#cringe is not only dead its buried in your basement and your new best friend is sincerity

[dayurno]

HELLO i just wanted to say that i love you so muuuch!! i recently finished reading playing for keeps and oh. my. god.

your kevin is the most adorable thing I've ever seen i want to eat him alive (sorry, I'm vegan actually but...)

tntg and pfk is the masterpieces i know what I'm talking about. perhaps you can give some advice for fic writers? i love you sm 😩🤚🏼

OH WOW nice to me thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! and wanting to eat kevin alive is the average kevin day experience he is just chewable!!!! i guarantee

and aiya advice for fic writers huh. i dont know if my advice is worth much if anything at all but from the top of my head here are some things ive picked up over the years that will hopefully serve someone somewhere

presentation actually matters!!!! a properly formatted fic is not only delicious to read but also helps with keeping you in the story, i know this because i am a bad formatter (so sorry) and whenever i go through my fics and see a mistake i'm immediately taken out of it! just make sure it's easy to read and you have formatted it to the best of your abilities

brevity is the soul of wit. unfortunately. this is by no means i'm advocating for only short sentences (we all love tangents!) but i think it is good to vary on sentence length and save your longer lines for things that are important to note down! this image has been going around for years now but i still think its one of the most helpful pieces of writing advice ive ever seen

side characters are your best friends!!!!! i think as fanfic writers sometimes we want to get to the point and focus only on our mains, but it does add a lot of flavor and texture when you have small storylines happening along with your main plot, especially if you're doing an in-depth character study. life exists even when we're not seeing it!!!! give your side characters interesting stories and relationships!!!!

writing is about FUN and your questions regarding your storyline should never be "what is the most logical thing that could happen now?" but "what is the most interesting thing that could happen now?". this is a sin aftg fans commit the most when talking about aftg but i am here to tell you that no plot is too ambitious. nothing is so out there that you can't write about it! no concept is too wacky! interesting should come first; you worry about the logic in later edits. most readers are more willing to forgive an interesting plot with technical problems than they are willing to forgive a boring story that is perfect writing-wise

i think this is all i have! if anyone would like to add something theyre more than welcome to

[itsyou-itsme-itsus]

Gambled Away

Dark Avengers AU!

Summary: Your boyfriend Scott has a gambling issue that finally catches up with him when he plays the wrong people.

All Avengers are dark.

I don’t own any of the characters just writing for fun.

Warnings: Its a little violent and no smut yet but small hints of dubcon. Do Not read if this is not your thing!

The restaurant was the literal definition of a hole in the wall. Somewhere in the dead center of New York your boyfriend Scott brought you here. He swore up and down this was the best Italian food in all of New York. You had your suspicions. The walls were a faded red paint looked rusty, likely meant to be deep maroon at some point. Spots near the ceiling were chipped and peeling away. Risking the chance of dropping paint chips into the food or drinks. The floor tiles were covered in a greasy brownish grime. Black soot sat wedged within the cracks.

You cringed feeling lucky to have not seen any cock roaches scurry around. The night was young so you didn’t fully let your guard down yet. The cleanliness of the restaurant was questionable and there was no way a health inspector allowed this. You wondered what could have been keeping them a float. Bribes? Maybe a secret laundering service in the back.

“Oh Mr. Lang. Welcome back. Will you be having the house special?” A tall man with dirty blonde hair and glasses came out.

He sounded smart, his enunciation almost sounded robotic or artificial. He shot you a sympathetic side ways glance. He seemed so out of place to be working in a dump like this.

“We’ll be right back.” Scott said pushing the employee towards the kitchen.

“Scott wai-“ they disappeared before another word could reach your boyfriend’s ears. It was hard to hold back the audible huff of annoyance that crept up from the pit of your stomach.

Like a rancid taste in your mouth that wouldn’t go away, there was a tugging in your chest. Something felt off and it wasn’t just the sketchy nature of the restaurant. More details started to become more apparent. There seemed to be only one employee in the back and no other staff since you walked in. Feeling the need to plan an escape route you doubled checked the space between you and the door behind you. It was glass looking out into the busy streets of New York a Seven Eleven sat on the corner across from the restaurant.

Tony’s was painted across the top of the glass in white stenciled paint. Parts of it were fading a little. No one had even come out to ask you for your drink order. The urge to run out the door and home was strong. You wanted to give Scott the benefit of the doubt because he was so sweet! You would just have to put your foot down towards these kinds of situations.

“Who is all here tonight Vis?” Scott asked following Vis to the basement door.

Vis didn’t need to answer when he opened the door it had told Scott his answer. Sitting at the table was Bucky, Steve and Natasha. He had prayed that it was Tony and Sam. They often had higher payouts and were surprisingly more merciful when Scott lost or had to take a couple weeks to get the money back. It was more of fun competition among the wealthy. While the poker games with these three were often high stakes and more ruthless. They would be more likely to break your leg if you didn’t have the money to give them the next day.

“You know what. I should probably just get back upstairs.” Scott tried to hurry and escape before he buried himself.

“No, we need a fourth.” Steve spoke tapping a deck of crisp cards on the table.

“Shit.” Scott muttered to himself before smiling and agreeing. He sat down and watched as Bucky slid him over a stack of chips.

“Buy in is $300.” Natasha said pinching out a few 20s and setting them in the middle of the table. Bucky followed suit and waited for Scott and Steve.

Scott looked into his pockets. He only had about 2k on him. The pot was steep. But he swallowed hard and asked that luck be on hid side tonight. He peeled out $300 from the stack in his pocket and put it with Bucky and Natasha’s. Steve was the last to put his down.

Scott always won due to his calm demeanor and straight poker faces. It always worked in bluffs with Tony and Sam. Not with these three sharks. They were mercenaries and ex-assassins. They knew how to read through someones facade.

As Scott waited for Steve to finish shuffling the cards he let his eyes wonder. In the far corner of the room near the door was a large TV screen. On the screen was the video live streaming from upstairs. Scott could see you in the chair at the table looking around nervously. He was starting to wish he had just taken you to a real restaurant. This might cause you to break up with him.

“I’ll see your $100 and raise you $200.” Bucky said to Nat. She smirked at him fanning her cards up at eye level.

“Bet.” Scott said nervously.

