#and that whole time Will is in the upside down surviving by turning into zombie boy

[jasntodds]

Caving In [14]

Pairing: Gar Logan x Fem!Powered!Reader, Jason Todd x Fem!Powered!Reader

Words: 7,539

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, angst, depression (canon, Jason), the roof scene is in this chapter and reader is the one who finds him so, the Titans being assholes, mentions of a burn

Summary: ❝Tell me Atlas: What is heavier, The world or its people’s hearts?❞ You never expected your life to end up this way, turned upside down by an infamous Gotham villain. It’s been a living hell, every single day, until Dick Grayson brings you to Titans tower where you meet Gar Logan and Jason Todd.

A/N: So, I finished writing the rest of this book and have started the next one which I also have had almost entirely plotted out this whole time and I’m excited lol I am easily motivated to post more often when I get feedback 😂 You can add yourself to the tag list below, ask me to be tagged, or you can follow my library blog @jasntoddslibrary​ and turn on notifications if you prefer that!!

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As the morning goes by, you and Gar spend most of it in the living room. You ate your breakfast together, far earlier than ever intended but it was kind of nice because it was just the two of you. The rest of the Titans were still asleep and Jason only came by to pluck a pancake off of your plate before going back to his room. You and Gar do spend enough time alone but not having anyone else up, besides Jason, is really nice. You just get to be around each other without knowing that someone is going to interrupt or you'll have some type of training session to get to. It's nice and comforting.

One by one, the Titans get up, Dick being the first one and he's surprised to see the two of you awake and in the living room so early, especially you. You’re not an early riser. He doesn't ask questions though and hopes it's because you had trouble sleeping and not because you and/or Jason were up to something that Gar had to talk you out of. He just lets you be while you and Gar have a rewatch of The Walking Dead.

"I'd totally survive the apocalypse." You let out a sigh as you turn on the fifth episode.

Gar lets out a laugh beside you. "You could survive anything at this point."

"Right? Probably don't even have to try." You turn to face Gar. "Okay, if the apocalypse happens," You start and Gar raises his brows at you, intrigued where this is going. "Do you think it'll be like Walking Dead, Zombieland, The Last Of Us, or Love and Monsters?"

Gar lets out a breath, looking to the ceiling before looking back to you. He's definitely thought about this. "Walking Dead or The Last Of Us, both of those seem realistic."

You let out a booming laugh. "True! That would be the most likely scenario, even in a world with metahumans."

"It's also better than Zombieland zombies that can run."

"I know! That makes the whole thing a bit more terrifying." You shake your head. "But, I hope we end up with Love and Monsters because I mean, giant animals."

"That would be ideal." Gar gestures towards himself.

"A green tiger would be very normal."

"Exactly!"

Your laughter subsides and you fall into a comfortable silence. Gar resituates and guilt eats away at your bones. He winces when he moves and you figure it's because his side hurts. You swear you'll be apologizing for it every single day until you both die. You’re very grateful for him though because he is very understanding of it. You think most people would have dropped you, wanted nothing to do with you, and wouldn't trust you anymore. But, not Gar. You’ve already apologized several times since it happened and Gar has been telling you that it's okay and he's okay with a kind smile. You’ve said it before and you'll probably always think it, Gar is unfathomably kind.

"Are you sure you're okay?" You ask, guilt coating your words.

"I'm positive." Gar chuckles softly. "I'm fine."

You nod softly. "I'm still really fucking sorry."

"It's okay." Gar urges you before taking a drink of the Gatorade. "It was an accident."

"I know." You let out a sigh. "But, I'll probably be trying to make it up to you for...the rest of our lives." You laugh softly.

"You don't have to. Rachel nearly took my hand off and I'm fine."

"She...what?" You pause.

Rachel even accidentally attacking Jason makes sense. Jason pushes her buttons more than anyone so if she were going to snap, it would be on Jason. But Gar? What could Gar have possibly done?

"Yeah, I woke her up when you guys got kidnapped. Her cloud of razor blades attacked me."

"Okay, that's not fair. How are you the one getting hurt by us?" You groan. "I'm really sorry and I'm sorry I didn't know."

You were a little preoccupied with being kidnapped and tortured and then nearly dying and nearly losing Jason. You not noticing is excusable but that doesn’t stop you from feeling guilty about it. Gar was still hurt and you should have noticed. Gar would have noticed if the roles were reversed.

"You were kidnapped and then dropped from a skyscraper. I think not knowing is acceptable." Gar chuckles.

"Yeah, that's true." You shrug a shoulder. "Still, I'm sorry." You scrunch your nose. "So, whatever you need, let me know and I will get the thing." You declare, your voice confident.

"You're not gonna budge on that, are you?"

"Nope." You let out a laugh.

Your conversation gets interrupted by an alert coming from the intercom system. The two of you look at each other with confused expressions before getting up to see who's at the door. Everyone you both know is already at the tower, besides Dick, he left out of nowhere, but he doesn't need the intercom system to come up.

When Gar hits the button for the video and sound feeds on the intercom, you both see a woman with strawberry blonde hair looking a little panicked.

“My name is Eve Watson and I’m looking for someone who I think might be here.” She says, voice panicky and rushed.

You give Gar a shrug as he looks to you.

“Maybe you should go get Kory.” Gar whispers and you nod before running off to get Kory.

Someone showing up, in general, seems a little weird. You’ve been at the tower for three months and no one besides Uber Eats drivers ever show up at the tower. But, somehow this random woman knew you had weird flying guy? That seems a little off.

You find Kory in the room with the mystery guy, talking with him while he’s still unconscious.

“Uh…Kory?”

“Hmm?” Kory looks over to you. “What’s going on?”

“There’s some woman here?” You question. “Gar is talking to her through the intercom. She says her name is Eve Watson and she thinks she’s looking for someone here.” You look from Kory to the mystery guy before looking back to Kory.

“Okay.” Kory nods carefully as she gets up. “Let’s go then.”

Kory and you make your way back down the hall and back to Gar.

“Is there someone named Conner there?” You and Kory hear Eve say through the intercom just as you approach.

“Let her up.” Kory says and Gar takes a second look at Kory, almost to be unsure about it but he does as told.

The woman comes up through the elevator, Gar, you, and Kory waiting for her to come up. When she does, she has a white dog with pointy ears walking beside her. It’s in that moment, you trust her.

You’ve always wanted a dog but your mom would never let you get one. They’re a big responsibility and you didn’t have a lot of money. With your mom being a vet, it always seemed strange you didn’t have a pet. You understood the reasoning but it did not stop you from asking every birthday for a dog. But, now, there is a dog right in front of you and you haven’t been able to pet a dog since you were uprooted from Gotham. This is the best thing that’s happened in two weeks.

“She has a dog.” You whisper to Gar.

Gar chuckles softly. “She said the dog lead her here?”

“Oh, so a smart dog.” You smile almost visibility vibrating next to him.

“Are you okay?”

“Love dogs.”

“You think we have Conner?” Kory asks.

“It sounds crazy, but the dog led me here.” Eve explains. “Tall, dark hair, looks like Superman.” Even lets out a sigh.

“Come with me.” Kory jerks her head towards the hallway.

Your smile falls as you watch the dog follow the women down the hallway and Gar lets out a laugh.

“Why don’t you go with them? I was gonna take a nap anyway.” 

“Are you sure? We could finish--”

“Go see if you can pet the dog.” Gar continues to laugh. “I’ll catch up later, wake me up before they leave though. I also want to meet the dog.” Gar beams and you laughs, nodding quickly before darting down the hallway.

You follow the women to Conner’s room, Kory noticing you. Kory doesn’t say anything though, figuring maybe you want to offer some help. After what happened with Deathstroke, Kory is willing to let you hang around for right now if you want to help. While Kory agrees that allowing any of the new Titans to go after Dr. Light would have been a bad idea, you sympathizes with you and Jason.

You reach the room and Eve sits down on the bed beside the mystery guy who’s still unconscious. The dog sits on the floor beside Eve and while the women talk, you stick your hand out for the dog to sniff you. The dog doesn’t seem bothered so you sit on the floor and cautiously pet his head. A giant smile plasters itself across your face as you pet the dog, now listening to the women talk about how Eve created Conner and how he ended up here. She goes on about how he’s going to die unless they can bring the sun directly to Conner. But, this is Kory. So, she has an idea and goes off to grab Rachel.

“So, you like….created him?” You ask, still petting the dog.

“Yeah.” Eve lets out a sigh.

“That’s pretty cool.” You state.

“It’s dangerous.”

“Yeah,” You sigh. “Having powers in a world like this seems to be. But, like, he’s half Superman and Kory will fix him so…pretty cool.” You nod your head. “What’s his name?”

“The dog?” Eve asks and you nods excitedly. “Krypto.”

“Krypto.” You smile looking at the dog. “I love dogs. Is it okay that I’m petting him? He didn’t seem to mind and you were talking.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” Eve laughs softly.

“Hey, uh, you know, Conner saved my best friend.” You explain.

“He did? How?”

You shrug. “Dunno, exactly, I was dangling for my life but from what I’ve heard firsthand and what everyone else said, my friend was falling from a fifteen-story skyscraper and Conner came out of nowhere, jumped on a car and caught him mid-air.” Eve watches you carefully. “Look, I’m just saying you feel guilty and shit but had you found him earlier, it’s possible my friend would have died so I don’t think you should feel guilty about it.”

“He could die and that’s my fault. I created him and didn’t help enough.”

“No, you said that you helped him escape. They were gonna use him as a weapon, probably. You helped him and Kory is gonna save him. She’s a badass, trust me. So, you did good.” You offer her a kind smile.

“Thank you.” Eve says softly before looking back to Conner.

After a few minutes, Kory comes back with Rachel and she directs you, Eve, and Krypto to wait outside of the room. You sit right back down with Krypto, petting him while Kory gets Conner out of the bed and holds him up. She warns you it might get a little bit warm before asking Rachel if she’s ready. Rachel is a little uncertain and so are you.

Rachel has a hard time controlling her powers and you don’t really know why Kory trusts her so much to keep them in check right now. But, you trust Kory so there has to be a reason. Rachel uses her powers and her black and purple smoke surrounds Kory and Conner while Kory turns into a ball of fire. Your jaw nearly hits the floor as you watch.

“What…the…fuck.” You mutter and Eve has the same expression. “Sick.” You’re awestruck look turns into one of amazement and a giant smile comes to your face.

When Rachel brings her power back in, Kory stops and Conner is awake again. This definitely goes down in one of the coolest things you’ve ever witnessed and you find yourself having a little more respect for Rachel. Rachel always spoke so highly of Kory and maybe this is one of the reasons. Kory believes in Rachel enough to trust her to use her powers and not kill her. Not that you think Rachel could but it’s the trust that’s there and maybe that’s the whole issue with the tower right now. You, Gar, and Jason trust each other. But, Jason and you don’t trust Dick very much. Rachel doesn’t trust Jason and you think she doesn’t trust you very much because of your close proximity to Jason. The only person everyone collectively trusts is Gar but that doesn’t make for a very good team and you wonders if the Titans will ever work because of that.

Kory, Rachel, and you leave Eve, Conner, and Krypto to themselves, going your separate ways so they can talk. You head towards Gar’s room to tell him what just happened but his door is still shut and you know if he were awake, the door would be open. After last night, you do not want to wake him up so, you head two doors down to Jason’s room. You knock but then open the door, finding Jason standing in front of his windows, just looking out.

“Jay?” You call but he doesn’t even move. You walk beside him, looking from his eyes to the windows and then back to him. “Jason?” You wave your hand in front of his face and that seems to break him out f his trance.

“Fuck, yeah?” Jason jumps, spinning to you.

“You alright?” You ask, brows furrowed and the excitement you just felt vanishes and you worry about your best friend again.

“Yeah, what?” Jason snips and you narrows your eyes.

“You were just standing here…looking at the window?”

“You got a problem with that or something?” Jason snips again.

“Oh, snippy today.” You roll your eyes and walk over to one of his chairs, Jason shaking his head in confusion.

“Sure, make yourself comfortable.”

“I usually do.” You chortle. “Wanna know what just happened?” You ask, dropping the conversation about him because he doesn’t want to talk about it and you’re not gonna push him. Not today because maybe you owe him that much for last night.

Jason sighs and turns to face you. “Sure?”

“So, some woman shows up because of the guy that saved you and turns out, dude is named Conner and he is half fucking Superman and Lex Luther.” Your eyes nearly bug out of your head and Jason’s eyes widen.

“You’re fucking lying.”

“I could not make this shit up!” You exclaim. “So, she shows up and she’s got this dog with her who’s really cute. I got to pet him.” You beam and Jason finds it cute that you got sidetracked by the dog not the whole Superman and Lex Luthor thing. “So, in order to wake up Conner, Kory grabbed Rachel and turned into a ball of fire while holding Conner and Rachel used her powers to like keep it contained.” You ramble. “I know you don’t like Rachel or her powers but dude, it was the coolest shit I have ever seen.” You beam. “And Conner’s awake. Like, it worked.”

“He’s awake? From that?”

“Yeah, I guess it was something with kryptonite, that’s what he was shot with.” You explain.

“That’s…”

“Sick, right?” You ask.

“Yeah, that’s fucking sick. So, a ball of fire just wakes him up from a coma?”

“Guess so.” You laugh. “And there’s a dog.”

“You said that.” Jason chortles. “Didn’t realize you were a dog person?”

“Do I seem like a cat person to you?” You quip.

Jason laughs. “You're into Gar who turns into a fucking tiger.”

You pause before narrowing your eyes. "Yeah, but that's different. Tigers are not house cats." You hold your up and Jason shake his head at you. “So, it was super cool and I had to tell someone about it.”

“Gar not wanting to listen?” Jason quips.

“He’s napping, after last night I figured I’d let him nap.” You explain.

Jason nods just once. “How’d it go? After I left my own fucking room for you guys.”

Jason mostly asks because he wants to know if you both actually talked about your feelings or if you backed out of it. He figured Gar wouldn’t but he thought maybe you would. You didn’t seem too confident in your answer to Jason last night. You back out of a lot of the games you two play so he thought maybe you’d back out of telling Gar. He doesn’t hope for that though.

“Uh..." You furrow your brows. "It went, I guess. He's not mad at me or anything. He's being understanding, ya know?” You smile shyly.

"Did you tell him?" Jason asks, more or less digging for answers.

You pause for just a second, thinking about playing the game. But, then you think about how that would be unfair. You both made your decisions.

"No..." You let out a scoff. "It did not seem like the right time and..." You shrug, hiding more of the reason because you’d not about to tell Jason the reason you didn't tell Gar is because you like him. "I don't want him to feel obligated to tell me the same thing because I said it. I'll tell him eventually." You shrug it off and turn the question back to him. “You’ve been hanging out with Rose a lot…?” You question.

Jason gains a goofy grin. “She kissed me last night.” Jason announces.

“She what?” You nearly yell and you can feel the burning start in the very pit of your stomach. Definitely not jealousy.

Jason shrugs. “Yeah,” He has this cocky smile as he licks his lips.

You don’t need to know that Rose kissed him and then Jason put a stop to it like how he did with you last week. You don’t need to know that little bit of information.

“You really like her?” You ask, the slightest bit of snark in your voice that Jason absolutely catches.

Jason shrugs again. “Think so.” Jason laughs softly because he can’t have you. But, he likes Rose enough. He could like her more if he gave her a fair shot. Rose is different. Jason can’t break or hurt her. Deathstroke took care of that. And Gar isn’t into Rose.

“Good, I hope she makes you happy. She’s pretty cool.” Your words taste sour on your tongue but you swallow your pride anyway. You do want him to be happy. Jason deserves to be happy.

“Yeah, thanks.” Jason chuckles softly. “She got mad though, like right after.”

“What, why? You’re not that bad of a kisser.” You tease him, trying your best to brush it off.

“Shut the fuck up.” Jason groans, but there's still a hint of his cocky grin pulling at his lips. “I borrowed Dick’s records, he had one with her brother’s name on it. She freaked out on me.” The smirk falls as he shakes his head, brows knitted together.

“That’s weird.” Your brows furrow. “Have you talked to her about it?”

“Told her I didn’t know about it, think we’re alright now. But I didn’t even know she had a brother.”

“Seems getting information out of her is like getting information out you. Pulling teeth.” You chuckle softly. “I don’t know that is weird though.”

“Yeah.” Jason lets out a sigh but before either of you can continue the conversation, Rachel comes barging in.

Rachel storms right up to Jason and starts yelling. “How fucked up are you?” She yells, your eyes widen. “All you do is give people a reason to hate you!”

Jason just stares at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The crosses on my mirror!”

“Still don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Jason’s voice is flat but Rachel doesn’t believe him.

Her eyes turn red as she shoves his shoulder. “Don’t fucking lie to me!” Her voice is lower and freaky with the shove.

“What the fuck?” You jump up from your seat on his chair, moving to stand in between them. "Leave him alone." You grit your teeth and you don't want to do this today. Why is she even blaming Jason?

Jason pauses for a second. He's not going to stand here and be blamed for something he didn't even do. He's been in his room since he got done training two hours ago. “I’m sick of this shit.” Jason mutters, grabbing his jacket and storming out of the room.

“Literally, what the fuck, Rachel?” You stare at her, fists balled at your sides but just for a second before you follow Jason, Rachel right behind you.

You’re questioning the universe right about now. You desperately want to know why either of you can’t seem to catch a fucking break. Seriously, what could either of you have possibly done to piss the universe off so badly? Especially Jason. He actually hasn’t done a single thing and yet he keeps getting dealt these hands and now Rachel is jumping down his throat. It’s ridiculous.

You and Rachel follow Jason into the living area where Dawn, Hank, and Kory are.

“Don’t fucking walk away from me!” Rachel screams past you.

“SHUT UP!” You scream, trying to catch up to Jason.

“Woah, hey, what’s happening?” Dawn asks from her seat at the snack bar.

“Jason drew crucifixes all over my mirror!” Rachel points her finger at Jason standing ten feet away from him while you’re smack in the middle as you all come to a halt.

“Bullshit!” Jason looks at Rachel.

“Jason, it’s okay if you’re angry.” Dawn says as she approaches the three of you.

“I didn’t do shit, okay?” Jason’s voice sounds desperate this time. “Look, don’t blame me for her voodoo issues.” Jason says as Donna walks in from behind him.

“What’s up with all the drama?” Donna asks as she stands next to Dawn.

“Someone drew crosses on Rachel’s mirror and she thinks Jason did it.” Dawn explains keeping her voice kind and calm as usual.

“I know he did it.” Rachel declares.

“No, he didn’t, Rachel!” You interject. “You’ve just got fucking problems with him so you’re first fucking response is to blame him.” You roll your eyes and cross your arms.

“Cute idea with the Bourbon bottle.” Hank starts, making his way towards the older women. “Not my type though. I’m more of a Sour Mash guy.” Hanks says, this time Jason and you looking at him with confusion having no idea what he’s even talking about. “You ever go into my room and pull that shit again, I’ll forget what team you’re on.”

“Why Jason?” Donna asks.

You let out a huff. You can’t believe you’re listening to them blame him for absolutely no reason. And when you look to Jason, he looks completely heartbroken and devastated. He has no idea what they’re even talking about. You don't think you'll forgive any of them for the look on Jason's face right now. And the fact none of them even see it, makes the whole thing that much worse.

“I don’t know what happened, guys but I-I didn’t do it.” Jason says, his voice defeated. You’ve never heard him stutter before.

“What about the picture of Elis?” Dawn asks.

“The orange soda bottle?” Donna asks, everyone pointing fingers at Jason.

“He did it to you guys, too?” Rachel asks.

“Fuck this.” Jason huffs, ready to leave the conversation.

“Hey,” Hank yells. “We’re not done here, kid.”

“You people are insane!” Jason yells, his eyes turning glossy. “I’d rather be with Deathstroke than you assholes.” Jason pauses and you can see his heart literally breaking. “You guys think everything is my fault.”

There it is. He can’t do it anymore. Even though he didn’t do anything, it’s still somehow his fault. He didn’t mean for the Deathstroke thing to happen. It was an accident and he’s the one that suffering the consequences but they’re all blaming him. They’re blaming him for this stuff he doesn’t even understand. What would an orange pop have to do with anything? The Titans have been on edge this whole time and Jason’s beginning to think it’s him. Maybe if he weren’t around, the Titans would be fine. Maybe they would all get along. They definitely would not be having this argument right now. All of this is his fault and he can’t do it anymore.

“Why is that?” You snap your attention to the older Titans and position yourself to be standing with your back towards Jason, drawing your own line in the sand. “He clearly didn’t fucking do it and none of you even suspected him until Rachel decided to fucking lose it.”

“Because I know he did it!” Rachel screams.

“Why would he do it, Rachel?” You screams over her. You’re going to lose your mind, you can feel it.

“He hates me, Y/n! Unless you’re too blind to see that!”

“You almost fucking killed him! Of course, he hates you!” You fight back, catching Rachel off guard. You will throw her under the bus. She’s gonna throw Jason under the bus, you’ll the same to her.

“You did what?” Kory asks.

“Yeah? In training, she lost fucking control and almost fucking killed him. Lifted him ten feet into the air, aimed a bunch of swords at him.”

“He hit me when I was down!”

“We were all blindfolded for fuck's sake! He didn't even hit you that hard!” It's in this moment, you’re positive Jason has always been right about Rachel because this is actual insanity.

Gar comes from one of the hallways looking exhausted. “Can’t a guy get some sleep?” His voice is drowsy and you glance to him.

“No, because everyone in the tower has literally lost their damn minds! They’re blaming Jason for some fucking bullshit!” You throw your arm out towards the older Titans.

“You’re always on his side!” Rachel screams.

“Someone has to be, Rachel! Clearly, none of you are gonna actually ask him if he did it. You’re all just pointing fucking fingers like a bunch of children.” You look at the supposed adults surrounding you. “Hey, uh, right, so how did Jason do it when I was like….with him? Do you think he ran out of his room the second Kory came to get you just do that? That's fucking stupid!"

“He's the only one that would have done it!" Rachel argues.

You laugh. How can anyone be taking this seriously right now? “But he wouldn't even do it! I know he didn't do it! He was barely fucking awake when I walked into his room! How would he have done it?!” You tell a little bit of lie. It's not that he was asleep but he was kind of in a trance when you walked in. Regardless, you know it wasn't Jason. He wouldn't mess with Rachel like that and the more you think about it, the more you’re realizing that almost every single one of their fights has been caused by Rachel.

“We aren’t pointing our fingers at him.” Dawn says calmly.

“Hank is! Rachel is! You asked him about the picture of Elis and you,” You face Donna. “Asked about a pop? How the fuck would he know any of that!? Jason’s right, you’re all fucking insane! You all take down these shitty fucking people with evidence but when it comes to your own, you don’t need evidence to point the finger! What the hell is that about!?”

“Jason is an asshole!” Rachel yells.

“He is! But he isn’t a mind games kind of asshole! And being an asshole doesn't justify being blamed for some bullshit he very clearly did not do! He’s got more of a fucking problem with Dick and Dick is the only one not experiencing this weird shit, isn’t that weird? What the hell is wrong with you guys?” You scoff.

The anger bubbles through your entire body. Every inch of you feels like it's on fire. It's disgusting and appalling that these supposed heroes can blame Jason for this. How do they not see that he's struggling? How have they not noticed he's all but sleeping in the training room and skipping dinner? You know you cannot be the only to have noticed. Gar has. They should notice. They're supposed to be looking out for you four, not making false accusations with no proof or even a motive. It's not right and it's not fair. Jason deserves better than all of them.

“Y/n.” Gar warns softly as your hands start to glow.

“No! Fuck that! Are you all fucking blind? Are Gar and me the only fucking people noticing that he is really fucking struggling right now? And all of you are going to be making it worse! He is practically living in the training room, he’s barely eating, and he’s not sleeping. I know you guys are self-absorbed and for heroes, that’s weird, too but you guys have had to have noticed right?”

The room goes silent. The only one who has noticed is Kory and she isn’t accusing Jason of anything. You can feel the burning start behind your eyes with the silence of the room. This is the most unbelievable thing you’ve ever witnessed and been a part of. How have they not noticed? It's so blatantly obvious and none of them even care. It's cruel.

“Wow.” You nod your head with a scoff. “Good work, team. Good work looking after your own.” You grit your teeth and you can’t believe these people consider themselves heroes. “You know, you get kidnapped, tortured, and then dropped from a skyscraper and let me know how that treats your psyche. He didn’t fucking do it and it’s disgusting you all even think he did.”

“Who else did it then, kid?” Hank questions, crossing his arms.

“I don’t know but it wasn’t him. I know him better than all of you. It wasn’t him, Hank.” You’re nearly whining, practically pleading with them to believe you.

“He drew the crosses on my mirror, no one else hats me.” Rachel declares.

“Okay, let me break this down because you're clearly not using your brain. Mental manipulation works best when the person doing it, lets you believe you’re on the same side. If you were on opposing sides, it’s easier to see through the bullshit. Jason and you are not on the same side, ever. So, why would it be him? Again, he isn’t the mental manipulation type. The closest he gets to it is just talking and talking and talking until you get annoyed.”

“We know it wasn’t Rachel.” Donna states. “Or Gar.”

“It wasn’t Dick.” Dawn chimes in.

“How do you know!? He’s been acting fucking weird as shit lately, too!”

Dick's been kind of down and out lately. He's been checking around the tower and you swear you overheard him talking to himself the other night. Dick seems like he's also losing it. But, again, apparently, the only people who notice are you and Gar. For people who are supposed to be observant, they all suck at it.

“Dick wouldn’t do that.” Hank defends.

