asked the team. 

“Do you want to dance? We can still hear the music,” I said, a blush coating my face at the question even though I asked it kind of sarcastically. 

Eliot paused, like the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “Well, uh–”

“My vote is we get some good food,” I amended before he could say no. 

“Oh, yeah. That, uh, that sounds great right now,” Eliot answered. “Much better than a dumb high school dance.”

I let out a huff of a laugh and pulled out my earbud, “uh huh.”

The employee that we stole the key card from stood up from the bushes and Eliot quickly knocked him out again with a punch. 

“Was that necessary?” I asked him. 

“Probably not, but it made me feel better,” he answered while he dug his own earbud out.

I nodded and jokingly linked my arm with his as we walked silently towards his truck for a few paces. 

“What should we eat?” he asked me. 

“I don’t know.” I thought about it for a moment and remembered what he said earlier in the night, “What’s Pâté? Is that good? Should I try that?”

“Maybe not tonight, let’s take a drive and see what we can find.”

“Sounds good to me.”

A/n: Reblogs and comments are welcome and encouraged! Thank you for reading!

Tags: @instantdinosaurtidalwave @kniselle @technikerin23 @kiwikitty13 @plasticbottleholder @wh1sp @who-actually-cares-anymore 

[dickinson-devotee]

Iron Maiden, As Known By...

BRUCE DICKINSON as known by Nicko McBrain (2003)

I think my first encounter with Bruce was when he was rehearsing with Samson in Kilburn, which must have been 1979. I remember I was playing pool and Bruce came out of the studio and he was very animated and very loud and I thought, ‘Who is this geezer?!’ His personality was way in front of the man himself. But as I got to know Bruce, I realised that he is a very intense guy. In the early days when I joined Maiden, he was very extrovert, yet he was introverted at the same time. When he gets a great idea, he won’t let it go and he gets so animated, but other times he would be so intent on what he was thinking about, he would be in another world. His mind amazes me. He’s a genius. He’s also an absolute lunatic - but most geniuses are! And inside there’s a heart of gold.

In the early days, there was a bit of ego. He was the frontman of the band, and you can’t be the stubborn brawny frontman of a band like Maiden and be timid and weak. Outwardly, very few things would phase him, but I know inwardly he’s a very sensitive man. We would have incredible times together, but he would also be a bit of a loner and go off and do his own bits and pieces.

He got into his fencing, which I completely admired about him, because he’s superfit now, but he doesn’t work out half as much as he used to. He was such a good fencer, he was actually asked to join the Olympic fencing team in the mid-to-late Eighties, but he couldn’t because he had to go on the road with the band.

Writing books was the next thing. He was unbearable when he was writing those Iffy Boatrace books, because you’d be doing something on the bus and he’d have just finished writing a new chapter and he’d want to read the whole fricking story to you! But he was so excited, you can’t blow someone out the sky for that.

I was very angry with him when he left the band, because of the way it happened and because I didn’t want him to leave. But when we all got back in the room to take that beautiful picture of the reunion, it was as though we’d all been on holiday for a couple of months, instead of four-plus years and in Adrian’s case, ten almost. The most amazing thing about making music together is that you really bond with your music and also personally, in your inner soul. There’s an amazing vibe that’s always maintained and even though we had four great years with Blaze, when Bruce and Adrian came back into the band, there was this incredible affiliation again.

A change I saw in Bruce from that time, apart from his enthusiasm for the band back like he had when I first joined it, is the genuineness of the emotion that I feel from him. He’s changed in that he seems more rounded and more content, although he’s doing so much more than before he left the band. He’s doing his radio show, he’s doing his flying and he’s got a part-time gig in a band as a singer! He is an absolute joy to be around. We’ve had so many great times on the ‘Give Me Ed’ tour, as we will do on the ‘Dance Of Death’ tour.

I think his finest moment on ‘Dance Of Death’ has got to be on ‘Journeyman’, because it shows a lighter side to Bruce’s voice. There are a lot more subtle emotions than you get with some other tunes and there’s so much more control. The emotion he puts into that track is phenomenal.

[therosebunpost]

A very Berry reunion!

A S.B.B verse Drabble!

You meet Steve again, but this time you’re hanging off the arm of a certain infamous metalhead.

CW: None for this chapter, but please be aware that this is a 18+ story!

———

Steve doesn’t see you again until weeks later, after Starcourt goes up in flames. After him and Robin become best friends for life and Steve starts having issues with his hearing and sight. What was an occasional occurrence was happening more frequently, and Steve started to wear glasses for the first time ever. He hated them, but he hated not being able to see even more.

The job at Troy’s Thrift came about as more of a need than any actual interest. After Starcourt, Robin and him were left jobless and traumatized. Trying to appeal to Keith’s better nature hadn’t worked, even when Robin tried to use Steve’s looks to their advantage.

So there Steve was, wearing a bright yellow polo and brown slacks, ringing up Hawkin’s discarded and abandoned items. No plans for the future, saddled with migraines and rapidly declining senses. He kind of felt accepted amongst the ratty old stuffed animals and dilapidated furniture.

He hears you before he sees you. You’re wearing a mostly pink and red ensemble, with…a domino and poker chip belt? However what takes him aback is the man standing beside you. All ripped denim and chains, Eddie Munson leaned over to press a sweet kiss on the crown of your head. Your hands are linked, and you’re currently smiling over something he's said.

Well, that’s just great.

“Harrington? Well fuck, as I live and breathe.”

“Did you guys find everything you were looking for?” Steve asks, cutting through any questions the older boy had. He sits up a little in his chair, reaching across the counter to pick items up. He’s already had a few people from school sneer at him, and he wasn’t keen on hearing the same from Eddie The Freak Munson.

“Yeah, we did. Got quite a haul going this time, huh, Bun-Bun?”

Steve was looking at the ticket on the Berry tea pot, but he could see the way you nodded enthusiastically from out of the corner of his eye. He picks up the next thing, and does a double take. An…owl radio? He vaguely recalls seeing something similar in a movie, but it’s lost on him what it was.

“Great, cash or card?” He asks, leaning back in his chair and looking at you both. He realizes that the poker chips have pink designs around the rim. Cute. He looks up at you, but you quickly look at Eddie who pulls out a wad of cash with a tiny grin. “Cash, Sunshine.”

The nickname makes him double take, blinking behind the counter. “…Okay, here’s your change. Do you want a bag or a box?” He juts his thumb over at the bin of boxes, which Eddie gleefully wanders over to, leaving him alone with you once more.

You offer another smile, fishing out your notepad and scribbling in it. It’s a strawberry theme on the cover this time, instead of flowers. Your rings were also pink, and shiny with fake metal. He wonders if you raided the local gumball machine for more accessories.

‘Thank you, Steve. How are you? I haven’t seen you since Starcourt.’

“…Fine, yeah I’m fine. Robin and I managed, if you can call working here managing.” He chuckles, looking around at the tiny store. For once he’s really glad that you have a notepad with you, even if the words occasionally make his head swim. It was a little easier to read than hear sometimes.

‘I really like this place. I imagine you find a lot of cool things in here, it must be hard not to take them home.’

Steve suppressed a snort at that. What would he do with a bunch of old junk? Still, he nods. “Yeah. It looks like you did find some cool stuff. What are the flowers for?” He nods towards the heavy, iron flowers in a bag.

‘I’m going to use them as new knobs for my drawers! Eddie and I are going to paint them together outside today since it’s still warm out!’ You quickly flip to another page, where a doodle of a dresser could be seen. It was covered with flowers and funky colors made using highlighters. It was too bright for his taste, but it fit you just fine.