“Bet.” Steve stared down Scott. They knew all about how Scott had been cleaning poker games out in different parts of New York. He had gotten infamous for taking home 500,000 to a million a game.

Steve normally wouldn’t of cared until he heard that his friends Sam and Tony had lost 2.5 million dollars to Scott last week. Steve wanted to get Scott out of the gambling world, to teach him a lesson. To Steve People like Scott were pests. An invasive little ant marching around like it owned everything in someone else’s kitchen. He figured just like an ant he’d rough Scott up and send a message to all the other ants out there. Slowly poison the nests within the area.

Scott kept playing his hand quietly and safely. For the first time in his life he had folded in one round. This pissed Steve off, fueling his fists for when they took Scott into the back Alleyway behind the dumpsters.

The air felt thick and ominous. Scott was beginning to perspire. His leg bounced uncontrollably and he kept looking up at the camera feed. Natasha caught on to this and nodded to Bucky and Steve they looked up to see a beautiful younger woman sitting in the upstairs restaurant area.

She looked nervous as she looked at the kitchen door and then back at the front entrance. Steve couldn’t help but think of how innocent and sweet she looked. Not like the usual girls who came through here. It was easy right away to tell that she had no idea what kind of place she was in.

“Vision.” Steve yelled standing.

“One moment.”

Steve met Vis at the door. They began to whisper and a vis’s face fell. He nodded, complying and left with the door shutting behind him.

“Hello, can I get you anything to drink?” You jumped startled at the sound popping up behind you.

“Sorry, I did not mean to frighten you.”

“That’s alright.”

Vis smiled and waited patiently for your order.

“Oh right. I’ll have ice water please.” Vis internally sighed the only other options would of been strong liquors, beer or wine.

“I’ll be right back with that.” Vis smiled and walked back towards the kitchen.

He had been instructed to make sure you didn’t leave. He worried what was to happen. He wanted to tell you to leave but if they caught you on camera and Bucky got to chase you, it would be far worse than if he just did his job. Vis scrambled through the fridge and realized that there was no food in the entire place. Thinking fast he decided to call the pizzeria down the block and instructed they come to the back door of the kitchen.

He came out with a smile and set down a bottle of water. You eyed it, raising an eyebrow before twisting open the cap and taking a sip.

“Thank you.” You trailed off feeling awkward. Vis smiled and excused himself to the kitchen again.

Scott had to hold back celebrating his first win. Bucky grunted pushing the pile towards Scott. Nat shot him death glares and Steve, seemed to be somewhere else. Just as they expected Scott raised the pot. He got his confidence back and had planned to rake it all in tonight and leave to take you to the kind of restaurant you deserved to eat at.

The second and third time Scott won he was all out. Smiling leaning in to pull the cash to him. He laughed and gloated while the others watched him. The more confident Scott got the sloppier his tactics were. He became more reckless with his hands.

“I need a drink.” Bucky growled. He stood and brought back three glasses to the table. Giving Nat, Steve and Scott each a glass. Bucky poured whiskey in each glass and leaned back to take a swig straight from the bottle.

“Well this has been great guys. But I’m all in!” Scott said reloading the middle of the table with the last pot.

“All in.”

“All in.”

“All in.”

Once all in everyone watched and loosely played their hands. They wanted Scott to win. Scott was the only one who was unaware of this.

“Royal fluuuuush baby!” Scott yelled flopping the cards onto the table. The others leaned back poorly feigning disappointment but Scott wouldn’t notice in his moment of glory!

Scott was so happy! He kept dropping cash as he tried to gather it all. He used his jacket as a sash to help him carry the load. He quickly shot you a text saying pick a new place to eat at, anywhere you wanted to go. While he was scooping up his earnings he hadn’t noticed that Bucky perched himself near the door, the only exit out of the basement. Steve sat on a worn leather brown couch in the back of the room, Nat sat leaning against the wall. Just behind the poker table.

Steve texted Vis to bring you downstairs using the ruse that Scott wanted her brought down. Steve relaxed his new plan would be so much better than Just breaking all of Scott’s bones.

“Thank you and goodnight guys!” Scott yelled waltzing towards the door.

Bucky stuck his metal arm out and ushered Scott to back up. Scott’s face dropped and the color drained from his face. He swallowed hard looking behind him to Steve.

“Wouldn’t want leave your girlfriend behind.” Steve’s tone was calm with something sinister hiding beneath it.

Scott’s blood ran cold. He dropped the money and looked up at the camera. You were gone from your seat. The door now had the open sign shut off. It said closed and the lights were off. He tried to reach for the handle but Bucky drove his fist into Scott’s stomach. He doubled over in pain. Gasping as he hit the ground instantly curling into the fetal position.

“Um, why are we going this way?” You clutched your hoodie to your chest as you followed Vis through the now desolate kitchen. You hadn’t noticed that Vis shut the lights off after the two of you entered the kitchen.

“Scott is leaving out the back, he asked for you to meet him down here.” Vis said his face devoid of emotion and his voice still in monotone.

It neither comforted you nor did it make you feel worse. It was the dark basement stairs that made you feel frightened. The hallway lit up as the door opened you stepped in and saw Scott slightly slouched over on a couch with a tall muscular blonde with a thick dark beard. A beautiful redheaded woman stood behind a table full of cards and poker chips. She stood with her arms crossed.

“Hello?” You said softly looking at her and she smiled warmly.

“Hi I’m Nat.” She said not moving from her spot.

“I’m Y/N.” You returned the gesture.

“That’s a beautiful name Y/N, I’m Steve.” He was stretched out with his arm along the back of the couch.

Even though you felt like something was very wrong you couldn’t stop yourself from being polite. You were never one to judge people off their appearance.

“Thank you.” You couldn’t help but blush a little. It made a carnal feeling twist inside of Steve, he subtly palmed the hem of his pants as it to adjust himself for comfort.

“Scott lets go.” You said turning to your boyfriend. That’s when you noticed. His eyes looked red and his face was pale white. He had blood on the corner of his mouth. You looked up searching for the door and Vis. Your body jolted a bit once you noticed the tall muscular man with long brown hair staring back at you from the shut door. His flesh hand held a bottle full of whiskey. His other hand was metal, it rested on his leg. 

“Whats the rush doll?” He asked addressing you for the first time. He had been so silent that you wondered if he had been there the whole time.