“Right, so I should believe Dick wouldn’t do it because you say so but you won’t believe that Jason didn’t do it because I say so. Great reasoning there, Hank.” You gives Hank a sarcastic thumbs-up.

“Hey, watch who you’re talking to.”

“Yeah? The fuck you gonna do about it? I’ve been held captive twice and once was with Deathstroke, I’m not fucking afraid of you.” You scoff at him. “Gonna forget what team I’m on, too?”

“Y/n, come on.” Gar pleads with you.

“This is fucking bullshit and I know you know it.” You look over at him before looking back to the older Titans. “What did he do that is so bad that you guys hate him that much?” Your voice breaks with the question because you can’t imagine him doing anything. You can’t figure out why no one sees him the way you do. Or why none of them want to.

Just as Rachel is about to fight you, the elevator opens and all of you look over, seeing Dick look a little spazzed out.

“He’s here.” Dick whispers as if he’s just cracked some sort of code. “In the tower. Deathstroke’s here in the tower.” Dick explains. “He took pictures of all of us.”

You would very much, also, like to be back with Deathstroke. At least the guy was a little more straightforward than these people. Deathstroke had a reason for the madness. It wasn't a good reason but it was a reason. Meanwhile, the Titans have nothing and Dick had officially lost his mind.

“Dick…talk to me, what’s with the gun?” Hank asks, pulling everyone’s attention to the gun in Dick’s hand.

It’s this moment that confirms to you that everyone in the tower has lost their minds. Deathstroke is also completely insane but you and Jason were tortured by him and even you two aren’t that out of your minds. You aren’t sure what’s up with the Titans, but at this point, you don’t even wanna know. Instead, you figure you’ll use this time to grab Jason and try to avoid the other Titans. But, you look around and he’s gone.

“Fuck.” You let out an exasperated sigh, actively pulling attention back on you. “Shit.” Your eyes widen and the panic sets in. Jason isn’t doing well mentally and now you’re scared for what he’s going to do. Everyone blames him. Everyone hates him. He wants to be with Deathstroke over these people.

“Y/n?” Gar asks, seeing the panic written across your entire body as you approach him.

“Check the training room for Jason.” You rush as you dart the other way and everyone is left confused as to what you could be in a hurry for.

You head to his room first and he isn't there. You don't think he would go to the training room, it's too exposed. But, Jason keeps falling in his dreams and he has a thing for suffering. If it were you, you'd go to the roof so that's where you go. If Jason would rather be with Deathstroke, the answer would be the roof. He’s terrified and you can see it. He has nightmares about falling so of course, that would be his way out. To him, it’s going to be easy and accessible and no one even noticed he was gone.

You run towards the roof door, barging through it and the door flies open. Your heart sinks as you sees Jason standing on the ledge, looking straight ahead. Your feet come to a complete stop and you swear you never thought you’d have to talk someone down from this. And you hate that he even feels this way. He deserves so much better. But, you have to swallow the lump that’s forming in your throat and walk over to him.

“Jay?” You call quietly, walking carefully as if the roof is a lake covered in thin ice. Any wrong step would send you both into freezing waters.

“They all hate me.” Jason’s voice is so small and it breaks a part of you.

“They fucking suck, Jason.” You state, trying to make your voice sound like it’s not about to crack.

“It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault.” You hold your voice steady as you close the distance toward the ledge. “None of this is your fault.” You state strongly. “Cam you please get down?”

“Rachel blamed me first. Maybe if I didn’t tell her to get checked by a priest.” Jason lets out a breath, ignoring the request. He swears everyone’s lives would be better if he wasn’t a part it anymore.

You take a step close to the ledge, looking over it and you feel yourself grow nauseous. You’re sick and tired of these heights but this is Jason. You look up to him and with shaky hands, you put your hands on the ledge and lift yourself up. You take a seat, letting your legs dangle as you have a death grip on the ledge. Jason glances to you with just his eyes, daring to not move his head. You’re never going to let Jason be alone in any of this. If he’s going to stand on the edge, you’re gonna be right there with him. He will never be alone if you have anything to say about it.

“Her dad possessed you, traumatized you. That wasn’t her fault, but it was her responsibility to apologize for it and listen to you about it. That’s not on you, Jay.”

“I just keep fucking up.” His voice quivers as he moves his foot forward and you nearly break.

“Jason,” You rush his name. “I am begging you not to walk off this roof.” You keep your attention on Jason and that’s all you can focus on. You can’t fucking lose him. “It’s not your fault. You’re not fucking it up. Okay? This is on them. You’re just trying to help.”

“I keep falling.” Jason’s voice quivers again. “It won’t stop.” Jason sucks in a breath and now you know why he keeps standing at his windows like that. He’s just reliving it over and over and over.

“Jason, it’s gonna be okay.” You keep your voice soft and gentle as you keep your stare forward.

Jason doesn’t know how you can even say that. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to be okay. It’s been a week and it feels like it happened yesterday. It still feels like he’s on the window washing crane. The Titans hate him for no reason. He’s never done anything to make them hate him. That’s not going to be okay and it’s not going to get better. They’re always going to hate and they’re always going to blame him for anything they can. And it’s his fault.

This always happens. Jason pushes and pushes until people break and pull away. He doesn’t even know exactly why he does it but he does. People try to help him and it all fails. He’s a mess and maybe he’s too big of a mess to ever be fixed. He’s tired of it and he’s tired of feeling like this.

“Bruce wasn’t the first one, ya know?” Jason states. “Who tried to help me. I can make a list. Relatives, teachers, cops, Dick. Nobody's been up to the task.”

You pause and you already knew that all Jason has ever wanted is feel good enough. He sabotages. You get it because you do it, too just in different ways. But, Jason is not all bad. Jason is hard-headed and stubborn and cocky. He can be a little shit and he’s a little too snippy and sarcastic sometimes. But, if anyone bothered to get to know him, they’d know him how you know him. Which is that he’s a good friend. He’ll sacrifice his own feelings for his friends, he’s self-sacrificing, and kind, and funny. He’s charming and a geek in his own way. He’s a nerd and he deserves to be cared for. Everyone gave up way too soon.

“I am.” Your voice is quiet and you peak up at him with just your eyes, keeping your head steady and your words catch Jason off-guard. “I mean it. You know I don’t lie to you. Put that shit on me, remember? You’re not a fuck up. You deserve for people not to give up on you.”

Jason lets out a scoff because he doesn’t want to believe you. “I’ve got a poison in me.” Jason lets out a huff. “Shit spreads. It can affect even the healthiest people.”

“You don’t have a poison, Jay.” You state. “You don’t.”

“Look at what happened to you!” Jason’s eyes water further, blurring his vision slightly as his voice cracks.

“What? Deathstroke?” You scoff. “I was fucked up long before Dick brought me here, alright? Gotham, death, torture, held captive, almost murdered. Almost murdered Jerry. That’s all me, that has nothing to do with you. Deathstroke was gonna happen. If it wasn’t you coming up with the idea, it would have been me, let’s be honest.” 

Jason bounces to something else. He’s finding every reason he can to keep standing here. He wants it all to be over, for the pain and the shame and the guilt to just stop. But, he doesn’t want to give up either. There are two sides of his brain playing tug of war. One of them is screaming and crying, pleading to hold a little longer while the other side is cackling and chanting to jump because everyone’s lives would be better without him in it. 

“It’s happened before.” Jason starts. “I once spent two nights in juvie and four fucking people died. It follows me like a curse.”

Your brows furrow and you hate that he feels this way about himself. No one should ever feel like that. You want to get off of this roof and hunt down every single person who’s ever made Jason Todd feel like he’s a poison and he’s not good enough. You’ll fight the entire world for him.

“Were you Robin?” You ask.

Jason pauses. “Yeah.”

“Then it’s not your fault.” You let out a scoff and you really do have something again Bruce and Dick. “That’s on Bruce. He’s been Batman our entire lives. He shouldn't need a Robin. He should have been a better Batman. It’s not your fault those people died, do you hear me?”

“I just want it to stop.” Jason’s voice finally breaks and you want to break with him but you can’t.

You want to drag him off of this roof and grab him by the face, scream at him that it’s all going to be okay and that he’s good enough. That he deserves everything good to happen because he is good. There is nothing wrong with him. He is worth the effort. But, you’re so scared that if you make any move towards him, he’ll lose it entirely. You would do anything to get his pain to stop.

“It’s not just you, Jay.” Your voice is soft. “Look, you know I have nightmares, too about all of it. It’s not just you and as long as I’m alive, it’ll never be just you. As long as I’m alive, you will never be alone in this shit.”

“What?”

“If I’m alive, you will never be alone. You won’t go through that shit alone because I’d follow you into the dark if you asked me to. You’re my best friend in the whole world and...I care more about you than I do about almost anyone I have ever met. I’d do anything in the world if you asked me to. You and me. Always.” You pause, looking behind you to see Dick standing a few feet away. “I mean it. You’re not a fuck up and you are not alone. Ever. Fuck, everyone else, okay? I am batshit terrified right now but I’m here with you because I care about you and I’d lose my fucking mind if I lost you. My life would be so much fucking worse without you in it.” Your words more intense and stern with every second. "Fuck them because you're not a fucking poison and you're not fucking cursed. And someone should have fucking been there for you. So, I will be. Now, get the fuck off this ledge.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Put it on me.” Your voice is so gentle, it nearly shatters Jason. "I will never give up on you. I will never let you do any of this alone, Jay. Please." You finally look at him with the final plea. Your eyes lock with Jason's and he make the decision. He takes a step back, stepping down from the ledge.

You follow his lead quickly, relieved over the whole situation and you feel like you can breathe again. You close the distance between you and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him close to you. Jason buries his face into your shoulder, his arms hugging you tightly. Everything is so heavy for him. The weight of the world is drowning him and you are his life jacket.

And Dick sees the two of you and that’s when he gets it. When he gets what it means it has someone who is literally a ride or die. Dick worried about you together after Jerry. As friends, as more than friends, just being around each other. Something told Dick that would just be the beginning and the Deathstroke happened and Dick was certain he was right. But, now, he’s not sure if you’re the cause for each other’s destructive behavior.

You’re both just like that but you both get it. You understand exactly what the other is going through and how to handle it. It’s not about you causing each other to do something stupid, it’s that you both have someone who is there when you do it so you can pick up those pieces. He gets it now and he understands why he should have told the Titans about Jericho from the beginning. None of this would have happened. Jason would not have wanted to walk off this roof had he been honest. Maybe the Titans wouldn’t have disbanded. This is on him, not the two of you in front of him.

“This is my fault.” Dick speaks up, you and Jason pulling away from each other.

“Okay?” You question him, not even wanting to deal with him. This is also his fault, Jason and everything. This is on Dick. 

“Deathstroke, all of this is my fault.” Dick admits.

“Yeah, I said that.” You nod your head. You’re not dealing with this. You got Jason off the ledge and would like to bring him inside and shield him from the Titans. “I’ll get Rachel or Dawn or Donna to talk you down though if you need it.” Jason looks at you, a bit surprised by the venom in your voice.

“No,” Dick shakes his head. “I owe everyone an explanation.” Dick sucks in a breath, you and Jason waiting to hear where this could possibly be going right now, of all times. “I killed Deathstroke’s son.” Dick admits.

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[munson-blurbs]

Halloween idea anon here :) The first idea was Eddie and the reader doing the typical Halloween pranks (egging and TPing) on someone’s house and when they have to make a run for it to not get caught, when the light catches on their face, Eddie just thinks “yeah, I’m going to marry this girl one day”. The second idea was trick or treating with hellfire (because I cannot see Eddie ever outgrowing that and now they have freshmen in the club) and seeing the reader dressed as Galadriel or Arwen with the group she’s chaperoning and cutting each house visit short (much to the ire of Dustin) because he can’t let “the girl of (his) dreams” get away before he has a chance to talk to her after trying to work up the nerve all night. Sorry if neither of those are good ideas but thank you for letting me send them over!

Eddie falls head-over-heels for a fairy, but needs a little help talking to her.

Warnings: a little bit of language

WC: 990

A/N: This takes place in October 1986. Eddie & Steve are friends but obviously Eddie survived the Upside Down. Also, the LotR movies didn't come out till the early 2000s, so I decided to go with a D&D fairy costume! I hope that's all right!

--

Eddie Munson may be 20 years old, but he's not going to pass up the opportunity to go trick-or-treating. Dressing up in a sick costume and getting free candy? Sounds like a great time.

And now, he has a good excuse, since Dustin recruited him to drive the Hellfire Club (plus Steve) to the wealthier part of town. The kid had a whole plan mapped out based on the houses that gave the best candy in previous years. How could Eddie turn the poor guy down?

He’s dressed as a zombie rockstar, which consisted of an old concert t-shirt that he’d ripped holes in, ripped jeans, and some fake blood smeared across his face. He’d briefly considered bringing along Sweetheart, but didn’t want to risk any damage. 

“How are we always the goddamn babysitters?” Steve grumbles now, but Eddie knows he loves being adored by the kids. 

Before he can respond to Steve, something catches his eye a few houses down. A girl, about his age, standing behind two young kids, wearing a pair of fairy wings. But not just any fairy wings: she’s dressed as a fairy from Dungeons & Dragons.

“Holy shit,” Eddie breathes out. “Harrington, I think I’m in love.”

Steve meets his friend’s gaze, trying to keep an eye on the gaggle of children they’re somehow responsible for. “Oh, she’s cute.” He laughs at Eddie’s lovesick stare. “Go talk to her, Romeo.”

“W-what do I even say?” Eddie sputters, hands getting clammy. He clumsily wipes them on his pants.

Steve laughs, amused by Eddie’s nervous demeanor. “Why don’t you start with, ‘I like your costume’?” he says. “And, uh, try not to look like a total moron.”

“Okay, okay,” Eddie grumbles, turning to Mike, Lucas, Erica, and Dustin, who are waiting on line to get full-size chocolate bars. “Little sheep, let’s go! Put a move on it!” he yells out, waving them back.

“We didn’t even get our candy yet!” Erica laments. “I am not leaving until I have a giant KitKat in my stash, got it?”

Eddie huffs as he walks over. “There are a million other houses we can hit up,” Like the one where the girl of my dreams is standing, he thinks. “Come on!”

“Seriously, dude,” Dustin says, “what’s your deal?”

“Eddie's got a big ol’ crush on that fairy princess over there,” Steve teases, pointing in your direction.

“Don’t point at her, Harrington!” Eddie hisses, burying his head in his hands. “Forget it. Get your stupid candy.”

But the group has already snapped into wingman mode. 

“Eddie,” Dustin crosses his arms over his chest, “how many girls do you know are into D&D?”

“Um, Little Sinclair pretty much starts and ends that list.”

“Exactly!” Lucas exclaims. “So there’s a beautiful girl fifty feet away from you, who not only knows what it is, but likes it enough to dress as a character from it. And you’re gonna let her slip away?”

“No, but--” Eddie starts before Mike cuts him off.

“But what? You have no excuse; we’re not toddlers. And Steve can stay with us while you get her number.”

“Save my spot, or else,” Erica orders the boys, and they know to heed her warning. “C’mon, Munson. Let’s hurry this up so I don’t miss out on any candy.”

“Uh, okay,” Eddie stammers as Erica grabs him by the wrist and pulls him over to you.

“Hi!” she says to you, giant grin plastered on her face. “I just wanted to tell you that I love your costume! Is this your D&D character?”

You clasp your hands together excitedly. “Yes!” you reply. “Finally, someone knows where this costume is from. You don’t know how many people have called me Tinkerbell tonight.”

“Actually,” Erica says coyly, pulling Eddie in front of her, “this long-haired freak was the one who noticed.”

“H-hi,” Eddie bites the inside of his lip, cringing at how nervous he sounds. “I’m Eddie. Her, uh, baby-sitter.”

“Chaperone,” Erica corrects him.

“Right, Chaperone.” He softly kicks his foot into the grass. “I’m also Hellfire Club’s Dungeon Master.”

“You play, too?” Your eyes light up, taking him in. “Well, duh, of course you do, if you’re the Dungeon Master. I’m Y/N, by the way.” Pink creeps into your cheeks, and Eddie thinks it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen. Plus, it makes him feel better about being anxious.

“Yeah. We started at Hawkins High, but when I graduated earlier this year, we just kept up the tradition outside of school,” he explains sheepishly. “Maybe you could join us sometime?”

He feels a kick to the back of his ankle before you can respond. “Ow!” he cries out, turning to Erica.

“That’s not a date, nerd,” she loudly whispers. “I am not missing out on rich people candy for you to half-ass this!”

Eddie hears you giggle and swerves back to rectify the situation. “Or, uh, we could go to that new café that opened downtown? I hear they have kick-ass food.”

You nod. “That would be great!” A small hand tugs on the hem of your green dress. “I have to get going,” you apologize, wishing you could talk to him all night. “I promised the kids I baby-sit that I’d take them trick-or-treating until our feet fall off.”

“No worries. It’s like the Cool Baby-Sitters’ Code,” he jokes, conversation flowing more naturally now. “Could I maybe get your number? So I can, y’know, call you?”

“Of course!” You reach into your purse and pull out a pen. When you realize you don’t have any paper, you grab his arm and write your phone number on it.

“I’ll call you,” he promises as you walk away and wave.

Erica stares up at him, clearly pleased with the situation.

“Thanks, kid,” he says, clapping a hand on her back. “You’re a better wingman than any of those guys.”

“Yeah, well,” she replies with a shrug. “I call dibs on bridesmaid.”

--

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

Space Engineers

Okay, there are some brutally clever designs in there.

I saw a couple people playing Space Engineers and they were hauling a big ol’ ship through space - They’d hooked another ship onto it to use as a kind of semi-separated cargo hold - and as they tried to get toward a nearby moon to restock on ice and minerals they got a mayday.

They pondered this for a few seconds and then decided to ignore it. Rather, they decided physics wouldn’t let them intervene because their ship had no proper brakes (that is, front-facing rockets), so at their current velocity they couldn’t stop and help. As they watched in the rear viewport, pirates descended on the ship they’d received the call from.

Then this happened again. Another mayday, then more pirates. They were starting to wonder whether the whole mayday thing was bait in the first place.

Then they passed by a pirate drone factory and it launched a drone after them.

Space Engineers does a really good job of making clear how ludicrously much space is in Space. Because they were moving faster than the drone started at, it couldn’t quite catch them, but they couldn’t quite lose it either because it had occasional recharging boosters. It chased them for maybe fifteen minutes until the captain decided to spend some rounds on taking potshots at it.

Then they realized it wasn’t the ordinary kind of hostile. They’d assumed, because of the guns on it. But its weapon was the front-mounted camera. It was keeping track of their movements and transmitting to the pirates.

The thrusters on the individual suits are quite powerful in Space Engineers. For a short sprint they can keep up with the ship at full speed, assuming it’s not making a jump. The problem is the local fuel supply, which gives out very quickly. Also collisions at that speed are often fatal to a squishy human in a suit. But with this speed and a few extra tanks of hydrogen, the captain decided to go out and deal with the drone in person.

Once he got close he saw the other weapon. The guns were purely ornamental; The drone was carrying a camera and a nuclear warhead. So the captain synced his speed to the drone, landed on the front of it, drilled the camera off of it, kicked off, and flew back to the ship. Without a camera the drone had no transmission but also no basic guidance, and just kind of flew away.

With the captain returned and no pirates immediately visible, the team found themselves...caught in the gravity well of the moon they’d been approaching all this time. Oops. They tried to land, but crashed pretty catastrophically...except not quite, because everyone lived. And most of the ship survived as well, caught on the top of a mountain. At the mountain’s base, the ship’s detachable mining vessel had detached and rolled but maintained integrity.

The team started to try and work out a) how to get their ship refitted to escape the gravity well, b) how to deal with the fact that, while only mildly damaged, their ship was now upside-down, and c) how to get their little miner properly unstuck and back up the mountain to reattach to their main ship.

Then zombies attacked.

This was so completely out of left field that the first two times people shouted about it, one of the crewmen flat-out didn’t believe them even though the ship’s automated turret had started firing shells into the dark.

The concept of the space zombies was scripted, certainly. Someone had to apply that shambling animation by hand. But so many of the particulars of the story were unique to the way the players were playing. The devs couldn’t count on the players crashing; There was no forced crash, just a regular ol’ physics engine and a team that had been playing in deep space with only the gravity they could turn on and off at a whim in their own ship.

The devs didn’t predict that the players would construct a net at the base of the mountain to catch all the zombie engineers’ bodies after they were slain, so they could go through them for quality science materials at their leisure.

This kind of thing is what sandbox games are for.

[antisociallilbrat]

We're Not In Hawkins Anymore

So there was a reason why I had the 'Who would win in a fight' poll with Vecna and It- It won by the way. And the reason is because I have this mega It and St crossover that I've been thinking about for a while.

So in this Au, there's a time jump of five years after season four. There's been a war in Hawkins and St crew have been fighting Vecna during this. The only thing they've accomplished though is that Henry's control, his destruction, has been contained to Hawkins.

That is until Henry almost kills Will, but after almost he does, he gives El one last chance to join him. In exchange he would leave her friends and family alone. She takes his offer, feeling as if she is too weak to beat him.

El joins him, against everyone's wishes, feeling like this is the only way to keep everyone safe. El and Henry set out on the country, opening gates and releasing monsters from the Upside Down. Henry either kills everyone or 'flays' them into being mindless zombies for him, building his empire.

Edit: There's more under the cut, holy shit I have a problem with long text posts.

Everything is going according to his plan. The military is no match against him and whole cities, states, fall under his control. Then he gets to Derry. The place were It was supposed to be in It's long rest.

It woke up when It felt Vecna trying to invade Derry, and Vecna, sensing It, sensing the Deadlights, made him stop in his tracks. More out of curiosity then fear.

But you see It kinda has a problem with Henry killing everyone or flaying them. Don't get me wrong, It is a completely evil being but It is an evil being who needs to consume people to survive. In a word, It has a problem with Vecna killing It's livestock.

It and Vecna are kinda at war with each other but it's a little bit more complicated than that. This fic would have a lot of chapters from their perspectives. Really delve into what Henry would think of a being like the Deadlights and what It would think of essentially a human with so much power.

Anyways, Derry ends up not being affected by Vecna's reign of terror, at least not yet, and here comes the Loser's Club. They know It is awake and they know it's because of what's going on outside of Derry. Kinda got some moral dilemmas going on in the group because of this. Derry is safe but it's because of It's doing and there's the fact they find out they didn't kill It in the first battle. Also Bev's aunt moved back to Derry after everything started happening.

Back to the Hawkins crew, they find out that for some reason Vecna hasn't been able to invade this small town in the middle of nowhere Maine. Maybe El finds a way to get a message to them. She doesn't know why Henry hasn't invaded and she doesn't know why he keeps spending so much time at the border of Derry but she thinks the answer to kill Vecna is there. She doesn't know it's a trillions of years old space alien that eats children that keeps Vecna at bay.

The St crew sets out for Derry. They run into the Losers Club, who tells them about It. More chaos ensues.

This fic would include things like psychic mind battles between fearsome monsters, blind Max recovering from season four, Vecna terrifying the shit out of Stan, Mike W and Richie fighting, and ships!

The It ships would be Reddie, Stenbrough, and Benvery, and then for St it would be Mileven (in the beginning) and Lumax, those would eventually turn into Byler and Elumax. And Dustin H and Mike H.

For the people that know my blog, Yes I know these are the popular ships, and while I love niche ships, for this fic I would try to keep relatively in canon (as much as a crossover can be in canon) and these ships are either canon or the most likely to be canon if the writers weren't cowards.

I just have so many thoughts on this crossover and maybe I will write it one day. The reason I’m posting this now is because honestly I just want to talk about it. The idea has been in my head for a while.

[thefreaksrunthisshow]

I Promise

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson (Steddie)

Genre: Friends to Lovers, Fluff

Warnings: Trauma, PTSD, Flashbacks, Cursing, Reliving Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Confusing reality with past events, Some pretty heavy stuff so DNI if that triggers you!

Summary: The Upside Down almost killed Eddie, but he survived, and he's been unconscious for one year now. Upon reawakening, he discovers Steve has been by his side the whole time waiting for him. Even as Eddie reveals his secrets of experiencing nightmares and PTSD from the events, Steve stays by his side and continues to support him.

Word count: 3,142

Masterlist

Eddie opens his eyes his vision fuzzy for a moment before it finally comes into focus several rather hard blinks later. He glances down at his body to see he is lying in a hospital bed with lots of wires attached to various points of his body.

“It’s about time you woke up,” a gentle voice to his left says. Feeling a light squeeze on his left-hand Eddie glances down to see that a hand is intertwined with his. Following the arm up to find its owner, he lets out a small gasp, which quickly turns into a pained smile as he recognizes the hand’s owner.

“Steve?” Eddie asks, his eyes trailing to his head and then to the window behind him. “This isn’t Hawkins,” he mumbles at the sight of a bustling city with neatly planted trees along the sidewalks, and roads full of backed-up traffic.

“Good eye,” Steve jokes, letting out a soft chuckle, his thumb drawing soft circles on the back of Eddie’s hand. “We aren’t in Hawkins anymore, Ed. Well, actually Hawkins kind of – doesn’t exist – anymore.”

Eddie attempts to sit up but realizes he can’t. “What’s this about?” he asks, wiggling his right arm which happens to be handcuffed to the rail of the bed.

“Oh, that,” Steve glances down at the handcuff and gives Eddie a sheepish grin. “It’s a safety measure.”