Steve chuckled, amused. “It’s pretty.”

“Babe, this one work?”

The two of you look over at Eddie who came shuffling over with a box with Grapefruit slices painted on the side. “I was thinking we could use the box too!” He starts gathering your things, and there it was. That awkwardness that came with watching customers pack up in silence.

Steve looked over at his calculator, fussing with the buttons. It’s only when Eddie clears his voice that he looks over and sees you giving Eddie a look.

“It uh…it is nice to see you, man. That…that Starcourt shit was terrifying. Glad you made it out in one piece.” Eddie smiles slightly, and Steve is disarmed. He hesitates before nodding slowly. “…You too, Munson. You uh…worked at the record store, right?” He offers and it’s Eddie’s turn to be taken aback. “Yeah! Yeah, was a great gig. M’workin’ down at the mechanics now though.” He shrugs, tapping the counter.

Steve noticed some plastic rings mixed with the genuine metal. Red, plastic jewels twinkled up at him. Did you insist to match, or did Eddie? He couldn’t help the slight smile playing on his lips at either idea.

Taglist: (DM to join) @ali-r3n

———

—-

-

[a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire]

Alright, today yesterday I read chapters 17-21 and I sure have a lot of thoughts about Rhysand now. can you guess if theyre positive or negative? I'll give you a hint, its not the one that starts with a p

But before we get into that, can I just say, why the hell is everything happening so goddamn quickly YOURE ALL IMMORTAL. like, heres a rough timeline of acomaf so far: three months of Feyre being miserable in Spring post-UTM, then Rhysand takes her for one week, then Feyre's back in Spring for three weeks, then Rhysand takes her again for one week, then its less than three weeks of Feyre being back in Spring before Tamlin locks her in the manor and Rhysand and Mor take her back to the Night Court. Its been barely half a year! The reason Im bringing that up is first of all, it very much seems like Feyre is already beginning to warm up Rhysand at this point when that is absolutely not enough time for that after what he did to her. And second of all, theyre already demanding so much of her when everyone except for Rhys hasnt even spent 24 hours with her in total. And she just agrees to everything?? Right off the bat, basically the only way this makes any sense is if Rhysand is mind controlling her

Also, this is only semi-related, but i swear I remember Mor wearing a red dress to their first get-together at the HoW and Feyre not reacting to it at all ?? Also, Cassian siphons, they were specifically like a fire-y red what the hell. Now, was that just a mistake or did Rhysand use his mind powers to turn off the part of Feyre's brain that gets triggered at the sight of the color red so she wouldnt ruin his family reunion? You decide.

Alright, now lets talk about Feyre. Ive had some trouble properly analysing her the past few chapters because I was really focused on trying to figure out what exactly made her so unhappy at the spring court vs why she likes the night court so much when they seem very similar. It seemed like her motivation was flip-flopping all over the place, similar to chapters 1-3, but she already came across as far less traumatized somehow, so it felt weird that she would still have so much trouble really articulating what she wants, even to herself. But then I realized, its not that shes flip-flopping, her motivations are just contradictory; she wants to be an important political player who gets to Do Stuff but she doesnt want anyone to pay any attention to her, which is why having an empty title and no actual power staying in a city full of people who dont care if their high lord is just walkin around right beside them is so appealing

And its really frustrating because its another instance of her just getting what she wants right away instead of having to go through any character development. Shes bad at communicating and instead of even attempting to work on that, she just gets a mindreader for a soulmate, and she cant do smalltalk with nobles in order to earn their respect as Lady of Spring and instead of learning to adapt or putting her foot down and refusing to deal with the courtly bullshit at the cost of her political power, she just gets a leadership position that was quite literally made for her.

Somewhat related to Feyre being bad at politicking, they keep bringing up the fact that Tamlin just wanted her to throw parties and wear pretty dresses and maybe pop out some sons at the spring court and its just so annoying. Of course, much has already been said about how ironic it is when you consider how she ends up in ACOSF so Im not gonna go into detail on that but I did want to mention it. Also, parties and other social gatherings were a pretty important way for (noble) women who were kept out of politics to still participate in them in the past, and even if we take out the misogyny that just suddenly materialized in this book, Feyre cant read, doesnt know this land and barely knows what its like being the daughter of a rich guy, much less an actual noblewoman, of course she cant do much but sit around and reassure people that everything is gonna be alright by virtue of her presence

Speaking of the weird misogyny, its so baffling to me the reason shes being objectified and dehumanized (no pun intended) is that shes a woman whos seen as only good for child-rearing, when it really should be her being objectified and being dehumanized by being put on a pedestal for being the Saviour Of Prythian. It seems so obvious like, Ive been rotating some ideas for an ACOMAF-rewrite AU type thing in my head since before I even started reading this book, and one of the first things I decided was that everyone was gonna call feyre The Cursebreaker and nothing else and she would feel really weird and bad about it. I literally dont think anything wouldve changed if her being objectified was a more personal issue rather than something resulting from systemic misogyny, other than the fact that Rhysand couldnt be a feminist in-universe if that was the case

Now, before I move on to the next thing I wanted to talk about, I wanna quickly explain what I mean by "the misogyny just materialized in the second book" because some people might say "oh, but the first book had misogyny as well" and it definitely did but not to the same extent. ACOTAR was kinda weird because it seems to be a pretty egalitarian world, Feyre doesnt think its weird that a woman is a mercenary and while considering that the Spring Court might have a High Lady instead of a High Lord, she doesnt say anything about how it would unusual to have a woman be a leader, but it has this coating of "period-typical misogyny" over it, seemingly just because its what you expect from these kinds of pseudo-medieval european-inspired fantasy settings

So you still get all women being expected to wear dresses and Feyre being an exception for not wanting to wear one and when Feyre daydreams about getting rid of her sisters, she daydreams about marrying them off rather than daydream about them getting jobs or something. But even with that, while Feyre is considered a bit strange for not wanting to wear a dress at the Spring Court, she still ultimately gets to just wear pants without it being a big deal. And then we get to ACOMAF and suddenly theres FGM thats completely normalized, domestic abuse, women being expected to do child rearing and "continue the bloodline" by default even though children were supposed to be super rare and fae should absolutely not structure their lives around them and Feyre being absolutely baffled at the idea of a political leader having a second-in-command thats a woman. And again, it very much seems like the only reason for that is that it makes Rhysand look better if hes recuing women in general from systemic inequality, rather than just rescuing a single woman from her personal problems

And with that, lets finally talk about my most detested, Rhysand Nolastname. He fucking sucks man. In a past post I made a point about comparing specifically ACOTAR!Tamlin with specifically ACOMAF!Rhys because it thought it made sense to compare Tamlin when hes written as a love interest to Rhys being written as a love interest, but honestly, theres so little difference between Tamlin being written as an antagonist in ACOMAF and Rhys being written as a love interest that it feels kinda pointless now. Like, Feyre is upset that Tamlin wont tell her anything about the politics happening, but is inexplicably fine with Rhysand not telling her what he wants from the summer court, she hates meeting with Tamlins associates and having meaningless smalltalk with them but likes meeting Rhysand's, she doesnt like Tamlin flaunting his wealth but is fine with all of Rhysand's expensive bullshit, literally the only difference between them is that Feyre likes one and and hates the other, again, for no real reason because they are the same. Well, the same in their treatment of Feyre, Rhysand is arguably a worse person who has done and is still doing a lot more harm on a larger scale but Im posting this in the anti-rhys tag so you already knew that

Anyway, thats it for now, this got kinda long but I hope you enjoyed it

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

The Gym Membership - Part 38 (Crosshair)

Summary: The night at the Battle Axe throwing wraps up

A/N: Hello Lovelies,

Hope everyone is doing well, so I've been working on The Reunion, and rereading Upside Down to get myself back into the mode of writing for that story again. With Upside Down before I start posting the new stories, I'm going to be revamping the story a little. Just making the chapters shorter, and editing things I missed. So I'll be doing that once I"m ready to go for the Upside Down. The Reunion is taking a little longer for me to get into. Not because I don't have a clear direction of where I want the story to go, but rather because I just trying to figure out how to get there.