“I’m so, so sorry Y/N. Please I didn’t kn-“ Scott cried out to you, you could tell he genuinely shaken up. His frame shook and you tried to make sense of the situation.

“What is this?” You asked looking to everyone in the room for an answer. A deafening silence seeped into the room like a gloomy fog on a cold morning.

“Scott here is 4 million dollars in debt.” Natasha spoke. Her smile slid away but it stayed in her eyes. To her and Bucky this was like a cat playing with a mouse after it was cornered. This mouse would think it had a chance but the cat sealed its fate when it caught the mouse.

So many thing swept over you. Trying to process the severity of the situation left your mind grasping at scenarios. Part of you wanted to hug Scott and tell him it was all going to be ok.  While the other half of you wanted to scream and slap him for being so stupid! The emotions twisted within your gut like a tornado. You felt nauseous. 

“F-f four million??” Was all that you could muster to come out.

“That’s right.” Steve said pulling your attention back to the couch.

Scott couldn’t make eye contact with you, he just looked down at the floor in shame. His heart was breaking from knowing he had drawn you into something dangerous, over his addiction for gambling.

“Give me one week, i-I’ll pay it back and you’ll never see us again!” You glared at Scott warning him to follow your lead. You weren’t even sure how you would get that kind of money.

“Y-yes you’ll never see me again.” He promised looking at Steve. Steve wasn’t looking at Scott. He was staring at you.

“That doesn’t work for us.” Steve said leaning back on the couch.

“Here’s the choice. One. We beat the shit out of Scott until he’s unconscious in the hospital or you stay and be his payment.” Natasha and Bucky smirked loving how Steve had turned the tables. Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at Steve in disgust.

“I’m calling the cops!” You yelled, with tears in your eyes. Your trembling hand dipped into your pocket gripping your phone with clammy hands. It felt slippery and you struggled to get it out of your pocket. Bucky, Nat and Steve watched you intently.

They allowed you to pull the phone out and open the screen. 9-1-1. Your thumb hovered over the call button. Steve jumped up scaring you and the phone fell to the floor. Steve wrapped his arms around you holding you tightly to his chest. He was so much taller and wider when he stood. You felt small and fragile in his grip.

“Sh sh sh... its ok.” He whispered in your ear, his lips grazed the outer shell of your ear and it made you shiver. You tried to pull away and shrink into yourself all at the same time.

“Please!” You cried out struggling to get nowhere. Steve just held you close to him. His cheek pressed against yours. His beard scraped against your skin. He was warm, it made you feel claustrophobic. He inhaled smelling the lavender shampoo in your hair.

“STOP! This doesn’t involve her! Just hurt me!” Scott cried out standing up. Steve nodded to Bucky who came up behind Scott and socked him right in the ribs with his flesh hand.

Scott wheezed and choked as he doubled over clutching his sides. His face flushed a bright red. Bucky likely broke his ribs. He tried to crawl to you. One hand holding his sides while his legs curled towards his chest. He drug himself on one arm. Nat walked up casually and smiled at you before swinging her leg violently and her foot connected with his ribs again.

Scott gasped for air as his body flopped over onto his back, he looked up at the ceiling feeling disoriented. For a moment he was in shock from the pain. A small amount of blood pooled at the corner of his mouth.

You hadn’t realized it but you were crying and shaking uncontrollably. Steve was holding you up, pulling you closer to his chest. He was trying to sooth you. As if he and his friends hadn’t been the ones hurting you and Scott. In the moment of terror you had gripped onto his strong arm to steady yourself.

“I’ll stay!! Please stop hurting him!” Once the words flew out of your mouth the air in the room seemed to thin out. Nat backed away to the table leaning on it with her fingers curled over the edges. Bucky helped Scott up who howled in pain when he went from prone to standing. He clutched onto Bucky as if his life depended on it.

Bucky hobbled Scott’s crippled body to the door. He banged on it with his metal fist. A few seconds went by before Vis opened the door looking mortified.

“Take him to the hospital.” Bucky said nodding his head to Scott who was going in and out of consciousness. 

“Wait.” Steve said causing everyone including you to look at him in confusion.

Steve shifted you slightly in his arms, you were now against his chest facing him. You had to look up at him. There was a shimmer in his eyes that made you feel sick.

“Kiss me. Like a handshake for our deal.” Steve lowered his head his lips were only a few inches away from yours. His other hand left your waist to raise your chin with one finger.

Your heart hammered in your chest, you felt dizzy. You didn’t want to kiss this awful man! Tears filled the brim of your eyes, a heavy invisible stone started to crush your chest.

Bucky lifted Scott’s head making him watch as Steve pressed his lips to yours. You didn’t fight him, you wanted to get it over with so that they’d take Scott to the hospital. Steve parted his lips when yours didn’t he slid his tongue along the seam of your lips, Prodding for entry. Reluctantly you let him. He sighed into your lips as his tongue met yours. Bile felt like it was rising up into your throat. You just wanted this to end. You kissed Steve back timidly but it seemed to appease him.

He pulled back smiling at you before peppering your soft swollen lips with a few gentle kisses. In shock you allowed Steve to set you on the couch. He turned and nodded to Vis who helped Bucky get Scott up the stairs. Nat and Steve talked in the corner for awhile.

“Alright see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you Y/N.” Nat smiled before grabbing her jacket.

“Yeah.” Was all you could say as she walked out the door leaving alone with Steve.

Steve walked over to you, he held out his hand. You looked up at him through the tears in your eyes.

“You must be tired. Let’s go home.” He said as if you and he had been dating for years. You looked to the door weighing your options of escape. Steve followed your glance and smiled.

“You can try it if you need to.” He offered crossing his arms over his broad chest. The blue button up shirt was stretch tautly against his broad chest.

You put your head down shaking it. Tears quietly streamed from your eyes. Staining your cheeks. Scott was gone and now your were stuck with this man who terrified you. Steve offered his hand to you again and this time you accepted it. You placed your hand in his and let him pull you up.

“I can be good to you or I can be harsh. It’s really up to you.” Steve leaned over kissing you on the head as he lead you out of the restaurant. You just nodded your head letting him guide you with his hand on the small of your lower back.

Your fate had been sealed. Your boyfriend had gambled you off like a trophy piece. Now you had to go home with this man and do whatever he wanted you to. May be it would be smart to just pay off the debts and leave town forever. He would eventually get bored with you. At least you prayed he would sooner than later.

