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januaryembrs · 1 year

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LAST KNIGHT IN SOHO | Steven Grant x Reader [1]

description: Steven finds his life slowly turning upside down when the man in the mirror starts talking back, he's sleepwalking all the way to the Alps, and the woman he's besotted with from work finds herself more caught up in all of it than he'd ever wanted. [Last Night in Soho inspired]

word count: 11.1k

trigger warnings: gore, blood, swearing, reader has a dark past that will be explored more read at discretion, third person & no use of Y/N, death, reader will become an avatar eventually,

main masterlist | series masterlist

Authors note: I have been in love with this show since I watched it and have finally started the fic I’ve been wanting to since it came out! The chapters are going to be long and readers backstory is dark but this is a piece very personal to me and I hope you enjoy!!!

She felt someone picking up her limp body. The museum lights had long since been shut off, but through the darkness of the exhibition she caught a tall figure standing over her. Her lids were heavy, vision bleary, yet she blinked a few times to try and straighten her mind that still felt like it was pulsing stiffly in her tight skull. Her voice was no better, the only sound she could let out was a guttural whine as the stranger pressed hard on the three deep lacerations on her abdomen that were now gushing blood like a scene from a 90s slasher movie.

They were broad, blocking out the minimal slither of light as they crouched over her and seemed to be yelling something. Probably scolding her for getting copious amounts of thick blood over the freshly mopped floors, she thought numbly. The sound came to her in something akin to static, a muffled string of nonsense. All she knew was they were talking loud and fast. Or maybe she had a concussion too? That thing had thrown her through that glass wall pretty hard.

She couldn’t see a mouth moving, nor could she actually see their face, just two beams of white blinking down at her.

This couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening for real. She thought maybe someone had slipped something in her drink when she was at the club, but that was two days ago. There would be no reason for her to be feeling the effects only just now. And when she had been jumped on by one of those things she’d sure as hell felt it. She'd seen it with her own two eyes the way her clothes had been ripped as something plunged its claws deep into her, heard the air whoosh out her lungs as it hurled her through the partition wall.

She’d felt, still felt, the open wound seeping so harshly that she knew it was going to be fatal.

There was no coming back from whatever fever dream this was.

She blinked again up at the mystery guy who seemed to be holding her heavy head gently, but the hot, red wetness on his hands that smeared on her cheek said he also knew how fucked she was. He was muttering something, was there someone else here? Oh god, where was Steven?

“Stev-” Came her broken murmur, but the metallic taste crawling its way up her throat cut her off as a blob of viscid blood rolled down her chin.

“He’s here, he’s okay. It’s gonna be okay,” Said the voice back to her, his grasp on her hair tightening as she garbled. The breath, life, was leaving her now. Every time she tried to get air into her lungs, she was met with more of the thick liquid spraying into her mouth, her chest retching for oxygen.

She didn’t have long left, she realised numbly.

The room was blackening round the edges even more now, sped up by the way she felt her hands grabbing his arm in a panic. She’d thought she would welcome the cold hands of Death, it wasn’t a stranger in her home. Death rooted himself in her very soul, and yet as it dragged her under consciousness, she couldn’t help but feel like a scared little girl and she tried to cling onto the mystery figure as if he could keep her from Death’s greedy clutches.

It was sweet poetry, knowing she was drowning from the inside out. She had always known her biggest monster lay within her, in her every cell, festering and rotting her, since the moment she was born. There was really no other perfect way to sum up her whole life than it ending this way, choking on her own body. Grabbing onto a stranger, trying to plead for help as a few precious tears wet her face and she realised she was crying. Scared, vulnerable to her own demise like she had always known she would be.

How do you fight off a monster coming from within? You don't. You can’t. So she didn’t.

No amount of soft words or desperate touches on the figure helped her, it only made the departure messier, a bigger pool of blood for them to find her in.

The world felt surprisingly calm the moment she was snatched ruthlessly into Death’s open arms.

FOUR DAYS EARLIER

“Come the fuck on, Steven” Cursing under her breath, she cradled the two disposable cups of coffee tightly, her rosewood coloured lipstick surrounding only one of the lids. The London air whipped her coat around her shins, frigid and unwelcoming as it was even on a good day.

As per usual, Steven was late for work. The two of them had an agreement to meet each other outside the museum every Wednesday and Thursday, which meant his lateness slid in her own time. She could of course just meet the undoubtedly dishevelled man inside, but what kind of a friend would she be then? Leave him to face Donna’s wrath on his own? No, if he was in for a bollocking then so were she.

Friends didn’t exactly come easy to her nowadays, either. So if waiting in the bitterness for another five minutes meant she could keep this one, then so be it.

She had even taken the time on her commute to work to grab him a drink, the thin, black ink on the sticker reading: LATTE, + CARAMEL, -XTRA ESPRESSO SHOT, -XTRA HOT. she had banked on him being late despite the fact she had left him three messages this morning asking if he was awake (he wasn’t) and called him last night before bed to remind him not to sleep in.

A minute or so before she would have figured he was just calling in sick today, she caught sight of a slouched figure dashing off the bus, the grey knitted cardigan belonging to only one person his age in London. His thatch of messy black curls were a next dead give away, as well as the bags under his eyes that never seemed to budge even if he were to sleep two days in a row. Yet, she couldn’t help but smile at the way he seemed to apologise to a flock of pigeons he nearly trampled on in his haste up the many steps leading to their workplace.

“Donna’s going to serve our heads on sticks to scare away rude customers, you know that right?” She said, handing him his drink, now lukewarm, as he nearly crashed into her own body.

“Thanks, Dove,” He said absently as the two of them headed quickly to the entrance, “Yep, I’m aware I’ve buggered us. Bloody weird dreams again,” Steven shook his head as if to rid himself of the odd thoughts. “Sorry though, love. You must be freezing,”

She was freezing, but the way he was quick to worry over her warmed her insides more than she’d care to admit. The nickname crafted just for her, the bird symbolising ‘Quiet innocence’ in Ancient Egypt, as Steven had once told her. Sure enough, the endearing term had stuck quickly, and it warmed her to know she had a special enough place in his life to have a pet name.

It was plain to see just by looking at the twenty-five year old she was smitten with her co-worker. No sane person stands outside in Brittain’s April winds for just a friend. But Steven was different, which she knew was what every naive young girl said about their work crush, but he truly was. Steven had a kindness she had never known someone to offer without wanting anything in return, which he didn’t. He was so sweet to her she understood why he loved the sugary caramel syrup in his coffee so much, she thought often it glazed his every word with a honeyed tone. His face was a blend of a greek god and a lost puppy, a combination she never would have banked on being so damn attractive until she met him.

Even his smell alone of a quiet library, a rain soaked meadow and freshly brewed coffee had her inebriated.

“It’s fine,” The woman reassured as she cut through the main lobby where it was already lively with school kids. A few queued up at the gift shop to pay for their treasures; she smiled when she saw a girl with an Anubis plushie tucked under her arm. “I’m sure she would have found a reason to snap today anyway,”

She adored her job, she really did. Graduating university with a degree in Ancient Languages, working in London’s heart of archeological texts had been a linguist’s version of Broadway. Sure, her talents were beyond soured working in the gift shop, but anything was better than the life she’d fled to get here.

No amount of sneers and dry remarks from Donna could ever drag her kicking and screaming back to that time before she left for Soho.

“What did you dream about this time?” She asked, her black, kitten heels clicking against the freshly polished marble floor.

A ghost of a smile spread across his face, and her eyes couldn’t help but linger on the way his brows lifted, giving away his amusement at his own head. “It was the weirdest thing. I felt like I was flying over London, but not, like, in an aeroplane or anything, like I was flying. Like, me. No wings or anything. Like I’m bloody superman or something.” Steven shook his head again and she gave a small laugh.

“Certainly beats getting the underground. You know, I saw a rat the size of a dachshund this morning, swear on my life. I thought it was about to ask me for spare change,” Steven smiled at his colleague as they entered the Ancient Egypt area. She took a sip of her own hot latte, sweet cinnamon with whipped cream that had long since melted, the liquid already half devoured when she was waiting for him to show up.

“Don’t you ever have dreams like that, then? That feel so ridiculous. It's like, how can my head even come up with it?” Steven asked, and her smile wobbled a little as she saw her manager set her predatory gaze on the two of them. The people pleaser in her wanted to cower at Donna’s furious expression.

In all honesty, she wished for dreams as ludicrous as flying over Piccadilly like a Mary Poppins wannabe. She wished she had Steven’s innocent look on life, that the world around her didn’t terrify her, that it could be as gentle with her as he was.

But that was not real life.

Her dreams were not filled with silly fantasies of flying like heroes. They were filled with dark monsters that looked too much like men to be supernatural, that managed to catch her no matter how many times she ran, begged, screamed. They always caught up to her. Always. Leaving her clawing at the duvet, drenched in sweat and a pulse that could challenge a hummingbird’s.

“Brace yourself,” She ignored his question, muttering the words to him as the blonde came strutting over to them with a daggers look. Ah, Donna. The woman that made her job so joyful, so easy, a delight to be around.

Donna hated her almost as much as she made it clear Steven was on a metaphorical hit list the moment he stepped foot into the museum.

“You pair better have a good explanation,” Donna snapped, dumping a tower of boxes in Steven’s arms.

“Bus times-” Steven said at the same time she came out with:

“Road works-”

They both stopped, hesitating a glance to one another. The blonde looked between them, shaking her head with a furrowed brow and a scornful sigh.

“It’s like tweedledum and tweedledee having you two together,” She muttered, nudging the younger girl towards the stands in the middle of the gift shop, “Dum, you’re stock shelves today, love,” The term didn’t sound nearly as friendly coming from her mouth, nor did it make her chest flutter like it did when Steven said it. It was condescending, rude. Made to make her feel inferior, which it did. She pointed at the man then, shoving a basket of insect themed sweets to him behind the till, “Dee, you’re selling these.”

Donna looked between the two of them one last time, her steely blue glare never wavering, as if checking they could be left alone together without wasting company time, before going to set her unforgiving jaws on some other poor creature.

The girl set her bag behind the counter and got to work organising the merchandise, twisting the ceramic scarabs to all be facing the front.

It was a menial job at best, being stuck stacking shelves as mothers and fathers reached over to inspect the new stock, most of the time messing up the meticulous order she’d put them out in. Kids got their grubby mits all over the glass pyramid paperweights, making her eye twitch since she knew she’d need to polish them up again, only to flash them a smile and ask them kindly if they had the pocket money to pay for it.

They didn’t, kids just liked to fiddle with priceless things and their parents were too busy on their phones to notice.

She was half way through showing two young girls to the sarcophagus themed pencil cases when she caught sight of Dylan at the front counter, leaning in to talk to Steven.

Dylan was a nice woman to work with. She was one of the only people who’d tried to coax conversation out of the greenie the first week she started there, which had been painful for both of them since she had never been known to be sociable. Companionship did not come easy to her and it was only by sheer luck that Steven seemed so similarly awkward in a charming way that she was able to feel comfortable around him.

It was childish really, a silly work crush that she had no intention of ever letting slip. He was too good for her anyway. He was sweet and kind, gentle, innocent. Everything she was not.

Steven Grant deserved someone who could give him the world. Which is why it shouldn’t have come to too much of a stab to the chest when she heard what the two of them were talking about.

“We still on for seven tomorrow?” Dylan asked, her hair falling in those beautiful, tight curls over her shoulder. Dylan was the type who showed up to work every day looking effortlessly gorgeous which clawed at the younger girl more than she cared to acknowledge. She liked Dylan, she really did. She was friendly in a way that was genuine, didn’t have her second guessing whether she meant the compliments she gave to anyone.

Some days she wondered if Dylan pitied her. A plain Jane girl with no family to lean on, trying to make ends meet in a city as extortionate as London and chin deep in university loans. It was enough for any attractive, confident adult woman to kiss their teeth and “Awww”.

The girl watched the two of them, waiting for the teenagers to decide which stationary sets they wanted. They were looking for ‘different but matching’ they had said, not that she was paying much attention to them. Steven’s face was the picture of lost as he stared at the grown woman, seemingly entranced with her face. And she couldn’t blame him. Dylan flashed him a teasing smile, brilliant white teeth poking out from behind her luscious dark lips.

“Seven tomorrow?” He asked, despite nodding happily as if he understood what she was talking about. But his friend didn’t miss the confusion blaring on his face, his eyes as brown as the coffee she’d bought him scrunched up slightly in bewilderment.

“Best steak in town?” Dylan prompted, her smile not faltering though she seemed to also be slightly thrown off that had forgotten.

Their unknowing audience kept her head down, not wanting to watch for a second more of their conversation. She didn’t need a degree to see the way Dylan had leaned in, her body language turned completely towards him as if to tease him with what could come if their date were to go well, her own almond eyes trailing over him with the air of confidence her younger counterpart lacked.

“Oh right, yeah. Yeah,” Steven replied. She could tell he still had no clue what Dylan was talking about.

“Yeah? Okay,” Dylan replied, oblivious to his dilemma, and stepped away from the desk to go tour the new group of school kids waiting in the hallway.

Steven followed her trail hotly before she could leave, “Sorry but,” He stepped towards her to talk a little quieter, almost embarrassed about how forward he was being, “Are you asking me out?”

Dylan stopped, reeling slightly in shock before she wagged a finger to him and chuckled. “You’re funny. I’ll see you then.” She seemed unbothered by his ‘joke’ though she could hear in his own voice he was muddled. The woman walked away with a sultry looking smile, her eyes flicking to her where her other coworker silently arranged the pencil sarcophaguses. “Morning, babe,” She gave the girl a friendly squeeze on the upper arm as she passed. It only made it more difficult to writhe in jealousy knowing the woman he was seeing was downright lovely.

“Morning, Dylan,” She returned the smile, though the bitterness festered inside her. She had no claim over him, and she really couldn’t blame the two of them for gravitating towards one another. Not only was she merely twenty-five, a decade under Steven and Dylan’s thirty-five years, but Dylan was sexy, confident, flirty. Knew what she wanted. She was incredibly smart too, not an airhead like some other people trying to live the big dream in London. Dylan was a tour guide at the British Museum, and what was she? A graduate with a dead degree, pun intended, and a job that could be done by any wannabe walking in here.

Taking a moment to rearrange her feelings, shoving down the way her heart wriggled in her chest as the little green monster worked its way through her veins, pumping disappointment around her body like a drug.

The two young girls seemed to only then decide which pencil boxes they wanted, unbeknownst to her inner turmoil, and she remained silent as she led them over to the till to talk to Steven, more for her own benefit than theirs.

“I didn’t know you’d asked her out,” She said finally, though it came out as a croak, which she cleared from her throat quickly. Steven scanned their items as the girls both fiddled with ten pound notes, the great Queen Elizabeth staring at the woman from their hands as if she even knew how childish she sounded.