“Am I going to jail? I – I thought we could find a way to clear my name, Steve! You know I didn’t kill anyone!” Eddie’s heart pounds and he felt like he might throw up as he begins trying to free himself from Steve’s grip on his hand and from the handcuffs as well. “Come on man! Let me go! I gotta get out of here before they come for me and haul me off! Steve, please!” Eddie pleads.

“Ed! Eddie! Relax!” Steve exclaims, holding down Eddie by his shoulders being careful to not put too much force on him in his current frail state. “You’ve been cleared of all charges.”

“I – What?” Eddie’s heart rate begins to slow down, and he stops trying to fight back. Slumping onto the bed again his eyes find Steve’s. “So, what’s the deal with this then?” he questions pulling his right arm so that the handcuffs hit the metal bed rail with a clink.

“When we went back for you something weird happened, Ed. Y- You were dead, but you also weren’t dead, somehow a part of you was still clinging to life. So, we rushed you to the nearest hospital outside of Hawkins, this one in fact. We didn’t give them a name or anything but soon enough it came out that you were suspected of murder. The police came but the hospital’s policy said they couldn’t release you because you were in a coma and needed treatment still. That bought us some time.” Steve sighs. “Long story short, the Upside Down revealed itself in Hawkins, caused mayhem, and in the process, it proved you were innocent. After all, you couldn’t murder people when you were in a coma, right? We managed to evacuate the whole town and seal off all the gates, but in the process, Hawkins was destroyed.”

“Okay. But you still haven’t answered my handcuff question, Harrington.”

“Well,” Steve pauses, “we’ve never dealt with anyone coming back from the dead before, not like this anyway. We wanted to be sure you weren’t going to come back as a zombie or some shit.”

Eddie can’t help it; he starts laughing uncontrollably tears streaming down his face as he pulls a stitch in his side. “I’m going to eat your brain for assuming such a thing, Steve!” He begins rambling “Brains! Brains! Give me your brains! I must eat!” and snarls like an animal. The act has Steve hunched over with laughter.

“Eddie! God! Cut it out, man!” Steve chuckles, lightly slapping Eddie on the arm with a light pink blush settled across his cheeks.

“Let’s buzz the nurse, they will want to know you’re awake and I’m sure they have a lot of tests to run to ensure you are all good so they can remove that nice new accessory on your wrist.”

~~~

Eddie soon discovers that he’s been unconscious for a whole year and a lot of shit went down during that time. Steve does his best to inform him of details whenever they arise instead of just pumping him full of new information all at once and overloading him. Plus, it’s better he doesn’t know all the details about some things anyway. Eddie appreciates how gentle and calm Steve is with answering all his questions and filling him in on the information he needs to know. 

Uncle Wayne, Nancy, Robin, and all the kids come to visit Eddie in the hospital as often as they are able. Wayne keeps asking Eddie if he’s going to move into their nice new place down the street courtesy of the government to cover up all the stuff that went down in Hawkins but Eddie’s not so sure he wants to. Steve has asked him to live with him at his apartment while he continues to recover and the thought of that makes his heartbeat just a bit faster and brings a warm glow to his cheeks. He’s sure Steve has noticed, but he doesn’t mind; Eddie likes to wear his heart on his sleeve, a near death experience can do that to someone.

Through chats with his Uncle Wayne, Eddie discovers that Steve has scarcely left his side the whole year and had stayed countless nights in the hospital pleading with Eddie’s lifeless body to wake up. Wayne tells him that he doesn’t know this Steve guy, but Eddie better not fuck up whatever is going on between them because he seems like a keeper. Eddie smiles and agrees that Steve is one in a million and he promises to hold onto him and treat him right.

As Eddie begins rehab, Steve continues to stay by his side, arranging his work schedule around Eddie’s rehab schedule so he can be present for all of Eddie’s milestones. He’s there while Eddie relearns many of the fundamental things he once took for granted. Steve never stops cheering him on and showing him that he is there for him and that he believes in him.Three months of rehab later, Eddie is cleared to be discharged from the hospital. He must admit that he’s rather nervous to see how much the world has changed in the year he’s been gone but he’s also excited. It’s like he’s been reborn; he’s been given a second chance. 

Due to his bravery and his sacrifice Eddie was given an honorary high school diploma. While part of him wishes he could have had one more chance to graduate on his own, he would never dare turn down the generosity. Who knows how many more years it would have taken him to get his shit together enough to graduate on his own? He cringes at that thought; he’s ready to put his past behind him and start new. Well, almost all his past anyway. Eddie refuses to let go of his newfound family in Steve, Robin, Nancy, and of course, the kids as well. Most of the rest of the shit he’s been through, specifically concerning that place (he refuses to say the name of it anymore and those closest to him respect his wishes and do not dredge up the past), he’d rather forget, and he does his best to do so. But sometimes, the trauma slips up on him when he’s alone and he has hope that it will ease with more time.

“So, you get to leave tomorrow son. What are your plans? My place is always welcome to you, you know,” Wayne says as he sits down on the edge of the hospital bed beside Eddie.

“I know,” Eddie sighs. “I think I’m going to move in with Steve. He’s asked several times and I know he will be more able to help care for me right now.”

Wayne puts a hand on Eddie’s shoulder and pats him gently. “Nice choice, Ed. Call me if you ever need anything and I’ll be there, I swear. Don’t forget about your uncle.” 

“I’ll do one better than just call; I’ll be sure to visit often.” Eddie wraps his arms around Wayne’s neck, pulling him in for a hug.

They say their goodbyes for the time being while Steve slips into the room, his eyes darting back and forth between the two as he takes a seat in the corner, his leg bouncing uncontrollably. He quickly becomes consumed by his own thoughts as he daydreams about the impossible circumstance which is Eddie moving in with him.

“Why are you looking at me like that, big boy?” Eddie teases.

Steve snaps back to reality and realizes he had been staring at Eddie’s lips. Rolling his eyes and playing it cool Steve offers little insight into what he was thinking. “You gonna move in with him tomorrow I assume?”

Eddie shakes his head. “I’m coming home with you babe.”

Babe? Steve blushes at Eddie calling him that and he lets out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding in. “Really?”

“Of course.”

Steve smiles wide and before he knows it, he’s jumped to his feet and subconsciously made his way over to the hospital bed, he knows what he wants to do but he doesn’t know if he has the courage. Eddie is a bit taken aback by his actions and props himself up on his pillows.

“Scoot over, Ed.”

Eddie swallows hard and does as Steve says, sliding over in the small hospital bed to make room for Steve who climbs in next to him. Steve gently lifts Eddie’s head and places his arm under it before pulling Eddie close enough that his head is lying on his chest, their legs intertwined. Using his other hand, Steve rubs small circles on Eddie’s back as he relaxes into his touch and snuggles closer.

“I am so glad you didn’t die, Ed. I – I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Steve mumbles into Eddie’s hair.

Looking up at Steve with his big chocolate eyes Eddie smiles. “That makes two of us.”

~~~

A week later Steve and Eddie are still tiptoeing around the events that occurred in the hospital bed the day before Eddie’s release. Both boys feigning innocence when Wayne returned the next morning to help with Eddie’s discharge and found them fast asleep in each other’s arms. Wayne doesn’t know why they won’t both accept their feelings and make things official, but they’ve both been through some shit, perhaps they just need more time.

Eddie has since moved in with Steve into his small two-bedroom apartment. Much to Eddie’s surprise, Steve had been fixing up the spare room for him for a while, outfitting it with some posters of his favorite bands, some D&D figures, a few new dice sets, and various other items that reminded him of Eddie. Everything stuck to one color scheme: red and black. Not having the heart in him to tell him that his favorite color isn’t actually red since Steve put so much work into it, Eddie decides that red is indeed his new favorite color and embraces it. Between Wayne bringing over his guitar and other personal items, the apartment has started to really feel like home.

The night that Eddie moved in Steve told him that he had kept the denim vest he had given him to wear that night and after digging around in his closet he pulls it out from where he had it stored in a keepsake bag to keep it in pristine condition. Eddie had almost attacked him with kisses and dropped to his knees right then and asked him to marry him, feigning his kneel to tie one of his shoelaces, which of course wasn’t untied in the slightest. Eddie noticed the deep red blush settling across Steve’s face and he mentally made note of the image to tuck it away for later.

Though life is looking up for Eddie, he still struggles with PTSD concerning his near-death experience. For a while, he is able to hide his outbursts in the middle of the night from Steve but one night proves all too much and he finds himself outside of Steve’s bedroom door at 3 am. A particularly severe nightmare had woken him tonight and he knows he can’t be alone. Everything in his body is telling him to run away, to pretend that everything is okay and that he is recovering, but Eddie is tired of running from both his past and his feelings toward Steve. His arm hovers in midair as he contemplates knocking on Steve’s door before the ‘fuck it’ runs through his mind and instead he yanks the door open and waltzes in like he owns the place. He’s been in Steve’s room plenty of times before but tonight feels different.

Steve is still peacefully asleep with a string of drool running out the side of his mouth. Eddie smiles at how cute he looks sleeping there for a moment before a flashback begins to violently ripple through him. Dropping to the ground as the demon bats begin to tear into his skin repeatedly, he bites down on his hand, tasting the blood as it begins to trickle out. This is the first time he’s experienced something like this while awake though the memories often plague his dreams. He tries his best to stifle his screams so he doesn’t wake Steve, but he soon realizes the pain is too much and it overcomes him.

Eddie lets out an ear-piercing scream followed by several strings of curses as he writhes in pain on the floor trying to escape from his imaginary attackers. Though he knows what he is experiencing isn’t real, it doesn’t help ease the pain in the slightest. His grip on reality continues to fade by the second as he continues to slip deeper into his mind, reliving the events that almost took his life.

The shrieks of Eddie stir Steve from his slumber; he jumps to his feet and runs over to him, kneeling and placing a gentle hand on him to try and get Eddie to stop convulsing around on the floor but it’s no use. Eddie’s eyes are unfocused, and he’s clearly not present at the given moment. Steve’s not exactly sure what is happening, but he knows something is really wrong.

“ED! WHAT’S GOING ON?” Steve frantically screams, straddling Eddie to keep him still so he doesn’t hurt himself with all his thrashing. “Please, Ed! Please be okay!” he pleads, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

As suddenly as it started, Eddie soon ceases his movement and his eyes slowly come back into focus, blinking as they find Steve on top of him, his wide eyes staring down in a mix of concern and shock with tears streaming down his face.

“Eds! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” Steve says gently, climbing off Eddie to sit next to him on the floor. He reaches out a hand to push his curls out of his face.

“I’m about as far from okay as I can be,” Eddie mummers as the tears begin to fall. He pulls his knees to his chest and curls up into a ball on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

The moment Steve picks Eddie up and puts him in his lap, he doesn't think twice about it. Keeping Eddie close to his chest, he gently plays with his hair as he snuggles into the crook of his neck. Steve whispers reassuring words into Eddie's ear, kissing his hair lightly as he rocks back and forth a bit. “You can talk to me about it, you know that Ed,” Steve says gently.

Eddie nods knowingly; he isn't sure if his words will come out, but he is damn sure he will try to tell Steve what he has been going through. In tears, he recounts the details of the night and how he just relived the worst experience of his life, then he reveals what he's been hiding from Steve. Continuing to spill his guts, he tells Steve about his nightmares, flashbacks, and how his memories have begun to bleed into his everyday life. In the meantime, Steve pays attention closely to Eddie, giving him his full attention. It's not anger he feels, but an intense desire to protect his loved one that he feels as he stares into those chocolate button eyes, losing himself in the moment of their intimate closeness as Eddie’s secrets are finally revealed.

While barely uttering a word, Steve carries Eddie to his bed and tucks him in, giving him a glass of water from his nightstand to sip as he sits on the bed beside him. Choking on the water but forcing it down to provide some relief to his sandpaper-like throat, Eddie chugs the whole glass.

“You’ve been having nightmares this whole time?”

Eddie nods.

“Why didn’t you come to me before?”

“I didn’t wanna bother you,” Eddie shrugs.

“Honey, you are never a bother to me. You are always welcome to sleep with me in my bed.” Facepalming as he thinks about his last words, Steve pauses, his face turning a deep shade of red. “Shit, I – I didn’t mean it like that. I meant if you ever need to, ya know, not be alone at night – Fuck. That doesn’t sound any better does it?”

Eddie starts laughing uncontrollably; he just can’t help it. “Come on, baby. I think you wouldn’t mind that either,” he winks with a shit-eating grin on his face as his usual joker personality slowly begins to return to him as the after shock of his episode fades.

“I – Eddie!” Steve playfully slaps his arm and rolls his eyes.

“Come on Stevie. We both know there’s no way in hell I’m sleeping alone tonight.” Patting the edge of the bed, Eddie scoots over to make room for Steve who quickly jumps in beside him.

As Steve takes Eddie into his arms and stares into his warm brown eyes, he whispers in Eddie's ear, "You won't ever have to sleep alone again." Darting his gaze down, he leans forward and takes a deep breath before capturing Eddie's lips. His lips part slightly as Eddie gasps into his mouth, relaxing and deepening the kiss.

While blinking hard, they pull back from the kiss, analyzing the other's expression. Neither of them is surprised to see that the other's face is written only with love and compassion. They realized at that moment they had wasted a lot of time tiptoeing around their feelings.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

[fruitydemogorgon]

Sorry, I lied

A Byler one-shot

Will couldn't bare it any longer. He knew it needed to be done- he wish it could be done easier, though. He wish that actions like these were as simple as watering a daisy. Alas, nothing about this is simple. Tip-toeing around one another, diverting eyes and holding back words. In the past, it had been so easy. Like breathing. Inhaling and exhaling, a subconscious decision, a need for survival. I suppose they learnt to survive without one another, eh?

Moving does that to you. Life does that to you. Humans adapt, grow, learn. With age comes a new light of consciousness, awareness of the world around you. Will wonders if he really had been surviving. Was waking up, going to school, coming home to a half-assed home-cooked meal, surviving? A mother, absorbed with this new family member, this new person to look after and eat with and drive to school with. Surviving may not be the right word- living, perhaps. Living. Life, breathing, motions, Mike.

This is just another necessary motion. An action for change. Well, hopefully it would make a change. Will would, in all honesty, be embarrassed if it didn't make a change. Michael Wheeler, tufted black hair, soft brown eyes, and a frown that could bring down governments. If it didn't make a change, Will would be nothing more than a boy with too many feelings fighting for a boy with none at all. And the whole world would look down on that.

Too many feelings. Zombie Boy has too many feelings. He brought his hand to his sleeve, rolling it further up his arm. The fire whistled gently beside them, inducing a heat throughout the house. Will shifted on his feet, warily monitoring how quickly his eyes flickered about the room. Any sudden movements were glanced upon in disdain, and Will couldn't have that. Jonathan's music thumped from the hall, developing a what-would-be-calming-if-Will-wasn't-doing-the-stupidest-thing-ever atmosphere.

Mike stood before him, shoulders hunched, eyebrow quirking ever so slightly. He scratched his neck, inhaling deeply and sucking his lips. Will measured the silence, how long had it lasted? A few minutes, maybe. But, then again, the silence between them had been lasting for months. The two had barely spoken since Will moved.

And now he was confronting Mike about it. He cringed. Maybe he should just play it off as a joke.

"So, Mike, when did you get such an ugly haircut?"

Will almost laughed. He couldn't say that, not to Mike.

Will had survived a week in the Upside Down. He had been alive for 14 years. Lived for eight of them. He'd known Mike for eight years- right?

Living, ha. Funny how he couldn't do that without Mike. And that's why he needed to do this now. How many times would he come to this conclusion before he actually did anything. Would they stand here forever, minds battling, picking up the pieces for them to be shattered once again?

So he needs to do this. Now. Rip off the band-aid and fling it into the depths of hell.

"Hey," Will started, voice quiet. He coughed, eyes flittering to Mike for a second before focusing on a distant wall, "Hi."

Mike turned to him, mouth clenched, big eyes wide with caution. He took a sharp breath as Will's eyes met his. He opened his mouth to talk, breaking into a grin that resembled a child on school photo day.

"Hey, hey..."

Will lingered in the silence for a moment, the whole world around him slowly disappearing into a white void. Just him and Mike.

Will pursued, hands stuffed into his jeans.

"So, I feel like, I feel that," Will felt claws sinking deep into his back. A voice rang in his head, a memory from one fuzzy, painful night.

"Remember the first day that we met?"

The words that had broken through to Will, torn down his barrier of evil. If they had worked then, when Will was literally possessed, then they should work now.

"Remember how- how we used to be?" He murmured, placing his first foot on the rickety tight-rope.

Mike swallows. Will's set the conversation down a path, and Mike has to follow it.

His heart hammered against his ribs, the floor beneath him feeling like quicksand. Mike nodded quickly, tapping his shoe on the rug. He brought his hand to his neck, scratching it. A distraction, really.

Will frowned at him, an expression usually reserved for Troy. As taken aback as Mike was, he clung to that, changing his stance. He was still taller than Will, sure, but now he didn't have to look down to talk to him. As he straightened his back, though, he noticed Will flinch, cowering.

Mike bit his lip, realising the advantage he has. Mike has a girlfriend. Mike has Dustin and Eddie and Lucas. Will has a sister he never asked for, and a life he now has to share. Mike doesn't have to speak to him, doesn't have to listen to him, doesn't have to hang out with him. Mike grew up, Will didn't.

Mike could leave. Could go back to Hawkins. But then what about El? She's stuck somewhere in some prison van, preparing to win a war. Should Mike leave her? Could Mike leave her?

All of this, all of everything, could Mike just leave?

Then came that itching feeling that he'd been getting ever since he got here, the one that made his skin burn and insides twist.

William Byers is almost as tall as him. William Byers has supple brown hair and endless hazel eyes. His clothes fit his frame, his wiry body no longer wiry. He is not the boy that Mike used to protect. Will doesn't need Mike's protection.

But, maybe, Mike will still give it to him. Mike will still give Will anything he asks because Will is still Will and Mike did grow up but why did that mean he and Will had to grow apart?

They had grown apart.

Will studied him. From all the monsters they'd fought, all the horrible things they'd faced, Mike had never looked so terrified. There was something missing between them- something that had once been natural. Ever since they'd met they could hear one another. Hear one another when neither was talking. And that was a bond they shared with no one else.

Without that bond in their lives, could they manage? If they never resolved this would they be able to keep going? Yes, we can always keep going. It will just sting more when he thinks about it.

"Mike..." Will pursued, "Why aren't we like that anymore?"

He flung his whole body onto the tight-rope, his weight making it wobble. The side dipped, and a sinking feeling stabbed itself into Will's chest.

Mike fidgeted with his hands, averting his eyes from Will's prying gaze. The answer is simple, Michael. You grew up and he didn't. Mike wanted to voice the words, but his mouth was stitched shut. He's too young, too immature. You all got girlfriends and Will didn't. Will is worthless.

Mike felt each tick of the clock resonate, send a shock through his body. Why aren't they friends anymore? Is friends even the right word?

Why did Mike pull away from Will that summer? When the sun started defining his features like a statue carved by Michelangelo. When Dustin was away and El was at home and Lucas, Max, Will and him would go to the movies, and Mike would always get his Coca-Cola and M&Ms from Will's bag. When El started kissing him and touching him and he would close his eyes and think of someone else. When Mike chased Will into the rain and told him a lie.

Told him that they were growing up and that meant moving apart and getting girlfriends. Mike could tell him that now, argue the same thing, but something was telling him not to. Something was telling him that Will would see through it. Because now, Mike knows it's a lie. And if Mike can Will will be able to.

And if telling lies is out of the question then Mike has to tell the truth.

Mike has to tell the truth.

Mike's eyes reach for Will's and Will's reach back. He sees the big blue sky and the two towering canyons. The tight-rope propped between them, stable in the wind. Mike sees Will on the other side of it, he sees a boy that has suffered so much and had so little. A boy that Mike used to give everything to, would still give everything to. Mike steps onto the tight-rope too, and Will's side raises. The two balance. Balance despite the raging wind and rusty tight-rope.

But they're still not on the same page.

Mike can see but Will can't. Will can't see the balance. Mike has to show it to him.

"Is there anything I could do to make you hate me?"

Will drops. His lips part, eyebrows creasing.

"No?" He responds, cautious.

Mike waits. He waits and waits and waits because surely there's something he could do.

"No!" He ignites, throwing his hands into the air, "Really think about it," His voice softs, throat croaking, "Is there anything I could do that would make you never want to talk to me again?"

Will's eyes are glassy, his mouth wavering.

"Why-" Will whispers, looking up at him through thick lashes, "Why would I want that?"

And Mike realises that he doesn't have to wait. Eight years. Eight years he's been waiting and Will has only responded with kindness and acceptance and love.

Mike surges forward, cupping Will's face in his hands. Their bodies rise and fall in sync, breathes merging into one. One being. One life. One survival. Only centimetres apart.

He can see the faint freckles that dot Will's face. He can see the fear that lurks behind his eyes, because what if Mike hurts him again. What if Mike decides Will is too young?

He's past that. And that's why they balance.

For a moment, their stare is everything. A warm hand slides up Mike's waist, clutching his shirt from behind. His skin tingles at the contact. In, out, in-

Will brings his lips to Mike's, throwing him off balance. But Will holds him, tightly. Mike lingers for a moment before kissing back with equal force, and the two balance. He wraps an arm under Will's, their limbs entangling. A leg digs into his thigh, a hand caressing his shoulder. He feels for Will's neck, touches it, wonders if it feels anything like when he could sense the Mind Flayer. Will's hand glides down his spine, piercing each bone with a warm shiver.

Their tight-rope coils around them, trapping them in one another's embrace. Mike fights it, pulling his face away from Will's.

He watches him and sees the cogs turning in his eyes, sees everything starting to make sense.

"I'm sorry," Mike murmurs, everything but his face not touching Will, "I'm so sorry."

Will looks Mike deep in the eyes. He looks so deep he almost thinks he sees a pulse in them.

Mike chuckles, face relaxing into a grin, "Fuck, I love you,"

Will leans in again, resting his forehead against Mike's.

"I-"

He's cut off by a loud bang that forces the two apart. Someone's pounding on the door, the sound of glass shattering ricochets from the kitchen, a gunshot rings in the air. Tires squeal against the concrete outside, a large shadow at the window. Jonathan rushes into the room, hair shaggy, eyes red.

The hinges squeak as wood snaps and the door breaks in two.

---

Inspired by @sidewindes concept (couldn't find post):

I might put it on ao3 later

[tpwkjerii]

oh, zombie!

you’re certain you’ve met the end when you’re cornered by flesh-hungry zombies, but a man with a bat and the bone structure of a god proves you otherwise.

pairing: jungkook x reader

warnings: cursing, shooting guns, weapons, mentions of death, minor angst, fluff, blood, zombies (duh), attempted murder, kinda heated makeout session, namjoon is an accidental cockblock, kissing

genre: zombie apocalypse au, thrill/gore (not too descriptive or graphic), strangers to lovers

word count: 9.8k+

a/n: the zombies in this fic have enhanced smell for corpses and human stress hormones!! and help i have like two other jk drafts rn (& disclaimer: i don’t own the gif above!!)

Fucked.

That was the best word to describe you and your current predicament. Now, with the loud groans of at least four zombies and heavy bangs against the door ringing in your ears, you were really starting to regret entering this grocery store.

You knew you should have trusted your gut when you first approached the store, but the thought of having actual food (not the dry ramen packets you were currently surviving on) and more water (you were on your last bottle) tempted you to push open the glass door and rush into the supermarket without so much as a noise scan. It took only eight seconds for the zombies and their enhanced smell to know that you entered. You were barely able to grab a single bottle of water before you heard an eerily low groan and immediately rushed for shelter in the dairy freezer.

Your twenty seconds of recklessness led you to where you are now, pushed against a cold door while zombies banged heavily against it. You held onto the inner lock as you reached down for your gun, which you were certain only had a few more bullets; regardless, it was your best shot at escaping this store alive. Gathering yourself, you inhaled and exhaled deeply with hope that you could shoot them all fast enough.

Just as you were about to release the lock and face your fate, the groans fell silent and were replaced by the sound of heavy and almost cartoon-like thwacks. Your feet froze as you realized that that was no sound or action a zombie could make — there was another human outside. You had only a few seconds to decide your next move, which would ultimately decide your future and whether you die in the middle of a grocery store dairy storage freezer or not.

Whoever killed the zombies outside could either be a kind-hearted person who didn’t want to see you succumb to a tragic fate or a person who wanted to save you from death by zombies only to kill you for your survival supplies. Considering the fact that they just knocked at least four zombies on their own, you prayed that it wasn’t the latter.

A few silent seconds passed until you eventually moved your hand, and you prayed that this wouldn’t be your second fatal mistake of the day as you slowly unlocked and opened the heavy steel door. Your gun visible in your other hand, you stepped out to see who your potential savior (or murderer) was.

Your eyes landed on the face of an extremely handsome man. Despite the obvious disarray he was in (then again, everyone who manages to survive during a zombie apocalypse is at least some form of messed up), it was clear as day that he was attractive. He had alluring doe-shaped eyes that were deceivingly innocent-looking, long dark hair that fell messily over his forehead, and the facial structure of an absolute god. The cut on his lip, small scratches scattered across his face, and his silver earrings only added to his intimidating impression, and upon seeing the heavy metal bat he held in his right hand, you instinctively tighten your grip on your handgun.

You were so enraptured by his captivating appearance that you nearly forgot the situation you were in.

“Who - who are you?” you finally asked, attempting to keep your voice as level as possible and praying that your face wasn’t red since he definitely noticed you checking him out.