Have a lovely week.

Love oo

Italics - flashback

Warnings: Snooping, flirting, PDA, anger, tension, accusations. I think that's it, if I miss any warnings, please let me know.

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Mel watched Howzer walk away to join his squad. Tonight was their team building exercise. Although he and Layla bantered and flirted a little neither offered to give the other their number. She wondered if maybe that was because Layla was interested in Crosshair or if it had to do with the glare from Cross. 

His reaction only confirmed what she had suspected for a while. 

“Crosshair, what are you doing?” Mel smirked as she saw him holding her phone and reading whatever message she received. She may have gotten upset about the privacy issue, if this had been a few years ago when she first met him, then maybe she would have yanked the phone out of his hand, but Crosshair being Crosshair, she shrugged it off. She was more concerned if it was Wrecker texting her. Actually, she really hoped it wasn’t from Wrecker, as lovely and sweet as the love of her life was, he was a constant mystery when it came to texting. Sometimes he’d send ‘love you’ texts or ‘miss you’ texts, texts asking how the kids were doing, or if she needed him to pick anything up on the way home, and other times, a lot of times it was downright filthy. 

Cross looked up at Mel from his spot on the couch, “Your phone was vibing.”

She simply nodded, as she moved closer putting the bowl of popcorn on top of the coffee table, “Well thanks, you could’ve just told me, though. Was it Wrecker?”

“No”

“Did I get anything interesting?”

“You got a message from Layla,” he mumbled.

“Oh, I see” Mel took the phone out of Cross’ hand, sitting on the couch beside him. She read it quickly, and responded, “She’s very sweet, isn’t she?”

“Pfft, please,” Cross mocked at her statement, ‘like that viper of a woman could ever be sweet’, he thought.

“Well you have to admit, she’s very pretty, and she’s very considerate. She got matching outfits for the girls, despite the age difference.”

“Sure … I guess. I mean if you like her type.”

Mel arched her eyebrow, biting back a smile, “Her type?”

“You know beautiful, smart, attractive …” Crosshair waved his hand in irritation.

“Well, I find her very easy to talk to, regardless of her outer appearance.”

“Whatever,” Cross grumbled. 

Mel didn’t have to be a genius to see he was struggling on his own, with how he felt about her. Maybe if she could help him to see it was okay for him to feel attracted to Layla, that it wouldn’t be disrespecting Avery’s memory. Maybe, it could help him. Maybe. 

“Is she very different from Avery?”

Crosshair let out a deep sigh, as he thought back to his moments with his wife, “Yes. Avery … She knew how to command a room. She was kind but also didn’t allow herself to have to put up with bullsh…”

“Hey, language!”

“Bull shenanigans?” Cross asked, arching his eyebrow.

“Better”

He rolled his eyes, before he continued, “She was someone who everyone looked up to and relied on. She was hella smart. I mean Tech, Kamarie and her could’ve had a three way tie on who was the more brilliant of the three. Plus, she knew how to handle herself.” A small smile appeared on Cross’ lips, “She was amazing.”

It broke Mel’s heart a little, not having had a chance to know this woman who won her brother-in-law’s heart so completely. She could see he was struggling, but she also wanted him to move on especially since he had stopped all his extracurricular activities since Avery passed. He deserved to be happy, so why not try with someone he was attracted to, “You don’t think Layla is like her in any way?”

“No. Avery was one of a kind.”

“Then is it so wrong to admit, you find Layla attractive?” She turned slightly to look at him face-on, which maybe was the wrong decision seeing as how he slowly turned his head to glare at her, “All I’m saying, is that I noticed how you kept looking at her the other day when we ran into her at the grocery store … and at the gym…”

“Doesn’t mean anything,” he growled out, his hand clenching against his knee. 

“Okay, if you say so” Mel held her hand up in surrender, she knew when not to push, “Just promise me one thing” she moved to get off the couch, “don’t hold back simply because you think you should. Not if she makes you happy.”

Mel was pulled from her thoughts, by loud yellingcoming from Rob. Despite how tipsy she and Zai were feeling, everyone sobered up real quick. 

They all moved to join Crosshair and Rob, ready to intervene should the need arise.

“It’s not possible! You’re cheating!” Rob’s voice covered, over all the other noises. 

“Alright, why don’t you draw a target?” Hunter held out the pen to Rob hoping it would calm him down, as soon as the pen was out of his hand, Hunter moved to stand beside Zai, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his side. 

“You’re going to love this,” he whispered in her ear, a subtle smirk appearing.

“Crosshair is great and all,” she teased, “but when am I going to see your skills, habibi?”

Hunter pressed a kiss to the helix of her ear, “Tonight,” he whispered as his hand shifted down to her hip, pulling her almost impossible close to his side. Her face heated as she nudged his ribs, telling him to behave himself. 

Rob walked over to the target beside the one Crosshair was using, placing a tiny dot just outside the centre of the last ring. 

Crosshair simply chuckled as he nodded, “Any restrictions?”

“Yeah, blindfold.”

“Uh, excuse me, but is that safe?” I spoke up at the insanity that was suggested by a very childish man. “I mean anyone could walk out in front of Crosshair and he wouldn’t be able to tell.”

“Thank you for the confidence,” he sputtered sarcastically as he rolled his eyes at her.

“Come on …” I tried to placate him, however Echo stopped me, as he tapped my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure no one crosses in front,” Echo offered, as everyone formed a semi circle around the two targets behind Cross. 

Sofie offered to tie her scarf around Crosshair’s eyes as a makeshift blindfold, once she’d tied it in place and he confirmed he couldn’t see anything, Cross raised his arm. The tension built as other people started to join our circle to watch after Rob’s loud commotion. 

My stomach was in knots, not because he couldn’t hit the mark, but rather I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt. 

Crosshair moved his arm carefully forwards mapping out the angle, he took in a slow breath, moving his arm back just above his head and released the axe. 

The crowd erupted in an uproarious applause and cheer as Crosshair’s axe hit the makeshift target Rob had drawn not even five minutes before. 

Crosshair smirked as he pulled off the blindfold, watching Rob examining the axe. He passed the scarf back to Sofie, nodding his thanks, before walking over with a smile and a swagger in his steps, stopping in front of Layla.

“What did you think?” He didn’t know why he asked her, he didn’t even know why his feet brought him over to her. 

“I think I can see why you’re a sniper.”

He leaned into her ear, his voice barely above a whisper, “Ex-sniper, and try not to broadcast that,” he smirked, before heading over to talk to Tech. 