“Neither did I,” Steven replied honestly, printing off the receipts for them, “And you would think for a woman like her there’d be no chance I’d forget a date, you know what I mean?”

Ouch. She smiled tightly, waving the younger girls off as they caught up with Dylan’s tour group. The woman of the hour. Of course he’d be elated at the sound of that, what man with eyes wouldn’t? Anyone would count their stars lucky to be given a chance by a temptress like her.

“Must have needed that coffee today after all,” She joked, though she couldn’t bring herself to smile properly, instead finding a middle ground between a grimace and a simper.

Steven chuckled at her, shaking his head. “Must have. What would I ever do without you?” She grinned painfully at him, looking away to try and hide the way her face grew hot at his thoughtless words. “Am I still walking you home tonight?”

Another of their routines. She lived closer to Islington than the lovely apartment Steven had in Whitechapel. Despite paying a lot per month to live so close to the city centre, some areas of London like the borough she lived in was still ridden with some of the highest crime rate in the county. Steven was more thoughtful than anyone she had ever met, a rarity in this place, and on the days they were at work together he would ride the underground home with her before detouring around to his own apartment even further away.

“Uh, no,” She replied, busying herself with unloading one of the boxes Donna had dumped in Steven’s hands earlier. She loved spending time with Steven, loved it so much that she felt guilty of lusting over him without his knowledge, but she couldn’t bear to hear any more about this date that he would no doubt want to pick her brain apart over. He’d want to ask what to wear, how to style his hair, if he should buy her chocolates and flowers even though she already knew he would. And the whole time she’d be hoarse in the throat from holding back the urge to say Date me instead, I’m begging you. “No, I have a date of my own tonight,”

Liar. Liar. Liar.

It was like their monarch Elizabeth was still glaring at her, judging her through her inky lashes and driving the dagger in further at the fact that this kind of behaviour was exactly what made her too immature to be considered for a real date with Steven.

He raised his brows, surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for her to have an occasional fling with a guy every now and then. But none of them really progressed to a date, just a single night of passion to groan over in embarrassment when Steven asked how her weekend went.

“Oh, who’s the lucky guy?” Steven asked, nudging her shoulder in a tone that was nothing but teasing.

“No one, just someone I met on tinder,” She brushed off, the lack of excitement making the man stop trying to pry a smile out of her.

“What’s the matter?” She shrugged at him, not coming up with a response in time. What he took as nerves was in fact guilt and disgust feasting on her insides at the fact she was lying to him. Lying. There was no mystery man, no one coming to save her from this awkward display of what pure jealousy can do to a reasonable person. “You can always cancel if you don’t want to go.”

“I just…” she trailed off, stuck for what to say. He was looking at her with those puppy eyes no grown man should be able to perfect. And yet he was patiently waiting for her to stumble on the right set of words, his entire focus on whatever it was troubling her. That was another thing, for as chatty as a person as Steven was, he was just as good a listener, and she could tell he gave her everything every single time they would talk. “I just don’t know what to wear, is all,”

He seemed content with her answer as his eyes trailed down her body. She squirmed under his gaze but hid it well (not at all) by pulling her cardigan sleeves over her hands and balling her fists to fidget with, “Wear what you’re wearing now,” He said simply, as if it were obvious.

She looked down. A large top and casual jeans did not exactly say date worthy, though she wasn’t sure if there were actual rules to hypothetical dating, seeing as her man was fucking imaginary.

She giggled at him nonetheless, shaking her head, “These are my work clothes, Steven. I can’t go like this.”

“Why not? I think you look lovely,” Steven’s comment was passing, tiny in the scale of things. Yet it sent her heart scrambling for a grip on reality. He was just her friend, complimenting her on her perfectly ordinary clothes. Nothing more.

It wasn’t until she found herself smiling at a set of metal Pharaohs that she realised she needed to get a date for this evening fast. If Dylan and Steven could find someone in this wide city, surely it couldn’t be too hard for her to.

Sound was the first thing that came back to her. The crappy animated kids show she had been watching out of pure boredom last night was still playing after being left on all night. No doubt running up her already high electric bills. The exaggerated, slapstick bangs blared through the speaker. That caught her attention, drawing her into the awake like a fog horn from shore. The midday sun slipped through the open curtains, flicking over her lids and coaxing her to open them. She did so gently, lashes batting over her cheeks as she tried to make sense of where she was.

Her sofa.

The two empty mugs glared back at her from the coffee table, making her eyes wince in confusion. Why was she making tea so late last night?

Then the stench hit her. The smokey yet overwhelmingly powerful smell of a gentleman caller named Jack Daniels wafted up her nose and brought back a panorama of memories flicking through her head; The date. A real date that had been scheduled since Thursday. A completely ordinary blonde named James. The restaurant. Him being almost too charming. Fake laughing at his jokes she had already seen on Twitter weeks ago. Him touching her thigh every chance he could get. Suggesting they go to a club. Dancing. Shots. More dancing. Sharing a beer she pretended not to think was the most horrendous thing she’d ever tasted. More shots. More dancing. Him grabbing her hips. Her waist. Him kissing her neck, cheek, lips. Him grabbing her more, something she would find sleazy if she wasn’t desperate to force Steven out of her intoxicated brain.

Which led to her apartment. The sofa, as classy as it sounded, was seemingly a better option than her bed. She had been quick to shut him down when he suggested moving it to her room; that was too intimate. That was her space, which would only be tainted by this stranger wanting to bend her over. So the sofa it was.

Whiskey served in old mugs she got from the gift shop being chugged for Dutch courage. The same mugs she had bought with Steven as part of a set. They had taken two each, promising that they would be used whenever the other visited.

She had given him Steven’s mug out of spite, even in her vodka riddled brain she was burying her feelings six feet under.

Her hand shot out when she heard her phone buzzing, not wanting it to wake up her actual gentleman caller.

The phone was clumsily brought to her ear, not even bothering to check who was calling before she swiped the green icon.

“Hullo?” It came out a horrible croaky mess and had her coughing the second she’d asked.

“Hi, Dove! Just called to see how your date went.” Steven’s voice blared through the speaker, which only served to have her pulling it away and groaning. “And also to tell you about my dream, I think it was the weirdest one to date!”

“Woah, slow down, Steve-” She tried to say, but the man had clearly a mouthful to tell her and continued on regardless.

“I was in the alps, but it was all so real. There was this group of people taking it in turn to hold hands with this weird American guy, and then I got into a high speed cupcake-van chase with the lot of them because they started saying I’d stolen this little scarab thing from them, I don’t know where I get this stuff from-” Her eyes scrunched together in pain, though she lay in the quiet and tried to gather her bearings. She sat up from the sofa, shivering when she saw it was around midday outside and she had forgotten to close the window.

“Sounds intense,” She mused to keep him talking, pulling a blanket over her still nude body as she stood to close it and preserve the heating. Her head spun as she stood, a rush of bile rising to her throat dangerously, which she choked back down and looked around the room. Quickly realising she was alone in her flat, she shuffled over to the kitchen in her blanket cocoon to find her purse to see how bad the damage her little excursion had done to her limited stash as any responsible youth did after a night out in London.

“It was! I swear it was like I could feel the cars smashing into me- Oh right! How was your date?”

She blanched, head still pounding, “Uh. Yeah it was great.” It was average at best. “He was super funny,” For a Twitter fraud. “So romantic,” If romantic was the new word for ten minutes of missionary and not even making her cum. “He took me wine tasting,” She was sure she’d be tasting the wine she’d bought at the club any second now judging by the way her head spun, “Yeah, he was great,” He wasn’t you, Steven.

“I’m so pleased for you, love!” Her best friend cheered, a part of her writhing in repulsion that she had lied to him again. Though maybe that was the wine begging to make an appearance. She stuck the lever down on the kettle to get the water boiling, sure that a fresh cup of strong tea would be the only thing to pull her through this hangover.

Part of her, the dark, twisted part, wanted him to be jealous. Wanted to make him as frustrated and envious as he had unknowingly made her. But he would never, could never. Steven was tender and good. He was too sweet to ever think a single bitter thought towards her, towards Donna even. Which only served to make her feel even more rotten inside.

“How was your date with Dylan?” She forced herself to ask. It was selfish for her to think, but she wished more than anything for him to tell her that it went horribly. She hated the part of her inside that sang with glee at the idea of him hating his date. She truly was wicked inside, and the idea only reminded her more of why she would never be asked on a date by him. Maybe he could see it too, how sick she was for wanting the world to suffer if she couldn’t have the one man she’d ever truly wanted.

“That’s not until tonight, love, remember?” He said casually, as she fumbled around her kitchen for her handbag. She locked eyes on the little black clutch sitting on top of the counter. Her brows furrowed in confusion, she could have sworn Dylan said they were meeting Friday, two full nights ago. Her heart plummeted, maybe it was a second date.

Ofcourse it was. Ofcourse they hit it off, who wouldn’t. He was as smitten as anything and Dylan wasn’t that kind of woman that was too afraid to tell him exactly what she wanted. If she wanted to see him again, then Steven would give her exactly what she asked for.

“Tonight?” She asked, squeezing the phone between her shoulder and her head as she popped open the clasps to her bag.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t forget a woman like her twice in a row,” Steven joked. But what should have made her gut curdle in pain only fell on deaf ears.

Her purse was gone. Her purse that never left her damn bag, that she had stuffed her rent money in as soon as she’d gotten it was missing.

“I-I’m gonna have to call you back, Steven,” She uttered through the heart sized lump in her throat. Her palms were already clammy with sweat, both from the drink and from her sheer panic, “Good luck on your date,”

“Alright, gators!”

She barely got a chance to murmur their goodbye back before she had thrown her phone down on the plain, white counter and dumped out the contents of her bag.

Hair ties, the odd two pence, a pen she stole from the bank. But no purse.

She turned her coat pockets inside out, the blanket falling down her waist and exposing her round breasts to the cold air. But she couldn’t care less. The goosebumps slithering up her arms did nothing to fight the hot panic as the sofa cushions were thrown off their frame, the young girl still turning up empty handed.

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck.

This could not be happening. She hadn’t opened her bag all night, even when she got out of the taxi she had her phone readily in her hand and the bag tightly closed. Someone could have taken it in the club, sure, but that made no sense seeing as her bag was definitely still heavy with the wallet when she had gotten home, not near empty like it was now.

Which only meant…

Her date had fucking stolen from her.

“FUCK!” She yelled, throwing her vacant bag across the room with tears brimming her eyes.

It seemed life had been digging a trench underneath Rock Bottom reserved for her at a time like this. And she was left clutching at the muddy walls, trying to drag herself to safety and anywhere that wasn’t her shitty situation where she pined over a man she could never have, where she was still walking the line between sane and whatever else was brewing inside her, fighting against tendrils of hatred and chaos, malignance, that wrapped around her organs and reminded her where she came from, what she was. A life where she got mugged by the men she fucked at her expensive pity parties.

She just hoped Donna wasn’t too hard on her tomorrow after this shit show of a weekend.

“Late, again,” Came the chiding voice the moment she stepped in the building.

Sweat dripped down her back from her long trek through London to get to work. 48 minutes of power walking is what she had been reduced to, unable to get the bus or underground for lack of money.

And she was still late. She was expecting a nice, fat kick to the teeth any time now.

“It’s five minutes, Donna,” You pleaded, yanking an earphone out. Music was the only thing that could block out the thrum of anger and agony she was in from the weekends chaotics.

“Even Stevie-”

“Steven,”

“-Was on time today and he’s the worst for it,” Donna snapped, and the young girl could do nothing but slump in defeat.

“I’m sorry, Donna. It won’t happen again.” She promised. She wasn’t sure if she meant it yet with her lack of transport, but she couldn’t lose this job. She didn’t even know how she was going to pay for this month’s rent let alone catch the bus, breakfast itself had been skipped in an attempt to conserve food. Her stomach ached from the exercise, crying out for anything to fill its distressed cavern. “I got robbed yesterday so I walked,” She murmured, avoiding the blue eyes that had narrowed in on her. She hated feeling pitied, feeling as though people were sorry for her. But it was the truth, and the truth sucked sometimes.

She wasn’t sure what beam of light had shone out of Donna’s ass this morning, or whether she really did look just that pathetic, but the blonde woman just sighed and nudged her towards the gift shop.

In perhaps the nicest tone she’d ever spoken to her, Donna quietly said “Last warning, girl, alright?” The younger woman thanked her quickly, her small voice sheepish. Her boss looked down at her in discontent, “Alright, get going. And you’re on inventory with Steven tonight so best behaviour, I mean it,”

She nodded, turning on her heel to speed towards the gift shop.

Turning from the main lobby to enter the Ancient Egypt exhibits, she’d not gotten halfway there when she’d caught up to Steven seemingly helping a customer. Odd considering the fact he wasn’t even in the shop yet, but knowing Steven he’d probably stopped to chat the guy’s ear off about something he knew too much about to be just a giftshoppist.

She went to wave when he looked up and met her gaze, but the forlorn, scared expression she found there had her already negligent smile drop completely. Steven seemed relieved to see her, too nervous to say anything to the man himself as he stood too close for his comfort.

Her eyes fell to where the stranger held Steven’s hands tightly, murmuring something to him that seemed to have her friend freaked out. The whole sight threw her for a loop, and she called his name on instinct, the new man’s head shooting up to stare at her blankly.

Speeding up her pace, she met the two as Steven pulled away from the stranger’s strong grasp. “Steven, are you okay?” She asked gently, looking from her friend to the lithe figure of the man. He wasn’t tall by any means, but his presence, the way he dressed and held an intricately woven cane seemed meant to make himself superior. His hair was long and greying, still young enough to be attractive but probably a bit older than Steven. A neat sort of scruff sat on his chin, and old blue orbs took her in head to toe where she stood. Not out of lust, but out of intrigue.

“We were just talking, weren’t we, Steven?” The man said calmly, seemingly sizing her up himself. She looked over her shaken friend quickly, the alarm written over his face that had near brought him to tears telling her all she needed to know.

This man was no friend.

“Sorry, I don’t remember asking you,” She snipped in the cold politeness English people all knew how to enact, bringing her friend’s hand into her soft one for reassurance. Steven had never seen her so infuriated. And perhaps it was the weekend she’d had or the way the man so gentle he refused to kill insects seemed to be trembling beneath her hand, she wasn’t sure, but a fierce frown was deep set into her face that dropped into concern the moment she looked back to him, “Are you alright?”

“Can we go, please?” His round, nut brown eyes were soft and welled up as he quietly spoke, as if asking for her permission to be away from here despite being the older of the two. Her heart dropped at his sad expression, and she felt him squeeze her hand as if needing to reassure himself someone was there to save him.

She had no time to note the way the butterflies swelled in her stomach as he did so, focused on getting him away from the strange man.

“Ofcourse,” She said softly, turning to direct him to their little corner of the museum, hoping that the stranger would get the hint and just leave them be.