He didn’t look intimidated at all, and a part of you died internally when his lip curled into a smirk. This was not looking good for you. “Are you gonna put that gun down?” he asked, the depth and warmth of his voice throwing you off. He laughed as you only blinked and he continued, “You certainly didn’t have a problem with me when you were checking me out earlier, so why keep the gun up now, babygirl?”

If you weren’t blushing before, you definitely were now. You cursed under your breath as you moved your hand down and quickly placed your gun back in your thigh holster, deciding that he was safe and probably wouldn’t kill you. “I wasn’t checking you out,” you muttered, and he laughed at your obvious lie.

“Whatever makes you feel better, babygirl,” he said, a teasing tone in his airy voice.

Your brows knitted together in irritation at the pet name. “Don’t call me that,” you mumbled, looking down at your worn sneakers awkwardly.

He laughed again, and you found yourself oddly enchanted to his tiny laugh. He took a step towards you, causing you to look up at him as he told you, “I won’t call you ‘babygirl’ if you tell me what your name is.”

You cleared your throat awkwardly before you answered, “My name’s Y/N, what’s yours?”

He grinned, which somehow turned his entire demeanor upside down. With his wide smile, he was no longer the intimidating guy that took down three zombies on his own with just a bat, but rather a nice guy that just wanted to help out a fellow human from being killed by zombies.

“Jungkook,” he answered simply as he began to walk away from you and through the store aisles.

“Jungkook,” you repeated, familiarizing the way his name rolled off your tongue with a nod. “So, Jungkook, what brought you into this store?” you asked, rushing to walk alongside him and skim through the aisles.

“This your first time outside, Y/N?” he asked, abruptly stopping to turn and look at you. You froze and dropped the bag of chips you were holding at the sudden eye contact. He sighed and moved to pick up the chips and place it back onto the shelves. “I was wandering around the area, and I saw that you walked right into a trap,” he told you.

“A trap?” you asked, your mouth falling open in surprise.

He nodded and motioned for you to help him fill his rucksack with water bottles. “Looters will leave trace scents or pieces of human remains to attract zombies to popular places survivors will drift to. Once any survivors enter and get killed by the zombies, the looters will come back, off the zombies, and take their supplies,” he explained with a grimace.

Your face twisted, and you suddenly felt even luckier that Jungkook saved you. “How do you know? I mean, how did you know that the looters were here?” you asked, still a bit unsettled at the fact that you basically walked straight-first into a death trap.

Jungkook zipped up his backpack, now full of at least 20 water bottles, and headed towards the dried foods. “I spotted one of their vans when I was walking around, so I figured they were in the area. Then I saw you entering the store and bingo — I was right,” he told you nonchalantly as he stuffed various dried fruits and snacks into his pockets.

“Take some of these,” he added, gesturing towards the few remaining dark chocolate bars.

You nodded, briefly admiring his casual attitude as you shoved two handfuls of the chocolate into your jacket pockets. “How did you recognize them? Have you had any… run-ins with them?” you wondered curiously, picking up your pace to match his quicker steps as he made his way down the remaining store aisles.

“They approached me to join them when this whole thing started,” he started, pausing to laugh softly at the shocked expression on your face. He shook his head as he continued, “I said no because what they do is twisted. Luring people to their deaths for some sick form of fun. They say they do it for the supplies but we all know that’s a lie.”

You nodded your head thoughtfully. “Oh, well, I guess that’s an admirable and sane choice.”

He murmured in agreement, and you walked alongside him, unconsciously humming a song that had been stuck in your head for a while. Being with Jungkook, who was both stronger and more knowledgeable than you, provided you with a sense of comfort. Additionally, he wasn’t shooing you off and willingly accepted your company (for the past 10 minutes, at least). Before you even knew it, you two reached the front store doors.

He walked out first, holding the door open behind him. You faltered, a second thought of “does he really want me to go with him?” running through your head.

He raised a brow, opening the door a bit wider. “You coming?”

“Wh- what?” you stuttered in disbelief.

“Do you want to come with me or not?” he asked. “C’mon, babygirl. We don’t have all day. Those looters are bound to come back soon.”

At the mention of those evil people, your legs moved instantly. You rushed out of the door towards Jungkook’s side and eagerly turned to face him. “Where to?”

He laughed, and you swore it was one of the most enchanting tones you’ve ever heard, before saying, “What’s the place you’re staying in like?”

You thought back to your small home and the painful disarray it was in. It was a miracle that you were able to survive so long considering how ill-prepared you were for an apocalypse to happen.

“Er, probably not as good as yours,” you answered sheepishly.

“Fair enough.” He nodded at the anticipated answer and began to walk in the opposite direction that you came from. You continued alongside him, internally screaming at how lucky you were. Not only did Jungkook completely save your life, he let you stay with him! You didn’t understand why, seeing as you were arguably an impediment to his survival, but you were grateful regardless.

The city around you was lifeless. What was once home to millions of citizens and the hustle and bustle of daily routines was reduced to empty stone buildings, the only people left either roaming as the undead or too afraid to come out. Within two weeks, the city and all its people changed entirely.

As you walked alongside Jungkook, you wondered what type of life he led before the apocalypse. Was he a student like you? Did he have a job? Was he a police officer or firefighter? Did he have family?

Several questions imposed themselves in your brain, and it was enough to almost distract you from Jungkook’s words.

“That van over there is a looter van,” he informed you, pointing towards a parked black van that had unrecognizable red symbols sprayed on it. “Each one has different symbols on it, but they’re all in red so they know where each one is and don’t mess up a potential job.”

You nodded and absorbed his words. You definitely passed a van like that when you were walking towards the store. “That’s good to know,” you whispered, your voice strained with mild fear.

He didn’t say anything else in response and continued forward, gently tugging you along with him when you lingered in your spot a second too long as you stared at the van.

Jungkook led you for a few more minutes, each second only increasing your curiosity as to where he was taking you and what he was really like. Silence prevailed until you heard a low groan and the distinguishable sound of a foot dragging along gravel. You stiffened and unconsciously moved to grip Jungkook’s hand.

He stopped in his tracks and gently pushed you towards a building wall. Once both your backs were pressed flat against the stone wall, he adjusted the grip on his bat and you reached for the gun in your thigh holster. The zombie’s groans grew louder as it approached. You knew they couldn’t see and had a very limited sense of hearing, but you wondered if you or Jungkook had anything on you that attracted its hunger for rotting flesh or stress.

You held your breath as the zombie came into view, its decaying body and unsettling groans disturbing you. It walked closer, although not directly towards you. You raised your gun the same time as Jungkook lifted his bat, but you didn’t have to pull the trigger and Jungkook didn’t have to swing as the zombie only walked straight past you two, leaving only its rotting scent behind.

You breathed out in relief and relaxed your shoulders as you placed your handgun back in its holster. “Thank god,” you whispered.

“Let’s go,” was all Jungkook said before he grabbed your hand and pulled you with him. It seemed like you weren’t the only one anxious to get out of the open.

Jungkook’s home was much, much better than yours (if you could even call your tiny studio that).

“Holy shit,” you whispered as you admired the fortified mansion. High stone walls and a metal gate surrounded the large two-story house. “You have this place all to yourself?” you asked Jungkook. Now you were really curious what his profession before this was.

He shook his head as he unlocked the gate with a key. “A few friends live with me,” he answered simply before slipping the key back in his jean pocket. “They should all be awake by now.”

You nodded and followed closely behind him as he walked up the short pathway to the front door. As he opened the door, you heard a loud yell come from within.

“Kookie!” he yelled, his voice smooth and deep.

You saw Jungkook’s face turn red as he quickly shut the door with a slightly mortified facial expression.

“Uh -”

The door burst open. “Kookie!” a man shouted before enveloping Jungkook into a tight hug. You stepped to the side, observing the affectionate interaction with a grin. The man who barreled into Jungkook had black, fluffy hair that was held back by a black hairband. He was on the thinner side, but still built, and appeared to be a bit taller and tanner than Jungkook. When he released the hug and turned to face you, your breath hitched.

He was attractive.

“Who’d you bring home?” he asked Jungkook, a boxy smile directed towards you.

“Her name is Y/N, I caught her just before some zombies got her,” Jungkook answered as he nudged you and the man inside.

As you stepped through the front door, you observed the large home’s tasteful interior. A pristine white kitchen was to the right of you, apparently well-stocked based on the two open cabinets that were filled with snacks and ramen. To the left of you was an open living room with one large couch and two smaller ones surrounding a paper-filled coffee table and a large TV mounted onto the wall.

Impressive, you thought.

The fluffy-haired man stepped in front of you, his contagious smile still going strong. “I’m Taehyung. It’s nice to meet you!”

You smiled at him. It’d been a while since you met new people, much less people with such warm and friendly dispositions. “It’s nice to meet you too,” you returned honestly.

Jungkook cleared his throat, announcing suddenly, “I’ll show Y/N around.”

You turned to face him, noticing that he had taken off his bags and leather jacket. His bare arms were now exposed, and you immediately noticed how sculpted he was. A sleeve of various tattoos decorated one of his arms, drawing your attention to the ink on his defined muscles. His other arm was more bare, but still had a few figures on it. Realizing that you were probably staring for too long, you tore your eyes away with a nod before you set down your own bag and followed Jungkook.

He took you past the living room and kitchen through a hallway, showing you where the first floor bathroom, in-home gym, and office were. You gaped at the book-filled office that also housed several weapons. Lined across the wall were several guns, knives, and other weapons you couldn’t even name. After you recovered from what you saw in the office, he led you up the stairs.

“This is Taehyung and Jimin’s room,” he said, pointing to the first door in the hallway. “Jin and Yoongi’s.” He pointed to the door next to the first one. “Namjoon’s.” He then pointed towards the first door on the opposite side of the hall. “And mine.” He pointed to the door next to Namjoon’s.

You nodded, resisting the urge to ask about their family members since you knew it could be a sensitive subject for them. “Are they all home?” you wondered. “Well, except for Taehyung, I guess,” you added as an afterthought.

Jungkook nodded. “Jin, Yoongi, and Jimin are probably in their rooms. Namjoon will be out for the next few days getting some stuff, so you can stay in his room for now.”

Your lips parted in shock. “No, no! That’s his room. It’s fine, I can sleep on the couches if anything!”

“It’s fine, he won’t mind,” Jungkook insisted.

But you shook your head in persistence. “Really, I’m completely fine with the couch. I wouldn’t want to make Namjoon feel uncomfortable or anything.”

He sighed and shrugged, seemingly relenting to your wishes. “Alright, we can head back down then,” he said as he turned back to the stairs.

Before you followed him, your eyes landed on the last door all the way down the hallway. You had no idea what was behind it, yet it still emitted an ominous and mysterious aura that called out to you. “Wait,” you said before you even thought about it. Just as he turned to face you, the realization that he probably didn’t tell you what was in that room for a reason (whatever that was) hit you.

“Er - nevermind!” You laughed awkwardly, hoping he would drop it. But it was too late — he already noticed your lingering gaze on the locked door.

“Don’t go in that room,” he stated bluntly before turning around, not giving you a chance to respond. “There’s nothing in there that’s of importance to you,” he added as he walked down the stairs. You rushed to follow him after him, still intimidated to be in this big house with completely new people, muttering words of agreement.

Everyone in this house was shockingly nice. Jimin was undeniably kind and spent your entire first night at your side, making sure you felt comfortable in this new place. Yoongi, although more reserved, didn’t hesitate to check if you were alright whenever you spaced out or got scared by a sudden noise. Lastly, Jin was incredibly attentive; from asking you if you had any food allergies or if you preferred baths or showers, he did his best to welcome you.

(They were all also really attractive, but that's besides the point).

Before you knew it, a week passed. Seven days of playing board games with Jimin and Taehyung, cooking with Jin, talking about conspiracy theories with Yoongi, and working out (and trying to avoid) with Jungkook.

Why were you trying to avoid him? Well, despite having met Jungkook first, you couldn’t help but start to feel awkward around him. Not because he made you feel uncomfortable or the reverse, but rather due to your undeniable attraction to him. It certainly didn’t help that his personality complemented his beautiful appearance well. On the outside, Jungkook appeared cold and intimidating, but on the inside he was soft and kind. He was exactly like one of the many fictional characters you’d fallen in love with before.

Your first official day at the house, you kept your cool pretty well. Of course, Jungkook and his endearing behavior and large, doe eyes had to ruin it. Then again, it was also on you for not listening to your initial instinct of avoiding the gym machines. What exactly happened?

Well, after three failed attempts of using the machine from hell (you didn’t even know it’s name), Jungkook finally decided that it was just getting sad and moved from his machine to help you.

“You’re supposed to use your arms to bring it back,” he said with a teasing tone as he neared you. You jumped in your seat and looked up at the mirror to see his figure stopping directly behind you. Your breath hitched as he leaned down and… oh fuck, did his arms just brush up against yours?

Face burning red, you looked away with a violent cough. “Er, I knew that.”

He laughed softly at your embarrassed expression, the enchanting sound of his lap wreaking havoc on your already weak heart. You turned towards him and gently pushed his chest with a scoff.

“You don’t have to laugh at me,” you grumbled.

“Sometimes I can’t help it,” he countered with a smug smile.

You particularly liked when he smiled since he reminded you of a bunny whenever he did — especially when he had a large smile and his eyes formed happy, crescent moons with twinkling stars. Jungkook’s grin (and laugh) was as infectious as Taehyung’s and Jin’s, and he was, overall, a perfect person in your eyes. Even as he made fun of you (jokingly, of course), you swore he was sent from the stars above.

Deciding it best to not catch feelings for your savior and person who graciously housed you, you tried to keep your distance from him since then. Whenever he entered the room, you tried your best to subtly leave (bless Seokjin for being exceptionally understanding of your “cramps”) and when he tried talking only to you or directing the conversation to you, you roped someone else into the discussion. It worked for the most part as you talked to the others more and ignored the way Jungkook made your heart race whenever you thought about him, but today you were out of luck.

“Y/N and Jungkook, supplies run today.”

You gaped at Jin from your spot on the couch. “What? Me? Are you sure?” you asked, silently pleading with your eyes.

He rolled his eyes and nodded, bending down to gently pat your head. “Yes, you. Don’t worry, you’ll have Kookie with you.”

“And this,” Yoongi added as he dropped a gun much larger than your small handgun in your lap.

You looked up at him in shock. “I don’t know how to use this!”

He shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out if you’ll need to use it.”

“C’mon, Y/N. You’re gonna have to pull your weight if you wanna stay with us,” Taehyung told you, winking at you when Jungkook entered the living room with his gear. Your eyes widened at him, but you couldn’t say anything as Jungkook approached you.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

You sighed and stood up begrudgingly. With an excessively-large gun in hand and empty backpack strapped to you, you exited the house with Jungkook at your side. Together, you silently walked down the same path he took you up almost a week ago.

You embraced the peacefulness of this secluded area. Jungkook’s home was quite secluded, and the surrounding trees were home to blissful breezes and a variety of chirping animals. Despite the downfall of humanity, it seemed that wildlife was flourishing, you noted.

“So I guess I’ll ask now,” Jungkook started, capturing your attention. You turned and looked up at him, anxiously waiting for him to continue. “Were you staying with anyone before? I assume not since you’re with us now…”

You shook your head. Your voice lowered as you answered, “I was all by myself.” He frowned while you continued. “My parents were on a trip abroad with my best friend Hobi when it happened.” Your eyes teared up as you mentioned your family and Hobi, who was basically your older brother.

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook said softly, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“It’s ok,” you mumbled. “The last call I got from my parents before all the cell towers went down, Hobi was doing alright with them. I’m thankful that they have him.”

“I’m sure that Hobi is doing a good job taking care of himself and your parents,” he responded soothingly.

You nodded, blinking your tears away as you diverted your gaze towards your moving feet. “So what about you?” you asked after a few silent moments. “Do you have any family?”

He cleared his throat and tightened his grip on his backpack. “My parents didn’t make it,” he answered bluntly.

Your head whipped towards him. “I’m so sorry,” you said rushedly. “I don’t know why I even asked you, I overste-”

“It’s fine,” he cut you off, gently turning your head to face the road path ahead of you two. “I was the one who asked first, anyways.”

You looked down again in shame. “Sorry again,” you murmured.  

Jungkook smiled down at you before a small laugh escaped his lips. Your heart picked up it’s pace when he laced his hand with yours and pulled you forward. “Come on, the supplies won’t get themselves.”

You felt an odd sense of deja vu as you ran out of the grocery store, Jungkook following behind you and a horde of hungry zombies behind the both of you.

But let’s back up a few moments to ten minutes prior to this predicament.

You and Jungkook finally reached the grocery store that Jin had been scoping out via hidden camera for the past week. Your eyes were delighted by the sight of shelves lined with a variety of foods and freezers that still had cold air circulating behind the glass doors.

“This is one of the few places that run on solar power, so the electricity still functions in here,” Jungkook explained when he noticed your confusion at how he was able to turn off the lights and the gust of cold air that greeted him as he opened one of the freezer doors to grab an ice cream bar.

“I’m surprised no one’s hit this place up yet,” you said as you took out the list of supplies that Jin gave you before you left.

“Jin’s been watching this place for a while. He thinks no one’s come here because it’s kinda far away.”

You nodded in agreement, thinking back to the long walk you and Jungkook took to get here. You supposed not many people wanted to risk being out in the open for so long and didn’t find the commute worth it.

“Is Jin watching us right now?” you asked Jungkook curiously.

During your short few days at their house, you quickly learned each person’s role. Yoongi, who used to be an engineer, builds all the cameras and weapons. Jin, a former director and computer whiz, monitors the cameras that he and Taehyung set up around the city. Taehyung, a film and dance student, helps Jin set up the cameras in obscure places and trains with Jungkook and Jimin. Jimin, a skilled dancer, often accompanies Jungkook and Taehyung during training and supplies runs. Unfortunately, Jimin sprained his ankle recently and Taehyung injured his arm during training, leaving the supplies-run to Jungkook.

The only person you had yet to meet was Namjoon. According to the others, Namjoon was a former pre-med student and scientist who was on a trip to find something. Of course, they didn’t tell you what that something was. And while you were curious, you also didn’t want to overstep your boundaries and risk being kicked out.

“Probably, he usually watches camped out places to monitor and che-”

You and Jungkook both turned your head at the recognizable low rumble of a car. He was quick to grab your hand and pull you down onto the ground, out of view from the front glass windows. You held your breath at the sound of a car door opening and then the ringing bell as the front door was pulled open a few seconds later.

Jungkook reached towards his large gun, but he halted when he recognized the distinguishable stench that the random person carried in. Your eyes widened when Jungkook began panicking, his fingers fumbling for his walkie talkie.

You heard a heavy thud and the sound of the ringing bell again as the mysterious person exited the store. You waited until the rumbling of the car grew distant before you looked up and cursed loudly.

“Fuck! He dumped a dead body here!” you cried, stomach churning at the sight of the pale corpse.

Jungkook groaned from beside you and rushed towards the front of the store, poking his head out of the door and looking both ways. “Fucking looters!” he cursed as he moved his head back and hit the window.

Steering clear of the dead body, you walked towards Jungkook and craned your head to see what he was looking at. The sight of several zombies, more stumbling out of random buildings and streets to join the crowd, heading straight for the store. “Shit! What are we gonna do! They’re already down the block!”

Jungkook ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Fuck, ok, did you get everything?”

You quickly scanned through the paper list and peered into your open backpack. “Most, but I forgot to get some things,” you answered quickly as you mentally checked off each item you saw.

“Which ones?” Jungkook asked, already zipping up his backpack.

A blush spread across your chest and neck, and you wished that you didn’t have to answer. But judging by Jungkook’s stressed face as the zombies’ groans grew louder, you knew you were in no position to stall. “Er. Feminine hygiene stuff,” you blurted.

Jungkook paled before blushing immediately after. His body movements stuttered momentarily before he nodded and headed towards the back of the store. “Shit, ok. Start running!”

You stared at him in bewilderment. “What? I’m not leaving you behind!”

“Just go!” he shouted.

You felt the alarm in your body grow as your head darted between Jungkook’s frantically moving body and the group of zombies just down the street. Knowing that even Jungkook didn’t stand a chance against all those zombies, you ended up on a decision that you really hoped would end up working out.

“Fuck,” you whispered as you looked down at your large gun and adjusted your grip. In one swift move, you kicked open the door and began shooting the zombies, which were now coming from both directions across the street. Your aim wasn’t the best, but it was good enough to pierce bullets through a good amount of them straight in the neck or chest.

“Jungkook! Hurry up!” you cried as you held down the trigger, praying that Yoongi packed enough bullets in the gun.

Small piles of rotting bodies began forming as deceased zombies collapsed to the ground and the other ones climbed over them to get to you. But the few zombies you managed to kill were easily outweighed by all the live ones still clamoring towards you. A cry of frustration left you as you realized that the noise from the gun and the obscene amount of stress radiating from you and Jungkook were just attracting more zombies in the area.

Jungkook ran up towards you, several boxes of various tampons and pads in hand. “I didn’t know which one you wanted! Let’s go!”

In a normal situation, you would have thanked him for his thoughtfulness, but this wasn’t a normal situation by any means.

You and Jungkook ran out of the store towards the house, both turning back occasionally to shoot any zombie that was getting too close. Your breaths grew uneven from exhaustion, but the sheer amount of adrenaline pumping within you kept you and your weak legs going.

“Don’t get too tired! I’ll shoot, just keep running!” Jungkook instructed you when he noticed you clutching your side in pain.

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine!” you responded. But you spoke too soon as you tripped over a rock not even a minute later. “Shit!” you cursed as you landed on your hands and knees before immediately standing back up and catching up to Jungkook, who had stopped a few feet ahead of you when he noticed that you fell.

He didn’t say anything as he gently turned your hands over and examined them. Cuts, with blood flowing freely from them and tiny rocks stuck in between the open skin, covered the palm of your hand and your fingers. Jungkook’s eyebrows creased in concern as he moved his eyes down your body to your knees, which now had deep, bleeding gashes in them from the rocks that cut through your jeans and broke your skin.

“Jungkook, it’s fine. We have to go.” You moved your hands to your side and pulled him to continue running, cringing at how your blood stained the bottom of his black denim jacket and his hands. He cursed, obviously wanting to say something, but continued alongside you.

Thanks to the unexpected delay, the zombies had gained on you by a good few meters. You winced as you turned around and pressed the trigger of your gun, the spray of bullets taking a few of them down. But your tiny sense of relief didn’t last long as you soon heard an empty click and noticed that nothing was leaving the end of your gun — you were out of bullets.

You cursed and turned forwards again. “How many rounds do you have left?” you asked Jungkook, panting heavily as you continued running next to him.

“Not that many,” he answered, concern evident on his face.

You looked back at the relenting zombies, hot on your tail, and cursed. How were you going to get yourselves out of this one?

The answer to your question was presented to you in the form of a poorly-driven SUV that was heading down the road and straight towards you and Jungkook.

“Thank god!” Jungkook cried as he pulled you to the side and out of the vehicle’s path.

“Thank god?” you repeated in confusion.

The black SUV halted to a stop in front of you and Jungkook, the doors opening automatically.

“Get in!” you heard a new voice shout.

You and Jungkook didn’t waste a second to climb into the car, which quickly sped away once Jungkook slammed the door shut behind him. Neither of you had the chance to breathe as the zombies, which seemed to have grown even faster, jumped for the back of the car.

“How did they get even faster?” Jungkook cried as he pulled your shaking body towards him.

“The fast ones might be mutations, I found more reports on them the other day,” the silver-haired man in the front with glasses answered. You assumed that this was Namjoon, considering his answer and that Jungkook didn’t mention anyone else.

“Mutations?” you cried, jumping when a hand smacked your backseat window. “These fuckers are mutating?”

Namjoon didn’t get a chance to answer as he harshly turned the steering wheel, sending the car swerving and you and Jungkook barrelling to the other side of the car.

“Namjoon you’re so shit at driving!” Jungkook exclaimed as he rubbed the side of his head that clashed with the glass window.

Namjoon scoffed. “Don’t talk to your hyung like that when I just saved your life! And who told you not to put on seat belts?!”

“Yeah, let me just put on a seatbelt while there’s zombies cha-”

You gasped suddenly and pulled yourself up towards the front. Head directly next to Namjoon’s, you reached your bloody hands up towards the steering wheel. “There’s a bunny!” you shouted as you swerved the car out of the way, sending Jungkook to the other side of the car and wincing as your waist collided with the firm side of the passenger seat.

“Y/N, what the fuck!” you heard Jungkook moan.

“We were gonna kill the bunny!” you protested in your defense as you rubbed your side and sat back down next to Jungkook.

“We have other things to worry about!” he yelled.

“God! I’m sorry, you’re right,” you groaned as you leaned back down into the back seat.

“They’re slowing down!” Namjoon suddenly announced, his eyes focused on his windshield mirror. “Look, they’re retreating!”

You and Jungkook both turned around towards the back window. Just as Namjoon said, the zombies stopped chasing you, instead shuffling in place or back the other direction. With the threat of zombies gone, you let out a breath of relief and closed your eyes.

You kept your eyes shut as Jungkook grabbed your hands and gently ran his fingers across the open wounds, his touch sending electricity through your body. Despite the rush from his soft touch, exhaustion still tugged at you and weighed down your eyelids.

With the comforting feeling of Jungkook’s hand wrapped around yours, you drifted into unconsciousness.

Your nap was unfortunately short lived. It took only a few moments to arrive back home, and upon exiting the car, the three of you were immediately greeted by everyone else in the home.

“Y/N!!” Jimin greeted as he walked slowly over to you. Jin closely followed the blond to make sure that he didn’t hurt his ankle.