[emily-strange]

Sparks Fly

Thank you to everyone still with me after the last chapter - I know not a lot hasn't happened yet but we’re getting going! As always thank you to @billybutchersbabe​ 😘 such a giant help!!!

Hope you all enjoy. Feedback is more than welcome x

Chapter 4

Pairing: Billy Butcher x OFC

Warnings: Swearing - lots of it.

…………………………………………………..

Waking up was hard.

Emmy thinks Butcher might have slipped something into her beer, seems like something he’d do to get answers. Then again, she’s always been a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking.

After she had a breakfast bar thrown at her and Hughie arrived with a clean hoodie, Emmy was properly introduced and ushered into the car. Butcher couldn’t contain his snarl at seeing Emmy take off his shirt and replace it with the younger man’s clothes.

MM silently notices how extra shitty he is in the car.

If only he knew it was because the two youngsters were discussing Hughie’s ‘Billy Joel’ t-shirt and bonding in the backseat.

Now Emmy’s wandering around the Believe Expo trying her best to appear like she belongs. Butcher hasn’t really filled her in on the plan, she’s just meant to walk around and see if anything seems weird. She knows the task has been given so it’ll keep her out of trouble, without actually having to tell her anything about the boys. So far, she’s seen a lot of things here that in her opinion, are pretty fucked.

She doesn’t move too far from them, always keeping someone in sight. At the moment the three of them are obviously discussing what they need from Hughie as he’s looking pretty appalled…

Emmy can’t believe she’s actually out of her dingy little town. Not free of it, but out. If you’d asked her 4 days ago where she’d be, she���d say still in the same dingy basement shining up some stolen AK-50’s as always. But instead she’s walking in the sunshine, dodging and weaving through the crowds of young people basking in their joint love of supes and God.

“She’s awesome isn’t she!” comes a voice from next to her, making her jump. A young guy in his 20s is standing way too close to Emmy with a large grin on his face. She then realises that she’s been staring at the singer on stage who’s just uncased her large, angel like wings for the crowd.

“Oh, um, yeah. She’s amazing.” Emmy lies. She looks round the guy and can just about see MM uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other as Butcher has an intense looking conversation with a stall vendor.

“Is this your first time?” the guy asks, moving back into her line of sight. Emmy uncrosses her arms and softens the scowl on her face.

“How can you tell?” She says, laughing uncomfortably. If the guy notices, he doesn’t make it obvious. He seems sweet enough, Emmy thinks. Light blonde hair and a nice smile, full of perfect teeth. The epitome of squeaky clean.

He laughs, “You just look a little lost. I’m Pete.”

Pete extends his hand to Emmy who shakes it lightly, “Emmy.”

For a few seconds they stand together as the singer starts up again. Emmy internally groans. She’s never been one for religion. She tries to sway with the music, doing her best to blend in.

“What brings you here then Emmy?” Pete says, breaking the mindless chatter in her head.

“Oooh, you know...” Emmy stutters. She sees a poster of Homelander across from her and goes with it, “..The Seven. Homelander…I just, was hoping to catch a glimpse of him. He’s my favourite. As well as Ezekiel of course. He’s…great.” Emmy reals off the names she actually knows, hoping it’ll convince Pete she’s ‘one of them’. It seems to have worked.

“Yesss! Amazing!” Pete shouts, jumping for a high-five. One Emmy gives reluctantly, “You knoow I’m being baptised by Homelander in like, 20 minutes. Wanna come with and see if you can sneak a peak?”

“Ooh um really…baptised? That’s sweet but,” Emmy looks around again for the boys but now can’t see any of them. Pete uses her hesitation and distraction to gently take both of her shoulders, turning her to him. His forehead is creased into a frown.

“Please know I’m saying this as your friend.” He begins and Emmy couldn’t be any more confused, “I think you’re lost. I could see it in your eyes from miles away…please, let me take you to Ezekiel. Me and him, we’re close. I mean, you never know right? Maybe they’ll have a free space.” Pete smiles widely at Emmy and she finds herself tongue tied. She still can’t see anyone she actually knows and Butcher did tell her to snoop around…

“Um, yeah, okay…” She says giving a tight-lipped smile. Pete’s ecstatic. Beyond ecstatic. Suddenly she’s being pulled along towards the tents with absolutely no idea what to do or who she’s about to meet.

………………………………………………….

Once they reach the VIP tent, Emmy is relieved to see people checking for lanyards and tickets. She has neither so it won’t be hard to slip away. However, Pete seems to have been selling himself short, everyone seems to know him. Not just Ezekiel.

“Hi Pete, you here to see Ezekiel?” a pretty young woman asks.

“Yeah for the baptism” he beams, “I was hoping my friend here could just slip in with me? I think it’d do her some good to meet him.” Pete pleads.

Emmy jumps in, hoping to nip this in the bud asap, “Oh but it’s no problem if not. I’m happy to go back. I mean, I haven’t paid…not really fair is it!”

She laughs, hoping she doesn’t seem as awkward as she feels in this moment. Everyone is just so cheery. Makes her feel a little bit sick.

“You know what, I don’t see why not. I mean it isn’t packed in there. You’ll have to leave before the baptism but we have about 10 minutes till then.” The woman says and Emmy tries to make her smile as genuine as possible. Although she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being used as some sort of sacrificial lamb. The thought makes her laugh and cringe at the same time.

Pete thanks the woman and takes Emmy’s hand, leading her into the tent. He makes a straight line for Ezekiel.

“Ezekiel?” Pete says timidly, “I hope you don’t mind. Emmy here is new to the church. She’s feeling a bit out of place.” Out of place is right, Emmy thinks. She’s seen enough True Crime documentaries to know a religious cult when she sees one.

“Ahh it’s wonderful to meet new members,” Ezekiel says turning to face Emmy and Pete, “I’m glad you’ve found the faith. Welcome. Unfortunately, though we will be starting soon…”

Emmy gets the distinct impression that Ezekiel is not pleased by Pete’s impromptu meet and greet.

“Oh I understand.” Emmy says, basically sighing with relief, “Thank you for taking the time…to meet me. Means…um, a lot. Thank you, Pete.” She turns to Pete who smiles warmly at her. She almost feels bad for lying. This must mean a lot to him.