That seemed short lived when a cold hand wrapped itself around her lower arm, a gasp drawing its way from her lungs. She could feel the panic of being grabbed by the unfamiliar man crawling up her spine, her limbs going numb, her hearing dipping in and out of static at the adrenaline flushing through her system.

She heard Steven say her name as her head snapped to where the man’s strong grip tightened around her wrist. He seemed to stare at her with something calculating, and she wished she hadn’t run her mouth despite the fact she did so to protect the same person who was now behind her, a deeper sense of panic blaring in his eye than before.

“Let go-” Taking a deep breath to overcome the bubbling fear rising in her chest, her only words were cut off by a much clearer voice.

“There is a darkness in you,” The stranger said, as if he knew it for a fact.

Her heart plummeted.

Was it so obvious? No one had ever been able to see it, she buried it so deep in the hopes no one would ever get a glimpse beneath her kind shell. But it was a facade, and even he knew it. The shock must have read clear on her face as he pushed on, as if to reopen scar tissue with his bare hands.

“And chaos, oh there is chaos.” Her lips quirked between her teeth as she tried to stop them from trembling, “A shadow looms over you, little dove.” She felt Steven pull her closer to him, but this man had her every morsel of attention. How did he know, if he knew then surely Steven knew too. Knew she was born so dead she felt she was living a lie by being here. The man laughed to himself, just a small breath but it was enough to break her spirit, “What is it those witches say about Macbeth? Something wicked this way comes.” He asked though he already knew the answer, as if to entrance her with his own spell, “And I see you are truly something wicked.”

Her breath left her chest. The voice escaped her throat. Every intention of protecting Steven had practically evaporated out of her body as her co worker tugged her arm hard enough that the stranger let go of her.

“Leave us alone or I’ll call the police, alright?” Steven murmured with a new sense of courage, “I don’t care if you’re friends with the security here, you leave us alone,”

But the man’s eyes hadn’t left her, as if he knew just how deep his words had struck with her. He wormed his way into her brain even as Steven led her away with a kind hand on her back, his own words of reassurance coming to her as if she were underwater. As if she were being dragged under a current.

“He has no clue what he’s talking about, love. He was trying to get into my head too,” Steven said, but he could tell by the lost look in her eyes it was barely being registered.

“Who the hell was that?” She asked after a moment, the feeling in her fingertips just about awakening once they were far enough away to be considered safe.

“You won’t believe me if I told you-”

“Steven, please,” She begged, looking up at him with a desperation he had never known from her. That man, Harrow, one of the women in the alps had called him, had truly shaken her up with the near omen he had given her.

Steven couldn’t understand why, she was possibly the loveliest girl he had ever met. There was no one who so much as held a torch to her light in Steven’s eyes. She was kind. Gentle. Good. This Harrow had no idea what he was talking about saying she was wicked. She was anything but.

Steven sighed, looking at her gravely. “Remember yesterday when I said I had that dream the other night. When I was in the alps, and those men were chasing me for some scarab I’d stolen,”

She blinked at him emptily. In her defence, her brain had still been riddled with alcohol when he’d been rambling, and she had gotten caught up in her own personal issues since then to take much notice. But the scenario sounded familiar as she wracked her brain for the information, some light sparking in her eyes when it clicked to their phone conversation the day before.

She stayed silent, eyebrows furrowing, “You said that was a dream, Steven. That man is very much real,”

“I know, I thought it was a dream,” Steven explained, “But now they’re here, and they keep saying I’ve got this scarab and what not. I don’t understand any of this, love. I’m sorry. I just know he’s dangerous and we need to stay far away from him,”

The younger woman looked at him sadly. He was clearly in distress himself, and she felt a flash of sympathy run through her at his lost expression, yet his eyes were full of concern for her well being.

She knew what it was like to struggle to know what was real and what was not. What it was like to feel as though you're barely keeping your head above the waters of reality. Yet she trusted Steven would tell her if he knew what was happening.

She knew he was more honest than anyone she’d ever known, so she didn’t push.

“Alright,” She said with a heavy sigh, rubbing her eyes to relieve the pressure building in her frontal lobes, “Alright, let’s just steer clear of him, okay? And if he comes back, we go to the police together.”

Steven seemed relieved, which wasn’t a surprise since he knew it was a big ask to have someone trust such a ludicrous story. Yet he didn’t know why he doubted her. She was loyal and would never dream of ridiculing him like other people might. She just took his word as gospel.

She was too good to him.

“Okay, yeah. Good plan,” He said, nodding and checking behind him to see if the guy was still after them when a smaller body pressed its way into his chest.

She didn’t know why she did it, whether it was for his benefit or hers, but she hugged him. Tightly too, as if she had been holding back for a while (she had). They hugged all the time, when saying goodbye at her train stop, when they saw each other on a morning given they weren’t running late. But it never felt like this, so intimate. So much like she needed him so desperately.

Perhaps it was childish, but the way he drew her closer, resting a head on top of hers as if he needed the contact as much as she did made her heart flutter even with the strange circumstances. For a moment, they both felt safe, like Harrow couldn’t get in their heads entirely because they had each other to ground them, reassure the other that they were not alone in the web his ominous words had spun them into, and that was enough for now.

Yet the two of them barely spoke all day.

Whether it was they were too busy with their actual work, or they were both in their heads thinking just what Harrow had meant by his prophesying.

It wasn’t until inventory was nearly done that she spoke first.

“We’re going to be alright, aren’t we?” She asked, his head cutting to hers from where he was scanning some Beefeater Rubber ducks. He seemed to notice the slight glint of fear in her tone, “As in, they don’t know where you live do they? Or me?”

“No love, of course not,” At least he hoped they didn’t. Steven realistically couldn’t promise anything, he had no idea how far this Harrow’s network of followers ran. But he knew for certain he couldn’t stand to see her so scared. It ran a streak of anger in him that was unusual. Steven never found himself particularly angry, but it had run red hot when he saw the way Harrow had grabbed her and knocked the soul out of her with his words alone. “If you want, you can stay at mine tonight? I’ll take the sofa, you can take my bed,” After he’d swept away the giant ring of sand of course.

She smiled at him finally, maybe the first proper one she’d shown him all day. And he couldn’t help but feel his chest grow lighter that he had done that. Gods be good, she was pretty when she smiled, he thought.

“Thanks, Steven,” She said quietly. He was confident the two of them could figure this out together, and if he was sure of her, then how wicked could she truly be?

She knew it was a cop out, that she hid so much from him that he didn’t know the real her; that if he did he would turn tail and run as far as he could from the monster in front of him. That he would curse himself once he realised Harrow was right; she was polluted down to her marrow.

“I’ve only got this box left to do, love, then we can get out of here,” Steven promised, his eyes flicking over where she collected two half full crates of merchandise and headed out of the gift shop to the stockroom.

“I’ll take these out and meet you in the lobby?” She called over her shoulder, hearing him agree as she walked away to the area meant for employees only.

Sighing deeply, she put the crates down gently, sliding them into a bottom shelf out the way of clumsy feet (most likely her own). A thought jumped in her tired brain, and she was quick to turn out her pockets for any spare change she could use for the train fare back to Steven’s apartment.

Just as she suspected: empty. Because why would she be so lucky as to have anything good happen to her. She could always try and persuade Steven to walk home and save the embarrassment of revealing what actually happened to her Saturday night, but she knew the pitiful look he would give her if she told him the truth of her date. The sad eyes that would flash that neither of them needed after a morning of such anguish.

They didn’t need another of her pity parties today, and she grimaced at the thought of how horrendously the last one ended. Though she knew Steven was different, that he would never do anything so cruel to a stranger let alone herself.

It only made her heart yearn for him more.

Sighing, she thought on her feet as to what to tell him as she left the stockroom, locking the door behind her with the key Donna gave them all a copy of. Her heels rhythmically clicked on the freshly polished floor that reflected her frowning face back at her as if to remind her to stop looking so tormented.

She saw the light of the main exhibit at the end of the darkened hallway, heading towards it at no rush since she figured Steven would likely just about be done himself. Lost in her own head as to what excuse to give the man she called her only friend, she almost missed the deep sound snarling in the shadows behind her.

Whipping her head around with a wide eyed expression, her eyes flicked around the hallway for any glimpse of what made that sound.

But she saw nothing. Not in the way shadows were nothing, dark patches of nothing, as in she saw nothing there. Had anything been lingering behind her, she would have at least caught or heard any movement.

She paused for a second to take another look, only to still come up empty. Her foot warily continued its original path, figuring the sound must have been the cleaners dragging something against the floor.

“Hey, Steven,” She called upon approaching the lobby where he’d be waiting, “Do you reckon I could owe you a coffee for my train fare? It’s just-”

Her voice cut out when she heard the low growl again, much louder this time. Loud enough to have her wince and stop in her tracks in the centre of the room.

She caught sight of the navy blue jacket she knew too well walking backwards slowly, his eyes trained on something in the adjacent corridor.

“Steven-” She whisper yelled, his panicked eyes snapping to hers, “What the hell is that-”

His arm raised out to point at the shadow illuminating the wall. Her gaze fixed on the shadow of a wild dog of sorts, its snout long and open in a fierce grin. She could practically see the outline of the drool dripping from its sharp teeth, at least she hoped it was saliva she thought gravely.

Her breath left her instantly. What the fuck was that? Her knees felt as if they were about to buckle underneath her, calves going numb as the adrenaline flushed over her body in tidal waves. She was always a dog lover, she’d had two as a kid, but something told her whatever kind of beast this was, it was not nearly as friendly as a tamed canine would be.

And it seemed Steven realised it too as he was quick to cower behind a display of an ancient relic clutching his bag to his chest tightly.

His frantic eyes pleaded for her to move, but she seemed frozen to the spot.

The overhead tannoy rang melodically, as if God was preparing to make the announcement that they were truly fucked, something she didn’t need a bulletin to know.

“Steven Grant of the gift shop.” The sound of that familiar voice had her heart plummeting into her gut that twisted painfully. Did this guy have attack dogs or something? How had he gotten them past security? They looked huge. “Give me the scarab and the two of you won’t be torn apart,”

The scarab? Everything Steven had said about his dream was true. And if that was true then that meant this guy was a nut job capable of having his entire team hunt her down for so much as associating with poor Steven who looked as lost as she felt.

The shadow moved, shifting around the corner of the hall to enter the open lobby. A scratch-like sound found her ears, as if someone were running knives over a cold slab, and she realised with a shiver this thing must have claws.

And they were approaching.

An open mouthed growl echoed through the room, which only served to confuse her even more. From the volume alone she knew the thing was big, and in the very same room as her. Which meant she surely should be able to see it as she could see the entire length of the room it had to be walking down.

But that was the thing. There was nothing there.

“Steven,” She whimpered quietly. It was stupid, making that noise and attracting attention to herself. But she was scared. She wanted to know what to do. Wanted comfort that she wasn't going insane, that maybe this was all a practical joke and there really was nothing there.

A second set of razor sharp nails entered the room from the same direction, yet again she could only decipher that on sound alone. The chorus of snarls that only got closer did nothing but have her step back on instinct.

“Steven-” She said again, only to see him standing in a rush.

“RUN!” He yelled, taking off towards the exit.

She didn’t need to see the dogs to know they were in the way of her and the same route Steven had taken, so she settled for scrambling back the way she came. The black heels she wore for work to seem professional only proved to be useless when running from wild animals, it seemed. Who’d have thought it?

Her feet pounded down the maze of exhibits, trying to make it to the exit where Steven had headed towards. But for every one step she took, two paws advanced on her like an apex predator heading for its kill.

Which she no doubt would be.

Turning past the Anubis exhibit her stomach dropped when she heard a strong body colliding with the same wall she had practically skidded past. Her lungs burnt with effort, her breaths coming out in wheezes. She had one last turn and before she would be seconds away from the fire exit that she could barricade from the outside.

The feeling of the dog’s hot breath on the back of her ankles had her pushing herself harder, too scared to look over her shoulder. She was coming up to where the hallway split into two and she headed for the right where she was sure the back exit was. She couldn’t help but wish Steven was able to outrun the mutt on his own heels, having not heard from him since she had taken off in separate directions.

Taking the turning past a remaining chunk of what was once a Cleopatra statue, her eyes adjusted to the dark corridor. Where were the slab paintings of the sphinx? Where were the memorials to King Tut? They should be here, they’re always next to this exit-

Her chest constricted when she realised her mistake. Her grave mistake.

In the panic of escaping the creature, she had taken the wrong turning. She should have gone left.

Yet judging by the way the animal grunted with the effort of the chase, she had no option but forward.

Forward to a dead end. To the Setekh exhibit room.

The walls were alive with paintings recovered from ancient tombs. The god of Storms, among other things, was feared through all of Egypt in the later dynasty. He was associated with all things evil, mysterious and disordered. The huge altar that held the statue of Set, his long face foreboding and as cold as the stone it was preserved in, looked down at her in almost malice as her feet took her into the one place she had left to go.

It wasn’t until she felt the walls surrounding her, the penny dropped how fucked she was. There was no way out, no cutting back the way she came as the creature ran into the vast room with her. Dodging one of the plinths containing statues of the demon god, she had barely a second where her pace slowed down as she considered how she was going to turn back before she felt it.

A force stronger than a freight train hit her from behind. She heard every molecule of air get pushed from her lungs at the sheer weight of it, her throat audibly yelping. Its body collided with hers with a weight that she was sure must be pure muscle, and she was thrown to the hard floor with less effort than a child tossing a ragdoll.

The impact had her ribs rattling in her chest, brain bouncing against her now bleeding forehead. The cold floor was harsh against her raw skin. Her nose made a loud pop as it smashed against the marble, a hot sting erupting over her entire face.

But the worst was yet to come.

There was a moment when she was collecting her thoughts, head spinning from the collision. She was sure she’d damaged something in her skull as it pounded, harder than it ever had with any hangover.

She’d give anything to be back on her sofa feeling sorry for herself.

She hadn’t the time to pick herself back up when she felt something large do it for her. It must have been eight feet tall with how big its behemoth paws were as the one grabbed her leg and dragged her on her stomach towards itself. Like a cat playing with a mouse. Not ready to devour, not yet. Just playing. Torturing. Tormenting.

Then came the claws. Her eyes looked down at her ribs, the thin air surrounding them making her cry out in horror - there still wasn’t a fucking soul in sight. No dog, or animal. Or human even. Nothing. Yet her shirt ripped almost too easily as it let out a deep hiss of what she would call a near laugh and sunk its talons into her side.

That was when she started screaming.

Her throat hurt from the volume alone, a banshee shriek akin to a horror movie. It reverberated through the museum halls, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

Vision started slipping then. Whether it was panic or her mind protecting her from what was coming next she didn’t know, but all she knew was everything felt weightless for a moment.