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@justanothersadperson93​ @liadamerondjarin​ @badbatch-simp24​ @spicymcnuggies​ @lady-ren​ @firstofficerwiggles​ @darkangel4121​ @discofern​ @kavecika​ @monako-jinn-stories​ @ladykatakuri​ @avathebestx​ @theroguesully​ @furyhellfire66​ @carodealmeida​ @ciramaris​ @sprout-fics​ @twinkofthedink​ @dindjarin-mandalorian​ @clonethirstingisreal @crosshair-is-the-superior-clone @totallyunidentified @griffedeloup @leotatombs @leotawrites

[sinceileftyoublog]

Say Anything Interview: Intentional Is My Default

Photo by Nicole Mago

BY JORDAN MAINZER

I'm waiting back stage at Riot Fest for Say Anything's Max Bemis to finish a photoshoot, one that sees him lie in the grass in various positions that make it look like he's stretching after a tough workout. Despite the fact that he hasn't yet gotten his real workout in yet--his newly reformed band would go on stage in a few hours--and that this photoshoot is full of capital-p Poses, I'm taken by how at ease Bemis seems with everything. When we speak, he reveals to me that, yes, while he did in fact feel awkward during the photoshoot--most of us do--he's learning to lean into his feelings much more naturally.

Five years ago, the legendary emo band disbanded, with their 2019 album Oliver Appropriate billed as their final LP for the moment. A purported sequel to their beloved sophomore record ...Is A Real Boy, the album was publicized in conjunction with a nine-page letter from Bemis, in which came out as bisexual and admitted to struggles with drug use. (The frontman has long been open about his diagnosed bipolar disorder, previous self-medication through drugs, and manic episodes.) During the pandemic, Bemis stayed busy, performing livestreams of older material, but there was always lingering doubt the band's hiatus would become permanent.

It wasn't until late last year that Bemis dropped that the band would be reuniting for festivals in 2023. In typical nonchalant fashion, he shared that the reunion would include past members drummer Coby Linder and bassist Alex Kent by replying to someone's comment on a Facebook post. In April, the band released their first new material since Oliver Appropriate, the maximally stream-of-consciousness rant "Psyche!". The song sees Bemis laying out those same struggles for everyone to bear witness to, blaming himself for his personal, marital, and familial problems atop a bevy of references to the band's older material, Titanic, and Riot Fest itself. "By Riot Fest '24, I'll be coughing up corks if you supply the Malörk," he sings, a line that's instantly iconic and bound to be infamous for its satiric misspelling of Chicago's shot of choice. In August, the band followed it up with "Are You (In) There?", which also establishes itself within our emo universe, with mentions of Sunny Day Real Estate and mewithoutYou, but a more personal ode to Bemis' wife and the love they have for each other despite his past actions and shortcomings. And just this morning, Say Anything annouced ...Is Committed (Dine Alone), their new record, along with a single entitled "Carrie & Lowell & Cody (Pendent)", Bemis placing his "mommy issues" in conversation with those of indie folk luminary Sufjan Stevens. The song is musically heavier and more complex and full-throated, while also containing gorgeous choral harmonies from Bemis' wife, Sherri Dupree-Bemis.

At one point, the future of the band was a mystery to everyone, Bemis included. But with some newfound perspectives, the musical and personal influence of new band member Brian Warren of Weatherbox, and therapy, it seemed from just the short conversation I had with Bemis and Kent that they're in a good place, ready to embrace their new chapter. Read my interview below, conducted last month before I knew about their new album, edited for length and clarity. Catch the band three nights next week at The Regent Theater in LA and at When We Were Young in Las Vegas next weekend.

Photo courtesy of Say Anything

Since I Left You: How does it feel to be back?

Max Bemis: It feels great. I don't think I would have decided to write the songs again if I didn't aspire to how this feels now, which is very different than our experience as little kids being in a punk band, which was very intense and an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. But this is comfortable, and it feels like having the best job ever, in the words of Piebald. It could have been a stress fest, anxious, or bad, but the only reason I wanted to write again was to reach for this thing that we never got to settle into, being dads approaching 40. The bands we looked up to were doing it at that age and still making inventive music but still seeming to chill and not base their entire personas and aspirations around being in a band. I think I appreciate it more now that I'm not trying to be "a guy in a band" as hard as I was.

Alex Kent: Something we've been talking about since getting back up and running was the transition from utilizing it as an escape versus a form of healing. Because we've been through so much traumatic shit in our lives, most of the time Max and I talk, we talk about therapy. It's fucking weird going from 18 years old on a tour bus to having that self-awareness and reflection.

MB: I didn't need it like that for many years because our entire life cycle was keyed in to being on tour. I wasn't living a normal person life. I'm not saying I ever have really or ever will--I wrote comic books for five years. That's still weird. We're still weirdo guys. Having a family, coming out of that kind of circus, I feel more like my 14-year-old self who needed this music for that reason.

SILY: The new songs have a self-aware quality.

MB: More than ever.

SILY: How do you include the self-awareness in a set at a festival or concert, where you're literally referring to other songs you're playing in the setlist?

MB: We refer to Riot Fest itself!

SILY: And Malörk [sic]

MB: And Malörk. It's incredibly self-referential and ironic, but because the band started that way, it's come full circle and is no longer ironic at the same time. There's still a lot of exaggeration and bullshit, but it's closer to me saying actual things that are happening. As you age, everyone's life becomes a circus, more surreal. The world has been very surreal, with COVID and Trump. You kind of have to say your inner experience now. It's an emotional, crazy, surreal thing anyway. It's not like before, when I said, "I have to think about my ex-girlfriend, but I'm thinking about my wife, and what the fuck is this about?" Now, this is about being at Riot Fest. And I am at Riot Fest.

SILY: There is a song about your wife, though.

MB: Yes. Also quite literal. So many emotions are certainly exaggerated, but the sincerity isn't. The love for my wife is very real. But even there, if you're in any successful relationship, it goes through the most intense rebirths and reformations, and you're adjusting to each other, especially after having kids. It's more potent to me to say what's happening or what my emotions are than do what we did on In Defense of the Genre, where I was literally forcing drama into my life on a regular basis. Now, I have no room. I'm tired. I have children to look after. The drama just happens from kids, life, everything. It's real and heartfelt, but a seasoned emotion and not so adolescent. I still love those songs, and I relate to them, but they all speak to a certain side of me I can't live out anymore.

SILY: Do the new songs more than ever exemplify the idea that the more personal you are, the more universal the songs can be?

MB: Yeah. But probably by being a little too hyper-specific. That's why I fell in love with this kind of music. Saves The Day got me into wanting to be in a band. What wowed me was when he was talking about the names of the other band members in song, like, "Ted's drooling on his sleeve." He's just saying he's in this New Jersey bar and he misses his girlfriend. He's not cloaking anything. Our thing has been a kind of parody of that, but now I don't have to stretch anything for it to be a parody.

Photo by Ben Trivett

SILY: What do you think Brian Warren brings to the table on the new songs?

AK: I've known Brian since we were 9 years old. Our very first band, we were in together.

MB: I wouldn't know about Weatherbox if it wasn't for Alex.

AK: He brings this calming energy. Humble is a weird word to describe him.

MB: It's accurate.

AK: Weatherbox is fucking amazing.

MB: He has more impostor syndrome than even me.

AK: He can play everything, and he writes cool shit.

MB: He's a virtuoso. The cool thing about Brian is that there's always been a connection between our bands. It's similar to me playing music with [Chris] Conley [in Two Tongues] back in the day. It's surreal, but it makes so much sense that you don't have to think about where he fits into the sonic picture or personality picture because we're friends.

AK: It's very cool how much sense it makes.

SILY: Has your relationship changed to your old songs?

MB: I like them more. Over the break from the band, I would listen to Say Anything, with my kids or in my car, alone. The way I severed it was so intentional. I wasn't saying, "The band was over." I was saying, "We're probably going to get back together, but I have to sever this incarnation." I was listening to [old Say Anything songs] and thinking, "I like Alex's bass part. I like the production. I even like my voice." It was like listening to another band, because of the space. I've grown to like them. I definitely know people in bands that are not what they listen to, but Say Anything has always been a conglomeration of the type of thing we listen to. If I'm going to listen to The Get Up Kids, I might as well listen to Say Anything.