“Jimin!” you said with an equal amount of excitement, throwing your hands up into a welcoming gesture.

Jimin and Jin gasped as you revealed your bloodied and cut up hands.

“You’re hurt!” Jin sputtered as he rushed towards you. “Your knees too!”

“It’s fine, it only stings a little,” you admitted sheepishly. It wasn’t a complete lie — you didn’t exactly have the time to think about your injuries while running for your life.

Jin shook his head. “Come inside, I’ll treat the cuts a-”

“It’s fine, I can do it,” Jungkook said, suddenly appearing at your side.

The older man raised his eyebrows. “You sure, Kookie? Don’t you want to rest?”

Jungkook shook his head and silently pulled you into the house, leaving you to shrug in confusion at the guys behind you. You followed Jungkook through the first floor, up the stairs, and into his room.

His bedroom was similar to what you expected. The walls were painted a dark grey color and there wasn’t much in the room other than the basic furniture and a few pictures and art frames. You sat down on the plain black sheets as Jungkook walked to his dresser and pulled out a first aid kit.

“Why didn’t you just let Jin treat my cuts?” you asked Jungkook quietly, noticing faint signs of exhaustion in his slow movements.

He hesitated to respond. His hands stilled on the top of the red kit as he slowly responded, “I thought this was the only way I’d be able to speak with you… alone.”

“Why?” you asked, praying that you weren’t blushing as assumptions instantly formed in your mind.

He cleared his throat and opened the kit, instantly reaching for several bandaids, disinfectant pads, and antibacterial wound ointment. “Well,” he started as he gently grabbed your hands and turned them so your palms were facing up. He opened the pack of disinfectant pads and swiped them across your hands and knees. “I wanted to ask you why you’ve been avoiding me the past few days.”

Your heart dropped. You didn’t realize that Jungkook noticed how you tried your best to steer clear of him; but it wasn’t like you could really tell him that it was because you were starting to have feelings for him,

“Was it something I said? I did?” he asked as he spread the cold ointment on the open wounds.

“No,” you answered quickly — a little too quickly judging by the way his head darted up to meet your eyes. You blushed under his stare and continued, “You didn’t do anything to offend me, Jungkook.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?” His voice was uncharacteristically soft, almost pleading.

You groaned inwardly and wished you could cover your face with your hands, but Jungkook held them firmly in his as he bandaged them. A few seconds of dragged-on silence passed before you looked down at your lap and responded vaguely. “I didn’t want to make things awkward between us.”

His hands stopped and his brows furrowed in confusion. “Why would things be awkward between us?”

Blood rushed to your face as you looked up to make painful eye contact with him. “Do you really want to know?” you whined, already anticipating Jungkook’s answer since you’d become quite familiar with his stubbornness over the past few days.

“Yes,” he started. “Please tell me,” he said, feigning an expression of a wounded puppy.

You cursed under your breath and brought your freshly bandaged hands (you ignored that one of the bandages was only half on, courtesy of Jungkook’s prior confusion) up to your face.

“Do you promise not to make fun of me? Or kick me out?”

He laughed, although the soft sound didn’t match the nervousness in his expression. “Yes, I promise.”

His words prompted you to breathe in deeply, mentally preparing yourself for your confession. You can do this, you said to yourself. If you could shoot and run from at least thirty zombies, then you could definitely tell Jungkook you had feelings for him. Right?

It wasn’t like you could keep on avoiding him forever, anyways. With the rate that the apocalypse was going and based off the past few days, it looked like you were going to be at this house a while. You just hoped that your reveal wouldn’t make your stay awkward for either him or you.

Jungkook cleared his throat. “Y/N?”

You hummed, still stuck in your thoughts before finally responding. “I… I may or may not be incredibly attracted to you and have feelings for you,” you admitted reluctantly. Jungkook’s lips parted in shock, but he didn’t get a chance to respond before you continued in a panic. “You already promised you wouldn’t make fun of me or kick me out! No take backs!”

He laughed, and you cringed as you were sure it was a laugh of rejection and that the dulcet notes would be a new cause of your nightmares. But the words he said after proved the opposite.

“That’s a relief.” You looked up, a bewildered look on your face. “I like you too,” he mumbled bashfully, his long hair falling in front of his face as he looked down at his lap.

Your body froze. “D-Did I hear that right? Have I not gone crazy?”

He looked back up at you with a grin. “Crazy for me,” he joked with a wink.

Unimpressed, your face dropped. “I take it all back, I’ll go pack my-”

Jungkook shook his head with a chuckle. “Kidding, kidding,” he said, enveloping his slender hands around yours. “But I was completely serious about liking you back.”

“Really?” you asked, still in slight disbelief that Jungkook, who could literally have his portrait and biography in a hall of all Earthly legends, had feelings for you.

“Yes, really.”

You opened your mouth, ready to shoot a doubtful reply, but Jungkook cut you off with the lift of his hand. He rested his hand back down around yours before continuing, “I know you’re probably going to say something self-deprecating or a joke or ask me if i’m joking again, so you might as well let me speak first.”

He grinned at the way your face heated, priding himself on how well he knew you already.

“The way you wish each of us goodnight every night, the way you wake up early to help Jin prepare breakfast, the way you cuss whenever you’re nervous, the way you always try to keep up with whatever stuff we’re doing - even when it’s stupid - and keep a smile on your face; everything about you made me fall for you. Even before the apocalypse, I never felt this way for anyone else.” He took a deep breath, gently squeezing your hands. “The night I first brought you here, it felt like seeing you enter that store and meeting you was fate. You make questionable decisions, we both saw that today, but I’m glad that one of them brought us together because I honestly don’t think I can ever meet anyone else like you.”

A wide smile spread across your face and tears pricked your eyes. Never in your many years of life had anyone told you such genuine, heartfelt words. And no one noticed (or appreciated) those small things about you - your habits that were always brushed over - like Jungkook did.

You agreed with his claim of you making questionable (stupid) decisions, but in this moment you were thankful for your sometimes-dangerous spontaneity and rash decision making. Because if it weren’t for that sudden moment of desperation where you ran into the grocery store, you never would have met Jungkook. Your heart wouldn’t be racing like it was right now and your hands wouldn’t be warm from the feeling of his wrapped around them.

“What do you say?” he asked weakly, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“What is there to say?” you countered before you released your hands from his and interlocked your fingers around his lower body. The position was a bit awkward, but you didn’t mind. Less than a few seconds later, your lips were pressed against his.

Jungkook moved his hands from the small of your back to your neck up to your hair. He pulled you in closer to him as he deepened the kiss. You gasped and tightened your grip around him as he effortlessly lifted you up so you were sitting on his lap with your legs wrapped around his waist. He swiped his tongue against your bottom lip and gently bit it, drawing a moan from you.

You shifted in his lap, pulling a deep groan from him as he pulled away from your lips to trail kisses down your jaw and neck. A shiver ran down your spine as you felt him suck on your collarbone and upper chest to leave marks for him to see the next day. Just as Jungkook slipped his cool hands under your shirt, a startling voice rang from the other side of the door.

“Jungkook!”

The long-haired boy beneath you groaned in annoyance but continued to kiss you. “Just ignore him, he’ll go away,” Jungkook mumbled against your lips as he dragged his hands against the skin of your stomach.

You nodded, embracing the fiery feeling of his kisses and his hands against your bare skin.

“Jungkook!” the voice cried again, causing Jungkook to curse and groan again. “It’s urgent!”

“This better be good,” Jungkook grumbled as he reluctantly pulled away from you.

You frowned at the loss of his touch, but you didn’t have much time to mourn it as he instantly straightened his back once Namjoon said, “It’s about Project B.”

Your brows raised at Jungkook’s sudden reaction to whatever this “Project B” was. He turned to you with an apologetic look before gently setting you onto the bed and moving towards the door.

“Sorry,” he apologized quickly as he straightened his shirt. “I’ll talk to you tonight, I promise.” With that, he was out the door, leaving you in his room with only your thoughts (and hands and knees that had yet to be fully bandaged).

It had been nearly 8 hours since Jungkook had promised that he would speak to you at night. By now, the moon was high in the sky, it’s radiant glow doing nothing to calm your nerves. You knew that whatever Jungkook and Namjoon had to discuss was urgent, but how could he just leave you like that? You were barely able to process the best kiss of your life by the time you realized that you were still sitting stupidly on his bed after he left the room.

You sighed and moved from the window seat in the living room to the kitchen. Joining Jin at the counter, you plopped your head against the stone material with a groan.

“Jungkook and Joon are still in their little lab?” he guessed, nonchalantly flipping his book to the next page.

You nodded pitifully, now knowing that the mysterious room was a lab of some sorts.

“Here,” Jin said before standing suddenly, prompting you to look up at him. He grabbed a bowl of washed fruits from beside the sink and gestured for you to take it. “Bring it up to them.”

“But Jungkook said I ca-”

“I don’t care what he said. Tell him that they shouldn’t have skipped dinner,” Jin instructed firmly.

You nodded, a bit intimidated by Jin’s sudden sternness, and quickly took the bowl with you up the stairs. You slowly approached the door at the end of the hall, the ceramic bowl filled with strawberries and peeled clementines wobbling in your shaky hands. As you took each step, you imagined Jungkook bursting through the door and expressing his disappointment in you for even thinking about entering the room.

Luckily, that didn’t come and you reached the door in less than a minute.

Clearing your throat, you knocked against the door with your elbow. “Jungkook?” you called.

No response.

“Jungkook? Namjoon?” you called again, only to be met with what sounded like a low groan.

Your breath hitched in your throat. That noise didn’t sound pleasant at all.

You placed a weary hand on the door knob but quickly pulled it away as if it was burning hot. Debating thoughts battled in your hand: Jungkook clearly told you not to go in the room but what if Jungkook or Namjoon was in trouble? Wouldn’t leaving despite knowing that one of them could be hurt make you a terrible person (or girlfriend—you didn’t really know what you and Jungkook were yet)?

Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the silver doorknob and twisted it open. You stepped into the dimly lit room slowly, gasping at the sight before you.

“Lab” was definitely the right word to describe the room that almost mirrored your high school chemistry class. Seven tables sat in the room, four of which were filled with stacks of papers and folders while the other three had various lab equipment tools atop the black tabletops. It didn’t just end at the tables either.

“What is all this?” you mumbled to yourself as you examined the crowded walls. There was barely an inch of blank wall left as papers, newspaper clippings, photos (some rather disturbing), and notes decorated the wall like a second wallpaper.

You slowly walked through the room, examining the items pinned to the walls. Most of it was related to the zombie apocalypse, with newspapers (from when those were still around) detailing the first outbreaks and theories of the cause and papers filled with concepts you barely remembered from chemistry, physiology, and biology. Accompanying the scientific notes and articles were several pictures, some of zombies and others of medical abnormalities that you couldn’t quite explain.

One picture caught your eye, and you barely managed to place the fruit bowl down on a table with just enough space for it before you rushed over to the photo. The aged photo had three people, presumably a family, in it. A mother and father stood proudly behind their son, their hands on his shoulders as he beamed at the camera with his hands on his lap. The boy looked familiar. His round eyes and bunny-like smile eerily reminded you of -

“What are you doing?”

The unexpected voice sent a shiver down your body, and you jumped as you turned around to face him.

Jungkook.

You mentally hit yourself — you were so distracted by the items of the room that you failed to notice Jungkook waking up at his spot with Namjoon, slouched over and faces pressed onto one of the paper-filled tables.

“Um,” you started, unable to find the right words as you stared at his unreadable facial expression. You couldn’t tell if he was angry, disappointed, sad, scared, or possibly even all four.

He let out a frustrated groan and ran his tattooed hand through his long hair. “Just tell me what you saw,” he instructed firmly.

“N-not much!” you stuttered, your eyes wide. “I — Jin fruit! Yes! I just came here to bring you Jin — I mean fruit! I came to bring you fruit! Like Jin told me to!” Heat spread across your face as you attempted to explain yourself.

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed between you and the ceramic fruit bowl you pointed to, and he would’ve laughed at your clear disarray if he didn’t feel so anxious.

“You were looking at the walls, you must have seen something,” he deduced.

Your body stuttered as you gestured towards the photo you were looking at. “Nope! Just some things about zombies and… and this picture of you — fun stuff!”

He sighed and you cringed as he placed his hands on your shoulders. But he didn’t scold you or tell you how disappointed he was like you expected; instead, he let his head fall and mumbled something that you weren’t sure if it was meant towards you or himself.

“I guess it’s time I told you the truth.”

Your brows furrowed at his words. The truth? Judging by the contents of the room, they were studying the zombies; and it wasn’t all that surprising considering that Namjoon was technically a scientist and almost-doctor. Why was Jungkook so afraid to tell you?

He lifted his head up, and your heart clenched at the look of pure vulnerability on his face. “Will you promise me that you won’t judge me or run away?” he whispered.

You nodded. “Of course.”

“My parents were scientists who worked for the national lab. I didn’t really know what happened at their work or what projects they were doing because I was in university doing my own stuff,” he paused and briefly closed his eyes to take in a deep breath, “but one day I went home and they told me about an idea they had that was so great.

Super humans, they said. Humans with enhanced senses that would make them superior to regular humans and form the perfect army. I told them it was a shitty idea and that this was stuff they shouldn’t mess with, but they got upset and kicked me out.” He laughed bitterly. “This wasn’t the first time my parents and I ever disagreed on anything, and I thought they were smart enough to not go through with it so I just left. But I guess I was wrong because one day something at the lab went wrong.”

Jungkook hesitated for a second upon seeing the disturbed expression on your face — you knew exactly where this was heading.

He willed himself to continue. “A few months later I got a call from the hospital. They told me that my parents were severely injured while at work, and when I went to see them, they told me the truth of what happened: how they went through with the project but realized too late that it was a mistake, how they were trapped by the government, and how they created monsters.

My parents died from their injuries two days later, and a week after that there was a covered-up breakout at the lab they worked in. Only one day after the breakout, there was the first outbreak in the city only a few miles away. And now we’re here, trying to find a cure for the mess my parents started.”

“I’m sorry,” you immediately said, a mournful expression on your face. You couldn’t imagine the guilt and sorrow that Jungkook must feel.

He scoffed. “Sorry? Why are you apologizing? This entire thing is my fault,” he muttered.

Your face fell and you moved to grasp his hands. “Jungkook, I don’t see how any of this is your fault,” you spoke honestly, your voice soft.

His eyes widened and he pulled his hands away from you. “Y/N, my parents are the reason this apocalypse happened! And - and they told me about their idea and I didn’t do anything to stop it!”

“You did what you could,” you stressed. “You told them it was a bad idea and they made their own adult decision to go through with it.” You took a step closer to him and looked at him in the eyes. “You can’t blame yourself for your parents’ actions.”

He shook his head and looked away. “I should’ve fought harder,” he countered stubbornly. “I’m a terrible person.”

“Jeon Jungkook, look at me.” You used your finger to turn his head so his gaze was directed towards you again. “You are not a terrible person. If you were, you wouldn’t have saved me that day at the grocery store or risked your life to get me pads or spending your days working to find a cure that isn’t even your responsibility.” You took another step towards him and slowly wrapped your arms around him. “You’re a good person, Jungkook. I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart,” you murmured with your head against his chest.

He was silent for a few moments until his body relaxed into your hold. “Thank you,” he mumbled as he gripped your waist and upper back and rested his head atop of yours. “Do you still feel… the same for me?” he questioned cautiously.

“No,” you answered quickly, causing him to quickly pull away from you in offense. You giggled at his reaction before continuing, “I like you even more now. You were honest with me and now I feel closer to you.”

His face relaxed as he let out a relieved sigh before bringing you back into his arms again. And for a few moments, the two of you simply basked in each others’ embrace.

Jungkook was the first to break the silence. “We’re not very close to finding the solution, you know,” he mentioned with a disappointed tone.

You shrugged. “It’s ok. This isn’t something you can really rush, but I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”

He pulled his head back to look down at you, a gentle expression painted on his face. “Promise?”

You smiled at him. “I promise,” you whispered before you moved to close the distance between your lips and kiss him once again.

The future was unsure for you and Jungkook and tomorrow or the next week wasn’t guaranteed. But you were sure that if there was anyone you wanted to survive and overcome a zombie apocalypse with, it was Jungkook (and his unconventional group of friends that he calls his family).

a/n: ngl i would feel so safe in a zombie apocalypse w bts akjnkas. also might write a drabble about hobi in this plot hehe. i hope you enjoyed and pls leave comments as they’re rlly encouraging and will  help me improve in the future :’))

[quirklessidiot]

Title: monkey bars [drabbles] Pairing: GN!Reader x Miya Atsumu [high school au!] Genre: diabetic fluff with your usual atsumu comedy

Synopsis: “I’m tryna be romantic here!”               [this request of miya atsumu + tooth-rotting fluff]

Warnings: none!  Notes: ah, i love atsumu. He’s my best boi even if he looks like that bee from the bee movie i- also im on a fluff streak here :’> 

navigation

Dates with Miya Atsumu were just as energetic as he was.

Sometimes you wondered if you dated a man-child or if he’s just doing this to you for shits and giggles. Right now, his date was a jog around the park. You were all in favor of his dream as the great setter of japan, you just don’t get why you had to jog with him.

“Can’t I cheer for you on the sidelines?” You huffed as you trailed behind him, apparently he was going as slow as he can for you, “You know like when I watch your games?”

“Now, where’s the fun in that? And didn’t ya say you wanted to play?”

“Video games!” You almost screeched, correcting him, “I wanted to play video games!”

“You’re no fun!” He stuck his tongue out, “Come on, the playground is near!”

He quickened his pace as you try to match him, the idiot tended to be quite a show-off and competitive and you don’t even know why he’s doing that now of all times. All you wanted to do was play some video games on Osamu’s ps5 but your lovely boyfriend decided that playing meant playground and a little race that your body did not agree to.

The moment you arrived at the park, you were completely out of breath yet your piss-head boyfriend looked energetic always, where was all that stamina coming from? Dang athletes and their monstrous stamina.

“You need to exercise more.”Atsumu pointed out and you immediately flip him off, “I meant to improve yer stamina alright! Yer pretty as you are. Jus’ for stamina, what happens if you get chase down by some weirdo on the streets and I’m not there? Or-or if a zombie apocalypse happens? Y/N YA CAN’T DIE!”

He runs to your side as he starts to shake you violently.

You just roll your eyes at his over-dramaticness. 

Man, at times, you wondered if this was the same guy that everyone found so intimidating. Can his boyfriend privileges be revoked too? You’d like to take this man-child back.

“You are so weird, tsumu.” you grumbled, “and just so you know, between the both of us, you'd die first in a zombie apocalypse.”

He blinks.

“You’d probably starve since you’d finish all the food rations in one day, fat ass.”

“The audacity-” Atsumu places his hand on his chest, “You know what, I take it back. You’ll survive the zombie apocalypse.”

“Oh yeah?”

“That’s cos you got no brains.” 

Thus started a whole two minute bicker of who’d survive and die first with usual insults thrown at the side. The playground was definitely a fitting place for your playground insults with your boyfriend, “Hmph, I’ll survive with my brain.” Atsumu retaliates, crossing his arms and stomping to the tall monkey bars, “And I’ll have ya know Y/N, even if ya got no brain, you’d still be my partner.”

You flip your boyfriend off for the hundredth time today.

You wondered how Osamu stayed with this idiot in obaasan’s womb for nine months.

You narrow your eyes when your boyfriend runs to the monkey bars and climbs on them like an excited kid, “What are you doing?”

“Have you ever watched the original spiderman?” he says and flips down the monkey bars.

“So?”

“I’m tryna be romantic here, Y/N!” He grumbles, upside down, pouting like a baby.

“Maybe you should’ve thought twice about calling me a no-brainer.” You teased childishly, sticking your tongue out.

Atsumu turns red, you don’t know if its because he’s uncomfortable there or if its because you outright rejected his kisses when you’d always give into him easily.

“Just shut up and kiss me, I’m getting light-headed here.”

“Nah, you’re on your own spiderman.” you wave him off, leaving your boyfriend panicking while still upside down.

“Wait, Y/N-No, I’m sorry, baby come back-”

[abalonetea]

Just Keep Breathing: Chapter Four

I was partnered with @the-dot for the @originalfictionbigbang​! Thank you for working with me, Dot!

Here is the first chapter! I’ve split the first 10k words between four chapters, and will be posting them all in a masterpost in just a moment!

Summary: It’s the height of storm season and everyone in Hi-Banks, Florida is getting ready for the bad weather. It should be a year like any other - but on the tails of a national pandemic, a new disaster strikes. More than one new disasters. So many disasters that Eddie Carver would like to put some of them back, thanks. He’s just a down on his luck guy living in the local trailer park with his boyfriend. He’s not interested in dealing with the revival of an old murder case - which he knows nothing about, thanks -, the storm season of the century, or…zombies?

Yeah. Absolutely not interested in the zombies.

This black-comedy follows the inner workings of a small town as they band together to survive, and the young man - reckless, mean, angry, written off b the big city folk come to look into a cold case - that might hold all of societies survival in his hands.

Forget about society.Eddie’s only interested in keeping his friends alive.

Chapter Four - Wounded

“I’d spill the beans,” mutters Eddie, in a piss poor attempt at copying TJ’s voice. It’s late enough out that the moon is out, not that you can see it through the heavy layer of clouds clinging to the sky. It’s not really raining but it’s sort of misting, just enough that everything feels all kinds of wet and gross, and he kicks his way through a muddy puddle on the way back to the trailer park.

Someone on the other side of the room groans, a drunk that must have staggered out of the Crow’s Nest bar when they called closing. Eddie squints at them but it’s too dark to make them out. Which is fine, because he’s not really in the mood for chatting anymore. TJ totally took the winds out of his sails earlier. He hurries on, ducking his head and – slap, slap, slap – feet on the pavement, not a shuffling walk but a run.

Eddie’s barely got his head turned around when the drunk tackles him to the ground. He hits it hard, his shoulder cracking against the cement of the pavement. It’s Rory Williams, and it’s just pure luck that he’s kind of small and kind of skinny, because otherwise Eddie’s pretty sure his head would be mush on the pavement.

“What the Hell!” Eddie yelps, grappling to shove Rory off.

The guy makes a sound like a pissed off dog, snarling and snapping his teeth. CLACK. CLACK. CLACK. Teeth on teeth and then pain when it’s teeth on flesh, as Rory bites down hard on Eddie’s forearm.

It’s not like getting bit by a person. It’s like getting bit by a cat, sharp teeth that go clean through the meat of his arm. Eddie howls, scrabbles for the six pack. Fingers hook into the plastic ring and yank, smacking Rory upside the head with the cans.

It’s just enough to knock Rory off of him. Eddie rolls to his front, hands and knees. There’s blood running fast down the curve of his arm. It’s starting to rain even harder now. He kicks out, catching Rory in the chest, and then lurches to his feet and takes off.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Eddie can’t tell if it’s his own heartbeat pounding that fast, or if it’s Rory chasing him. He takes a turn, two of them, and then grabs onto the wood of a privacy fence and hauls himself up and over. Rory grabs one of his feet, scraping sharp nails over the soft of Eddie’s calf hard enough to leave ragged red welts behind.

He falls onto the fence, straight into a splash of mud. There’s a dog barking somewhere. Rory thumps against the fence like he’s trying to physically knock it down, the old patched wood groaning under the force of the repeated impact. Head spinning, Eddie takes off running before he gets the chance.

* * *

His arm is still bleeding when he staggers into his house. Carson hits mute on the TV, saying, “what the Hell, do you know how late it is?” even as he twists around to look at him over the couch. And then, when he catches sight of the blood and the mud and the wide eyed look about Eddie, “holy shit, what happened to you?”

Eddie kicks the door shut behind him and locks it. “I lost the beer.”

“Eddie, why are you bleeding?” Carson hauls off the couch and over to Eddie, grabbing onto his elbow and hefting it up. Even with the mud and smeared blood caked to his arm, it’s easy to see all of the lurid bruising around the wounds, the deep dark purple and black and strange hues of reddish yellow.

Eddie sucks on his teeth. There’s mud caked between them. “Some asshole tried to mug me. I think.”

“Mug you?”

“Yeah. Pretty sure it was Rory.”

“From the bakery?”

“Yuh-huh.”

Carson’s grip on his arm gets tighter. “Rory from the bakery tried to mug you.”

“I cracked him in the head with the beer,” says Eddie. “But I guess I forgot to pick it back up.”

“… let’s just get this cleaned up,” says Carson. “It looks, uh, not great.” And then, halfway to the bathroom, “I’m gonna knock his lights out the next time I see him.”

Eddie perks up a tiny bit, always a little bit flattered that Carson’s willing to get into fights for him; that he did it back when they were kids in school and he’s still willing to do it now when they’re half grown and mostly adults. “Yeah?”

Carson rolls his eyes. “Yeah, Eddie. I’m gonna.”

“Cool.” Eddie drops down onto the toilet, angling his arm so he can wash it under the warm water rushing out from the lower tap of the tub. It’s warm and it burns. His whole arm is throbbing, like it’s got a heartbeat of its own. “Ugh. This sucks.”

Carson grabs a cloth, steps into the tub and gets on his knees so he can help clean it off, dabbing at the spot where the mud has dried onto it and slowly pushing it away. “Did he bite you?”

“Yeah,” says Eddie. “Look at that. Took a big chunk out too, huh? I think he was on something.” A snort. “Uh, bath salts.”

Carson grunts in agreement. “Yeah, pro’lly.”