As she makes her way back to the tents entrance, she bumps into someone. Someone who also looks like they want to make a run for it.

Hughie.

“Em…what…” Hughie starts but is cut off. Emmy feels a shiver make its way down her spin.

“Hughie don’t be rude, introduce your friend.” Homelander says with a forced smile.

Hughie stutters for a second too long, causing Emmy’s stomach to lurch. She decides to take it upon herself to get out of this. She extends her hand and smiles as warmly as possible.

“Emmy. I’m new to the church.” She starts, “I was just leaving. All of this is a bit too rich for my blood.”

Homelander shakes her hand and squeezes just that bit too tight. He uses it to pull Emmy into him and ‘whisper’ in her face, “You need to make friends with Starlight as well. Hughie here got in for free!”

His perfect grin beams brightly but everyone involved knows it’s laced with something more sinister. Emmy’s never met this man before, never even really seen or heard anything of him other than a face on TV.

But she’s scared.

Emmy smiles and laughs but knows that he sees her swallow around the large lump in her throat.

As Homelander pulls back, he lets go of Emmy’s hand and as much as she wants to rub the ache out of it, her pride won’t allow her to do so in his presence. His picture-perfect smile never falters and he eyes Hughie for a second too long. Emmy’s seen eye’s like his before. Eye’s that contain nothing but scorn and contempt. She feels like the air’s been sucked from her lungs.

The moment Ezekiel begins his speech, Emmy makes a hasty exit from the tent. She doesn’t glance back at Hughie but she knows he watches her leave. For a minute or two she walks in a straight line, head down, wanting to be as far away from that place as possible. She ignores the protests of the people she barges past until one of them grabs her arm, dragging her behind one of the nearest stalls.

Butcher spins Emmy round and shouts in the loudest whisper.

“Why the fuck were you in that tent eh? What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Butcher yells, gripping Emmy’s upper arms so hard it hurts. She can see he’s furious but unlike Homelander, there is nothing but desperation in his eyes.

“I…” Emmy wants to tell him. She was basically dragged there! And where were they!? They disappeared on her! If anyone should be mad it’s her. They should’ve given her a phone or something! But all that comes out is a garbled apology and one word. “Homelander”.

Butchers eye’s widen with what Emmy easily recognises as fear.

“What did he fuckin’ do? Emmy, what, what did that bastard fuckin’ do!” He says quickly, shaking her a little when she doesn’t answer quick enough.

“Nothing. He didn’t do anything.” Emmy says, feeling her mouth go dry, “But his eyes…” Emmy looks past Butcher and imagines them. She wants to tell him that his eye’s are so…bitter, so hateful. So dead.

Butcher sighs with relief and does the last thing Emmy could imagine. He pulls her into a bone crushing hug. She finds herself suddenly with her head against his firm chest and the smell of something distinctly him fills her nose. It’s comforting.

Butcher buries his nose into Emmy’s hair and inhales deeply. She smells like Frenchie’s crappy body wash but with a hint of him from the shirt she slept in. As quickly as he pulled her into his body, he pushes her away. Emmy hadn’t even had time to wrap her arms around him.

“Look, I gotta go do summit. Stay here ‘nd I’ll send MM over.” Butcher says, moving to leave. Emmy grabs his arm, feeling his muscles tense at her touch.

“Can I not come with you? I’m really sick of these religious fucks.” She says, drawing shocked gasps from the people around them close enough to hear. Butcher can’t help but smirk, “Fine but you gotta wait in tha car.”

As Emmy follows Butcher, she hears him growl a “fuck you want?” at some people who were less than thrilled at her choice of words. Emmy laughs.

………………………………………………….

In the car, Emmy fills Butcher in on how she ended up in the tent and her run in with Hughie. He’s not happy that Homelander has seen her face or that he seems a bit too interested in Hughie but the sheer panic he seemed to be in definitely dies down.

She waits in the car outside a house in a nice part of the city. Everything around her seems so…well, nice. She can’t imagine who someone like Butcher would know around here. But then she doesn’t really know him, does she?

When he comes storming from the house and pulls the car away with an earth-shattering screech, Emmy stays quiet. He’s clearly fucked off about something and Emmy would rather not push her luck twice in one day.

But now they’re sat outside a cemetery. And have been for about 15 minutes.

“Why are we here Butcher?” Emmy asks delicately, not wanting to break the silence too much too quickly. It feels like she’s talking to a kicked puppy. Trying to gain its trust without spooking it.

“You don’t have to tell me” she adds very quickly.

Butcher nods and gets out of the car, goes to the trunk and gets out a sledgehammer. He slams the trunk closed and takes off into the cemetery. Emmy just waits and hopes that no caretakers try to stop him from doing whatever he’s doing. She doubts that’ll end well.

He’s not gone long.

Once they’re back on the road he finally speaks again.

“MM’s gotta lead on a Compound V shipment so we’re gonna go meet him now. You might need this.” Butcher says and tosses Emmy’s matchbook into her lap, “Jus’ in case.”

Emmy pockets the matchbook and nods. She still doesn’t know the ins and outs of what Butcher and the boys do but if it’s about supes, it’s about Vought. And if it’s about Vought, Emmy wants to know.

Butcher glances over at Emmy as she nods and thinks back to the Expo. He was looking for her for ages. He’d gotten involved in this existential rant with an old fella and ‘misplaced’ her. Him and MM had split up and when he’d seen her leaving the VIP tent with her head hanging low, his heart just about stopped.

He kept his eye on her as he’d shoved people out of the way. Didn’t lose sight of her once. The closer he got the more he noticed how wide her eyes were, like she was in some kind of shock. If someone did something in that fucking tent, he’d murder every last person at the expo.

When he’d finally gotten to her, his blood was already pumping. He knows he grabbed her too hard but she’s a supe right? It wouldn’t hurt. Although the way she flinched certainly made it seem like it did.

But fuck, when she said Homelander…he felt bile rise up into his throat. He shouldn’t be so protective over this newbie supe but for some reason he is. He’s seen her pissed and he’s heard about what she does when threatened. But seeing her so wide-eyed and scared made her seem so small.

Why the fuck is he doing this to himself?

Before he could contemplate it any further, they arrive at the hospital. Joining MM outside.

“Took ya time.” MM greets, gaining a glare from his friend. Emmy gives him a small, silent wave.