SILY: Moving forward, are you trying to continue to be more intentional, or do what feels best?

MB: Both. I know that's cliché to say, and it does and doesn't make sense. I find that intentional is my default, and before, I would second-guess myself constantly. Now, I allow myself to make mistakes, and I let other people give me advice that before were such cerebral trips. There was a lot that weighed on me. If the lyrics are super intentional and literal, I'm just going to do it. If I feel awkward in a photo shoot like right now, I'm just going to be awkward in the photo shoot. That is, of course, my safe and happy place in life.

[gaypiratebrainrot]

zemph147′s OFMD fic masterpost

this is a collection w/ director’s notes of all my ofmd fic, to be updated as i write more! in chronological order of publication.

You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) Details: E, Stede/Ed, 5.7k Notes: i wrote this in the first few weeks after i finished s1 when i just desperately needed to write them having sex. grabbed the first ten fandom tropes i saw and wrote this fluffy reunion porn without plot. link

Ink Details: E, Stede/Ed, 11k Notes: this is the one where ed ejaculates squid ink. very soft and silly and romantic. probably my favorite fan fic i’ve ever written. now with an absolutely amazing and delightful podfic by @knotwerk! link   podfic link

Does The Body Good Details: E, Stede/Ed, 21k Notes: my touch-starved, fucking-while-pining magnum opus. perhaps best known for “just the tip,” but i laugh every time at luxury face cream. a popular masturbation companion. the podfic is incredible. link   podfic link

Water Flowing Underground Details: E, Stede/Ed, Rhys/Taika, 22k Notes: the scandalous rpf meta that might also be the best thing i’ve ever written? mind the warnings but also readers have debated the rpf-ness, the dubiousness of the consent, and the unhappiness of the ending, so YMMV. gets you thinking and asking questions and also the porn is hot. people are scared to read this one, but i think almost everyone who felt unsure and read it anyway is glad they did. link

Futt Slug Details: E, Stede/Ed, 8k Notes: my canon-verse contribution to the Extended Butt Plug Universe, where stede uses a remote-controlled vibrating butt plug somewhere out in public and ed accidentally finds the remote. since this is canon-verse, my butt plug is magical and there is no remote, but ed still unwittingly controls the vibrations. featuring Jemaine Clement as Bob the sea fairy. link

Famine and Feast Details: E, Stede/Ed, background crew orgy, 19k Notes: a modern restaurant AU with a magic realism twist. this one is mostly about the food porn, and then porn involving food, but it’s a lot about feelings too. link

Screwdriver Details: E, Stede/Ed, 6k Notes: based on a memetic Grindr interaction where a guy sourced a screwdriver instead of a hookup during a plumbing emergency, which just screamed stede bonnet to me. really just an excuse to use all my favorite standby gentlebeard porn tropes: himbo stede’s first time with a man, ed desperate to ride his giant dick, etc. etc.. also has an incredibly delightful podfic! link    podfic link

Choose Your Own Adventure: Reunion! Details: E, Stede/Ed, 49k, 15 authors Notes: a truly fantastic collaborative project, where each writer wrote a couple of scenes for different branches of a choose your own adventure story--behind the scenes, an incredible logistical feat! i wrote two chapters and contributed to the secret chapter (very much worth finding), and i highly recommend poking around in here for a lot of creative, unhinged fun. link

Through the Back Door Details: E, Stede/Mary, Stede/Ed, Ed/Mary, Ed/Stede/Mary, Mary/OFC, Stede/Mary/OFC, Stede/OFC, Ed/Stede/Mary/OFC, 26k Notes: lmao the ship list on this thing. this is not a WFU sequel, but a nearby universe, a fan fic of epersonae’s for the benefit of all the broken hearts, which is a fan fic of WFU. this came about from a combination of wanting to write missing sex scenes from FTBOATBH and from musing about what stede meant in WFU when he said “I’m familiar enough,” about putting lube up ed’s bum. link

Stranger on a Beach Details: E, Stede/Ed, Ed/Jack, Stede/Hornberry, Ed/Jack/Izzy, 46k Notes: i just wanted to write a bunch of porn and accidentally almost nanowrimo’d myself. there’s definitely a lot of porn. it also grew a plot and is very silly and romantic, but still mostly porn by volume. and also there is existential dry humping in a cave. link

Does the Body Good 2: Does the Body Even Gooder Details: E, Stede/Ed, 27k Notes: ok the notes above for SoaB say a lot of porn, and while it probably does out-porn this one just due to total word count, i’m pretty sure dtbg2 features the longest continuous sex scene i’ve ever written. i feel as if i’ve accomplished some kind of epic porn feat. it’s also got romance and jokes, and the second chapter is sort of modeled on an acid trip. and the wonderful FlammableHeart is back for the podfic! link     podfic link

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

Chapter Fourteen: Happy Birthday to Me (And Percy)

(Read on AO3 here)

Two days after the reunion, it was Percy and I’s birthday. He said he never advertised the date much, since it fell right after Camp and he didn’t have many mortal friends, but he said mom had planned a small party to celebrate. As far as I was concerned, that sounded perfect. My adopted mom would be flying into the city in a few days, and Sally was making a blue, two-tiered cake with blue frosting. I was the happiest girl alive. 

Chiron had manipulated the mist enough so that Paul would think I had always been around, so he would never remember a time when Percy didn’t have a twin sister. He was a nice guy, and treated me kindly, so I approved of him right away. I also got to meet Tyson, our half-brother Cyclops, so that was extra-special. When he found out that I was his sister, he lifted me up in the air and spun me around, nearly crushing me with his excitement. 

“Now I have brother and sister?! This is the best day!” Percy laughed at the scene, and I couldn’t help but join in. 

I walked into the kitchen to move the cakes (mom had baked extra for Tyson) to the living room table only to see Paul and Percy in the middle of what seemed to be a serious conversation. 

“Oh, sorry, I was just coming for the cakes.” 

Paul was startled for a second, then relaxed when he saw it was me. “No no, stay! I was just about to ask Percy something important, and you should be here, too.” He shuffled where he stood and wrung his hands, like he was nervous, before taking a deep breath. “Your mom,” he said, looking between Percy and I, “I’m thinking about proposing to her.” 

Percy almost dropped his cup. 

“You mean…marrying her? You and her?” 

“Well that was the general idea. Would that be okay with you?” I realized he was asking me and Percy, of course he was, but a part of me felt that wasn't my place. I looked to my brother. 

“You’re asking my permission?” I almost rolled my eyes at him. 

Paul scratched his beard. “I don’t know if it's permission, so much, but she’s your mother. And I know you’re going through a lot. I wouldn't feel right if I didn’t talk to you about it first.” 

Percy was silent for a minute, and then he smiled. “I think that’s a great idea, Paul. Go for it.” 

Paul looked at me, and I nodded in agreement. “What Percy said.” 

He smiled really wide then. “Cheers, Percy, Angie. Let’s join the party.” 

We were just getting ready to blow out the candles when the doorbell rang.

My mom frowned. “Who could that be?” 

I looked at Percy, but he just shrugged. Mom opened the door and gasped. Standing in the door was a man I’d never seen before wearing Bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and Birkenstocks. His black beard was neatly trimmed and his sea-green eyes twinkled, eyes that looked exactly like Percy’s. And mine. He wore a battered cap decorated with fishing lures. It said NEPTUNE’S LUCKY FISHING HAT, which was a dead give-away. I sat there frozen, not sure what to do. 