They work in silent after that, Carson carefully wiping away the blood while Eddie pretends that his eyes aren’t getting all teary, and chews on his lower lip, and looks anywhere but at his arm, which is still bleeding. They don’t have any peroxide but they’ve got a half used tub of neosporin. Carson finishes emptying it all the way out so he can smear it over the bite – and that hurts bad enough that Eddie’s breath catches.

It’s nothing compared to wrapping it up though, the sudden intense pain of constant tight pressure. Blood spots the white bandages and Eddie can’t help but hope that Carson clocks Rory hard tomorrow.

[trouvelle]

The Dead Don’t Cry (II)

This is not a continuation;;; I mean maybe it is? but ok I don’t know what else to call it. All my love goes to this certain katana-wielding boy who doesn’t deserve any pain (cue my *nervous laugh*)

Fandom: Detective Conan/DCMK Pairing: Heiji/Kazuha Rating: PG-13 Genre/Tags: Tragedy, Angst, Horror, Zombie!AU Warning: Character Death Summary: Heiji smiles at her, wishing he has said I love you at least once, because that's how he feels. It's all too late now. 

•

Inside the house that they managed to break into and settle in for a few months now, there is a room with a thick glass door. Ever since the outbreak happened, this is the second and only house that they occupied as their sanctuary. It was by sheer luck that Heiji’s father knew a rich congressman who had a custom-build house for extra protection because politicians are often paranoid, that’s all. Heiji is quite familiar with that room by now—it has been functioning as a sterile room they use to keep the virus out, or the one they use to lock the virus in. This is where his parents died, with gunshots to the head, delivered through tears and gritted teeth, and the last of his father's strength, demanding for Heiji to save himself.

Heiji heard how some people are catching the virus even without getting bitten. Some people say everyone has the dormant virus in their system, just waiting for it to fully emerge. Some say it's in the food. Either way, it doesn't look like the whole thing is going to be over any time soon.

It's been long since he survived this, and maybe Heiji shouldn't survive anymore. In a way, he's already lost to the zombies. There is a certain horror that doesn't leave you when you've seen so many of your friends and family die in the worst possible way. Some aren't themselves anymore, lost behind dead misty eyes and decaying skin. Some aren't intact upon their death, devoured into pieces by those creatures. Some others died in his own hands, asking to be killed before they turn into something they never wish to end up as. Heiji still wakes up with nightmares in the middle of the night, from Otaki-han’s voice begging for Heiji to take his life, from his father’s eyes that were no longer his own and the image of his mother’s bloody flesh.

It's not really a life worth living when every day is a constant report of deaths, a continuous loss of people he once knew. Kazuha, who has always been a ray of sunshine, keeps insisting that one day, the whole thing will pass. He notices that she has been saying it less nowadays, especially following the absence of her father.

The only other people Heiji knows to have survived are Shinichi and Ran. Kazuha talks to Ran on the phone every single day. They have been updating each other and just to keep themselves company. Once, Heiji overhears them trying to maintain a normal conversation, as if pretending that their lives haven’t been turned upside down.

As of last week, it's Ran who has passed.

"Ran-chan called to say goodbye," Kazuha informed him that day, voice wavering from the tears she fails to hold back. Shinichi had already called Heiji himself at sunset the day before. She’s infected, out of nowhere, the former Detective of the East confided to him, his voice raspy like he had been screaming for hours. That was the last he’s heard from Shinichi. (Heiji still dials his number every morning religiously.)

"And then Ran-chan—” Kazuha sobbed, “She… she s-said she will do it herself. She knows Kudo-kun wouldn’t."

Heiji banged his fist on the concrete wall. Shinichi and Ran were their closest friends, the last remnants of their old lives before the virus. "She’ll be okay," he whispered as he wrapped his hands around Kazuha, pulling her into a hug. He needed assurance just as much as she did. "I'm sure she’ll be okay soon."

An image spurred into Heiji's mind. Of Kazuha, trying to put a bullet to her own head… no, there's no way he could live with that. He would do whatever is necessary to prevent that from happening. They had fallen asleep in each others' arms, and when Heiji screamed himself awake from a nightmare, merely two hours later, Kazuha was already up, crying next to him.

•

The first thing he notices is the change in his voice. He always sounds gruffy in the morning, but this time it doesn't even sound human. It's too hoarse, too scratchy, too low—it's hard even to get a decent good morning out.

Of course Kazuha notices it, too. "Do you want me to go get you some medicine?" she asks right away, eyebrows furrowed in concern. They still have plenty to live off of, and unless it's absolutely necessary, Heiji really doesn't want either of them to go out. He would rather stay in and watch the TV, although it's just a tedious rerun of old cartoons with the occasional breaking news. 

He shakes his head no. "I'll be okay," he answers, sounding the farthest from okay. Maybe he should try to go back to sleep.

"You should sleep some more," Kazuha says finally, still looking worried. She reaches to touch his cheek, stroking his face slightly, and he feels his skin burn with heat. He is way past the state of being shy and embarrassed upon any physical touch from this childhood friend of his, so it can only mean one thing. 

It dawns on him then, what might be happening. Heiji jerks slightly from the realization, half hoping that she doesn't notice. He gets on his feet urgently, shaking his head some more. Please, please, please, don't let Kazuha notice. "Uh," he mutters. He doesn't think she is aware of his panic, so at least that's a relief. "I think I'll go shower."

"Okay," she agrees, not questioning anything despite the rather confused look in her eyes. "Do you want tea? I’ll make some porridge for breakfast today."

Heiji grins, hoping it comes off as his usual one. He nods quickly before rushing to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. In all honesty, he's panicking inside, and he needs to look in the mirror right now to calm himself down. But what he sees results in quite the opposite.

It takes a lot to notice the symptoms at this stage, but Heiji has seen it way too many times. He saw it on his father, he saw it on his mother—and now he's seeing it on himself. There is a red spot in his sclera, an early sign that it’s hemorrhaging. He sees the tiniest tint of grey covering his iris, one that he knows will spread until his eyes are misty and blood red both at once. He takes off his shirt and spots dark specks of rotten skin across his back, and it's confirmed, now, Heiji mourns. He's turning.

He doesn't think it's fair—he's been careful enough with everything he does, with everything he touches and everything he eats. But then again, nothing about living in a world full of the living dead is fair. Heiji slumps down to the floor and leans on the wall, banging the back of his head repeatedly against it. He's got Kazuha to think of, he's got his own feelings for Kazuha to worry about.

Heiji has never really told her what he feels, although he's certain that she knows by now. Love doesn't help much in this kind of life, and he doesn't want to burden her with feelings on top of the whole mess that is their universe. But now that he knows his time is up, really, Heiji just wants her to know how happy she makes him. How thankful he is to have spent his whole life with her. 

Tears are trickling down his face, and he scratches his head in frustration, clawing some skin and hair off the side of his head. The violent strike is coming, too, Heiji realizes as he tries to stop himself from peeling his face off. From what he has seen, It takes around twelve hours for the transformation to take over completely, but the problem is that he doesn’t know when it first started. He knows it's selfish, but he really just wants to have more time being normal with Kazuha.

Maybe, maybe, just a few hours would be okay.

•

He prays that he has enough time with her so they can both cherish their last moments together. And right now, he prays that Shinichi is still alive and will answer his call.  When the line goes through, although he hears nothing but low breathing on the other end, he exhales the breath he doesn’t even realize he’s been holding.

“Hattori.” The other boy starts.

When Heiji hears the familiar voice that belongs to his best friend, he feels a huge sense of relief and happiness, so much so that he almost forgets about what’s happening to himself. “You’re alive.”

“So are you.” 

Not for long. Heiji lets out a pained chuckle, “I have a favor to ask you.”

•

This is as normal as it gets. Sitting on the couch, watching the same cartoon episode they’ve already watched last week and the week before, eating the food that Kazuha prepared. She rests her head on his shoulder, and he has his arm around her, taking in every last moment he gets to have. In another life, this would still be them on weekends, minus the wandering zombies outside, maybe plus one little boy or two in the near future. Or girls, Heiji doesn't really care.

The thought of Kazuha with adorable children of their own makes Heiji smile, although it's hardly the appropriate time for that. He should tell her soon. It's not fair for either of them, but at least it would be safer for her if he tells her. He should tell her soon.

Not just yet.

Heiji lifts his head and kisses Kazuha on her forehead, earning him an amused look from the girl. "What was that for?" she asks, obviously pleased.

Heiji shrugs, not wanting to say anything because God knows how bad he sounds right now, hours since then. He recalls everything Kazuha has done for him—helping him with their parents’ bodies, kissing and holding him to sleep when the nightmares get overwhelming—she’s always there by him no matter how bleak the situation they’re in. Heiji smiles at her, half wishing he has said I love you at least once, because that's how he feels. Now it's all too late, and even if he tries to say the words, the voice won't be his own. But still, thank you, he mouths, thank you for everything.

Kazuha doesn't answer. So he leans down to capture her lips with his. It burns and it stings, but the way his heart shatters hurts him the most. As the kiss deepens, he finds himself wanting to bite on her lips, but then a small voice in his head asks which part of him the urge comes from. His fear for Kazuha's life is what makes him push her away. Before she realizes what’s going on, he is already up, running away from her and locking himself behind the glass door.

"Wha—Heiji?" Kazuha has finally caught up with him and finds him inside the confinement room. Heiji watches as she searches his face and slowly understands what's happening. Her expression falters into something he has only seen once on her face before—an overwhelming mix of shock, sadness, and utter devastation. That time, Heiji got to her too little too late. She had had to put her father down, and Heiji promised himself that he would never ever let her go through it again. Look how that turned out, he bitterly laughs. He wishes he hadn't caused her such pain, but what is there for him to do?

"I'm sorry," Heiji manages to croak out in an unfamiliar voice. His pupils are probably almost fully diluted, now. Despite his hazy eyes, he can see the skin on the tips of his fingers perishing. He's already half dead, but maybe he still has a few more hours of being conscious. Before then, he has to convince and make sure Kazuha kills him—otherwise he doesn't know what he's capable of doing to her. "This sucks."

Kazuha still stares at him in a daze, her jaw hanging loosely as she steps forward to lean on the door. "How?" she asks finally with a strained voice. She sinks down to the floor, her knees banging against the tiles in a way that will surely leave bruises. She doesn’t seem to realize, or mind.

"How?" she repeats in a whisper Heiji can barely hear, because he is thumping his head again and again to the glass surface separating the two of them.

Despite the ache in his chest, Heiji grins weakly. He can feel parts of himself slipping away and it gets harder to stop his hands from jerking, to stop himself from peeling skin off of his body. His vision is stained with grey and yellow and red, and Kazuha will probably look like nothing but a lump of meat by the time he is taken over completely. 

"Kazuha?" he calls with the last bits of his consciousness. He just wants her to know that he's still there. He just wants her to know that even in his current state, she is in the only thing on his mind.

In between silent sobs, she answers, "Heiji." She is struggling to get words out. Heiji stays quiet as she weeps, palms pressed on the door. She gasps for air and tilts her head up to stop her tears. She turns to face him, questioning with an unsteady voice, "Heiji, what are we going to do?"

He quirks one eyebrow up as an answer, as if saying Ahou, you know what to do. Kazuha stares at him desperately, as if begging Don't you dare make me do it.

"You have to," Heiji croaks, again with the foreign voice that is now his. It's so hard to breathe right now, and he isn't sure if it's the aftereffect of the infection or the sight of a broken Kazuha in front of him. "Please," he adds when she doesn't answer. Would it be easier for her if he kills himself? Like Ran did? It’s no use now, all their weapons are outside of the room. Heiji can’t risk opening the glass door at this stage.

Kazuha presses her forehead on the glass door. "How long do we have?" she asks, searching his face. He wonders how bad he looks right now—he knows some of the skin on his face has already peeled off, maybe his flesh is even showing. He knows his eyes are supposed to be clouded all over now, some parts of his face probably ashy and decaying already. He doesn't want her to look at his face anymore.

"Heiji," She repeats in a much softer voice when he turns to the other side of the room with his back facing her. "Let me look at you, please."

No, he wants to yell. She still wakes up screaming with nightmares of her father. He doesn’t want to be in her worst nightmare.

"You have to kill me," Heiji begs. "Right now."

There's a button on the side of the glass door. All Kazuha has to do is press it, and in ten seconds the door will open, and she has a split second to pull the trigger before the monster inside Heiji prances forward to kill her. There is a shotgun right there behind the vase. There's also a revolver in the top drawer. It's so easy to end all of this. He really wants it to be over—what's the use of having Kazuha so close if he doesn't get to touch her? What's the use if he has no power to tell him how much he wishes things were different, how much he wishes they could be together?

"Let me have you for another hour," she pleads helplessly. He remembers his parents, her father, even Ran, and prays that Kazuha is strong enough to move on alone. Heiji frantically starts writing down letters on the floor, a message for when Kazuha loses him, his last words written with his blood.

When he's done, he nods to her. At the rate his whole body is spasming, he knows he won't be able to hold on for another hour, but he'll let her get everything she wants for now. Like he always has. He’ll let her prepare herself before having to kill him.

"This is so unfair," Kazuha sobs, “I can’t kill you too.” She leans on the door so closely like she wants to go past it and get next to him, but he is thankful that she can't. He doesn't know what he'll do if she is within touching distance. "I don't know what to do, Heiji, I really don't know what to do."

He doesn't know either. He really wishes things could be different but here he is, decaying by the minute, slowly giving way for a monster to occupy his body. Kazuha looks like she's willing himself not to cry, and Heiji wonders how much pain he's causing her this time. All he does is hurt her. She never looks away, as if it’s the only way she could hear what he is thinking. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"Have to,”—groan—”live,” is all Heiji can bring himself into saying through gritted teeth. She will be all alone, but she will make it. If only he had the strength and mind power to, he would have added please, Kazuha, you have to survive this.

There is a sob-filled pause, until, "I will," Kazuha answers weakly, smiling a little. "I will." Heiji feels relieved at her promise. He knows she’s strong enough. 

He nods as many times as he physically can and presses his palm against hers, albeit with the thick glass separating them. He would do anything to hold her again. All he can do is grin at her and try his hardest to ignore the pain.

Maybe Heiji really doesn't have much time at all. He is starting to lose control of his body and his eyes open wide, his vision covered in a blur of reddish grey. He punches the glass, trying to break free, trying to get on the other side. The monster inside is taking over—Kazuha has to do it right now. 

"Heiji?" Kazuha sounds hesitant as she calls his name. I'm still here, Kazuha, Heiji wants to say. But it's too hard right now, he's too weak and something else inside him is taking over.

Heiji has killed more than enough of those monsters in his lifetime, some he doesn't know at all, some he knows way too well. Now Heiji learns that the hardest one to kill is the one inside your own body. "I can’t—" He croaks with all the strength he can muster. "—anymore—kill me."

Kazuha is stepping back from where she is seated near the door, with one hand covering her mouth, and even with all the haze covering his line of sight, Heiji can tell that she is crying even louder than before. I'm sorry for making you do this, he wants to tell her, I'm sorry for leaving you alone. But there's not enough of him left in this body. He feels himself taking steps backwards, getting ready to ram through the door. 

Bam. He slams his body to the thick glass that doesn't budge. Bam. He feels a searing pain in his shoulders. Bam. She is holding the shotgun in one hand. You can do it, Heiji thinks, Goodbye, Kazuha. He can't see where the blur ends and where the red starts. Bam. By now, his urge to prance on her is as strong as his will to say I love you.

He can hear a low sound of countdown—ten... nine—she has pressed the button, now. He'll be gone in mere seconds. 

Three, two, one.

Gunshots sound the same whether you're behind or in front of the gun, Heiji learns. A sharp pain hits the center of his head, burning, stinging.

All the red in his eyes diffuses into black.

•

Inside the house that they managed to break into and settle in, there is a room with a thick glass door. Kazuha has cleared the room after the body of what used to be Heiji started to smell. She has gotten so used to the stench of the dead, but she knows she has to treat him with more grace and respect. That might not be Heiji any longer, but he was fighting until the very end.

It gets lonely, living in a world where everyone else is dead.

Sometimes Kazuha wants to join Heiji and her father and her friends in the afterlife, assuming such a place exists for people who died the way they did. Sometimes Kazuha goes for days without eating, because she barely feels anything, maybe her body is broken. Sometimes Kazuha gets tired of falling to no end, and her thoughts go to the revolver in the drawer, or the shotgun behind the vase. When it happens, she enters the room with a thick glass door, sits down and stares at the floor, reading the words written in the last drops of Heiji's blood out loud.

Live, Kazuha. You said the whole thing will pass.

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

Extinction (Sebastian Stan x You)

Character: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Summary: The world was suffering from a zombie apocalypse. You fell off the train, everybody thought you were dead but turns out you survived from the fall and came back to try and heal your angered, broken heart but with vengeance.

Warning: This probably sucks? Other than that, none. XD

Words: 2,940

A/N: Inspired by the movie Resident Evil. (Love that movie so bad!) But the whole story isn't based on it. I made my own plot. I just took some characters from the game. 😊 I didn't even know how I ended up typing this? Feedbacks are very much appreciated! Aaaaaaaaaah! I’ve made a zombie apocalypse one for Chris Evans as well. Entitled ‘Barely Alive’ and it currently has two parts. Link is right under this author’s note. 

BARELY ALIVE (CHRIS EVANS X YOU) (1ST PART)

Disclaimer: GIF and pictures used are not mine, only the edits are and the whole book of course.  

Everybody was huffing once they've stepped foot on the train, each one completely exhausted from the zombie-human chase that has happened with your group of people who was safe from the infection. The faces of the other group who had been in the train looked relieved that there was still survivors, people who were the same as them, and deep down in your hearts all of you know there were more. Faith was all you were holding on to, the faith to live and stay alive.

There's nothing wrong in having faith, it makes each person stronger. You know everybody who was stepping on the same train as you were strong individuals, people who are striving to stay alive with the world crumbling apart because of the apocalypse.

"This is our train," A shaggy, greasy, long haired man spat, those dark hues filled with fear, overthinking that your group plans on taking the train away from them. You stepped back apprehensively, avoiding the man's rude attitude as Chris (Evans) decided to handle the whole situation since you weren't good at talking to ill-mannered people.

"We won't take your train, we just needed a lift to Arcadia,"  He calmly spoke to the man, hoping he would cooperate and understand the situation at hand. The man still looked agitated by your entrance, his spot was suddenly taken when the leader of their group named Jill stepped in front of him, standing tall and intimidating. Her face slightly tainted by the mixture of dirt, sweat and blood, eyes holding no emotions. "We're headed there, you guys got lucky this time," She slightly smiled, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. You were quick to read the sadness behind those eyes of hers, it was the hint of grief that some of their people have been taken by the infected.

Your eyes scanned your small group of people, Robert's there..Jeremy, Anthony, Paul, Elizabeth, Aaron, Scarlett, basically the whole Marvel cast with their families and the DC cast included. You were the only person whose family was taken away from the Umbrella Corporation. A stranger in a group of famous people, and the only normal human who had survived. You didn't know why your family were the only one who was taken when the others were given as a bait for the dead and only were the only one who had survived from their harsh abduction.

Those dazzling blue eyes you've grown to love landed on yours, a look that says he was relieved you were still standing before him, alive and kicking with no wounds nor scratches. You were all lucky enough to have outrun them this time. Sebastian was quick to engulf you in his arms, hugging you off your feet as you knotted your arms around his neck, hiding your face in between his shoulder, feeling tears forming in your eyes. You were scared for your life and what future does it hold for you both and for everyone. "Shhh," Your lover sweetly hushed, giving your back gentle caresses. You heard him sniff and instantly you knew he was feeling the same way as you.

"We'll survive this apocalypse, we just gotta stick together, Y/N." Everybody was now hugging their loved ones. frightened for what was about to come. Sebastian unwrapped his arms around you, taking your face in his pretty, large hands. It felt soft and slight calloused all together, his eyes looked down on you lovingly, pupils blown in affection, "I love you, we'll stick together until the end..and I'll love you till my last breath, please don't think about giving up,"

Everybody was hugging each other, except from one person who despised you the most when you came into Sebastian's life..Her name was Valentine/Meredith. She was Sebastian's ex-girlfriend, he loves you more than anything in the world, he did everything he didn't do for her, he became the best lover that Y/N dreamed of. A dream that was once wished by Valentine/Meredith. The expected jealousy was bubbled up inside of her, resulting it to turn bigger, rotting  till she couldn't handle anymore.

She did rot. Even though she wasn't a Zombie, the jealousy inside of her began to rot till she did the most malintent thing she ever done in her life.

"N-No! S-Stop!" You groaned and choked around the hand that was tightly wrapped around your neck. Your hands wrapped on the edges of the opened train door, grasping for dear life. You could hear the high-pitched whistle of the air, tempting to try and suck you out of the train.

Your face was beginning to turn paler as each second passes by, lungs starting to desperately heave for some air. Yet, the stranger who had your neck around his large hand appeared to plan on choking till you could see the other side of the world. Death.

"It was you! You and your psychopathic family started this apocalypse!" He shouted, brown eyes glowing with ire.

"T-Those are lies!!!" Your voice croaked, desperately trying to unlatch the stranger's hand--lets name him Will since you've heard Jill talk to the bulky, bald man a while ago-- He didn't stop though, he was triggered to tighten his hold. Sucking the air out of your lungs, "I-I have nothing to do with my father's scientific profession! I know nothing!!"

"LIES! Valentine/Meredith told me every secret you held! Your family was taken by the Umbrella Corporation! You're fucking connected to those son of a bitches!" He spat aloud. You desperately scanned your surroundings. Nobody was around, it was just you, him and an empty train.

Y/N just had to take a piss when suddenly she was pulled by the huge guy who gripped her by the hair so hard, locking them up in the other side of a train where people weren't around. Sebastian was in a group meeting with the others, talking about some plans when your bladder decided to burst in the wrong time.

You couldn't help stop nature.

"You're the fucking antidote that they needed! Your blood is the medicine and answer to this nightmare!" His fingers began to tighten more, leaving no air to enter your throat, making your face turn paler and bluer as each damned second passed by. Your vision was beginning to turn hazy and everything was spinning around.

"The Umbrella corporation will come back and get you! We can't afford another death in our group and even with yours! You're the one who deserves to die! You deserve to get found and get experimented!"

Half of your feet were dangling on the edge of the train. Your heart accelerating as fast as how the train was going. The heavy, harsh wind slapping your face, telling you that you were about to die any moment. Will was forcefully pushing you back, his eyes glowing with feral anger. Only one train of thought running in his mind. He needed the kill.

"S-Somebody! Help! Sebastian!" You desperately breathed, clawing at his hands harsher, but it seemed too feeble to unlatch as you were slowly getting vincible, your strength slowly faltering.

Your bulging eyes hastily searched for any person who could help you. Will was a pretty large person and you..you were small, frail and stiff. Fighting him off would just be a waste of energy because you know you were no match with him.

However, that tiny faith in you screamed to fight him. Use those techniques you see in the movies. There was no harm in trying, and so you did.

Will was a big guy, but he's surely an idiot for bringing you close and breathing in your face because the world just turned upside down and  you've immediately gotten the upper hand when you reached up and roughly pressed his eyes, emitting a guttural scream from the large man. He released your throat, clutching onto his stingy eyes as he moved aside and you've gotten the chance to run, sprinting on the way to the door in haste.

All the pieces of your heart fell apart when a very unbelievable scene unfolded behind the clear train door. An imaginary hand crawling up to your chest, giving it a tight squeeze, making the ache unbearable to handle.

Why? Because Sebastian was fucking kissing Valentine/Meredith.

The pain in your throat came back, but it wasn't because you were being choked again. You could feel your heart sting so bad as Sebastian stood in front of her, his back on you and Valentine's/Meredith's face that you wanted to stab a million times. She was a bitch indeed.

You tightened your palms in either side of you, forgetting the fact that you were in the middle of getting choked to death and thrown outside the train. Your heart was palpitating with different kinds of reason. Anger, pain, jealousy and fear.

Your hand was about to grab the lock, yet you were left banging a hand on the clear door once you felt Will's hand painfully pulling at your roots, yelling a scream that caught everyone's attention at the other side of the door.

Sebastian was utterly frozen in spot when the woman who he held no feelings stood on her tiptoes and pressed a disgusting kiss on his lips, having no shame that everybody was around but were busy talking except from one of his friend named Mackie who clearly bulged his eyes out when she maliciously kissed him in front of them.

She was a damn, hard headed vixen who didn't care about her dignity and had no shame.

Unfortunately, you didn't see Sebastian push her off, reacting with such hostility that made her regret what she did. "What the fuck, Valentine/Meredith?! What the hell's wrong with you?!"

Then he heard a heart stopping scream.

A scream that came from you.

He was fast to turn around, scared of what happened to the love of his life. Yet, he was too late.

Y/N had already fell off the train.

It was that exact moment he knew that his heart would never forgive himself because you were gone.

Just like that, and he won't ever forget to cry every night, mourning for his dying heart.

                                        ༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

6 months after:

"You sure there's still survivors in here?" Claire Redfield asked in a hushed whisper, an American special police officer who was the leader of your group. The sweet-smelling, woody scent of pine trees breezed around all four of you as you stood below a huge, beige Meditteranean house that looked untouched and placid. The house looking clear from the infected.

The four of you decided to check the house, Leon claiming that he saw somebody run from behind the back garden. You didn't know what got into you, but you automatically stood up from your seat of the bus and volunteered to come. Claire didn't hesitate for you to join with them since she knew how trained you are. She knew how tough you got from all the training and sparring you did with her. You weren't the softy that everyone knew before, you were trained to fight and be strong for the better of your future, putting aside those tears and feelings on the ground.