She thought maybe she was dying and ascending at that moment there and then. But she wasn't so lucky. She was still being made this creature's bitch as the God of chaos watched. What beautifully horrible irony.

It was then that it clicked in her stress-addled brain that she was not in fact weightless. That the reason she felt so was because she was now being suspended midair by the thing that had her in its vicious grasp.

It took shockingly little effort for the creature to throw her through the wall-sized fortified glass surrounding the monolith and for her whole body to crumple to the floor.

Steven slammed the bathroom door shut with a panting “Oh God”, his coffee brown eyes never leaving the thick metal that shook with the weight of the monster throwing itself at it violently.

What the fuck was his next move? What even was that thing? He retreated further into the bathroom with a lost expression, clutching his arms for a semblance of comfort.

“Steven,” The man in the mirror spoke in the same American accent he’d been hearing in his own home.

Looking at his reflection, he was agog to find the man identical to him moving on his own, as if independent from Steven himself. That was not his reflection, he knew that much, no matter how much it looked like it. “Steven, I can save us,” He said darkly, his eyes and frown much meaner than any expression Steven would ever wear.

The way he stood was entirely different too, as if he were bigger in stature despite being encased in the exact same body as Steven was.

“W-What?” Steven whispered, backing away from the door that weakened by the second.

He thought of Dove. Had she been able to get away, run out the front door and get help from anyone who would believe her? He hated the thought of those adorable little heels she wore clattering against the floor, he wouldn’t be surprised if they’d slowed her down. He always heard women complaining about walking in heels let alone running from fucking monsters in them.

Where was she?

“But I can’t have you fightin’ me this time,” He had felt like he’d been playing tug-of-war with his body for some time. But against what, he hadn’t known. His own reflection? This man staring back at him in the mirror with a scowl he knew wasn’t plastered on his own expression? “You need to give me control. You understand?”

He swivelled on his heel to see the man in the full length looking glass behind him, who seemed to tower over him in frame.

“No, what? Control of what? What are you talking about?” Steven bumbled, his eyes looking over the stranger’s shoulder to see the door shaking on its hinges now. Dents were appearing now where the monster was caving its way into the bathroom, and one look at the length of its claws told Steven all he needed to know. He stood no chance against this thing alone.

“That thing’s about to break through the door. We’re out of time.” The man said, realising their predicament as much as he did. This couldn’t be real. This had to be a dream, the lot of it. The entire day. From that Harrow guy to the idea that he could possibly lose her to some ancient wild dog.

“No! No!” Steven cried, flinching as the door clattered one more time, the frame whining with the effort at which it held the assailant at bay.

“All right, hey. Listen to me,” The mirror man tried to reason, but Steven was panicking too much to hear him.

“Dammit, no! Stop it!” Steven slapped himself around the face a few times, begging with anything listening to wake him up from the worst nightmare he’d had yet. The image of her being chased by that thing wouldn’t leave his welled up eyes. He wanted to run to her, god knows he would have if that thing hadn’t been stood in between the two of them, blocking his way to her. “This is not real! You’re not real!”

“This is real. I’m real.” The man spoke calmly, as if a diametrical opposite to his own mood. He seemed to know more about what was happening, what that thing was, what it could do. Perhaps that was why Harrow had been chasing him in the first place.

Either way, Steven didn’t care. Not now at least. When the only person outside of his parents that he had ever held affection for was in danger. Imminent danger.

“No! You’re not,” Steven yelled back at his reflection through tears.

It was then he heard the screaming. A howl of visceral pain enough to rattle his bones at the familiar feminine tone to the voice.

It was her.

It was like nothing he’d ever heard, like an animal in a slaughterhouse. He trembled in his place at the thought. She was in danger. Oh god it had her.

“I’m gonna die- She’s gonna die-” Steven whimpered, the tears rolling down his olive cheeks at the thought. He really was useless.

“Steven, look at me.” He finally listened to his reflection with a pitied sniff, “You’re not gonna die, I can save us. But she is if you don’t give me control right now. Let me save her, okay?”

That was the straw that broke Steven’s resolve, the idea of her dying. He had never found it so easy to concede.

He just hoped the man using his body got to her in time.

She couldn’t see a mouth moving, nor could she actually see their face, just two beams of white blinking down at her.

She’d felt, still felt, the open wound seeping so harshly that she knew it was going to be fatal.

There was no coming back from whatever fever dream this was.

“Steve-” Came her broken murmur, but the metallic taste crawling its way up her throat cut her off as a blob of viscid blood rolled down her chin.

She didn’t have long left, she realised numbly.

How do you fight off a monster coming from within? You don't. You can’t. So she didn’t.

No amount of soft words or desperate touches on the figure helped her, it only made the departure messier, a bigger pool of blood for them to find her in.

The world felt surprisingly calm the moment she was snatched ruthlessly into Death’s open arms.

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lacontroller1991 · 6 months

Text

Come Back To You (Danny Walker x F!Reader)

Main Master List || Misc Master List

Link to AO3

Summary: Danny lives, but now he has to make some choices.

Warnings: 18+ Near Character Death, Language, Period Accurate Diction, Semi-Graphic description of injuries, Evelyn isn't pregnant but still has her heart set on Rafe and Danny and Danny has his heart set on her and reader

Author's Note: I had to guys, I just had to and I'm honestly thinking about doing a whole ass multi chapter story revolving around the movie. It's an itch in my brain and it's not getting out. Again... Darn you Josh Hartnett

Word Count: 1.9k

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The sun is bright in the blue sky by the time the plane lands on the asphalt and comes to a stop. You feel your breath hitch in your throat as your heart pounds. It’s been months since you’ve seen Danny and you feel like you haven’t been able to breathe normally since. Evelyn moves from beside you, nails shortened by her nervous biting. What’s going to happen now that Rafe and Danny are back? If they are back? Did Danny change his mind after he’s been away and wants Evelyn or is he still keeping his word and coming back to you?

“I feel like I’m going to faint,” her words are hushed as she tries to poke her head through the crowd of people and you try not to make a snarky comment. You and her were best friends, practically sisters, but she had broken your trust in a way you never thought she would. Since then, your relationship with the nurse has never been the same.

“Don’t be dramatic.” Despite your harsh words and harsh exterior, inside you are panicking. What if he died? Then what? What if he chooses her?

“I love him, you know? I love both of them so much.” If there was one thing you loved about Evelyn it’s that she’s a romantic like you, but not as much when she’s talking about the person who you’ve dreamt about for months on end.

“I love him too. More than you can know.” You grab her hand and lead her through the group of people toward the front as the door to the plane drops open. Doolittle comes out first and you watch as his wife rushes towards him, gripping onto him as others slowly start to trickle out. Most you’ve met before, Gooz, Red, Earl, Rafe. Rafe. At the sight of him, Evelyn bolts forward, running straight into his arms and your heart beats a little faster. Maybe it’s the sun beating down on you or maybe it’s the fact that you have yet to see his face, but you feel sick to your stomach.

Slowly walking towards the plane, you wait in high hopes as the remaining men come out, but still no Danny. Your heart sinks. Oh Danny, you stupid boy. Tears begin to swell in your eyes as your brain jumps to the worst possible situation. Evelyn takes note too, her hand reaching up to her mouth to hold back sobs, gaining Rafe’s attention. Noticing that Danny is nowhere to be seen, Rafe gently removes Evelyn from his arms and makes his way back to the plane. “Danny get your ass out here.”

“Boy s-s-sure knows how to make an entrance,” Red mutters, walking towards the group of people with a solemn look on his face, wishing Betty was amongst the crowd.

A boot steps onto the stairs from the shadow and into the light, causing your heart to drop for the second time. “Danny,” you whisper softly, wiping the tears from your eyes as you rush past the group and up the stairs of the plane, grabbing onto him and pushing him back into the shadow causing him to let out a groan of pain. “I thought I lost you.”

Danny lets out a choked sob as he wraps one arm around you and buries his face in your hair, inhaling your scent. God he’s missed you. You’re the only thing he could think about for those months. The way your skin lights up in the sun. The way your eyes twinkle from the lights. The way the wind moves your hair. Everything about you is what kept him going, even when he crashed. “You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he chuckles as you pull away, looking over him as realization crashes over you.

“Oh my God, what happened? We need to get you to a hospital,” you wince as you look over the extent of his injuries. His arm is in a sling, his leg has a long metal brace on it, and he has a big bandage over his neck.

“Wasn’t one of my better landings. The Chinese took good care of me and got me to this point,” he takes a step forward, pulling you back into him as he bumps his nose against yours. “They got me back to you.” He places a feather soft kiss to your lips before pulling back. “You’re as beautiful as the day I left you.”

“Don’t ever leave me again,” you comment, taking his good side and hoisting his arm over your shoulders, helping him down the stairs as people cheer.

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Danny!” Evelyn rushes to his other side, being careful to avoid hurting him further and a lump forms in your throat. The moment you and him just shared was intimate, loving. There should be no confusion about who he chose, but still, there’s always that probability.

“Evelyn. It’s good to see you,” he wears a smile on his face but he knows that the only woman he’ll ever love is the one on his good side.

“Yeah,” she pushes a piece of hair behind her ear, “you too.”

“Alright, let’s get Danny some proper treatment. Those Chinese nurses did a temp job, but he needs some actual medical care.” Rafe steps in, aware of your thankful gaze before the four of you walk off and get some medical help.

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The hospital room is warm with a slight breeze coming in from the window as Danny lays on the bed, arm and leg in a proper cast. The tension in the room is visibly thick with you and Evelyn sitting on either side of Rafe, no one dares talking as the doctor and nurses work to make Danny comfortable.

Turning to the three of you, the doctor gestures for all to step out of the room before eyeing you and Evelyn in confusion. “Which one of you is the wife?”

“Neither of them are, sir. Whatever you need to say, you can say to all three of us,” Rafe comments as the doctor shrugs his shoulders in response.

“Captain Walker’s injuries were very severe. The doctors overseas did a good job of stitching his neck, but with the extent of his injuries to his arm and leg, he will have to be under watch for several months with several more months of physical training. We speculate that he will never be medically cleared to fly again.” Rafe’s head hangs in pity for Danny, but you see the look of relief that comes across Evelyn’s features and you feel the same way. “It was an act of God that he survived how he did. He should feel very blessed, but the pain is going to be tough. We will monitor it and give pain medicine as needed, but there is only so much we can do.”

“We understand,” you chime in, fingers picking at your cuticles. “Thank you Doctor.” He nods before walking away, leaving the three of you in the hall. “Now what?”

“We gotta be there for him. He’s not going to take this news well.” Evelyn nods along with Rafe’s words as a nurse steps out of the room and faces them.

“Is one of you Evelyn?” Evelyn’s eyes widen as she nods her head, stepping forward.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“He’s asked to speak with you.” The nurse holds open the door for Evelyn to go inside and sit down at his side, taking his hand. You can’t deny the feeling of hurt that encompasses you and Rafe notices. Taking your hand in his, he gives you a series of light squeezes

“He loves you. Don’t worry.”

“How do you know he won’t choose her?” The question is genuine and Rafe looks to you with exasperation.

“All he talked about was coming back home to you. Even in the thick of it, when we were surrounded by Japs, he kept praying to whoever to let him come home to you. I don’t think he once mentioned her.” Rafe gestures to where Danny lays and Evelyn sits, crying into her hands. “Believe me, he fucked up big time kissing my girl when he was going steady with you, but you’re the one he wants. The one he’s always wanted.” You let out a sigh of relief, giving his hand a reaffirming squeeze before letting go and letting your heart slowly mend. It’s true that Danny did kiss Evelyn while the two of you were seeing each other, but he had assured you that it was a one time deal and it would never happen again as long as he lives. She, on the other hand, made him her everything.

Evelyn storms out of the room and faces you, tears rolling down her face. “If you ever hurt him…” It’s an empty threat and you know it. Evelyn couldn’t harm a fly, much less one of her former closest friends. Seeking solace in Rafe, she buries her head into his chest as he wraps his arms around her, still not sure what to make of the entire situation. Taking that as a cue, you walk into the room, closing the door behind you and making your way to his bedside.

“Hey there,” his voice is raspy and you instinctively reach for the cup of water, bringing the straw to his lips for him to drink.

“Hey to you too. The doctor said you’ll be here for some months. Said your injuries were more severe than you let on.” He nods his head, pushing away the water and laying his brown eyes on yours.

“Did they say if I can fly again?” Hanging your head, you reach for his hand and grasp it into yours.

“I’m sorry honey, but probably not. The army won’t clear you after something like this. They said it’s a miracle you’re even alive.” Danny smirks and internally feels relief. Yes, he wants to continue and work for the war effort, but he also just wants to leave the world behind and move to a small house with you to live out a domesticated life.

“You’re the only thing that kept me going. When I was out there,” he pauses, looking away and trying to bat the tears away. He does not want to look weak, not when he’s already looking weak as is. “When I was out there, I thought I was going to die. I was bleeding profusely, losing consciousness by the second and the only thing I could think of was you. You’re my world, (Y/N), and I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you the way I thought Rafe left me. And I’m sorry that I kissed Evelyn. We were both mourning and needing comfort and she was the only one that could understand, not that it doesn’t excuse it. But I love you and I will make it up to you for the rest of my life if I have to.”

Your heart is hammering in your chest and butterflies erupt in your stomach. He chose me. It’s me who he wants. “Danny, what are you trying to say?”

Mustering the strength, Danny brings your hand up to his lips, kissing your soft knuckles. “What I'm trying to say is, will you marry me?”

“Oh Danny!” You surge forward, pressing your lips against his as tears roll down your cheeks. Breaking away from the kiss, you rest your forehead against his, his breath and your breath mingling together. “Yes, a thousand times, yes!”

“Yes?”

“Yes!” Your lips connect with his again and for the first time in a while, you feel that everything is just right.

people who had an interest: @phoenixhalliwell @waywardtigersandwich

#josh hartnett #Pearl Harbor 2001 #Pearl Harbor movie #Danny Walker x reader #Danny Walker x you #Evelyn johnson #rafe mccawley #ben affleck #lacontroller1991

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alohastyles-x · 9 months

Text

Part 2

A dark!Druig Fanfic | Druig x reader | Scream crossover

Part 1 | Masterlist |

Summary: The origins of a mysterious masked killer... who just so happens to be a god.

Note: Chap 2 is here :))) I hope you guys enjoy this story!

Warnings: mentions of blood, light gore, death, murder... lol

Wordcount: 2.5k - a little shorter but i wanted to get it out sooner

Sleep did not come easy, as the events of the night flashed in your mind, one after another, leaving you tossing and turning in bed. There was clearly no way you could fall asleep after what happened, and the murky fate that now lay just on the premise of your thoughts… you came into contact with the god of death.

He was just a myth, a scary story told to kids to easily spook them. Horror novels and movies were born out of the lore surrounding him and his favored mask that adorned his face during his kills. He was just a halloween decoration, an adjacent theme to a favored holiday… he couldn’t possibly be real, could he?