“Pos—” My mother stopped herself. She was blushing right to the roots of her hair. “Um, hello.”

“Hello, Sally,” Poseidon said. “You look as beautiful as ever. May I come in?”

My mother made a squeaking sound that might’ve been either a “Yes” or “Help.” Poseidon took it as a yes and came in.

Paul was looking back and forth between all of us, trying to read our expressions. Finally he stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Paul Blofis.”

Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. “Blowfish, did you say?” Under other circumstances, I might've laughed. But then, I felt like I was about to black out. Paul and Poseidon exchanged a few more words, but I couldn't hear them. My brain was racing a million miles a minute—I was about to talk to my dad, the god of the sea, for the first time. I felt at a total disadvantage, knowing Percy had seen him at least a few times before. I wondered if he was this nervous the first time they met, too. 

“Well!” My mom interrupted. “Um, we’re so glad you could drop by. Paul, this is Percy and Angie’s father.”

“Ah.” Paul nodded, though he didn’t look real pleased. “I see.” 

Poseidon smiled at Percy. “There you are, my boy. And Tyson, hello, son!”

“Daddy!” Tyson bounded across the room and gave Poseidon a big hug, which almost knocked off his fishing hat. He hadn’t even looked my way yet. My hands started shaking, and I was a little jealous of how free Tyson felt around him. 

“I couldn’t miss Percy’s fifteenth birthday,” Poseidon said. “Why, if this were Sparta, Percy would be a man today!”

“That’s true,” Paul said. “I used to teach ancient history.” 

Poseidon’s eyes twinkled. “That’s me. Ancient history.” He then turned his gaze to me, and when his green eyes met mine, I felt like I was going to melt. “And there was someone very special I had to meet.” He smiled kindly at me, and took a few steps forward. “Sally, Paul, Tyson, Angie…would you mind if I borrowed Percy for a moment?” He put his arm around Percy and steered him into the kitchen, and I stood there with tears in my eyes. 

Sally was by my side in an instant, rubbing my back lightly. “Just give them a minute, sweetie. I’m sure your father wants to have his own time with you.” I could see Paul making a point to not look at the scene I was causing, and I could only imagine what he was thinking at the time. 

All three of Poseidon's children were here. One of them nearly knocked him over with a hug, one was spending one-on-one time with him in the kitchen, and the other was in the living room, crying. 

The party took a turn really fast. 

Seeing my father for the first time brought old emotions back to the surface. 

I had spent years feeling the sting of my father’s abandonment. It always hurt worse than my birth mother’s, because at least I still had someone to call mom. And then I learned the truth, and I got to camp, and I realized I never really had been abandoned by my mom. 

The same couldn’t be said for my father. 

Months, years, of resentment started bubbling inside me and I felt hot jealousy rise in my chest at the way Percy’s eyes lit up when he saw him. 

After about ten minutes, Percy walked out of the kitchen, and I couldn’t tell how he felt. He seemed happier, but also like he had a new weight on his shoulders, and he was holding something white in his hand. He walked straight to me. 

“Dad wants to see you.” 

My mouth went dry as the desert. “Okay.” I got out, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. 

Percy smiled at me and patted my shoulder. “You’ll be alright, I think he’s nervous, too.” Then he shot a quick Look to Paul and leaned in closer. “When it comes to gods, he’s one of the chill ones.” 

That made me feel a little better, but my hands were still shaking as I walked into the kitchen. 

Poseidon was sitting at the kitchen counter, but he stood up as soon as I walked in. Percy had been right—he did seem nervous. 

“Andromeda, I mean, Angie. You don’t know how happy I am to finally meet you.” His eyes sparkled kindly, and I felt a thousand emotions at once. 

“Umm, hi.” I didn’t know any other words. 

“I know you must have a lot of questions. Come, sit.” He sat back down and motioned to the stool across from him. I sat down numbly. 

“I don’t have much time, and I’m sorry for that.” He continued. “I wish I could spend the whole night with you, and that still wouldn’t be enough to make up for the time, I know. But there are battles raging below with the old sea gods, and I must defend my palace.” 

You know, super normal things to hear from your dad. 

I nodded. 

“I was so happy that you finally made it to camp, I had been eagerly waiting for that day.” 

“Why did you abandon me?” The words tumbled out of my mouth, my confused tears turning to anger. All those years alone and confused while Percy got to train and find purpose at camp—some nights it ate me alive. 

My dad sighed. “It was not an easy decision, my daughter.” I got defensive hearing him call me that—what right did he have to use that word? “I didn’t want to split you up at all, but I knew it was the only way to keep you both safe. I knew you would be protected by my sister, Hestia, and she far exceeded my expectations.” 

I looked down, suddenly embarrassed by my outburst. 

“But ultimately,” Poseidon continued, “I knew you would fare better on your own. Don't tell your brother I said this, but he needed his mother in a way that you didn't. Knowing the trials you both would face,” his face darkened, and I wondered what he knew, “I knew it would be harsh, but in the end, you didn’t need anyone but yourself.”

I let his words wash over me, mixing with the realities I had told myself for so long that were coming crashing down. He had chosen to send me away, but because he knew I was strong. He did choose Percy over me, but because it was preparing me for something greater? 

My head felt like it was spinning. 

“But I don't want you to think you were ever alone,” He continued, “I was always watching.” His eyes were genuine and kind, and mine were filled with tears. “Every science fair project, swim meet, and dance recital—which, by the way, you should've gotten that solo in sixth grade, not Mckenna Bree—I was there. Always keeping an eye on my little girl.” 

The tears were falling down my face now, and I wasn’t trying to stop them. His words didn’t take away all the pain growing up so lonely caused, but it definitely healed some of the wounds. Just knowing he knew I was there was more than I ever thought I would get. 

He reached out his hand like he wanted to wipe my tears away, and then faltered. I didn’t know what I would have done if he did. 

“One more thing before I forget.” He said as he pulled something out of his pocket. I looked down in his hand and had to try not to frown. Sitting there was a puka shell necklace, like they wore in the 90s. 

“Oh, wow…thanks.” 

Poseidon laughed lightly. “Things are often more than they seem.” His eyes were gleaming. “May I?” I turned around and let him clip it around my neck. It was tighter than my camp necklace, which now had one bead painted with a small labyrinth on it. “Percy has his special weapon, Riptide, I believe he calls it, so I thought my daughter needed something equally special, all of her own.” I furrowed my brow at him, confused. I trailed my finger along the shells, and Poseidon smiled. “You’ve got the idea. Now pull.” 

I looked at him like he was crazy. 

“Pull?” 

He nodded, and I figured why not. I ripped at the necklace, careful to avoid the leather rope of my other one, expecting for the shells to fly all over the kitchen floor. But they didn’t. And when I looked in my hand, I wasn’t holding the necklace. 

I was holding a beautiful, perfectly balanced, gleaming celestial bronze sword with a small trident inlaid on the hilt right above the blade. 

“Whoa!” I turned it over in my hands, not believing what just happened. “This is amazing!” 

My father was smiling widely. “Now you’ll never be without a way to defend yourself. But that’s not all.” 

My eyes got wider with excitement. 

“There’s more?” 

He nodded. “To return the weapon back to its resting form, simply say ‘nostos’” 

“Nostos.” I repeated, and in moments I was wearing a necklace again, perfectly undamaged. “Returning.” I said, not knowing how I knew the translation. 