You've changed, you're trying to change and it was for the better. You hoped in the back of your mind.

There were still a lot of survivors inside the bus, currently waiting for what was about to come and anticipating who or what was inside the mansion. All of you stood still as you nervously stand on the porch. Leon was picking on the lock of the door knob, a tiny, faded click signalling everyone that he finally had it open.

"Positive, Claire." You whispered, keeping the gun back in your holster, hiding behind Leon. He wrenched the door knob opened, Eerie silence welcomed you, alerting everyone's senses. You took light steps while parading in, your boots sounding so quiet and theirs as well.

"How sure are you, Y/N?"

You kept your mouth shut, you didn't know how you were sure. It was what your heart could feel, and in the vague point of your mind, a tiny voice was yelling that there was someone in there and despite of your fragmented heart, you hoped it was someone you knew. Someone you loved, and a certain person who broke your heart. Leaving nothing but anger inside your shattered soul.

You fixed your crouching postures once your team stopped inside a circle of a marbled, black floor. The ceiling was too high to reach, a very lavish chandelier dangling on top of your heads. Your hearts skipped a beat when you heard faded foot steps echoing around.

"I am strangling you alive when we're compromised, Y/N!" Leon whisper-yelled. Leaving Claire's question unanswered. You felt a ball stuck in your throat as your eyes skimmed around the mansion, your heart skipping a beat from nervousness, anticipating for what or who was living inside the place.

Everybody heard an ear-wrecking creak, your eyes roamed from left to right, the sound continuously perceptible. "Something's going to fall," Leon uttered, senses on full alert. The creaking sound stopping just as all your breaths did and with a quick clang, everybody knew it was the chandelier falling.

Everybody ducked, rolled and maneuvered away from the circle, leaving you alone and distracted by the hushed whispers echoing inside a certain room from the second floor, seeing a silhouette disappearing in the shadows. Your hands were trembling, breath stopping and eyes focused on the falling chandelier above you. Is that how it all ends for you? To get killed by a huge chandelier falling on your head?

"Y/N!" Your team screamed for your name, your feet were rooted on the ground, trying to accept the fate of your death. Your foot trembled once you took a step back, was it all too late?

Then, you felt a body harshly pushing you away. Your body landing on the floor with a loud and painful thud, your head hitting the floor, the world spun around you like a whirlpool. Darkness hugging you for a moment or so until you realized a warm body was hovering above you, coughing out the dust that was flying all around.

With a blink of an eye, you were met with the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen, the eyes of the man you had ever loved with all your heart, and the only man who have crushed your heart into pieces from the moment your life changed when you fell on that train all the way to Arcadia.

"Y/N??"

His Steele blue eyes turned duller, losing it's glimmer. Earning dark eye bags underneath his feature that you loved the most. The color of his face lost a ton, making him look less happy with his life.

The man above you was like a different man and you were in shock. Completely flabbergasted with your mouth ajar, you've longed for him, for his touch and the warmth radiating off him whenever you both were together.

Yet, everything felt different with the pain inside of your soul. You hardly closed your mouth, spitting out a name that seemed difficult to verbally say for you as he was finally up close and personal for the first time after the accident happened.

You were choking in your own words, mouth keeping a straight line, blinking in the tight feeling forming inside your chest. It was too painful to look at him because all you could recall was the memories with him, coming at you one by one.

"Sebastian?"

It's that exact moment you knew you were dying inside. As much as how he did when he thought he would never get to see you again.

STEVE? LMAO 😥😘 FEEDBACKS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! LIKE AND REBLOG OR COMMENT IF YA WANT MOREEEEE, TATER TOTS! WHO MISSED ME?!

[argylemikewheeler]

SO a lovely anon’s been asking for a screampost about season 2 byeler aaaaand guess who figured out what their screampost is gonna be about??? It’s ME, and it’s the freaking SHED SCENE. But I’m going to yell about it from the POV of an english major who’s writing an honors thesis and thinks they know shit about writing. OKAY LET’S GO:

SO. The main beef I have with the shed scene is: what the fuck was it for? Why was it so long and emotional and well done, if it was just to show the humanity of Will could be engaged/wants to get to showing he knows Morse code. Like, we see three stories told to him before we get him tapping out “HERE”. Why have those three? Why have everyone in the room? I understand the montage after with the music and the different stories is to keep the Mindflayer distracted and Will engaged. Makes sense!!! But that first part. That FIRST PART.

It’s extremely weird to think that it was just meant to be casual. Like. Of course I have time for character/dialogue analysis but first– as a writer (and this is just ME of course, I’m not an authority at ALL) I know that kind of scene. It’s where all the plot kind of lifts for a bit and you have this free spaces to create this MOMENT. It’s just for Will, it’s just shameless background– and it’s the most important moments of Will too.

It’s his Mom, his brother, and his best friend– who, no matter how you look at Mike, he’s been there the entire time. Mike’s plot started out being Minus One Eleven Plus One Broken Heart and became I’m Worried About Will and I’m Going To Make Sure I’m There For Him. I Said Crazy Together, Dammit. And that makes him logistically even with Will’s own mother and his brother speaking to him.

So the writers choose to have this moment for Will. It’s their chance to let these actors work their chops, get some background, let us feel SUPER invested in Will making it out Alive and Human, and also learn something about these relationships– before Will became Zombie Boy. Before the Upside Down. They know this is the moment to really just Go Off and Create. I mean, they have the open space! They can say whatever they want and make it canon! It’s a blank canvas of a scene that’s just WAITING to make us cry. And they tell three stories: Rainbow Ship with Joyce, Castle Byers with Jonathan, and Becoming Friend with Mike.

I’m looking at this like I was sitting in the writer’s room and I was thinking about what I would want to do and have each character say– and I acknowledge I do not write for a multi-million dollar netflix series and that shit is not easy. but WITH THAT SAID. I still, you guessed it, HAVE some THOUGHTS.

Jonathan’s story makes the most sense– very like Point-A to Point-B to me. It’s not a cheap shot or anything, but that story makes sense to tell. It’s something that 1. explains how Castle Byers came to be 2. gave us some timeline stuff 3. showed us how Jonathan dealt with the separation and 4. how close he and Will truly are, because most of the time Jonathan is just trying to save Will; they don’t really hang out, ya know? It’s a great story and writing wise it does a WHOLE BUNCH.

But it also does this really weird fifth thing of showing us that this is the first story that Jonathan thought to tell when faced with trying to reach Will. It’s the most emotionally rooted– I mean? That’s his brother! That was their father! And NOW, Will’s got a safe space! One that they made together. That’s so beautiful and human and definitely able to cut through The Mindflayer. Jonathan’s first story, and actually all of his stories, are rooted in things he did to get Will out of the abusive environment his father was creating. Jonathan’s first instinct and memory to bring Will back is: I know what you’ve been through and I know that you were scared, but you survived that. And you’re going to get back to us and survive this. Great writing, right? Good shit.

Then we get to Joyce and the Rainbow Ship! She tells this story of feeling SO proud of her son for creating something all his own. I’m not going to say anything about the, uh, rainbow thing, but we all know it’s there. They decided that not only was this ship just Different, it was Rainbow too. Crazy. But, the main point here is that the first story she chooses to tell Will to bring him back is probably one he doesn’t even think about often– which is a really great story for a Mom to have, when you think about it. What kid remembers what drawings they did– especially if they were embarrassed about it.

Well, Joyce comes through trying to pick at such a small and minute memory that only her Will would know. It’s the moment she, in a way, really started to see her son for what he is: creative and unrestrained by convention, bubbly and inventive, and just this happy joyous kid. This was probably one of those moments that she sat at the table alone, looking at the picture and hearing her son scribbling in the other room, and thinking oh i really have someone special here. oh i have to protect him.

For writing, Joyce’s moment was very detailed, completely new for the audience– but added a lot about Will’s childhood. The happy one that we know gets turned around down the line (before it goes Upside Down). Joyce misses her son and this story is a way for us to see that aching side of her and just CRY with her. It’s easy (not cheap though of course) tears and it’s incredible.

And then. And then the writers have Mike come into the mix. Like, we get the shot of Joyce and Jonathan together, wetly laughing at Will being “so bad at hammering” and the shot of Will’s hand trembling. And as a writer, I know, we’re there. We’re almost there. We set it up– Three’s a magic number. Send him over the edge let Will finally reach reality again AND–

It’s. It’s fucking Mike Wheeler. Bringing up the first day they met. Letting us in on the backstory we have NO primer to. Like, Byers Family Drama is semi-known; we know that there Is history there and it’s being given to us slowly. But how Mike and Will met? We have NO IDEA– we’ve just seen this boy calling when he’s out sick, being concerned when he’s quiet, assuring him he’ll keep him safe, “crazy together”, helping him explain his Bad Vibes with Dart without speaking over him, and just constantly thinking about Will’s well being while they’re fighting a literal monster.

So now, the writers have shown us this pure dedication and loyalty and go: they’ve known each other since they were FIVE. They make the decision in this moment that they want to tell us that Mike is literally Will’s longest and best friend. Nearly as long as this boy has been able to form memories he has known Michael Wheeler. That’s the move. That’s the info we get and that is chosen to be given. Mike’s friendship is turned into a center of Will’s formative years by simply implying that this story needs to be told to both Will and the audience. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.

This story also, from a writing perspective, says a lot about Mike! They chose to have Mike remember the first day they met– not when the party all met or anything like that. No. Just the two of them. The writers don’t cop out on this moment at ALL. Like they take FULL advantage of this free moment and build such an intimate and short memory between characters you’re just supposed to Understand are friends. Like, the backstory isn’t always important sometimes– but right here, they tell us it is.

They tell us that Mike being alone and scared is something that stuck with him, it’s something he’s afraid of having happen again if he loses Will. They tell us that Will was a loner all the way back then too, but he doesn’t seem to mind being one (or being different). And then, mixed in with this backstory that shows both Mike and Will really haven’t changed they throw in that… uh….

Asking Will to be his friend is the best thing Mike has ever done. They wrote that sentence without any jokes, no laughs, no weak smile– Finn says that line and it’s dead. fucking. serious. The moment that speech was written into that scene, that entire relationship’s gravity changed.

And writers have to know that. They HAVE TO. Because of how close Will and Mike were the entire episode, there’s no way that this was a Red Herring– something just to throw us off the scent of… Will breaking through, I guess? Because he literally taps the chair in the next minute. It’s not a decoy scene or, as expected honestly, played for laughs. It’s a completely serious moment of an eighth grade boy, that has been emotional and angry and lashing out all season, stand in front of his friend and just CRY.

And what’s worse. Mike seems to only cry when El is involved (at the end of s1 and when Hopper tells him he was hiding her). And THAT’S a parallel, of course, but not only that, but the writers chose to show Mike having non-romantic emotional range. Which is GREAT, but dude this scene is SO… Tender??? Seeing a young boy cry at the feet of his best friend that he thinks he’s losing? And recounting the FIRST MOMENT THEY MET because that’s the BEST FIRST MEMORY? Like, literally just becoming Will’s friend is the best one because it allowed him to have every other memory? Dude that’s so profound. That’s so incredible to think of and to write.

And for no one in that room full of straight white dudes to say: Uh…. maybe that’ll seem gay in the 80s is CRAP. Sorry, not to be that piece of shit, but I know that they thought about it. So for them to still keep the speech in– even with their DUDE THAT’S GAY Monkey Brains going off– says something to me, as a writer. And not in a “they wanted to be progressive” kind of way.

They wrote a beautifully tender moment between Mike and Will, in a scene that could have been anything they wanted, with only Will’s family present. That scene was a creative writers dream! A free-for-all! A moment to just fucking make shit up and go crazy!!! and they decided to go with That…. BRO, ngl I’m kinda emo about it STILL….

Okay. I don’t know if this makes any sense, but as someone who’s writing a longer piece that has many character relationships to juggle and show the reader piece by piece, this moment of OH we can give Will some Memories and Audience Some Background is very clear to me– and I don’t mean that like, it’s cheaply done or it’s obvious in a bad way. I just know the vibe: when you get to sit and ask yourself WHAT do I want to say about my character here. It doesn’t have to be related to ANYTHING ELSE that’s happening. I get the reins back. What. Do. I. Want. To. Say.

And they chose. To Say THAT.

I’m not going to scream about season 3 because I think st3 needs st4 to make sense all the way. Like, I think it’s a set up for the Big Finale, so I won’t say they “didn’t follow through with ANY OF IT” because maybe they will. But let’s just say, if they do not. Please print this out and send it to the Duffer Brothers.

Alright. Word, thanks for reading this ridiculous rant

[panharmonium]

stranger things 3, a visual summary:

more coherent thoughts under the cut, because wow.

......okay.  that was a Trainwreck.  an absolute mess.

i remember when my coworkers were watching S3 (and still urging me to start season 1) and they were saying how amazing the latest season was, and honestly i think there must just be a difference in people who watch tv just to be entertained and people who watch tv and automatically evaluate the story (aka fandom veterans and English majors, lol - cue Me twice), because WHO could watch this critically and praise it that way?

it's honestly hard to know where to even begin; i've been sending frustrated notes to @brambleberrycottage ever since episode three and now that i'm done with episode 8 there's just......so much more to say

first, good things:

erica is a great character.  she's what max should have been (aka, uh.......interesting!)  i liked the realization moment where dustin was like "you're a NERD!"

that entire sequence where will is so upset with lucas and mike for not being engaged with the dnd game was very well done, especially the conversation he has with mike out in the rain.  i loved that moment where mike asked him "did you think we were just going to hang out in my basement playing games forever?" and will said, "yeah.  yeah, i guess i did."  i really felt that.  [edit, now that i've finished: this was never resolved.  will giving away his dnd books at the end was not an actual resolution to this conflict.]

steve is still a good dude, and robin was pretty cool.  i'm down for them being super friends.  but i'm still mourning the steve+nancy+jonathan trio that was a thing for like 5 seconds and then never returned.

i loved how genuinely excited steve was to see dustin when dustin came back from camp.  that was adorable.  "HENDERSON!!!!"  "how many children are you friends with?"

and uh. yeah.  i had more problems with this season than praise-bestowing moments, so.  here goes that bit.

OVERARCHING PROBLEMS:

1. keep it simple, stupid

remember in the office when dwight quoted the above advice to ryan as michael's rule for making a sale?  the same advice applies to storytelling.

season 1 of stranger things is so simple.  there is One Monster.  that is the danger.  and somehow, that single monster manages to be a thousand times more terrifying than all of these new "bigger, scarier, more epic" threats crammed into the second two seasons.

how goofy is the stranger things season 3 plot, seriously?  russians are blackmailing a small-town mayor so they can buy up land to steal power from the town while operating a secret lab under the mall to open a gate to the Upside Down (WHY?), while simultaneously a remnant of the malevolent force that was "defeated" last season has reanimated itself and is making people scarf chemicals (WHY?), and then it possesses one of them and uses that person to possess a bunch of other people in order to build itself a body made out of melted people, in order to kill el, whose only story this season is breaking up with her boyfriend, and we have to infiltrate this russian base in order to close the gate (same endgame as last season - BIG NO-NO) to kill the goo monster, except last time the "mindflayer” survived the gate being closed, so why would this even WORK, and -

the fact that there are so many "round-up/info dump" scenes where characters summarize what's going on and make implausibly accurate connections/guesses about what it all must mean is a red flag.  the characters shouldn’t have to tell your story to the audience.  if it's too complicated for us to keep straight on our own, it's too complicated.  

the amount of energy that goes into trying to lash together a Chaos Plot with too many shaky legs leaves nothing left over for nuanced character development or mood establishment.  you're constantly running to catch up to your own flimsy story before it collapses on top of itself.

2. the horror!

S1 of stranger things was the scariest thing i'd ever seen.

granted, i don't watch a lot of horror, because i don't like it.  i get scared too easily and then i legitimately can't sleep.  i watched a horror movie five years ago that i still think about every time the lights are off in my house.  but still, ST1 was something i had never experienced before.

it wasn't creature horror, and it wasn't just suspense.  it was the UNSETTLINGNESS of it all.  it wasn't really about the monster.  it was about the Upside Down.

the reason ST1 is so successful is because of how much we don’t know.  it's the horror of not understanding what is happening, and the terror of knowing that nobody thinks it’s real.  feeling like you're going crazy and being cut off from all assistance.  the conspiracy and the cover-up.  and the sheer unsettlingness of the whole parallel worlds things just tipped me over the edge - the idea that you can take one wrong step and then be suddenly and without warning completely off the map, simultaneously right next to the people you want to get to and also utterly beyond their reach.  that was fucking scary!!!!  

and they do it all with so little.  i have literally never been more scared in my life than when i would see those christmas lights start flickering.  and they're just LIGHTS!  yes, we see the monster later, but it's the uncertainty that's most frightening.  we don't understand how it arrives in our world, and we don’t know where it will show up next.  it could be right next to you - on the other side.  you could be standing on top of it.  you just don't know.  it’s like what jonathan says to nancy in her bedroom - “it can’t get us in here.”  and she says, “we don’t know that.”

the later seasons of stranger things, by comparison, did not scare me at all.  season two was like a zombie movie - hordes of weak enemies that you can just shoot with a gun.  and season 3 was even less frightening - upping the ante and making things gorier, more explosive, and bigger just isn't the vibe they set in S1.  i'm not scared of that giant goop monster.  it's like godzilla.  it's not horror; it's just a lot of noise.

the unsettling, "creep" factor that made season 1 so effective was gone.  it just turned into a regular old monster movie, and i didn't find that particularly interesting.

3. illogical, captain

a while ago there was a wave of pushback against people complaining about plot holes, but you know what?  there is, in fact, an appropriate place for us to talk about plausibility, as well as the point at which our suspension of disbelief collapses.

ST3 is a bona fide plausibility disaster.  i did not believe half of the story, because it was not unfolding in a believable way.

half of the plot points in this season would not have happened if the characters had been behaving with any kind of sense.  it is absolutely impossible for me to believe that none of these children IMMEDIATELY went to joyce or hopper the minute they knew something weird was going on.  it makes no sense.  after the shit they've seen?  it makes sense in season 1, because the kids are still so young that they have that kind of magical thinking that makes all of this seem kind of like an adventure.  but they're teenagers now, and developmentally, they’re past that stage.  they know the evil creature is back and they're pretty sure it's possessing billy?  for some unfathomable reason, they don't go to an adult, but try to trap billy in the sauna and just see what happens.  the other group has actual proof that russian soldiers are up to something shady in the mall?  they don't tell an adult; they send a TEN YEAR-OLD in through the AIR DUCTS to investigate the secret room guarded by MEN WITH GUNS.

this is ridiculous.  none of this should have happened.  none of this WOULD have happened.  it breaks the boundaries of disbelief.  it completely sabotages the audience’s engagement with the story - joyce and hopper's whole detour with alexei and murray is so dull, because its entire purpose is to bring hop and joyce up to speed on something that we, the audience, already know.  the other characters already found out this stuff, but did not communicate it - the gate is being opened again in a russian lab underground.  there's no suspense for us.  nothing new is revealed.  we're just waiting for them to hurry up and finish finding out so we can move on to the next thing.

moreover: there are so many other problems besides just "these characters would have talked to each other."  why on earth would murray, whose sole characteristic is extreme paranoia, take alexei wandering around the festival for hot dogs and carnival games.  why would hopper be so virulently against the possibility that weird shit might be happening again?  does he remember the past year or what?  how on earth would the kids be able to fight off that massive monster with an ax and a hunting rifle?  it's made out of dead guts and bones; why does it care if they shoot it?!  how in the WORLD is this russian facility so penetrable?  i'm sorry, it's just - beyond believable.  it doesn't have cameras?  the russians guards really can't tell that murray isn't a native speaker?  they don't check his id when they don't recognize him?  joyce and hopper really just got that lucky, to be asked a question and have “smile and nod” be the right answer?  nobody ever got shot?  it's silly.  it's just silly.  so many things - erica uses the "Open" button to open the elevator door in order to let steve and robin and dustin inside, but once the elevator is at the bottom of the shaft, robin explains the door's inexplicable non-opening because......you apparently need a keycard to use the buttons????  THAT MAKES NO SENSE; ERICA JUST USED THE BUTTONS A SECOND AGO.

even the entire endgame of this season is a contradiction!  if the mind-flayer survived el closing the gate last time, it doesn't make sense that closing the gate this time would kill it.  literally the entire plot of last season was "we need to get this thing out of will, because the creature will die once the gate is closed, and we want to make sure will doesn't die with it."  but apparently the creature didn't die upon closing the gate; it just got trapped in our dimension.  but now apparently it WILL die upon closing the gate.  for whatever fucking reason.

i'm sorry, but that’s a mess.  that’s a bona fide mess.

4. watch your tone

i honestly think the tonal change is the thing that made me the most frustrated about this season.  it's possible to have a terrible plot and still stay relatively true to your characters - you'll still have a bad season, but at least you didn't bastardize your characters in the process.

i had issues with S2 and i definitely was not as impressed with it as i was with S1, but at least in S2 joyce and hopper were recognizable.  in S3, i felt like i was watching strangers.  the tonal shift was bizarre and off-putting, more so with hopper than joyce, but it affected both of them.  

even as early as the very beginning of this season, i was feeling weird about how often hopper was being used for comedy.  and as the season progressed, this trend only became more pronounced.  almost every scene we had of him felt silly - and not like there was just something funny in the scene for me to laugh at, but like the audience was almost being asked to laugh AT him.  like he was constantly the butt of the joke.  

this really bothered me.  from that incredibly sincere and heart-wrenching portrayal of him in season 1, when they kept him rooted in the trauma of losing his daughter and the breakdown of his marriage, and then how that same trauma made him so driven to save will and protect the kids - what a change.  even in season 2 i was frustrated how the throughline of his daughter wasn’t touched again until the very last episode, and now in season 3 we’ve left that part of him so far behind that he's just there for us to laugh at.  we're supposed to laugh at scenes of him being drunk and a mess.  every scene he's in is either him arguing with joyce for comedic relief or being way over the top with alexei or the mayor.  he was like a caricature of himself, and i didn't recognize him.  

joyce suffered from the same thing, just by virtue of proximity.  she spent almost all of her time in this season with hopper, and virtually all of that time was taken up with silly shenanigans or comically overblown arguing.  what a departure from the desperate mother of season 1, who was maligned by everyone in town and only taken seriously by the audience.  now it’s the audience who are supposed to be chuckling at her.  

i dunno.  the tone shift was very dramatic, very obvious, and it impacted the entire season.  are we supposed to be taking this seriously or is it supposed to be a joke?  a little bit of humor to break tension can be a good thing, but when it's constant, it confuses the mood.  

and i personally don't think it was appropriate or respectful to either of these characters, in this case.

SMALLER THINGS THAT BOTHERED ME:

this show has 100% hit maximum character saturation.  by the end of this season there were 13 core characters onscreen at the same time, in the same scene!  it’s too many people!  they cannot reasonably develop that many people in the space allotted.

i still am not interested in max.  i don't feel anything for her.  she doesn't feel real.  i don't hate her, but she's just an empty vessel, and i really do think she's superfluous to this show.  i think you could remove her with very little reworking and the show would be stronger for it.  (they TRIED to do something interesting with billy, and i might have cared if we had been given literally any reason to care about him previously, but there was no investment earned there.  they didn't do the front-end work to make him somebody we were interested in.)

weird relationship sunderings from previous seasons.  i felt very strange about jonathan barely even seeing will this entire season.  i felt very strange about steve having almost zero contact with nancy.  i felt very strange about joyce hardly ever interacting with her kids.  all of these were core relationships - the characters were BUILT on those relationships, and they don't feel real outside of them.  not seeing these characters devote time to these relationships makes it feel like i'm watching a slightly different show.

the VIOLENCE.  apparently this is a beat-em-up now???  i really felt like every other scene somebody was getting beaten to a bloody pulp.  there was SO much smashing and bashing and throwing people into walls and fistfights and head trauma like - first of all, i find that stuff pretty boring, and second of all, all of these people should be in the hospital.  

the GORE.  other people’s mileage may vary, obviously; i just didn't like that.  i looked away at the scene with the rat, and all this...goopy dissolving human shit, and the stabbings, and just...general grossness level - season 1 managed to be bloodcurdlingly terrifying without any of this stuff.

i know this borders on nitpicky, but yet more medical malfeasance - another example of someone receiving an injection via the mysterious 90 degree angle neck route, plus - was anyone else losing it at the fact that steve and robin “puked up” a drug they received……..via injection??????  IT’S NOT IN THEIR STOMACHS, FOLKS!  THEY CAN’T PUKE IT UP!  IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT!

the complete lack of follow-up to last season.  the whole S3 plotline (such as it is) feels like a weird side quest.  last season seemed to be furthering the mythos and setting us up for "there are other children like el/brenner is alive" - but this season, that fact appears to have been forgotten by everyone (even el!!!) and has nothing to do with the story that we're given, which is a goofy and redundant story about russians opening a secret lab under the mall which requires us to solve the exact same problem as last season (closing the gate).

this show's inability to keep certain throughlines in its headlights/keep things visible on the periphery instead of dropping them completely and then bringing them back whenever they feel like they need it again.   i already talked about hopper’s daughter as an example of this (done well in S1 and poorly in S2 and S3).  another example is that scene with nancy and her mom - it’s such a good scene, and yet it misses out on so much resonance, because they completely dropped the plotline of karen feeling locked out of her kids’ lives and desperately wanting to connect with them.  if they had continued to reference that throughout season 2, then this scene would have been so much more powerful.   as a third example, season 3 starts with a clear context/premise, and it’s INTERESTING - the town landscape changing because of the mall, business slow to non-existent, small town discontent over big corporations moving in, hopper pressured to break up the protest against mayor kline when he should have let it proceed - and then the show just drops that entire context.  you expect season 3 to stay rooted in the "our small town is being strangled by this mall" and then to eventually deal with the revitalization of hawkins, but nah.  it's never mentioned again.