When no one moves to lead on, Butcher hisses, “We fuckin’ doin’ this or wot?”

[itsthesinbin]

Old World Blues: The Big Fucking Dig (Chapter 2)

got trough with this MONSTER of a chapter. ill probably post chapter three on tumblr, and then after that I’ll be exclusively posting to ao3

“Heather-centric. Heather is trying to find a way to make caps while she and her mother rest in Goodneighbor. Our favorite ghoul No-Nose comes to her with a proposition. Heather dissociates a couple times during the duration of the big dig.” 

AO3 Link

Melinda and Heather decided to stay in Goodneighbor for a while. They decided stocking up and resting was top priority- or, well, Heather and Codsworth did. Melinda wanted to go ahead and go to Diamond City, but couldn’t hide her aching joints and back from her daughter. Heather knew the extended running and walking was taking its’ toll on her mother- she was active before the war, but not to this extent.

Their only problem at the moment? Caps. They had a minimal amount- mayor Hancock was nice enough to pay for their room for a couple more days, but after that, they were on their own. Heather never had to worry about money this much, before. Nate was the money-maker in the house- she just got what she could for selling her paintings at flea markets.

Heather had to take a walk- clear her head. She called for Dogmeat, telling Melinda that she’ll be back later. The tired woman told her to be careful, before laying back down. Codsworth swore he’d watch Melinda like a hawk, in Heather’s absence.

Heather decided to stick to the back alleys of Goodneighbor, clutching her bat as she strolled. Dogmeat trotted along beside her, panting happily, when the sound of sliding metal caught their attention. Heather looked up, spotting a ghoul looking through a slit on a metal door. The ghoul squinted, before tilting her chin at the human. A silent “come here”.

Heather hesitated, before sucking up her apprehension and marching towards the door. The woman on the other side of the door looked her over, not… incredibly impressed with what she saw. A small, soft human with barely any protection, aside from her vault suit, a bat, and a couple pistols. She’d have to do, the ghoul thought.

“You lookin for work,” Bobbi asked, putting on a more pleasant tone than she’d like. Heather thought this was too good to be true.

“What kind of work?” Bobbi cringed slightly- this woman even sounded too naive to do anything. She smiled slightly at the thought. Perfect. She needed naivety.

“It’s good work- under the supervision of the best boss you’ll ever have. As long as you don’t mind a little manual labor, and don’t ask too many questions, of course. I’ll give you fifty caps to start- you in?” Heather blinked slightly- only fucking FIFTY?- before frowning.

“Come on, lady, you can do better than that,” Heather huffed, making Bobbi scowl. “Fine, fine- take a hundred up front”. Heather crossed her arms, her bat swinging against her side.

“This is just a rip-off!” Growling, Bobbi rubbed her forehead.

“One-fifty. Take it, or leave it”. Heather’s demeanor immediately went from annoyed to delighted. A quick nod confirmed that the price was set. Bobbi opened the door, allowing her and Dogmeat inside. She motioned for Heather to follow, and the two set off into the ghoul’s home.

After walking into Bobbi’s basement, she sat down on a chair. She looked Heather over once more, before pulling out a cigarette.

“You ready to get to work, kid,” she asked, taking a drag of the tobacco. Heather coughed as the smoke blew in her face.

“No,” she drawled, waving the smoke away. “I followed you down here for some good ol’ exercise”. Bobbi rolled her eyes, crossing her legs and leaning back against the chair.

“Funny,” she said dryly. “Well, you’ll get plenty of exercise here. You-” she emphasized the word by jabbing her hand, holding the cigarette, in Heather’s direction “- are going to be doing some digging”. “What are we digging for? Buried treasure?”

“Your sass is gonna get you killed, kid. You could call it buried treasure, if you want, but seriously. Lay off the questions. The other two are down there digging already,” she growled, pointing to a small tunnel leading out of the basement. “Go give ‘em a hand, will ya?”

Heather grumbled, heading down the tunnel. She heard a couple men talking, and one waved her over. She followed them down, but heard a strange clicking noise in the next chamber.

“What the hell’s that noise,” Heather said, readying her bat. The men looked around, one yelling in shock when he saw something move down the stairs.

“It’s crawling with mirelurks!” Mire-what. The men started running.

“Bobbi can shove it!” “Good luck, new girl!” WHAT.

“H-hey- where the fuck are ya’ll-!” She heard clicking and screeching. Looking down, she saw… giant, mutated crabs? Three of them, to be exact. Scuttling right towards her and Dogmeat.

“Oh what the FUCK,” she screamed, foregoing the bat in favor of one of her firearms. Dogmeat snarled, barking and springing into action. He was smacked at by a mirelurk, and Heather shot at one that got a bit too close to her liking.

Her hands began to shake. She couldn’t keep shooting like this. She looked around- there had to be something she could use.

A broken pipe, the end jagged enough to rip through the soft underside of the creatures. That’ll work. She slid across the ground, grabbing the short pipe. A mirelurk followed her,  whacking her across the back and tearing at her with its claws.

She roared, shoving the end of the pipe through the beast’s head. It didn’t immediately kill it, but the beast stopped moving. One more jab quickly ended it. She ran at the one attacking her dog, screaming as she did the same action to the mirelurk.

The third one gripped her leg, tearing into the material of her jumpsuit. She hissed in pain, beating the monster on the head with the pipe to try and get it to let go. When she hit it on the eye, it finally released her. With shaking hands, she brought the pipe up and jammed it into the beast’s eye socket. She dropped onto her backside as it fell, nearly hyperventilating. Dogmeat whined, nudging her and licking her face.

She brought her hands up, the skin and cloth covered in blood. She went to the dirty water, washing it off as best she could. She stared into the water, wide-eyed, thinking back to how the mirelurk’s exoskeleton cracked under the pipe.

It reminded her of the raider’s from Concord.

Before she could dwell on the memory, Bobbi, and a man with an eyebot trailing behind him, came into the tunnel. She scowled at the woman kneeling by the water.

“What is going on in my tunnel,” she growled, the man looking Heather over with a curious expression. Heather stared at her for a moment, before her look went from confused to furious.

“What’s going on? What the HELL were these THINGS in your tunnel, lady,” she yelled, kicking a dead mirelurk’s shell. She examined the corpses, scoffing.