Your question was answered after sleep finally eluded you into a chaotic induced nightmare. Awaking with a startled scream, you sat upright, panting as you attempted to catch your breath. You had been back in the alley, the pale face of the poor blonde illuminated through the smoke by the flickering streetlight above. Golden strings of what looked like cosmic stardust had begun swirling around you, their origins coming from the dark figure who stood at the end of the alley. They had wrapped themselves around your wrists, your arms, your body until the suffocating feeling they brought with them awoke you from your sleep.

“What is it?!” Celia screamed, as she burst into your room, a frying pan in her hands, ready to attack. She looked around, attempting to locate the danger.

“I-I’m sorry, it was just a bad dream,” you said in between breaths. Celia lowered the frying pan, concern flickering across her features as she watched you closely.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I think so-,” you began to answer, but were quickly silenced by a burning sensation twisting around your wrist.

“Shit!” You cried out, fumbling to turn on the lamp. Celia rushed over to help, white you held your wrist closely. Once light illuminated the room, you pulled your wrist out to examine the burn mark.

Only it wasn’t a burn mark. A golden mark had been etched into your skin, a delicate white pattern tracing through the gold in waves. The mark flickered in the light, making it almost like a bracelet permanently clasped around your wrists.

“What the hell is that?” You asked, panic rising through you as you stared at the mark. You had seen this golden pattern before… in your dream, and on the night of the murder. Whatever this was, had to belong to the god of death… but what did it mean?

“Hold on…,” Celia responded, already heading to the door. She raced back to the kitchen island where she left the book the two of you were reading the night before, researching the god.

“Let me see if this has any information,” she flipped through the pages. You sat closely, watching as she skimmed the foreign words on the page. Your wrist had stopped hurting, but just knowing the mark existed made your skin crawl. Whatever it meant was clearly not good… you’ve seen the movies!

“I’m not seeing anything in here that mentions a mark… usually his victims are unsuspecting that he's on the hunt, unaware they’ve even come into contact with him… apparently it makes it more, well I don’t know how to translate this word but I would assume it means appealing.” Celia concluded.

“Damn it.”

“I know,” Celia muttered under her breath. She began to mention a few people you could ask, as they were more knowledgeable than her on the god of death, but you weren’t listening. No, your mind was racing for other solutions.

“Does the book say anything at all about how to summon him?” You interrupted Celia, who now stared at you like you had 5 heads.

“Sorry, could you repeat that? I’m not sure I heard you correctly?”

“I think if we could summon him, we could ask him? Find out more about this mark?”

“Are you nuts?! You want to try and summon the god of DEATH… who will surely kill you once he sees you by the way, to ask why he marked you? Hello?” Celia yelled, flustered with your own remark. You hadn’t thought that fully through, you’ll admit that.

“Okay maybe not him, but what about the other gods who knew him? The eternals? Could we summon one of them and ask?”

“Yeah I don’t think that's how it works… you don’t just summon a god, y/n…” Celia chuckled. There was a barrier between them and the humans. While many humans worshiped the old gods, no one ever actually heard from them. And they definitely didn’t summon them.

“Ugh, you’re right, I know you’re right… I just… I don’t know what else to do!” You let yourself fall back onto the pillows of your bed and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Give me today, I’ll talk to my group at school and see if we can think of anything that this may be connected to. Just go to work and try and live like you don’t have a potential mark of death around your wrist,” Celia responded, patting your leg comfortingly. You sighed, knowing she was right. There was nothing much you could do but just pretend like everything was normal.

You could do that…

A few hours later you were making your way down the stairs heading to work. Unfortunately for you, there was only one way to the restaurant, which was right past the alleyway from the night before. You could walk another 35 minutes out of your way to walk around the entire square to the otherside, but it was too hot for that.

The early morning sun was surprisingly warm against your skin. Humidity hung in the air like a wet blanket, making you squirm as you walked down the street. Yeah, there was no way you could walk that long in this heat, and you were grateful for the prescription strength deodorant that you doused yourself in this morning.

As you approached the alleyway, the yellow caution tape caught your attention as a slight breeze ruffled it. It covered the entire alley entrance in a big X, though one could still slip through the tape if they really wanted.

And for some reason, that's exactly what your brain told you to do. Carefully, you moved in between the tape, trying not to lose your balance and send the tape ripping off the walls of the alley. You weren’t quite sure what possessed you to do this, but some innate sense deep inside of you pulled you in.

The stench of the alley was strong, from the trash building in the dumpsters, to the blood that still stained the concrete- a crime scene crew had yet to clean it up. Trying not to throw up, you slowly walked deeper into the alley.

A tingling sensation caressed your wrist, pulling you out of your thoughts. It was a soft tingle, like a breeze had blown through, meeting your skin. You inhaled as the tingling moved up your arm to your shoulder, and then back down your back, stopping halfway. The hair on the back of your neck stood up, as you felt something press up against your spine. The metallic smell was back, lingering in your nose.

Whirling around, you were met with nothing but the empty alley opening up to the street. A group of teenagers had stopped to peer through the tape, trying to see what they could spot. Panting, you stood still, hoping they didn’t see you, and that whatever was just touching you was gone. Or just in your head- that would be fine too.

Once the teenagers had satisfied their need to see the grotesque site, you made your way back out of the alley. Whatever just happened had to be connected to the god you had run into the night before- you were sure of it as the golden band around your wrist itched- but you didn’t want to think about it, not now anyway.

Everything was perfectly fine. Perfectly normal.

“Y/n! There you are,” your boss, Alex, greeted you as you walked in the doors of the kitchen. Alex was a force of nature that’s for sure. They were probably the kindest person you had ever met, and yet had such a stoic nature about them, that no one took advantage of them. It was something you secretly envied.

“Hey Alex. How was opening this morning?” Your shift started a couple of hours after opening, so you wanted to gauge how the day started, as it was usually telling how the rest of the day would go into the night.

“It was pretty slow, you know with the murder and everything,” Alex whispered. You nodded. He had no idea just how much you knew. “I suspect the rest of the day will be just as slow. Sooo, you know what that means! It’s a perfect day to train!”

You groaned. Alex knew how much you hated training, but they couldn’t deny you were the best.

“This is, I’m sorry, what did you say your name was again?” Alex turned to the man standing behind him. You hadn’t noticed him at all, as he was half in the shadows. He took a step further, the light overhead shining on him like a spotlight. Your breath hitched in your throat as you saw him. He had the bluest eyes you had ever seen, contrastingly sharply against his dark pupils. He was very handsome, his chin chiseled at just the right angles, his 5 o’clock shadow highlighting his jawline. Something about him sent alarm bells in your head, yet also made you want to fall to your knees before him. He just seemed so… familiar.

“Kieran,” he responded, smirking slightly. His voice was deep, a thick irish accent coming through. It wasn’t rare to hear someone with an accent from across the seas over in this part of town, but something about him just sent a chill down your spine. Not to mention, your golden bracelet seemed to have warmed against your skin in his presence.

“Right, silly me. Anyways, this is Kieran. He will be serving, so I want you to train him today. Really go over the menu and our practices…” Alex continued but you stopped listening. You couldn’t break the stare you and Kieran were entranced in, his smirk only growing by the second. It was as if he knew the effect he had on you, and he was relishing in it silently before you.

‘Hello? y/n?” Alex waved a hand in front of your face.

“Right… train him, I got it.” You said, breaking eye contact and turning toward Alex. They offered you a small smile and a wink, before turning to Kieran.

“You’re in good hands. Y/n is the best!”

The two shared a small exchange before Alex left you alone with the man. Kieran turned to you, the smirk returning. It annoyed you, how cocky he already was without having to utter a single word to you.

“So, have you ever worked in a restaurant before?” You asked, grabbing a menu from the server station next to you.

“No,” his response was short and curt. This only annoyed you even more. You beckoned him to follow you, rolling your eyes as hard as you could when your back was to him. A low chuckle came from behind you, almost as if he knew of your secret act.

You settled into a booth next to the kitchen, allowing him to slide in across from you.

“Okay, so first things first, you have to know the menu. The rest will be so much easier if you know what we offer. We’re a higher end restaurant, so we offer a lot of ‘fine dining’ dishes. Lots of pastas, seafood, steaks, and all of that.” You began to explain. The golden band around your wrist buzzed with energy as you talked. It was hard to focus on what you were saying, as the buzz intensified.

Kieran sat before you looking over the menu, memorizing what dishes you guys’ offered. As he did, you pulled your phone out to see a missed text from Celia.

Found out some more info. Meet for drinks later?

You glanced up at Kieran as you responded.

Sure. McCrakens?

The Irish pub was your go to for drinks with Celia, and its atmosphere felt perfect for the conversation the two of you had to have. The pub was almost always packed out and so loud, you could barely hear your own self, let alone eavesdrop on anyone.

Celia shot back a ‘yes 10:00 pm’ and you locked your phone, turning your attention back to Kieran.

“Seems simple enough.” Kieran said, letting the menu fall onto the table. You nodded. There was no one else in the restaurant right now, so it was a little hard to begin any other parts of training him.

“Where’d ya get that?” He asked, his deep voice interrupting your thoughts. He was nodding to your wrist. You looked to see what he was referring to, and realized the band of gold was on full display.

“Oh, uh,” you scrambled for a response as you tugged the bracelet back down over your wrist that you had covering it. His eyes peered quizzically at you, his signature smirk gone. He was as serious as could be, which made you look at him puzzled.

“It was just a dumb thing I did at a tattoo shop,” you lied. He gave you a look that screamed that he read right through you.

“I didn’t know they made gold ink,” he responded. You sighed, knowing there was nothing you could think of that would make sense. Instead, you decided to tell him the truth… well the half truth.

“Alright, fine. I really don’t know. I just woke up with it this morning. My friend and I are trying to research to figure out what it means, but so far we’ve turned up nothing.”

He stared at you intently, studying your wrist. You squirmed under his intense gaze. It was almost as if he was burning through the bracelet, the buzzing even more noticeable than before.

“I think I may know something. Although, it’s a bit of a legend.”

“That’s kind of the conclusion we’ve come to as well, that whatever this is has to be sort of supernatural like that.”

You bit your lip as you tried to hold back what was about to come tumbling out of your mouth next. There was no way you could invite this man out to the pub tonight… not without him finding out you came into contact with a god. You couldn’t just go around telling anyone that sort of information. Not today. Especially not after last night's murder has been blasted all over the news, already blaming the gods.

“I’d love too,” he said suddenly, making you jump slightly as you were pulled from your thoughts. You blinked, trying to figure out what you just asked him.

“What?”

“You invited me out tonight, with you and your friend.” He looked stumped.

“No… I didn’t? Did I?” You were starting to question everything in your head just now… did you somehow let it tumble out of your mouth without realizing?

“You did… are you okay?” He asked. You nodded, your throat suddenly too dry to talk.

Well… there was no backing out of this now.

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#druig x reader #druig smut #druig x y/n #druig angst #druig fluff #alohastylesx #marvel #alohastylesx works #marvel fic #<33333 #dark!druig #Dark!Druig x reader #Dark druig #barry keoghan #barry keoghan x reader #marvel horror #druig horror #druig x scream #marvel x scream

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awesomestarfighter · 9 months

Text

I Should Have Known Better Then To Debate My Brother On Star Wars But I Did It Anyway

That's a lengthy way to start a post, I know, but I'm in a very riled up mood right now.

I remember the first time I argued with him about this. Our family did a rewatch of the Star Wars series (prequels than originals) at my request (and I usually never get emotional, so they were very concerned when I started crying my eyes out during Order 66 and asking if we should stop) and afterwards we talked.

Since I'm an avid Pro Jedi fan, there was a lot of arguing about 'The Jedi could have done this/should have done this!'. A bit with my family, but mostly with my brother since we're an argumentative pair and he's the only one who's watched extra materials such as TCW to further why the Jedi failed/should have done more.

We had to agree to disagree, so it ended there. Now here I am years later, having already talked to him about why glorifying this particularly abusive M/F is not peak romance or good writing, what defines bad writing, and general amatonormativity, and since I'm back in a SW swing, I thought about bringing it up to him, hoping he'd gotten a little more flexible since the last time we talked about it.

Clearly, I was too optimistic to think that.

Cue the usual tangent of (which I've already seen from. . . So many fans):

-The Jedi should have known Palpatine was a Sith.

-They should have treated Anakin better.

-They should have made him a Master.

-They shouldn't have given him that advice about death.

-Obi-Wan wasn't ready for a Padawan.

-They should have investigated Sifo-Dyas's murder.

-They should have investigated more.

-That's just the way the story is written and how the characters would react in real life, so of course Filoni is a good viewpoint on the Jedi.

. . . And just the general, 'they should have done more' statement that's been uttered countless times before.

I tried to point out the flaws in this way of thinking, I really did.

-It's established right in TPM that the Sith have been extinct for a very long time, and they verbally acknowledge that they don't know whether the one killed was the Master of the Apprentice, so it wasn't like they just up and forgot about the enemy that could still be out there. And it's literally stated in the very next movie that their ability to use the Force has been diminished, so it's not like they could have seen the Sith in plain sight in the force. Minor note, I know Force Signatures are mentioned a lot in fanon, but I don't remember anything like that ever being mentioned in canon (I know there's Legends but that's a separate continuity). With all that to keep in mind, why would they think he was a Sith? We have a different view of things because we're the audience, but they don't! Even though they didn't magically know he was the Sith Lord, that doesn't mean they're blind to his dealings or the corruption within the Senate, unless I completely hallucinated the part where the Jedi Masters were on their way to arrest Palpatine even before they learned he was a Sith Lord.

-Questioning a kid to see how he would respond to your ways of life is not being nice enough apparently (people can debate about his trauma and the authorial intent all day, but the basis is that the Jedi are not supposed to be framed as the bad guys). Apparently adopting him and treating him as a part of their family just isn't enough. Clearly, they should have coddled him even more, maybe then he wouldn't have murdered them down to the last child! (This is sarcasm because they never treated him differently or anything, even the Chosen One thing is barely brought up, and all his darkest moments are ones the Jedi were never made aware of). I know people will just say to put him in therapy because I've seen them say that many times before, but the truth is that he's already in therapy with the Jedi, he just doesn't absorb any of it because he doesn't want to.

-Yeah, because an adult throwing a temper tantrum when he's been appointed to a leading authority by a shady government leader who should not have any authority over their organization isn't sketchy as fuck, that response alone proves he WAS not ready, because he still didn't understand what the Jedi were about, much less mastery of himself. My brother at least admitted that was a good point when I outlined it, so score for me, I guess.