LASTLY:

i'm not really gonna get into hopper "dying," because he's, like...clearly not dead.  but the whole situation was stupid and contrived (i was so sick of that arnold schwarzenegger lookalike by the last episode, god that whole thing was so dumb) and it's even cheaper knowing that he'll obviously be back.

what i AM gonna say is that i was livid that they brought back that peter gabriel cover of "heroes" to end this season.  their use of that song in S1 blew my mind - it had me stunned with how GORGEOUS it was and just, the way it worked in that particular scene - absolutely incredible.  floored me.  gave me chills.  to recycle it at the end of such a poorly constructed season made me so mad.  yOU CAN'T MAKE ME FEEL THINGS JUST BY REUSING THIS SONG.  I REFUSE TO HAVE EMOTIONS JUST BECAUSE YOU PULL OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL TRACK THAT YOU ONCE USED TO GREAT EFFECT; YOUR STORY WAS STILL TERRIBLE THIS TIME AROUND; DO NOT TRY TO TRICK FEELINGS OUT OF US THAT HAVEN’T BEEN EARNED.  

and that's it.  i’m sure later i’ll think of other things i neglected to mention here, but...yeah.  i was not impressed.  

[duker42]

Can I get a AU where levi and the reader hate each other. They are in their late 20s. I've been into a lot of zombie things lately spooky season hasn't left my system yet so maybe they hate each other, they used to be friends but some stupid reason they fought and are both stubborn af. when the outbreak happens and are forced to work together. Over time they become friends, she saves him, he saves her....

Sorry it took me so long. Hopefully you still have the spooky spirit going on!

💜Surviving Love💜

At the end of the damn world, Y/N was the last person he wanted to be near. He would rather having anyone else beside him when the dead started attack the living, feasting on their flesh and turning the world upside down.

It was stupid to hold a grudge over something like this when society as a whole collapsed around them in fear and disorganization, but their arguments still flashed through his mind. The feeling of her fist against his jaw still aching, months after their falling out.

It was only by pure fucking happenstance that they were near each other when the shit hit the fan. They had reluctantly stayed together, believing in safety in numbers as they made their way through the panicked throng of people. He had to admit that even through he still hated her, she needed him around enough to watch his back sufficiently, not willing to let the one link to normal times time on her.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. Everyday was a fight against a growing horde of the undead, scrounging for supplies and constantly moving to try and find a safe place to stay.

They worked well together, the former dredges of their friendship letting the other anticipate how how they would react in a given situation. It had saved their skins multiple times. Levi had lost count of the number of times she had killed a zombie right before it could take a bit out of his ass and vice versa.

He wouldn’t call them friends yet, but they were no longer the enemies they had been the day she had grabbed his hand and pulled him into her car.

They slept next to each other, telling one another it was just the practical thing to do as they huddled for warmth. They didn’t admit the need for comfort in the chaotic world. It was just them most of the time, other survivors and come and been killed, most of them thinking that a couple of 20 year old kids knew jack shit about surviving. But they were left standing when they escaped the carnage.

Until today. He was trapped, his grey eyes wide as he saw more zombies than he knew that he would be able to take out. It was hopeless. Today was the day he died. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know what day it was, or where it was, he was going to become a meal for the disgusting rotting monsters clawing at the small pole he was on. They were trying to get him, the pressure of their bodies pushing against the old and splintering pole, making it shift in the ground.

Y/N started banging on a street sign a few yards away with a pipe. “Over here!!!! You bastards, over here!”

Levi watched, horror filling his throat, making him unable to shout at her as they turned towards her and started moving her direction. She darted down an alleyway, out of his sight, drawing most of the creatures away from him.

He jumped down and started hacking at the dead, cleaving their heads in two with the machete he meticulously sharpened every chance he got. His heart lurched as he heard a scream in the distance, just knowing that it had to be Y/N.

He killed the last one and sank to his knees. They shouldn’t have been here. It was his fault, wanting to leave the little house they found for something to eat. He should have listened to her. But instead, they were swarmed and she sacrificed herself for him.

Tears filled his eyes as he thought about the look she had given him in that moment before she had run off. Her eyes dark with some emotion, her lips smiling at him before she had given him a small nod.

The drops of salty grief fell to the dirty pavement as he realized he had loved her. His irritation at her teasing, his unease when he knew that she was bathing, his concern when she shivered it had all told him what he had refused to acknowledge. He had been in love with Y/N the entire time. And now it was too late to do anything about it.

it was stupid and dangerous out in the open, but he was so caught up in his grief he didn’t hear the slow footsteps towards him. Didn’t see the figure approach him from the corner of his lowered eyes. He was too busy looking down at his blood stained hands, realizing her blood was now on them. It was a stain he could never wash off.

“You miss me that much, huh? Crybaby.” Her tone was ironic and dry.

His head shot up to find her looking down at him, tired amusement on her face. He jumped to his feet and pulled her against him, his arms squeezing her tightly as he breathed raggedly.

“You idiot! You should have run away. Saved yourself. How the hell did you escape them?” He angrily scolded.

“I fell into a collapsed sewer. My ankle is sprained but they all fell into the hole with me and I managed to make my way to a man hole and got away.” She quipped as she thought about just how lucky she was.

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Levi mumbled.

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Your welco-“

She stopped as Levi had pulled back and covered her sarcastic reply with his mouth. His tongue was insistent, pressing into her mouth and desperately moving inside. The kiss was hungry, passionate as he held her head in his hands, afraid she would pull away.

She hadn’t, instead pulling him closer and letting her own tongue map his mouth as they embraced. Her taste filled his senses and he knew that he wasn’t going to let her retreat when they got back to that little house they were in. He pulled back and stared into her eyes, his own swirling with love and lust. He didn’t say anything else, just grabbed her hand and hurried back to the safety of their refuge.

~~~~~

Levi was so damn nervous it was funny. His hands shook slightly as he waited for her to finish. The property they were on had a gas hot water heater, allowing them to take hot baths for the first time in months. He had gone first, cleaning the blood and sweat off of his skin before letting her use the tub.

When he heard her undressing, his mouth and gone dry and he had raced downstairs to make sure that the property was secured. The wrought iron fence surrounding the grounds was secure. The chain they had used to lock the gate still holding. They were safe for the night.

He had gone back inside and found himself back upstairs. Waiting, perched on the bed, for her to come out of the bath. He knew what was going to happen, his body taunt with need as he heard her splashing in the water. Imagining her skin pink with the heat of the water, soft and clean as she rose up.

He heard the drain a moment later, his hands fisting in the sheets as the door opened and she came out. Her hair was damp, hanging loosely around her shoulders. The tiny towel covering her barely as she stepped into the room. Her eyes flashed when she saw him sitting on the bed, his own attire consisting of just his boxers.

Y/N stood in front of him, her body within his reach as she untucked the towel and let it fall to the floor.

Levi gulped and reached for her.

His hands were gentle a first, until his control snapped. Then they were harsh, demanding as they raced over her body. Pushing her to feel, to experience what little joy they had left in the world.

He pulled her down onto the bed, rolled her under him. His mouth was hot and insistent as he kissed her. His fingers probing and quick as they found her sex, pushing inside her. His groans were covered by her own louder sounds. She couldn’t think of anything but him in that moment.

He pulled away and took off his boxers, his arousal heavy and throbbing as he looked down at her. His cock twitching as she spread her thighs for him, her glistening sex waiting. Her own hands were demanding as she pulled her down to her, reaching between them to guide him to his own version of paradise.

The first thrust was magical, everything he had ever imagined it would be. Tight and hot, painfully pleasurable as she absorbed him into her body. He didn’t pause, immediately losing control and starting to move inside her. She wasn’t complaining, her hips moving with him, her legs locked around him, pulling him deeper into her as they moved.

It was like touching the sun, their passion burning hot, consuming them both as they worked with one another. Pushing the other higher with every touch, every move, every moan. Until they finally broke together, spiraling down into blinding pleasure as they each cried out the others name.

When it was done, they were exhausted. Unable to do much more than lay there in each other’s arms. The peace they felt belied the horrors right outside the gates as they drifted off to sleep in the moonlight.

They were surviving the end of the world together, surviving the daily horrors together, surviving love.

Mobile MasterList

[letterstothemidnightsociety]

And I’m back from my midseason finale, continuing my journey to decipher how and why a show about two sexy brothers who hunt ghosts aired on television for over a decade. It’s Supernatural! 

Back in 2009, when I rushed head long from “Salvation”/”Devil’s Trap straight into “In My Time of Dying” (Kripke, you’re being a real bitch with these titles), I was not the TV connoisseur who writes tumblr posts about ancient shows that you read before you. The cliffhanger at the end of “Devil’s Trap” is good enough that it didn’t matter that I’d just crossed the threshold from the first season into the second season. What mattered was that Dean was dying in the back seat and holy shiz, they crushed the Impala?? So I popped out one DVD disc and happily plugged in the next without stopping to think what a new season might mean.

Of course, I knew second seasons were precious. You watch Firefly ONCE and you know the fear of a Show Cancelled Too Soon. Supernatural, apparently, was on the edge of cancellation after season 1, but it’s renewal coincided with the birth of the brand new CW, a network built from the ashes of The WB and UPN respectively, that was in need of nightly programming to fill up the air. So Supernatural was saved (aha) from the Cancellation Bear and remained in it’s (primo) Thursday night time slot, 9pm warning label in-tact. 

What do we say to the Cancellation Bear? Not Today!

That’s not to diminish the importance of it’s renewal for season 2! Depending on what network or cable channel (or year), only something like 20 - 30% of freshman shows get renewed for a season 2. To be fair, if every show that aired in the fall got renewed in the spring, there’d be no time slots left for new freshman shows the following fall, so something’s gotta give. SPN getting a season 2, even if the odds were a little more in their favor than they might want you to think, is still pretty miraculous, especially for 2006. Remember, this is pre-streaming services acquiring original content. In 2006, Netflix was a rental service that focused on mailing you DVDs. Via the U.S. Postal Service. And they wouldn’t officially start acquiring distribution licenses for broadcast shows (let alone their own content) until 2007 - two years after SPN started airing. In the early 2000′s, there were fewer opportunities for television shows to make it in front of an audience because there were fewer options for watching television. I’ll say it a hundred times - Supernatural is a DINOSAUR. 

So what do you do when you’re gripped tight and raised from cancellation after your first season? Well if your Supernatural, you start off with one helluva bang.

Maybe more of a wallop. 

As should be obvious by now, I watch a lot of supernatural and Supernatural-Adjacent television. I love a Season One, but very often those shows start to go downhill in Season 2. Why? For the simple fact that your characters are too good now. They’re too powerful. They’ll never be as vulnerable as they were in season 1, and if there’s no vulnerability, there’s less concern about their survivability. I’m not as invested in these characters because I’m not worried about them anymore. There’s not tension of will they/won’t they - you know they will, in the end, overcome. Of course, the solution to this conundrum is to level your villains up alongside your heroes. The trouble with that strategy is you end up with ludicrously, laughably super strong villains that lose their grounding in reality. This is a problem I foresee for SPN post season 5, but I haven’t gotten there yet, so I’ll leave that alone for right now.

So for me, what Supernatural does at the start of season 2 is genius. Think about the end of season 1 - our boys lose. They straight up failed. They had one goal - kill the demon that killed their women mom/wife and girlfriend - and they did not even remotely do that. They’re beaten, they’re bloody and now, just when we think they can’t lose any more, they lose some more. 

I’m gonna be real honest here, this was a real turn on for me Sammy.

First it’s Baby. For two boys who hop from cheap motel to cheap motel, I think it’s safe to say that the Impala is basically their home. They lose the fight and then they lose their home. That’s rough.

Also, Bobby, I love you, but WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S SCRAP?!?!

Next, they almost lose Dean. Dean is the only thing that’s keeping this family together and he is donezo. He’s so gone, a Reaper is concocting an elaborate hallucination to get him to come to terms with his imminent demise. Which honestly, is a very nice thing for this Reaper to do, but also bb, don’t you do it!

You gotta hand it to this Reaper, she really knew allll the right buttons to push.

Next, we lose the Colt. They have one (1) weapon to use against the Yellow-Eyed-Demon and John gives it away. Is he also finally acknowledging that his children require his love and care? Yes. Is this the shittiest decision he’s ever made, even if it is to save the life of his firstborn? ALSO YES.

Pretty damn stupid, JOHN.

And finally, in the last 5 minutes of the episode, we lose John Winchester himself. And this bitch ain’t coming back. He’s gone. He’s gone for good. Sam and Dean spent months searching for their father, building up this legend of a man, and we as an audience spent months right along with them, only to watch him die in the first episode of season 2! Sam and Dean don’t start out season 2 back at square one, they’re back at square -10. Sure they know who the bad guy is now, but they don’t know how to find him, don’t know how to kill him, and the only person who did know can’t help them anymore! And to top it all off, they don’t even have a ride back from the hospital!

JK, we all know Bobby came and picked them up and took him back to his place, he’s the Real Hero of this show. 

Also, I’m getting ahead of myself here but I’m on a roll - John’s last words to Dean are basically a threat that oh yeah, you have one more thing that this war on hell will steal from you. If you can’t save your brother, you’ll have to kill him. Sure John. Sure. Dean’s definitely gonna do that, John, you bitch.

And they don’t just write this loss off. Over the next three episodes we see how deep this failure goes. Sure, our guys are still out there, doing their thing, killing evil sonsabitches, but damn they are torn up and they are not handling it well. 

Listen, I don’t know what your viewing experience is like, but the recaps on my dvd play this scene every episode for the next, like, five episodes. 

“Everybody Loves a Clown” is a very clear attempt to get back to normal. So clear that they even say it in the episode somewhere, but they have a lot of climbing to do before they get anywhere near normal. They’re driving around in a minivan, they’re taking cases from strangers, they’re living as carnies - their whole world is upside down.

We get another low blow in “Bloodlust.” Dean learns that a) no one can replace his father and b) that Monster doesn’t necessarily mean Evil. So at the end of the episode, when he asks Sam, “What if we killed things that didn’t deserve killing,” you feel it like a gut punch. Dean doesn’t even get to keep his own faith that he’s doing the right thing anymore.

Hey buddy. While you’re down on the ground, we thought we’d kick ya a little bit, OK?

And then we round that out with “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things,” a nice zombie episode that is definitely not about the zombies. Sam and Dean are still grieving the death of their father in a very real way and I actually think Sam’s idea to visit their mom’s grave is really nice. He obviously took several psych courses and is handling grief in a much healthier, mature way than Dean. That being said, when he starts to go all Psych Major on Dean, even I want to slap him in the face. And then that whole attitude really bites him in the ass when Dean finally does open up and he realizes he’s not qualified to therapize this shit.

Oh no, it OK, don’t be cry!

See, we as the audience know that John Winchester traded his own soul to save Dean’s life, but Dean was in a coma with a Reaper, so there’s no way to know what Dean knows. But that bitch is astute and he figures it out. The Colt gone, their dad gone, and that horrible wrong sensation when he woke up in the hospital all point to the fact that John’s final gift to his son was the crushing weight of guilt. Dean knows that John should be here with Sam, would be here with Sam, if it wasn’t for Dean. And since a demon was involved, Dean probably suspects where John is right now. And that is something that he is just gonna have to carry for the rest of forever. I mean, I love Dean and I’m glad he’s still here, but that’s a real dick move John. 

John Winchester. Ruining Lives from Before and Beyond the Grave. 

Notice the change in this season - with the exception of the Yellow Eyed Demon, these first few episodes are not about the monster. These are Feelings Episodes, ooey gooey Feelings Episodes, that just use the monster-of-the-week to get characters to deal with their inner traumas. This is SPN saying they’re not gonna stay on the surface of this show, they’re gonna dig deep and focus on Character Substance over the Horror FX Style. And in season 2, that still feels fun! As an audience member plowing through these episodes, I was thrilled that this was the direction the show was taking. I was also thrilled that all these episode end with Dean staring dramatically into the middle distance, just some A+ cinematography there gentlemen, great job. 

In order, Ep 201, 202, 203, 204. I was not kidding. 

I’m also noticing, having written all this down, that these are some very Dean-centric episodes. Like, it’s very heavy on the Dean. Which I’m not mad about, but I just think it’s real funny considering that Sam was definitely our lead protagonist/entry point into season 1.

Now though? This is honestly my biggest fear as I continue my quest to make it through the entire series. I know how it ends. I have a tumblr account and sometimes I like spoilers to prep me for what’s coming, so I know how this all shakes out. And I think the reason that I sort of gave up on the series was because at some point, these Feelings episodes get too heavy. If all your characters are always bogged down by grief and guilt and loss, at some point that’s not enjoyable to watch anymore. You’ve gotta give them a win at some point. A real win that doesn’t come with caveats like Dean sold his soul to the devil, or, Sam’s locked in a cage with the devil, or really anything involving the devil at all. 

So while I’m enjoying season 2 still, I am worried that my enjoyment level is gonna sink as the series goes on. But that’s still a ways down the road, so in the meantime, have more of Dean staring dramatically into the middle distance.

[crapitskizaru]

Isn’t It Fun? (Trafalgar Law x Reader)

So there is a festival going on in my town and I was wondering if I could request something for law and his s/o going to the festival (law was probably dragged there ) and they spend a day having fun and just some fluff stuff and at night they go on the Ferris wheel and just have a really sweet kiss and words. Thank you!!!

Warning: there are no sweet kisses and words when it comes to law 

Word Count: 1,8k

Law thought the day couldn’t get any worse, at least until he heard the squeaky sound of a clown’s trumpet right beside his ear. 

The famous surgeon rarely had a day off - and when he did, he’d have rather spent it in the comfort of his own apartment while binge-watching his favorite TV show, with you cuddled up by his one side and a bowl of popcorn on the other. 

And so he suddenly found himself in the middle of an on-going festival, getting elbowed in the guts and pushed around by the surrounding crowd. He could almost feel his brain planning on a headache; the courtesy of the overwhelming banter and the persistent horn of that particular clown that insisted on following him along throughout the whole evening and squeaking their way into his nervous system.

“Oh, here you are!” you laughed, grabbing his hand and leading him deeper into the crowd. “I thought you ran off and left me.” 

Little did you know that Law was halfway through to the exit when you caught him - the only reason he still hadn’t abandoned the festival grounds was the fact that people kept pushing him back, as if he’d been caught in a vortex. 

He realized his face expression must have matched the one of a zombie dummy in the Haunted House facade when the huge grin on your face dropped down significantly. He sent an internal curse to himself. 

“I thought this would be a nice way to spend some time together,” you pouted, his hand still enveloped by yours. “You know, since we’re usually busy with work.”

Law sighed. “We can try each...attraction one time. And then we’re going home.”

Your excited gasp was followed by a sloppy kiss to his cheek as you couldn’t help but laugh again and drag him towards the first ride you laid your eyes on. 

It was a pendulum ride - you knew it from glittery sign in front of it but also from all of the screams of people hanging upside down in their seats and being spun around so far off from the ground. 

“No.” Law stopped, sweeping his gaze from the bottom of the tower all the way to the top with mild contempt. “No. This doesn’t count as an ‘attraction’. It’s a method of suicide.” 

“I’m sure it’s fun!” Your words were muffled by the shouting of people who, in that exact moment, started rapidly swinging back and forth on the ride. “People love it!” 

“They are screaming for help.” 

But you were already getting passes from the ticketbox - Law had no other choice than to join you, lips pressed into a thin line, all of his thoughts colliding with each other and shrieking for him to run away. 

“(Name)-ya,” he started when it was your turn to get on the ride, his seatbelt being fastened by your enthusiastic fingers. “If I die on this one, I swear I will haunt you.” 

“Maybe they will hire you for the Haunted House,” you smiled and gave him a quick peck before clutching into the safety harness for dear life. 

The ride was just as horrible as Law imagined it - and even worse. Some of the aspects, like the unawareness which way was the ground and which was the sky, as well as the impending conviction of inevitable death, even his broad imagination couldn’t have come up with. 

He pictured his harness suddenly unclasping and sending him to the ground in a straight line - perhaps he’d have gotten slapped with the swinging pendulum in the process, just to ensure he would indeed die, and then splashing into a puddle of crushed bones and blood on the grass that was seemingly dozens of meters away. 

“How is this legal?” he mumbled out when the ride ended, leaving him on the verge of a cardiac arrest. His tone suggested he’d already had enough of the circus, so you figured the only way to make him stay with you was to buy him food. “They should shut this whole festival down.” 

And so you sat down on the grass behind one of the food trucks, in one hand squeezing a lollipop and blue cotton candy in the other. 

“It’s good. You should try it.” You offered the ball of fluff up to him. Normally he’d have started a monologue on how unhealthy those types of food are, but not this time. He reluctantly grabbed a portion of the cotton candy, for the sole purpose of avoiding being nagged further. 

“Just so you know,” he muttered in between the munching. “I won’t survive another ride like this.” 

“I know. We’ll find something else.” 

“Next time I’m the one deciding on what to do on my day off.” 

You couldn’t help but smile. There it was, a great opportunity to give him a little teasing treatment. With that in mind, you made sure he observed as you took a long, thorough lick of your lollipop. 

“Oh, we will get home eventually. And we’ll have a whole night ahead of us.” 

Whether to keep sulking or give in to the rising smirk on his face - he was uncertain. It all went away when, in a spur of the moment, his kiss caught you off-guard. 

There was no denying his quickened heartbeat underneath your palm as it rubbed along his chest, pulling him harder, deeper, closer. It was slow and precise, the sensation deafening all of the ambient sounds of the festival, leaving only the rushing of blood in your ears. 

“Why won’t we just go home right now?” he muttered lowly and kissed you again. “We could have a ride of our own.” 

“Patience.” With a slight bite on his lip, you withdrew and finished your lollipop with an obscene sound at the end. “I saw a pirate ship earlier, we should get on that one.” 

The ride looked worse than all of Law’s nightmares about it. In bittersweet theme, the boat swung back and forth with a rusty sound of metal that hadn’t been oiled in a very long time. 

“This is ridiculous. If I had a pirate ship, it would look nothing like this one.” 

“Oh, really?” you asked out of politeness, your focus directed to the ticketbox. 

“Really. It’d be a submarine.” He wanted to elaborate but when his seatbelts got fastened, he shifted into the survival mode. The momentum of the swinging ship kept throwing him around the seat, the seatbelts digging into his skin. And when they suddenly did a whole loop in the air - hanging upside down for a split second - Law decided he’d had more than his fair share when it came to theme parks. 

His heart was still racing when his feet finally touched the ground. “We’re going back home. Right now.” 

“Okay,” you casually replied, trying to suppress the nausea feeling in your gut. “But we have to go to the Ferris Wheel. C’mon, this whole day doesn’t count if we don’t go there!” 

At this point you were practically dragging him to the attraction, his cold hand contrasting with your own, feverish with enthusiasm. 

The sun was already setting behind the horizon and bathing the city in orange light when you found yourself floating up in a pink gondola. The LED lights pleasantly lit up the interior, masking away your fear of being so high off the ground. 

You were staring at the stunning sight of the city below when you heard your boyfriend sigh quietly. 

“What is it?” Shifting, you noticed he wasn’t paying any attention to the view spreading underneath. “You don’t like the view?” 

“I don’t care about it.” His voice was quiet; sooner than you’d have expected, his hand rested midway on your thigh. He scanned the inside of the gondola - the tiny lights, pink seats and the initials of all the couples that came there before you, written with markers on the thin walls. “This is just so...simple. We’re in, what you’d call, a romantic place. Alone. And you’re expecting me to kiss you and tell you how much I love you. Cliché.” 

Your whole body flushed with heat and you struggled to find the right words to shoot back at him. He seemed unbothered with your reaction, however, his thumb tracing slight circles on your thigh. 

“Well,” you started, trying to keep your voice even. “The only thing I was expecting from you was to at least try to have a good time with me today. You don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want to. And you don’t have to touch me.” Your hand brushed his away. “Everything is cliché if you think about it long enough. And now I know I should have thought longer about coming here with you.” 

There was a bizarre sensation in your stomach, as if the butterflies that seemed to be there just mere seconds ago suddenly froze and turned to pure ice. You peeked to the side, to shift your focus to the city view, the gondola stopping at the peak of the wheel. 

His gaze was stuck on your frame, you could feel its weight. 

“You know all this isn’t exactly my definition of ‘fun’,” he muttered from behind your back. “But I’m glad I’m here with you.” 

You finally turned to him, eyebrow raised with question. “Are you reading from a prompter? Because that was...almost cute.” 

“I can be cute when I need to.” His smirk was still present on his face when you got pulled into a lip-lock, his hands diving to wrap around your waist and jerking you closer. “Or when I want to.” 

The tension in your body seemingly evaporated when you decided on a bold move, considering how high the gondola was in the air, and straddled his lap, hands in his hair to pull him in harder. 

“They should really invest in some seatbelts in this thing,” he sighed against your lips but made no move to tuck you back into your seat. You couldn’t help but keep reaching deep into the kiss, a feeling of relief and pure excitement boiling in your gut when he started doing the same. Your hands were restless on his body - trying to feel all of him, rubbing underneath his shirt and then lifting up to cup his cheeks. 

Even when the gondola started traveling back down, you didn’t let go of each other, indulging in the closeness and the warm sensation of all the love in the air.