“Gonna take more than a couple mirelurks to stop me… You stuck around, at least. Guess you get a promotion, missy. You get to be my new muscle”. Heather wanted to say no- get out of this monster-infested tunnel- but… she had to stick with it. For the caps. Reluctantly, she nodded. She went over, grabbing her discarded bat the feet of the new man.

“This is an old friend of mine- Mel. He, and his little contraption, are going to be helping us dig into the Diamond City strongroom”. Ironic. The very place she was trying to get to was their theft destination.

“This better not take out of my pay,” Heather mumbled. Bobbi smiled- a grin full of false promises. “Don’t worry- there’ll be plenty in the strongroom”. “Strongroom?” “Mayor’s strongroom full of meds, food, caps- things to keep the entire city running. Now, if you’re ready, let’s get going”. They didn’t give Heather a chance to respond before they just… went on ahead. Heather’s brows furrowed, feeling her eyes water with frustration. She scrubbed her eyes, her and Dogmeat following the ghoul and her partner.

Heather couldn’t help but scream when Sonya blew up a whole fucking wall. “PLEASE fucking warn me before something like that happens,” Heather pleaded. Mel and Bobbi rolled their eyes in response.

Mirelurks. The damn tunnel was FULL of fucking mirelurks. Heather wanted to die. She almost DID die a couple times. She hated this. It was too cramped to fight these fuckin things.

Imagine her relief when they exited into a more open subway tunnel.

“Bobbi if I have to fight one more mirelurk I’m taking this BAT and SHOVING IT-”. A guttural noise made Heather pause. She looked over, spotting a… very thin person shambling towards them. Do people live down here?

It ran at them. It gurgled and hissed, burnt flesh finally showing in the light. Heather felt herself start to dissociate. That was not a person.

More of them stood upon hearing gunshots. Heather’s consciousness was no longer in the fight. She’s fully dissociated into the next realm.

After the fight, as they looted the corpses, Heather snapped back to reality.

“What the absolute SHIT were these things,” she asked, making Bobbi sigh. Does this kid not know a damn thing?

“Feral ghouls. There’s probably a lot more down here, so be ready”. “HELL no, I’m getting the fuck out of- holy shit is that a shotgun,” Heather gaped, attitude doing a complete turn. She picked up the weapon, finding some shells on the ground near it. She loaded the weapon, grinning ear to ear.

“OH I am SO turned on right now”. “Excuse me,” Mel said, doing a double take. “I said I’m fine now let’s go”. Heather, embarrassed she actually said that out loud, hurried off down the tunnel. Mel and Bobbi shared a look.

“Man, you sure know how to pick ‘em, Bobbi”. “Didn’t seem this crazy when I hired her,” was all the ghoul said, before they followed the shorter woman down the tracks.

The entire damn place was filled with ghouls. Heather wasn’t as deterred as she was with the mirelurks, though, with her new weapon. The first time she blew a ghoul’s head clean open, she let out a victorious cackle that made Bobbi consider leaving her behind.

Making their way through the subway tunnels, they came into a big room full of broken down Mr. Handys, and… more ghouls. Wanting to save ammunition on her new shotgun, she pulled out her bat and busted some skulls in when they got too close. Bobbi and Mel took care of actual gunfire.

“As crazy as you are, missy, you sure can beat down a ghoul,” Mel said, as Heather caught her breath. “Where’d a vault dweller learn to fight like that?”

“The usual response is “I had a brother”. My actual response is I was just an asshole kid that loved getting in fights. Although, smacking people in the face ain’t my favorite way of fighting,” she said, starting to follow the two again. Mel grunted slightly, wanting her to elaborate.

“I would be fighting dirty, but I don’t think kicking a ghoul in the burnt nuts would do much, at this point”. Mel couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

The three reached a room that had two separate paths- one leading into a basement, the other into more of the sewers from before. A clicking noise deep in the sewers made Heather shake her head furiously.

“No, no, no, no- This way”. She immediately went into the basement area. The door was locked by a terminal, which Mel easily used to let them out.

“There’s a brewery near our strongroom- this must be the basement to that brewery,” Bobbi said, readying her weapon when she heard hissing. Mel smirked.

“Brewery, you say?” “Mel. No”.” “Jeez, Bobbi, just kidding”.

Heather looked down through the broken floor, seeing something… glowing. And moving. She moved closer to Bobbi, talking in barely a whisper.

“What the hell is that?” Bobbi glanced at it, doing a double take before pulling out her weapon.

“Glowing ghoul. Tough son of a bitch. Get ready, kid”. It hissed when it saw them, rushing forward. Heather screamed, alerting the other ghouls nearby. Bobbi’s gonna kill this woman, herself.

Once the ghouls were dealt with, the group made their way through the broken basement, stopping a big wall that Sonya could blast down. Mel looked around, arms crossed.

“If Bobbi’s directions are correct- and I sure have my doubts- the strongroom should be right through there”. He glanced over making sure Bobbi wasn’t listening in on their conversation. She was too preoccupied looting a couple corpses nearby. Heather asked what he meant by doubts.

“It just doesn’t seem like we’re under Diamond City. Bobbi’s probably hiding something about this job-”. He shut up as Bobbi strolled over to them. Without a word, he made Sonya blast down the final wall. They walked into a large chamber, a cement ceiling hanging above them. Great… now Heather’s socks were even more soaked than before. Bobbi shared the same sentiment.

“Well, we’re right under the Diamond City strongroom”. Mel, having his doubts still, asked if she was sure this was the correct place. He said he’s been mapping it out in his head, and thinks Diamond City should be more to the north. Bobbi gave him a smile.

“I don’t have a doubt in my mind, Mel. How about a little trust for your boss?” Heather wanted to argue, but didn’t want to risk losing the caps. As much as she doubted they were under Diamond City, she kept her mouth shut. Bobbi seemed to be pleased with that.

“We still need a way up there, though. Mel,” she started, turning towards her companion. “Think your robot can work here?” Mel gave her a look, as if she just asked him to punch through the concrete above him, himself.

“You kidding? Look at this place! The foundation’s already crumbling! One blast from Sonya and the place is gonna come crumbling down”. “Well,” Bobbi huffed. “Make it so”. Mel sighed, motioning for them to get out of the room. The group followed.