-People give Yoda grief all the time for his advice, but they always seem to forget that, firstly, Anakin is asking this during a war they've been fighting for three years, one they've lost many friends and family to, and secondly. . . Anakin was really fucking vague when he brought this forward. He doesn't even specify who he's talking about isn't a fellow Jedi, clone, or otherwise (And I can't help but draw a parallel to how he didn't tell Obi-Wan about his visions of Shmi and people will blame Obi-Wan when Anakin's the one who can't bother to properly fucking communicate) and he doesn't listen because it's not what he wants to hear. He doesn't just want to save Padme; he wants to cheat death because he's possessive and greedy and doesn't want his loved ones to ever leave him. Yoda's advice was actually very useful, but since when has Anakin ever listened to good advice? Once again, my brother admitted that was a good point, so the second score went to me.

-I know fandom loves to portray Obi-Wan as this self-hating mess that's barely keeping it together (who also does a lot of medic dodging for some reason?). . . But that's not who he is in canon? The real Obi-Wan is controlled and capable, and he was a young adult when he was Knighted, not a kid, who went on to become the youngest member of the Council when he became a Master. It wasn't like he was left to teach Anakin alone, because he had the Order, and they're canonically big on communal teaching. Even just in the movies, we frequently see that Obi-Wan's the one who reaches out to Anakin and Anakin's the one who shuts him out. Obi-Wan was a great teacher, Anakin was just a shit student.

-The Jedi learned about Sifo-Dyas's unauthorized role in the creation of the clone army literally right before the war broke out, so it wasn't like they were in a position where they could look more into it. Even before that, they were under the impression that he died during a failed peace negotiation. My brother still said this even though there was a literal WHOLE ASS ARC IN TCW WHERE THEY INVESTIGATED HIS DEATH. He watched that arc to, and he still says they should have investigated his death even when they literally did. I have no words for such a contradictory way of thinking.

-I know it's easy to say stuff like that, but Star Wars isn't written for adults who want all the messy bits, but for kids for a good vs evil story, so of course investigation stuff is shoved to the side. Even in TCW where we do see them investigating, they're hampered by the Senate, by Palpatine, by the war, and by the narrative. Even ignoring that, Anakin literally said in ROTS that Palpatine was the Sith THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR, so that means they were investigating even though we didn't see it onscreen.

-Filoni. . . God just thinking about him makes me angry. I could write a whole essay on how he's twisted the narrative for Star Wars so badly, and I hate essays, but plenty of people have already done it better, so I won't.

-But still, I think it's hilarious that I can point out certain things he's written terribly (TCW, TOTJ, TTB, and Ahsoka) to show that he doesn't like the Jedi, and my brother is still saying, 'well that's just how the story is written and how the characters will react so he doesn't really hate the Jedi with that sort of evidence and blah blah blah.'

-Of course, for TCW, my brother brought up that stupid arc where AsHoKa iS pErSeCuTeD - I just think it's funny how, with trying to make his special oc look good and the Jedi Council unlikable, Filoni accidentally made her unintentional unsympathetic and made the dOgMaTiC lEaDeRsHiP unintentionally sympathetic. And of course, who could forget the infamous s7 moment of her not being fair to Obi-Wan? I know people will say she's a teenager and she's confused and she's still feeling betrayed - but the thing is, that doesn't hold up because the narrative never follows up on it. It's not a personal flaw of hers, it's solely there to frame Ahsoka (and Bo-Katan/the Mandalorians by proxy) as right and Obi-Wan (and the Jedi Council/Order by proxy) as wrong. I'm sure there are more examples that can be noted, but those are definitely two of the biggest offenses in my book.

-Tales of the Jedi wasn't even about the Jedi, it was about two specific individuals who LEFT the Jedi. One who went on to become invincible/immortal/a sanctimonious prick/even more of a mouthpiece then she already was, the other went on to become the undisputed head of an enemy who went full throttle on genocide, slavery, and war crimes. Mace's treatment and Yaddle's treatment was more poorly veiled racism and even more poorly veiled Jedi hate. And of course, the super special training from Anakin that allowed Ahsoka to survive Order 66 unlike those useless unprepared Jedi who were too soft on their kids - but really just made him look like an incredibly abusive parent. Frankly, while I do hate Anakin and can see him pushing too hard as in character, even I can see that it could have been written a lot better than it was. Tales of the Jedi was a fucking joke because it should have been titled 'Tales of The Super Special Creators Pet OC and the Asshole Who Falls And Spearheads A War', and if we ever get Jedi content that is actually positive for them without the usual criticisms coming up (Kenobi's the only one so far that's come the closest) I'll be throwing a fucking party.

-Of course, I have to point out TBB's whitewashing, consistently carried over from TCW except even whiter, though I forgot to mention how that show just completely fucking forgot the Jedi existed. Though frankly, I wouldn't want them to be mentioned in the utter waste of time that TBB is.

-Ahsoka was made into even more of a mouthpiece in her show then she already was. I didn't even watch Rebels in its entirety because I don't care for it, but even with some of the more frustrating decisions with her in that span of time she never said the Order wouldn't have fallen if they had just brought in more non-Force Sensitives to train them into being Force Sensitive (another part of canon that Filoni has fucking taken a hammer to) singing Anakin's praises after she's 'saved' by him (though even in Rebels it got pretty egregious how she just fucking abandons the Rebellion and the Jedi because she won't leave him again) just being a general fandom anti on how the Order was at fault for everything and Anakin was actually predestined to become a Sith (instead of defying his destiny by attacking Mace and siding with Palpatine as per Word of God) so everything he did was justified. All written and directed by Filoni, just as the other pieces where he's had narrative control will label the Jedi as arrogant, as forgetful, as unworthy, as not ENOUGH. And as soon as he can, he shoves them aside for characters who are 'to cool to be a Jedi, a cooler Jedi than those useless old Order jerks who spent too much time playing politics and being too stringent because they were cautious rule followers and not plucky rebels and weren't loving enough to poor widdle Anakin and -'

Though frankly my brother had some pretty ludicrous takes in general. There was this whole tangent we had about how since Rex removed his chip and voided death, that makes him gray/puts him in a gray zone. I just bluescreened at that, because while I've never cared for morally gray characters/storytelling, a character stepping out of their slated place in the narrative so obviously isn't gray it's not even funny, it's infuriating. While I know a part of me being a writer is what helps me look at stories more critically, it still makes me feel so confused how people will just take in bad writing or come up with bullshit takes like this. Whatever happened to thinking critically for the good of storytelling?

. . . I don't usually write my own posts (even though I'm usually better at wording things than actually voicing an argument as it started with my brother) because I prefer to just reblog stuff on my blog, I wrote this primarily as a vent post because my argument with my brother really got me stirred up, but I've been in a salty sw mood lately so it was kind of cathartic to get this out.

Also, if any Jedi anti or fan comes at me with 'but actually the Jedi should have -' no. Please just don't. I always try to tag stuff properly so people who won't agree will know what my blog themes are about, I'm never in the mood for the run of a mill gotcha takes that infest this fandom and I will not hesitate to block you if you come onto my post for that.

#good guys over bad guys #How to not write #sw #Anti Ahsoka #Anti Anakin #Anti Bo-Katan #Anti Dooku #Anti Filoni #Anti Mandalorians #Anti SW Fanon #Yoda #Obi-Wan #Rex #Pro Jedi #When it comes to terrible Star Wars takes and liking the heroes of the franchise I swim through an ocean that's more salt than actual water

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ticklishraspberries · 1 year

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Movies Make Ticklers More Creative (Billy/Stu)

Summary: A bad horror film leaves Stu seeking entertainment in other forms, at the expense of Billy. (Thank you to the person who suggested I use the film Ghoulies as the movie in this fic!! Here is a YouTube link to the tickle scene in this movie, it is...Something for sure!! I haven’t seen the whole movie btw, just that clip as well as reading a few articles about it, so sorry if I’ve gotten any of the lore wrong. Regardless, it has an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, so...)

As usual, Stu’s parents aren’t home, and he is filling the silence with the sounds of beer cans cracking open, hands rustling in the bowl of popcorn, girlish screams from the television speakers, and Billy’s commentary from the couch beside him.

After making their way through all the classic horror films, the boys have resorted to watching whatever they can find, whether they end up being fantastic deep cuts, or they absolutely suck, but joking about it makes it worth the watch.

Tonight’s movie is proving to be the latter. It’s a film called “Ghoulies” from ‘85, and it’s…Well, it’s keeping them entertained, for sure, but there is nothing disturbing (nor inspiring) about it. The scares are cheap, and the dialogue is atrocious.

Billy comments that the main chick, Donna, is kind of hot. Stu hums in agreement, but his heart isn’t quite in it. When the guy takes her out by the lake, though, their interests are piqued. This should be the part where Donna loses her chance of becoming the final girl, where she loses her virginity to the first schmuck who tries, and both the teens die a terrible death for daring to engage in premarital sex.

But that’s not what happens at all. Sure, it’s PG-13, but they were expecting at least a little action. But no, Donna and Mark stay fully-clothed and…Well, Stu snorts out a laugh as the kid starts tickling her instead of trying to bang her.

“This might be the worst movie that we’ve ever watched,” Billy says. His tone is deadpan, but there’s a smirk tugging on his lips.

“Oh, by far,” Stu agrees. “It’s not scary, and it’s not sexy. You can be missing one, but not both.”

Donna on screen is shrieking, begging Mark to stop tickling her. The scene feels eternally long, and since the screaming is that of laughter rather than fear, it feels much more ear-splitting than usual.

Stu looks over and sees Billy’s face screwed up in annoyance, and that sort of moping will just not do. Sure, the film sucks, but is good company not enough to make the guy happy?

“What a way to seduce a girl, eh?” Stu says, trying to crack some jokes and lighten the mood. “Tatum would nail me in the balls if I tried that.”

Billy just exhales through his nose in amusement, and Stu decides that isn’t enough.

“I mean, dude’s got no game. What did he say to her?”

“In the creepy voice? I dunno, I think he called her a little girl though, which is fucking weird.”

“Gross. She seems to like him, though. Maybe we should be taking notes,” Stu says, placing his beer down on the coffee table. They’re basically ignoring the movie by now, and he’s overcome with the strange desire to touch his best friend in that moment, to make him laugh like the girl in the movie, and that weird-ass scene gave him perfect inspiration on how to do so.

He and Billy have been friends since middle school, and Stu’s seen sides of him that no one else has. He’s pretty sure he’s the only person who has ever seen Billy cry, other than his parents. He’s the only person that knows Billy used to be scared of the dark, or that his mom had to sleep in his bed with him until he was ten because of that fear.

And, of course, he knows about the more fucked up shit that goes on in Billy’s head. He’s seen it first hand.

Stu also knows that Billy is ticklish, something he found out by accident and rarely used to his advantage, because last time he tried, he’d ended up with a pretty gnarly bruise on his jaw. But the risk seems worth it at that moment, so Stu takes his chances.

“Quit looking so miserable. The movie is shit, but I’m not,” Stu teases. Trying to mimic the weird, high-pitched voice the guy in the movie had adopted, he continues. “Cheer up, little boy!”

He reaches out a hand and prods at Billy’s stomach, which makes Billy shove at his hand with a suppressed huff of laughter.

“Fuck off,” he says.

Stu does not fuck off. Instead, he scoots closer on the couch, effectively trapping Billy between the arm of the couch and his body, and continuing to wiggle his long fingers against Billy’s stomach.

The light of the television illuminates Billy’s scrunched up expression, trying to hold back his laugh and seem pissed at Stu’s immaturity, but it only lasts a few moments before the bright, boyish giggles that are so unlike his personality come spilling out.

Stu grins in triumph. Billy’s actually sort of adorable when you get him like this: Guard down, acting his age, letting loose. He squirms like a fish on a hook, and Stu has to dodge his flailing limbs. His hair falls messily into his face, his cheeks look flushed.

“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you—” he grits out, but it doesn’t sound intimidating at all.

“No you won’t,” Stu replies. “You’d miss me too much.”

Billy lets out a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine, before dissolving into laughter again as Stu’s fingers dance up his sides. It isn’t until his ribs become a target that Billy truly fights back, grabbing at Stu’s wrists and trying to shove his hands away.

Stu takes that as a sign to back off, because although it was a risk he willingly took, leaving this without injury is still the preferable outcome. He watches with a grin as Billy catches his breath, arms wrapped protectively around his middle.

“You’re an asshole,” Billy says.

“I know,” Stu replies.

Their eyes meet for a moment, and Stu feels his face flush for reasons he isn’t quite ready to confront.

By the time they look back up at the screen, Mark and Donna are dead and they’ve completely lost track of the plot. Neither of them are complaining, because it was a fucking dumb plot to begin with. Leaving the crushed cans and empty bowl behind, the two boys climb the stairs and crash into Stu’s bed for the night, a common occurrence that somehow feels different this time, like something between them has shifted, just enough to make Stu’s heart skip a beat when Billy falls asleep with his face pressed into Stu’s shoulder.

Like this, he looks innocent. He looks beautiful.

Stu makes a mental note to research other horror films with tickle scenes in them, just in case he needs an excuse to hear that giggle again. Even if the movies suck, spending time with Billy is worth all the shitty scares in Hollywood.

#stuilly #stuilly fluff #stuilly fic #scream 1996 fic #scream 1996 tickle #scream tickle fic #scream ticklefic #stuilly tickle #scream 1996 #stu macher #billy loomis #billy x stu #stu x billy #ticklefic #tickle fic #raspberry writes

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eli-am-confused · 2 months

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Ok I’ve been rewatching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and I have some THOUGHTS!

(I have not finished the fourth movie so this is about the first three, tho really mostly the third one, At World’s End. This also mostly has nothing to do with Captain Jack Sparrow because he is perfect, no notes)

1) Why didn’t Elizabeth join Will on The Flying Dutchman at the end of At World’s End?

And you may be saying “Eli you have to be dying in order to join the crew!” Stab her! Easy fix! That’s how Will died!

Next you’ll try to be like, “Eli you have to be afraid of death to join the crew!” Bitch where? Yeah at first it may seem like that because Davy Jones is going around “are you afraid of death?” But the guys gambling their years? Will offering to join the crew for eternity as a bet? None of them were afraid to die in those moments! I think all that is needed is an agreement (most of the time audible) to staying on as crew and how many years they are willing to serve.

To anyone that wants to argue that being crew of the Flying Dutchman is an eternal punishment no it is not. It was only that way because Davy Jones created that situation from his own betrayal and grief. Will would never create such a hostile work environment so long as his father (and/or Elizabeth) are there to keep him sane.

So I think at the end of that movie Elizabeth should have either stabbed her self or made Will do it and join the Flying Dutchman’s crew for as long as he was captain. I think she would make it as first-mate while also still holding out her title as King of the Pirates so they could be equals to one another. Elizabeth goes to the pirates meetings as both the King of Pirates and representative for Captain Will of the Flying Dutchman. They live together happily. The End.

The only excuse I will take for Elizabeth not joining the crew of the Flying Dutchman is that she has given herself the duty of protecting Will’s heart as the King of Pirates which brings me onto my next point.