Poseidon nodded, pleased. “To remind you that you always have a home to return to. What belongs to the sea can always return to the sea.” 

Then I did something I never thought I would ever do—I hugged my dad. 

He seemed surprised at first, but then he let his arms close around me and he gave me a squeeze. He smelled like the freshest ocean breeze, and a warmth spread through me. At that moment, he wasn’t the god of the oceans, he was just my dad. And maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t the worst father out there. 

“I said there’s more!” He said with a laugh. “This time, tap the necklace twice and then pull.” I did as he said, and instead of a sword, a five-foot trident appeared in my hands, also gleaming celestial bronze and decorated with sparkling pearls, seashells, and seaglass. My mouth fell open. 

“A daughter of the sea deserves a weapon worthy of the title.” Poseidon was beaming even wider than before, and I could hardly form words. It was the most beautiful weapon I had ever seen, and I felt power surge through my fingertips. 

“I don’t even know how to use a trident…” 

“Chiron will train you, don’t worry about that. Plus,” he got a glint in his eye, “something tells me it’ll come naturally to you.” 

“Thank you,” I couldn't think of any words to express how happy I felt. “This is the best gift ever!” 

Poseidon's smile fell slightly. “I know it doesn’t make up for all the years, but I hope it’s acceptable as a token of my care for you.” He smiled sadly and cupped my face in his hands. To my surprise, I let him. “My love for you.” 

He was right, but at least he was trying. The trident in my hand was proof of that. 

“Thanks, Dad.” His eyes seemed to glow brighter hearing me call him that, and a part of me started to believe he actually did mean what he said. 

“Well, I should go.” He shifted, and if a god could look nervous, he did. “I’ve been away too long already. But it was worth it to finally meet you.” He put a hand on my shoulder, and I swear I’d never felt stronger in my life. “Tell Percy goodbye for me.” He started to turn, and then faltered before turning back to me. “Hold fast, Angie. Your time will come, and I’ll be with you when it does. So will your brother. Until then, enjoy your birthday cake.” 

And just like that he turned to mist and was swept out the window on a warm ocean breeze. 

[aleyn-de-vries]

Diabolik Lovers: Rebirth And Royalty Chapter 1

NA. Hello, first written post, I think hahaha. Well I decided to create a fanfic of Kino and my OC that I have been putting off for a LONG LONG time and probably after this chapter I will put it off again because university takes up time (Understand, please). But well, here is the first written chapter. Unfortunately Kino won't appear so soon because these first chapters focus on Carolyne adapting to the life of the ghouls, so, enjoy.

Chapter 1: The Day That Everything Ended

It was the rainy season in the valleys of Cochabamba, after the December holidays. It was the night of January 15, 2020 to be precise. A girl with blue hair and a silver streak was trying to walk as best she could. With a broken ankle and supporting herself with a grab stick, it was not a good strategy to wander through the valley at night, especially since she did not know the environment where she fell. The sounds of nocturnal birds such as owls singing or the sound of crickets and toads could also be heard, which was the only thing that accompanied the young woman in this thick darkness. The phone she had had no signal and the battery was running out. If only she could find the Cochabamba - Oruro highway and wait for a bus that could take her back to Cochabamba or to the nearest town for medical attention. But with each step she took, the young woman did not know if she was getting closer or further away from civilization. It was supposed to be a memorable reunion. Her brother Kevin was the one who came to visit from Miami to see the rest of the family and also to go to the funeral of their maternal grandmother who passed away in Cochabamba. Both Carolyne and Kevin traveled from La Paz and Miami respectively to go to the funeral. Both of their parents and maternal aunt were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Gomez brothers, who only had to board a flight from Cochabamba - La Paz that was supposed to take 30 minutes at the latest. The young woman began to remember everything that happened to get to the point where she is.

Let's go back a couple of hours, it was 6 in the afternoon at the Jorge Wilstermann airport. Both siblings were listening to music while waiting for the next flight that would take them to their family. Kevin was more of an electronic music fan, while Carolyne listened to a band called “Rise Against,” a band he became a fan of after playing one of their songs “Prayer of the Refugee” on “Guitar Hero 3” and the song “Re-education (Through Labor)” on “Guitar Hero World Tour.”

“Carolyne, could you pay attention for a moment?” Kevin asked the girl who was listening to the music.

“Of course I'm listening to you, am I paying a lot of attention to you?” Carolyne replied.

“Then tell me, which of the gifts are you going to give to the aunt and which is yours?” Kevin asked, somewhat annoyed.

“Auntie gets the necklace and I get the sweater?” Carolyne asked curiously, frustrating her brother in the process.

“It’s the other way around, kid,” Kevin said, annoyed.

“Oh, right, so that's it,” Carolyne replied.

“Oh, when will you change? You’re always in your own world. "Wake up, you're going to be a college student soon!" her older brother asked her.

Young Carolyne was a kind, quiet girl with few friends. She always liked to stay at home reading a fantasy book or a programming book, since the Academic Proficiency Test (APT) exams were just around the corner, which would determine Carolyne's future.

“Well, you are starting a new stage. You will take your exam for the college you want to go to, you will go to college at one of the best universities in Bolivia… And when you finish everything, we will do the paperwork for your American residency so that you have better opportunities in life.”

Indeed. Her brother moved to Miami as soon as he graduated from school, having been born there, and he took their mother with him to attend residency. All that was left was to save a lot and for Carolyne to finish her degree so that she could have a prosperous life. It seemed like the perfect plan when…

Two people were talking at a distance, they were the pilot and the traffic control. The traffic control man warned that a small radar was not working, but if the flight was wanted it could depart calmly, it was only a matter of visual planning. With that in mind, the pilots thought it was a better idea for the plane to take off that same night, after all, everyone had already paid for their tickets and the flight was only 30 minutes long. So they decided to board all the passengers and the flight took off. Apparently there were no problems… But as the saying goes, it is better to waste a minute in life than life in a minute. Meanwhile, on the plane, Carolyne looked at the landscape outside and Kevin was sitting next to her.

“I hope these days turn out to be better, Carol. You promised grandma at the funeral that you would do your best,” Kevin said and the girl just nodded.

“I am so excited! I want to see my dad, my mom and my aunt,” Carolyne said.

“So, tell me, what do you plan to study? Remember that you are already 18 years old,” the older brother asked her.

“What I plan to study is…”, the girl was interrupted by a sudden movement.

The plane had the bad luck of entering a storm cloud, so they decided to go inside. Suddenly, there was a jolt, then another stronger than the previous one. The wind shears, also called turbulence, were trying to destabilize the flight and the desperate screams of the passengers were getting louder. Kevin asked Carolyne to imitate what he did when a thunderclap hit the side where Carolyne was sitting, causing her chair and seat to come off the plane. The girl could only watch nervously as she fell 10,000 meters in free fall, getting soaked by the torrential rain as she watched the plane pass by and fainted thinking it was a dream.

Fortunately for her, the blue-haired girl fell in the valleys of Cochabamba. The treetops and the fact that she fell with her seat were what cushioned the fall. Meanwhile, when she reacted, she saw a horrible scene. At a distance from her, a thick ball of smoke could be seen ascending... It was the plane that fell a few kilometers from her.

“Kevin…” Carolyne said when she saw the thick cloud of smoke, her brother probably already passed away. The girl tried to get up but a slight pain wouldn't let her. Her right ankle ended up fractured, so she crawled and found a stick that fit her, so she leaned on the stick and started walking. Her goal was to find the road and say that she was the only survivor of that fateful flight. As she wandered further and further, she began to get lost in the valley, so she decided to continue looking for help, this time from a peasant. The bad thing is that probably in those places, most of the peasants speak Quechua, but Carolyne didn't know how to speak that language, she only learned English and French, but she never lost her curiosity to learn an indigenous language because she saw it as useless, but in this situation she swallowed her words and saw that it wasn't so bad to learn an indigenous language at this time. She only hoped that the person who finds her is someone kind and not hostile.