“We won’t wanna be in the room for this- collapsing foundation and all. Sonya, prepare for a blast at max power”. The eyebot beeped in reply, waiting until the group were outside. A loud boom confirmed that Sonya had done the deed.

“That didn’t sound good,” Mel said, running into the room. “I hope Sonya’s okay- Oh, no, no, no! Sonya!” Heather caught up with him, peeking over his shoulder. The robot was offline, partially destroyed.

“Rest in pieces, Sonya”. “Man, will you shut up for once, lady,” Mel grumbled as Bobbi and Dogmeat finally reached the two. Bobbi rolled her eyes, dismissing Mel’s distress.

“You can make another robot with the haul we get from the strongroom. Now come on”. Mel sighed heavily, rubbing his face, before following Bobbi up the makeshift ramp. Heather nearly lost her footing and almost slammed her face into the broken concrete. Thankfully, she didn’t.

Finally, they entered the goddamn strongroom. Only to be faced with the woman Hancock is always with, and a bunch of goons. Oh, for fuck’s sake, what NOW?

“Bobbi,” the woman sighed. “What are you doin here?” “Shit,” was Bobbi’s only response. Fahrenheit crossed her arms, a cigarette hanging from her lips.

“You seriously think Hancock wouldn’t catch wind of your scheme?” WHAT? “He took you in, Bobbi… and now you’re stealing from him?” Bobbi waved her off, angrily saying not to listen to the woman with the big gun. Heather felt her eyes roll into the back of her head for just a second, before a deep groan came from her.

“What does this have to do with Hancock,” she whined. “Yeah… about that. This isn’t the Diamond City strongroom, as Mel guessed”. “Oh fuck you, Bobbi,” Mel growled.

“I see the rest of you are in the dark about this,” Fahrenheit said, raising a brow in Bobbi’s direction. “Nice, No-Nose”. She turned her attention to Heather, in particular, eyeing up the shotgun in her hands, and the bat hanging off of her hip.

“You all just broke into Hancock’s storeroom- you know? The mayor of Goodneighbor?” Heather wanted to die immediately.

“Now, I know this isn’t what you guys expected,” Bobbi started. “There are still a ton of caps on the line here. Help me take her out, and all of it is ours”. “This is HANCOCK we’re ripping off here,” Mel hissed. “The guy tends to hold grudges!”

“Counter offer,” Fahrenheit boomed, catching the small group’s attention. “Just go back into your tunnel, and we can forget this ever happened. What do you say?” Heather REALLY didn’t want to go back into the ghoul hole. But like hell she was going to rip off Hancock, after what he’s done to help her and her mother. She turned to Bobbi.

“Come on, Bobbi- if we leave now, at least we leave with our lives. Are some caps and other bullshit worth dying over?” Bobbi hesitated, before letting out a small growl.

“Well, shit,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “You’re right, I guess. I’m not one to give up, but… I know when I’m outmatched. Let’s… just go”. She and Mel started heading back for the tunnel. Fahrenheit called out to Heather, hurrying down the stairs.

“You made the right move, missy- Hancock might’ve kicked you and your mother out, if you had gone through with this”. “Yeah… I’d rather not test his patience”. Fahrenheit smirked slightly, a small huff of a laugh leaving her nose. She snapped her fingers, motioning for one of her triggermen to come over. Heather was handed a large gun case.

“Take this, kid. A token for doing the right thing”. Heather grunted at the weight of the case. “Don’t tell your mother where you got it, either. Don’t want an old woman nagging me about giving a gun to her kid”.

“Hancock will be happy to hear about your loyalty- you should pay your respects in person. It’s best to stay on his good side. Trust me,” she said, whispering the last part in a way that made Heather feel things she really shouldn’t towards a woman who was ready to kill her. A little flustered, she simply nodded, watching Fahrenheit walk away. She opened the case, seeing a fucking minigun, modded with incendiary ammunition. Heather let out the worst wheezy cackle anyone could hear, making a couple of the triggermen uncomfortable as she headed back to Goodneighbor.

Oh, she is so turned on right now.

She didn’t see Bobbi when she finally exited into the city. Guess she ran, knowing Hancock was probably gonna be after her ass. She was tempted to go back to the hotel, but… knew she had to go see Hancock.

“Well, if it ain’t Bobbi’s little patsy,” he laughed as Heather entered the room. Heather looked down, not particularly proud of what happened, which made the ghoul sigh. He pulled out a bag of caps, handing them over.

“Here- for protecting my stash. Probably more than what Bobbi No-Brain was gonna give you, anyway”. She was surprised he was giving her anything, but thanked him nonetheless. Caps made her do this, and she still got what she needed in the end. She tucked them away, looking up when Hancock sighed. He pulled his hat off his head, staring at it for a second.

“Lemme tell ya, kid, this classy little hat of mine is getting damn heavy. Am I turning into the man? Some kinda tyrant? I spend all my time putting down the people I would’ve been happy to scheme with just a few years ago…” He put his hat back on, crossing his arms.

“I need to take a walk again- get a grip on what really matters: Living free”. “Aren’t you the mayor? Can you really just leave?” Hancock laughed.

“Mayor’s still a mayor, whether he’s “in-residence” or not. Walked out plenty of times. Keeps me honest. Stay here too long, and the power’ll go to my head. That’s not what Goodneighbor’s about”. Heather hesitated. She knew her mother wouldn’t like this, but…

“Say you came with me and my mom… what’d that look like?” Hancock grinned, explaining he’s a man of the people- helping the underdog and stabbing anyone that’d try to keep them down.

“I know we already see eye-to-eye on the “getting your hands dirty” aspect of life. Can’t follow ya into Diamond City, but… anywhere else? I’m your ghoul. What d’ya say?” He stuck his hand out, casual grin still hanging on his face. Heather couldn’t help but grin back. She shook his head.

“Alright, Hancock, you’re in. We’ll swing back after we get through in Diamond City and pick you up. Sound good?” “Sounds great- although, if things get too bad, I’m not above sneaking in with a mask on. It’ll be a shame, covering up this handsome face, but I’ll be there if you need me”. They let go of each other.

“Now,” she said, picking up her new gun case. “Wish me luck and hope I don’t die. Gotta tell mom what the hell just happened today”. Hancock let out a loud laugh, waving her off and wishing her luck.

She’s gonna get smacked so hard when she gets to the hotel.