2) If Elizabeth Swann didn’t get to keep her title as King of the Pirates I’m going to riot!

I think if she didn’t become a part of the Flying Dutchman’s crew then she should’ve taken Will’s heart and kept it at the cove where all the pirates held their meeting! At the cove she continues building it up as a pirate stronghold and place of neutral pirate territory (meaning a place of relative peace).

“Eli why would pirates have a king who rules over them?” That is not what Elizabeth as the King of Pirates would be doing. She would hold the cove as a pirate stronghold, be able to call on the nine pirate lords when the need arises, be the final deciding vote in major pirate decisions that need a deciding vote, and be a middle man when pirates (specifically lords) are having major issues that can’t be resolved any other way. The cove would be yet another safe place for pirates to convene when they need to and Elizabeth as the King would oversee it with her crew.

In this she would have her own crew or multiple crews for different purposes. One of her crews goes to sail the seas and pillage and bring back riches for the cove and the other stays and keeps everything running, they can even switch off (other pirates would not be required to pay taxes to Elizabeth in this scenario). If you think a pirate captain owning multiple ships and crews under their command is unrealistic then look into the real life Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao (also just look into her cause she’s really cool and if you like pirates you’ll love her story).

This way Elizabeth could protect Will’s heart at the pirate stronghold she is king of but she could also still go off to sea to see Will when she wants to.

3)I hate love triangles and think polyam relationships are fun (basically fan fiction)

Anyone else watch the fight scene in Dead Man’s Chest and were like “damn James and Will should kiss.” Cause…

Wow guys way to have both the gayest choreography and eye contact I’ve ever seen as someone who watched Spies are Forever. Like they also right after this fight over Elizabeth but damn if I couldn’t cut their sexual tension with a knife. Anyone else but Captain Jack Sparrow would have been so uncomfortable being the third wheel of this fight.

And I know what you’re saying “Eli James dies saving Elizabeth and her crew in At World’s End.” Yeah, ok, but what if he didn’t? This is my post about my thoughts I’m allowed to write some fan fiction while I’m thinking about it!

Anyway here’s my thoughts on how their polyam relationship could go if the writers weren’t cowards.

I think they all go on to do completely different things, separating for as long as they want basically. Elizabeth keeps being King of the Pirates basically as stated above, Will becomes Captain of the Flying Dutchman as he does in canon, and James either becomes a pirate himself (joining either of their crews) or keeps hunting down pirates as he’s been doing the whole series (preferably not working for the East Trading Company anymore for obvious reasons of the company just being the worst(you know what I’m talking about here)).

If James becomes a pirate he would stay on as Elizabeth’s first mate. He takes care of the other half of her crew while she’s away. James spends most of his time out at sea collecting treasure for the pirate stronghold but when Elizabeth wants to sail he stays at the stronghold to keep things (Will’s heart) safe there. Elizabeth and James take turns on visiting the Flying Dutchman.

If James continues doing as he has always done and hunts down pirates then there could be a much more interesting story there. I don’t think he’d actually continue to try doing any real damage, he’s more of a double agent. He pretends to be really dead set on hunting down the King of Pirates and the Flying Dutchman basically keeping all the other pirate hunters away from Elizabeth and Will. I’d love to see all three of them actually pretending to hate each other and be dead set on each other’s destruction but then when they capture each other they’re just like “are you doing ok? Do you need anything? Fruit? A warm blanket? Are you taking care of yourself?” And they’re just generally so sweet to each other. They play up hating each other because they’re all bored af and live for the drama ngl.

In that terms there are two ways it could go as they grow older. Either the hatred and bitterness become real and they actually end tragically or Elizabeth and James just join the Flying Dutchman’s crew and they continue on going and being really sweet and taking care of the souls they fairy on. Both options could be so much fun!

And with that onto the last real thing I wanted to talk about that has nothing to do with Elizabeth and Will.

4) Gay pirates getting married!

Just so everyone is aware this was a thing back in the day. Pirates very often got gay married and would share all of their loot with one another and basically do everything with one another. Sound familiar? Cause it should.

That’s right. I’m 100% convinced these two idiots were married! And you might be like “Eli they made some pretty creepy remarks.” Yeah, they did, they’re pirates and bad people. Pirates don’t generally care about that type of stuff but I’m also sure they fucking talked shit out.

Anyway they definitely got married by Captain Jack Sparrow but then then they mutinied they got married again by Captain Barbossa just to “make sure it’s still legit” but in reality they just wanted to get married again. I’m sure Barbossa didn’t actually care tho as he enjoys weddings too and is always happy to up his Captain credits.

Also!

Barbossa married these two as well! If no one remembers the end of At World’s these two join the pirates! I think that they got married like right after they left Jack and Mr. Gibbs. Barbossa again wanted to up his Captain credit.

That’s it those are most of my thoughts! If anyone wants to talk about any of what I’ve said here I’m happy to talk about it with someone. If not I’m honestly just surprised you read it all thank you!

#now this is DEFINITELY not my normal post #if there are any major spelling or grammar mistakes I am sorry but I’m not reading through it to check 🤷#does anybody want to hear my thoughts on Pirates of the Caribbean?#no? too bad!#pirates of the caribbean #at world's end #dead man’s chest #curse of the black pearl #elizabeth swann #will turner #james norrington #Ragetti and Pintel #captain jack sparrow #captain barbossa #the flying dutchman

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inkblackorchid · 3 months

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What are your thoughts on the 5DS movie bonds beyond time? Plot characters villain animation and so on

Ahhh, good old BBT. Minor caveat: It's been a hot second since I've seen the movie. But generally speaking, right from the gut? Bit of a mixed bag, this one. Let me address what you asked point by point, though. The tl;dr for anyone who doesn't want a lengthy response: I don't hate it, but outside of making me grin and/or fondly roll my eyes about some fanservice, I'm mostly just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about it. I appreciate it for the extremely fun attempt at a for the time pretty ambitious crossover, though.

The longer response, then:

Okay. Okay. Conceptually speaking? This movie is the absolute peak of fanservice. All three protags of all three ygo shows that had come out by that time, all teaming up against a special bad guy, and everyone's allowed to show off their coolest shit? Absolutely bananas. Fuck yeah.

Where the execution is concerned, though... Let me start with the obvious: This thing is too short. It doesn't feel like a proper movie, it feels like your average big plot duel stretched over two episodes. And that's a shame! Because Yugi's there, and so is Jaden, and these two and Yusei get to bounce off each other and I think a lot of people would have eaten it up if we had gotten more of that. Interactions aside, though, the short runtime also makes the plot feel rushed. First Yusei's sad, then things are going to shit, the he's off, then we're suddenly in Venice (what the fuck is Jaden doing in Venice??), then we're in Domino City, then blam, bam, onto the big duel. Can I get some time to breathe and actually enjoy the characters interacting, please?

And speaking of plot! Now, on paper, I don't have an issue with the idea of a guy going back in time to try and get rid of duel monsters. My problem lies more with the fact that the guy in question ties into 5Ds' main plot. And in a not insignificant way, at that. Like, perhaps in a universe where this movie was handled differently, BBT tying into the Iliaster stuff could have been cool as heck, but as it stands, Paradox and his plans feel a little too close to his namesake to me. The guy is almost exclusively relegated to a movie, to outside content of the show that wasn't shown in sequence with the rest of the episodes, yet he's actually one of the major characters of the Ark Cradle arc. And worse yet, said arc only gives us the barest, shittiest recap of who he is and what he wanted. It feels too disconnected from the rest for me, especially considering that Sherry more or less ends up replacing Paradox. And don't even get me started on the batshit implications his quest to kill Pegasus has on the way time travel is handled in 5Ds. The way this movie shows direct, devastating consequences of time being tampered with is a major reason for the headaches the emperors of Iliaster give me, which I've discussed in my Meklord post.

That said. I don't think Paradox, per se, is a bad antagonist. He's got the whole long-suffering shindig the other major players of Iliaster do, too, his design is bonkers in a fun way and of course, the idea of him hijacking protagonist ace monsters with his Malefic shenanigans makes him perfectly hateable. On paper, he's a completely fine antagonist, and I actually think the 3 V 1 duel he has with the protags is pretty fun.

And as for the animation, no notes there, honestly. I think BBT has some of the nicest animation of the 5Ds era (and especially like the way Yusei is animated in the movie).

So yeah! The whole thing is a bit hot and cold for me. I know some people love BBT to death, I know some people hate it with a fiery passion, and tbh, I get where both sides are coming from. Ultimately, I'll happily watch it, but there are always at least twenty other 5Ds episodes I'd watch even more happily. BBT is fine.

#yugioh 5ds #yugioh bonds beyond time #ygo bbt #ask the orchid #hope that answers your curiosity!#orchid rambles

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tasty-littl-snack · 14 days

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Trying to understand the logic of people saying they’re done with Watcher and Ryan and Shane but will turn around and watch Buzzfeed Unsolved which has *checks notes* Ryan and Shane.

Yeah tbh. I think I can kinda understand it, it's like you're listening to earlier albums of your fave music artist, because they changed the genre with their latest album and you don't vibe with their new songs or watch a tv show's earlier seasons because the later one's totally destroyed the characters you liked. (Happened to me, like some things seriously had only two seasons and I'm ignoring the five next ones and two movies or whatever.)

So in that aspect I can kinda get it. Bfu started 8 years ago, that's a whole almost decade, and sometimes you don't really think of the quality of the content (because I will once again die on the hill that waverly gf ep is much better than waverly bfu I'm still confused how a show this badly made took off in the yt algo back in the day), but what it made you feel like, or where you were in life when you first watched/got into it. There's a kind of nostalgia attached to it and I imagine all of those fans who are like "I hate ghost files but I loooove bfu it's my comfort show", don't really care that it's Ryan and Shane it's the familiarity of watching it over and over for years and it being more memeable and quotable because those lines got repeated and memed to death over the years.

For example I don't really find myself coming back to the earliest eps of bfu if I had to rewatch them. I much prefer Ryan's normal voice to his theory one, and that's because seasons 6 and 7 are when Watcher was a thing, and their interpersonal relationship changed to a more "I like it here, we are friends". In the earlier seasons they aren't that close, Shane is more closed off and assholeish towards Ryan, and well Ryan is younger and thus more kind of playing a cool dude. I feel like he got to be more himself as the years went on and I like that.

That's also the odd thing about being a fan of real people as there is an interesting dichotomy to it. Like on one hand I respect them for what they do their comedy/craft/ability to express their creativity. On the other there's the respect for them as individuals, acknowledging that at the end of the day they are like. Just some guys making stuff. And people grow and change. You're not the same person you were at 25 when you are 34, you are not the same person you were at 30 and 38, but since you got immortalized at 25 and 30 and continue to make content for years people expect you to be always like that. A character that doesn't change, or changes according to a logic of a story. But real life is so much stranger and more interesting than that! There's no logic to your actions, you make mistakes and grow from them. At the time of making a decision you have no idea if it's a good or bad one or how it will go, and if you think you do I don't think you had serious choices to make in your life yet. But I think people expect of them to be those characters who don't change or grow. I assume those people have no respect for Ryan and Shane as real human beings, because they have some imagined version of them how they are presented in those episodes they watched over and over. So to them it doesn't matter that bfu has Ryan and Shane, because those are seen as different characters, not the "evil greedy capitalists who made their own company", but your friends that you know the best because you can quote their lines as you watch them in the background. And additionally there's the nostalgia of watching your beloved show that makes you feel younger because life was simpler back then. You didn't have your worries of adult life because you were in college/high school, and bfu reminds them of that. The fact that it's not giving watcher any money is only better for the haters bc it's like pirating. You still enjoy your favorite part of your blorbos, and don't feed "the big evil watcher" so kinda best of both worlds.

Some people also can't admit that the content didn't change that much, they just lost interest/grew out of it (and it's fine, interests change that's normal), but that's not on them, that's surely on Ryan and Shane for changing and evolving in their craft.

Baffling to me tbh because if I was a fan of them I'd wish them well not for their downfall and contribute to lower views by giving it to a big corporation (which isn't watcher). But that's just me.

Sorry this got deep I just am so tired of people saying bfu is better. It's really not you just miss the person you were when you watched it for the first time. That's the case with every 'comfort' show. It's why it brings you comfort. Real people behind it don't really matter.

#replies #watcher #fuck it we tag it with the main tag I will not be silent any longer

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cmyk-anaglyph-honeycomb · 8 months

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Hazbin Hotel Episode 8 blind blogging.

spoilers and whatnot. Doing one of these at midnight again even though most of my morning is free

The training to fight the angels being showned through montage…i don’t know how to describe it. It would have been a good change to show how trust and depenence on each other for the hotel gang would have developed. As well as how they get along with the cannibals while also having a few of them convert to the hotel’s ideal.

Whatever but at least vox is on screen.

24hrs and they still don’t know if they’re prepared? Ugh. Cherri’s here, okay. She fells more like a cameo than a character but alright. The emotional speech fells unearned.

What good is she seeing them? The hotel gang just started to get along. The cannbals have had not change only battle training. In ep 6 it was implyed that angel was getting better, but he was just tired from working with Val for 16hrs. If cherri would have showed up on any other day and the interaction with Val wouldn’t have happened, he would have gone along with her.

The cherri / pen ship is painful to watch please stop

Song #1 already. Short, kinda boring, but romance i guess. Idk, not my genre.

Heaven time. Really, Lute is the one that’s too much. Not adam, mr move the extermination date to every 6 months and miss pronouncing Vaggie’s name? Lute better not be Vaggie’s ex i swear.

Why does heaven have money!?!?

All the exorcists are women? With adam being what he is, that’s gross.

Wait they can shield themselves form the angels? Why bother recruiting fighters then? If alastor can shield the hotel and use the spears to kill the angels then the entire prev episode was pointless.

Neither adam or Lute knew that angel weopons can hurt angels, despite being the ones to sever Vaggie’s wings. Were the writers even trying. That’s something that should be caught in the first draft let alone the second and overall production wft.

My confidence in my own writing has skyrocketed.

Why are cherri’s bombs effecting the angels? How have they been altered to hurt them. This is not explained or shown by the bombs look any different than the previous ones.

How are Husker’s card hurting the angel’s? Have they been altered? This is the first time we’ve seen them so who knows.

Angels are dying. In the last episode charlie was shown to be bother by this, but all of a sudden she’s fine with it.

Liked the alastor v adam fight, no notes

Why did charlie even show up to the fight? She isn’t doing anything but shielding.

I’m ignoring the cherri/pen kiss cuz that was unearned, but why wouldn’t they give pen the war blimp beforehand? And really? The blimp and pen are gone just like that?

Razzle and dazzle are dragons, cool. Charlie cold have pulled this power out at any time and just didn’t. Why? They are at war. They should have started with that.