“I don’t care if the peasants call me privileged… I need help…”, the young girl thought.

She saw a small tunnel that would connect to the other side. The fame of the valley tunnels is that they connect different towns, so she decided to enter there to seek shelter from the rain or find another small town. The young girl continued walking deeper into the tunnel. After about 15 minutes, she reached the exit of the tunnel which was a place full of fig crops. The young girl tried to take a couple of figs for the road, when suddenly, the young girl began to cough up blood. She was not quite okay, she had internal bleeding that was aggravated by the effort she put in.

“N-No… I don’t want to die…”

The young girl tried to keep walking, but the tiredness made her fall into the mud. Carolyne ended up crying out of frustration. Her family already had a funeral... And now they will have two new ones, causing more pain to her hurt family. With those thoughts, the young woman closed her eyes and her heart stopped beating... Or at least, that's what she thinks.

[almadesarrollo]

ANALYSIS OF MIRACULOUS LADYBUG.ORIGINS PART 1 LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR (PART 6, T6 and LOCATIONS, Notre Dame Cathedral and Sorbonne University)

ANALYSIS OF MIRACULOUS LADYBUG. ORIGINS PART 1 LADYBUG AND CHATNOIR (PART 5)

4 THE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL: the NOTRE DAME cathedral is one of those monuments that has appeared in the background, but it has not played as active a role as the Eiffel Tower or the Place des Vosges, we see it only in the movie, and that's because this location is entirely felinette, and the creators reserve it for the big reunion between these two. That's why it only comes out in the background, the bond between Felix and Marinette will be planted in season 6 onwards (remember that Felix was barely introduced and fully known in season 5 and even then it came out in just a few chapters).

Ok to start, the cathedral is active in the film at the time of the ladynoir encounter, but also, where they have their first battle together and experience what it is like to work as a team for the first time.

It's also where Chatnoir proclaims his love for Ladybug.

The film is born from the pv, Who is chatnoir in the pv? Felix, so this ladynoir encounter is with Felix being chat, the cathedral appears again here in the form of a seal along with wayzz, who represents the care of Marinette by Felix as chatnoir, so this confirms what I said in the opening.

Now, we say in that fragment that it is a second encounter, because the first is with Adrien, so will Félix be a second stroke of luck? As I continue above, because the color of the seal confirms it, navy blue, the kwami ​​sass, who represents the 2nd opportunity, a 2nd opportunity in the heroic field, a 2nd opportunity to have a strong, loyal and, above all, protective companion.

And to top it off, this seal appears below the one from the Trocadero (which represents Chatnoir being Felix replacing Adrie) so it is very clear.

-NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL: LADYNOIR/FELINETTE LOCATION, 2nd CHANCE FOR MARINETTE AT HEROISM AND LOVE (FELIX AS CHATNOIR)

5 SORBONNE UNIVERSITY: (Place de la Sorbonne) in this case it is not a monument but rather a university called Sorbonne.

This university appears in the background in some episodes (such as Siren season 2 or Passion season 5).

but it does not play an active role, that is why I think it is a case similar to the Notre Dame cathedral, we will see it more active in season 6 onwards, since it is when our protagonists pursue higher education, we will then try to see what This seal tries to tell us what clue it leaves us for the following season (6 and 7).

researching this university, certain modalities are currently being studied.

Based on this we have 2 possible options, of those who can study there.

marinette / kagami

This is where confusion arises, none of these are related to art, exactly what Kagami and Marinette are dedicated to, and I emphasize this, since I thought that this would be the 1st option since the seal is red.

This color is representative of both, but seeing that this type of modality is not currently studied, there is little probability that this is the case, but there is always the possibility that they change, after all this is a fictitious series and it is invent said data. (like the case of Marinette's bakery, which is inspired but there are things changed)

Adrien / Félix.

ust as confusing, because to begin with we have no idea what Adrien wants, with Félix we can have a slight idea from the clues they have given us, it is wishmaker, it talks about the profession of firefighter or magician,

We know that the magician is Félix, so by that rule of three the profession of firefighter would be referring to Félix, we also know that he likes reading, so being a writer could be another option, this is more aimed at what It would be studied at a university like this.

We know that Félix will surely stay in France for Adrien after the tragic events to protect him and also now that he is Kagami's boyfriend. So in theory it would also fit perfectly for someone to study here, but of course the red of the seal is what puts me off.

WHICH OF THE 4 WILL IT BE? THEN I PUT MY HAND ON THE FIRE By Adrien And Felix, the clue is in Mermaid season 2.

Mermaid is the first chapter where this square and university appears in the background, but also, the roof and dome of said university is where the discussion between Chatnoir and Ladybug takes place and more importantly, where Chatnoir ALMOST GIVES UP his Miraculous! !!

To begin with, this chapter, the highlight is the resignation of Adrien as chatnoir and what we have talked about above in relation to the Notre Dame cathedral and the other monuments, the replacement of Felix to Adrien as chatnoir!!! So this is connected, and you can see why he gave up and left Ladybug behind, the lies, (this is something that many of us already theorize today) the fact that he can't stand the lies, this occurs here in the university so for me, it is a clear clue that he studied here and therefore also Félix, (since he is his protector)

But also, what does not cause his resignation? Aha, teacher Fu, through Fu they tell us about Félix, so the fact that he is present there would confirm that they studied together.

Now we don't know what Adrien would study, but we do know what Felix would study, and again this same scene gives us the clue, what is this chapter about? of the new aquatic powers, try to figure out the formula, mix and experiment.

The fact that they are aquatic powers connects with the sea, and the water, and this, the emotions, and therefore with argos and the sentisers, it may be that Félix decides to study science or health to help them, or understand them better. This world, being sentiser and never having help, we know that he has made it clear that he fights a lot for those of his own kind, he is like a leader, but a good leader.

But above all, he would do this to protect Adrien. The fact that in that chapter he was precisely given a pipette with the potion is quite scientific, so he would focus on the area of ​​health and to confirm this, he himself Fu is dedicated to topics related to this, only focused on the natural and spiritual field, for example meditation, palmistry, reiki, etc...

So the thing is clear, this will be the university where Félix studies health, literature or science.

So how is red justified? well this is the best.

Because another of the people on whom his care is going to focus is Ladybug, and at this point, this is already more than known with the amount of clues that they have given us in the last scenes, and here the resignation and justice would also be justified. about Adrien, Adrien is not going to know how to take good care of Ladybug, and Félix does, it's like he's going to be on top of everything, he's going to accept that, for example, Ladybug lies to him, understanding her role as guardian and so on, and this goes to be a healer for Marinette. That's why the seal is red.

To top it all off, this one is next to the black Trocadero seal (chatnoir/felix) and navy blue Notre Dame (2nd chance/chatnoir/felix) it's like Félix is ​​going to know how to win it over.

To finish this post, notice that the sequence of stamps begins with the pink Eiffel tower (Marinette) and ends with the red university (Ladybug), this could be summarized as Felix's presence, his affection, his friendship It will help Marinette to carry and accept that duality that she has and her double life,

which we have seen is currently difficult.

-SORBONNE UNIVERSITY: SELF-LOVE, ACCEPTANCE OF LADYBUG, PLACE WHERE FELIX STUDY.

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