And one of them is dead now!?! What was the point of them at all? The second one just disappears. Also, charlie can fight, how? She knows nothing of hell, had rose colored glasses so opaque that she’s blind, but you’re telling me she can fight a guy how goes around killing hundreds once a year. Where did she learn? I doubt lucifer taught her considering their relationship is nearly nonexistent.

Anyway, the fight scenes are pretty good, but there is literally no reason Vaggie should’ve let Lute live. The other angels were less of an threat and they died so why where.

Why did lucifer show up now? They had a month of preparation, why is he here now.

That shitty joke absolute kills the tension and momentum of the scene.

Lucifer v adam fight scene has the same seriousness the one in the first mlp movie. I mean that, watching it and see for yourself. Also, why are they an even match? adam is just a guy, the first one but still just a guy, he should be getting stomped by lucifer. Is he just that weak or is adam that strong, if so why?

Why didn’t adam used the death laser at the start?

WHy did lucifer not transform to start!?!

Why are they showing mercy to these genocidal maniacs? The fuck is that going to do but give them another shot down the road. Heaven isn’t watching, they have nothing to prove. Next time adam could just start with the lazer thing and carve up half of hell.

Adam’s dead, cool. But like, lucifer beating the shit out of him isn’t okay, but niffty stabbing him a thousand times is fine. And again, there are angel dead everywhere, who cares if two more are added to the list.

Okay, so i didn’t do one of these on ep 1 and 2, but killjoy’s voice is bad. It’s just brandon talking. There’s not inflection or anything.

Anyway, fight over I guess.

Why do they have a pic of adam?

Cute pet moments, but we’ve gotten little to no interactions with them. Sad song for pen

Song #2

No, the bloodshed could’ve been avoided if you 1) didn’t sign a paper you didn’t read. 2) went to heaven with a real plan instead of index cards with definitions. 3) Vaggie helped make a plan and 4) use the hell princess powers and dragons at the start of the fight instead of playing with that fucking shield that vanished anyway.

She did not change the town, she started a fight. Her hotel for redemption plan as not taken a single step forward.

Her story is just beginning? It’s the end of the season with only one more to come. Why are they talking up rebuilding the hotel, she has a bunch of money, just pay people to do it. Alastor magic-ed up most of it in the pilot, why can’t he do that again.

As much as I live the Vees, why are they here? Nothing concerning them has happened. They happy because the other overlords are thrown off by what happen, but did anything happen outside of the hotel? If it did, we weren't shown it.

Velvette didn't speak once, damn

Alastor’s missing again? Nevermind, there he is. Thanks for the four second suspense on that. Can’t wait to see what deal he made was about and to who. But like, he was winning the fight. adam almost killing comes out of nowhere. Is he physically weak, so if someone lands a hit on him he goes down easy?

So one of the dragons did die, but which one? Who knows cuz the other one doesn’t show back up.

I did not need to see vox and val making out. Isn’t val just licking a screen?

Sera’s back. And emily, who I called sara 2 cuz names don’t stick in my brain. I guess the problems they were having are solved. Emily what happened to helping charlie- BITCH WHAT

PEN!?!?

Sera looks horrified.

Oh, Lilith, hello…in heaven. What.

How is charlie threatening the foundation of heaven. idk if lute even knows about pen yet, but like charlie hasn't really done anything yet

Cool cliff hangers I guess.

Ending thoughts.

Pen being in heaven hopefully means we get to see more of it, but like we didn’t get enough of him as a character. Or anyone for that matter. He died so suddenly that it felt more like a joke than a tragedy.

Ending thoughts for the entire season might come later, but like everything in this was rushed. The songs were lackluster. nothing felt earned, while the answers were handed to the the cast.

I don't have high hopes for season two or the story as a whole

[ugh its almost 2am I might come back to this]

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel critique #2 cents #one of mine

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givehimthemedicine · 2 years

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the perfection of the lumax Goonies reference

it's come to my attention that some of you younguns have not seen this movie, and you should fix that pronto. but in the meantime let me explain, because I haven't seen anybody dive deeper than surface level on why this reference is so great.

the Goonies kids are trying to find their way through this cave full of pirate booby traps. this organ made of bones has to be played in order for them to get through, and this one girl took piano lessons once, so she's the only one in the group who can possibly do it.

only by playing a correct series of notes does this trap open up a tunnel - leading the secret lair of the pirate whose treasure they're looking for. this is the surface level of Lucas' reference.

BUT. add in the fact that the kids are rushing through these traps as fast as they can because they're also being pursued by bad guys. if this girl didn't play the right notes, and fast, everybody would die. so what this tunnel much more importantly is in this moment, is a way out.

so to recap, that's only one person in the group knowing how to play the correct notes, as quickly as possible, in order to open up a life-saving exit route. exactly what Lucas just did for Max.

he just saved Max's life like this for real, opening up a literal escape hole in Vecna's trance by being the only one who knew her favorite song.

also, that tunnel led into to sort of a water slide that ended in a drop into the pirate ship cove they were trying to get to. Voila!

The Goonies is a movie that the party definitely would've seen and loved. it came out in early June '85 so it's not just virtually guaranteed that Max and Lucas have both seen it, but, given the way movie dates are a canon lumax thing, it's EXTREMELY likely that they saw it together shortly before s3.

so this isn't just a meta ST nod to one of the movies that influenced the Duffers - it's Lucas making a reference that Max is getting.

but he doesn't know what Max's trance looked like. he doesn't know a hole literally opened up that she ran through. Max is the only one who's seen both The Goonies and the visual of her trance experience, and can fully appreciate Lucas' reference, even moreso than he does.

while Max appreciated its surface dorkery and let it go at that, she will definitely be thinking more about it later, and she's never going to watch The Goonies again without thinking about this.

here is the whole bone organ scene if you wanna see it.

PS, this part is less of a literal parallel but - there were consequences to any wrong notes being played on that bone organ. each wrong note would make some of the ground fall away, so too many wrong notes would result in everybody falling to their deaths.

did Max not also "fall to her death" as a consequence of Mike playing El "the wrong notes"?

#the goonies #lumax #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #what's at the X? pirate treasure?#ily bob #analysis #mine #and the fact that he said this right on the heels of a whole discussion of the magic properties of Max's favorite song #he knew what he was doing

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emptyheadwriting · 2 years

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Snow Dogs-Enid Sinclair x Reader

Authors Note-Just a quick little story for my first post that focuses on Enid because this scene popped into my head and I felt compelled to write it out before it left my head.

Word Count:918

Warnings:N/A

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The idea had made its way into you brain a few weeks before on one of the few nights Enid would have plans with Wednesday instead of with you.

You put Snow Dogs on in the background as you caught up on your homework, it was a favorite movie of your childhood but you hadn’t seen it in so long that some details were fuzzy and it felt like the right time to watch what used to be your comfort film.

When you finally closed your textbook and started to pay attention to the movie, you watched as Ted bite Demon’s ear to get him to calm down and listen to him, and a shit eating grin spread across your lips. You were determined to try it on Enid whenever the right moment arose.

You had to wait awhile for it which was surprising. Enid was usually filled with chaotically good energy, it was one of the many reasons you were drawn to her in the first place. It was as if she could sense you had something in mind for her because she would stop herself mid ramble instead of going on nonsensical tangents that you would sit and listen to with a smile on your face and eyes full of adoration for the way she cared so much about just about anything.

But as you knew it would, the moment finally came, the night before Valentine’s Day. The two of you were laying face to face in your bed, enjoying each others presence when you noticed the slightly anxious shake in her movements.

You tilted your head with a small frown, “is everything okay love?” You asked as your hand brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

All the resolve she had collapsed at your soft tone and gentle touch, and she reached into her pocket, pulling out a rectangular black box.

“I wanted to give this to you tomorrow but I can’t stop thinking about like what if you don’t like it you know?”, her fingers tightened around the box as she felt your hand going down to meet hers.

“And if you don’t like it that’s fine I mean I understand we’ve only been together for five months two weeks three days twenty one hours and a few minutes but who’s counting” she said with a nervous laugh, eyes looking anywhere but into yours as they were before you had asked.

“but this is like a big thing atleast I think it is, maybe you won’t even think it’s that big of a deal and that I’m freaking out for no reason, but I don’t wanna mess this up because I really really like you and one day I want to have a cute little family with you” she rambled on her voice wavering with nerves.

This was perfect timing you said in your head as you leaned in and kissed her cheek before trailing upwards and nibbling on her ear lobe, you heard her next sentence die in her mouth, and you pulled away with a smile, “there’s no way that actually worked” you laughed.

Enid looked at you with confusion on her features, awaiting an explanation. “Have you ever seen snow dogs?” You asked receiving a shake of the head no.

“Well in the movie, this guy has never worked with dogs before right, and his dogs don’t ever really listen to him so people keep telling him to bite the dogs ear for it to listen and he finally does it and the dog stops growling at him and listens to him, and when I watched it the other for the first time since I started dating you I wanted to try it to see if it worked” you explained with a lopsided smile.

Enid blushed deeply and averted her gaze, “I really hate that it did work” she said smacking her hand against your chest with a small laugh. “Open the present before I get nervous and you have to bite my ear again” she said as she finally pushed the box into your hand and released the death grip she had on it.

You brought it up to eye level and opened it, inside was a handmade bracelet of colorful gem stones, the two sides joined together by a heart with an E in the middle.

“I love it” you said sincerely, feeling the heat rush to your cheeks, as you rolled your finger over the heart. “This is beautiful Enid, now everyone will know I’m yours huh, as if they had any doubts” you teased before slipping it onto your wrist and moving the box out of the way so you could lean in and kiss her lips softly with a whispered thank you.

Enid was buzzing with excitement as she crawled over to your side, laying her body weight onto yours entirely humming at the way the steady drum of your heart calmed the rapid beating of her own and the rich pools of love that flowed within your eyes reflected within her own.

“So when we do have this cute little family of ours, would you be having puppies or human babies I’m not all knowing about werewolves yet?” You said with a playful smirk to break the comfortable silence.

You definitely deserved the scoff, slap and roll of the eyes you received, but it was all worth it to feel her body shake with laughter and feel her lips against your cheek afterwards.

#Enid Sinclair #Enid x reader #Enid Sinclair x reader #wednesday netflix #wednesday series #enid x you #enid sinclair x reader

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eddieloverr · 2 years

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Forbidden Love ( Eddie Munson x Female Reader)

Series summary; You need to prove you can dump a guy in 10 days, Eddie needs to prove he can make a girl fall in love with him in 10 days. The clock is ticking, what could possibly go wrong?

Authors note; This is my first fan-fic series so I'm pretty excited to publish this & please ignore any errors if you spot any, I've tried my best to revise and edit any errors I saw. If you couldn't tell by the summary, this series is heavily inspired/based off the movie 'How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days'. I will be adding my own scenes and this will have smut in the later chapters so please, 18+ only. I really do enjoy feedback so if you'd like to say something, please do! :) On that note, enjoy this little series! - Jess <3

Chapter word count; 6.2k

Chapter warnings; Mentions of sex, mentions of death ( believe that's all, only read if you're 18+)

Comments, feedback, and reblogs are very appreciated!

"God, Nancy, I busted my ass in grad school to be this magazines "How to" girl and write articles like, 'How to know what color looks best on you' or 'How to use the best pickup lines.'"

"I want to write about things that actually matter, like politics and the environment, the earth - things I'm interested in, things I want to write."

It's true, you worked hard to get into a magazine like this. More to get a name for yourself, to get more offers and opportunities for your writing career. You wanted to write about stuff that mattered, stuff that you cared about, not about shoes or clothes.

"Keep busting your ass, you'll get there." Nancy replied as she gave you a tight lip smile. "Hey, I've got something to help cheer you up.. you know that guy from sports illustrated that you've been recklessly flirting with on the phone for like whooo, a month now? He made a very special delivery this morning." She said, holding up and waving what seemed to be a piece of paper while smirking at you.

"Oh, ha ha, let me see." You then replied, trying to snatch whatever she was waving in the air.

"Don't- no!" She practically yelled, attempting to hide the piece of paper in her hand.

"Hey!" You eventually got it and looked at your now tickets for a basketball game you always end up watching on tv. "Whoooo! Tomorrow night" This was exciting. Guess your 'reckless flirting' paid off.

"What happens tomorrow night?" Nancy said while smirking even more now.

"Only the most exhilarating and artistic display of athletic competition known to mankind."

"The lce Capades are in town?" She questioned.

"No, the NBA Finals are in town, and l got tickets!" You said loudly for your other coworkers to hear. "Nance, come with me?"

"All right, i'll go. But l am not putting out." She said, eying you up and down.

"Oh, please nance two stale jumbo dogs and a couple of beers, you'll be whistling a different tune." You said seductively while walking to your office right next to hers. Only a couple of little grey walls separating your small workplaces apart.

"You know what l like." she smiled.

"Ohhh mmmmwah" you sent a kiss her way.

"Good morning, ladies. Don't forget, staff meeting in 30 minutes." Your very nosy and slightly annoying coworker, Michelle, says as she walks by. Only a couple offices down and you can still hear her loud gossiping.

You and Nancy exchange a look as she walks away. Yep, Michelle was definitely made for this business.

"Robin, I haven't seen her all morning. Have you?" you asked. Robin, your best friend, going all the way back to college. She was your assigned roommate, who knew all it took was for her to spill soda all over your white rug and start rapidly apologizing to form an unbreakable friendship. Ever since then you'd bonded, especially since you both had a passion for writing and were pursuing a degree in that field. Obviously a magazine wasn't a first choice - hell not even a choice at all but this would open many opportunities for you and Robin and you both just couldn't pass up on it.

"Ten to one she's wallowing."

"l'll get her, you get the coffee and meet me in the corner in 20." You said rushing towards the door.

"Wait, Wait, Wait." Nancy shouted as she reached below her desk and pulled out a black bag and stuffed it with samples scattered all over her space.

"Take some samples." She said as she handed them to you.

"Samples! Great idea." You smiled at her, rushing out of there.

"Oh boy. Drama, drama, drama." Nancy said to herself as she stood up, grabbed her purse and also made her way out of the office area.

You rushed down the stairs, grabbed a shirt off a clothing rack that Robin would definitely like and made your way out towards the apartment you shared with Robin.

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Arriving at his designated workplace. Of course this wasn't even a choice for him, if you asked the old Eddie where he'd see himself in a couple years he'd most likely reply with "Traveling the world with my band" or "Living out the rockstar dream". He'd never thought he'd be an advertising executive. It was either this in the big city of Indianapolis or a cashier at a local gas station back in Hawkins.

How could he turn down this job though? Steve, his best friend, who also happens to be one of his coworkers, talked to his dad, basically begging to let Eddie have a job given Steve's dad owns the business.

Luckily, although it took a lot of convincing, Steve's dad finally gave in and offered Eddie a job to work alongside Steve.

Eddie's grateful towards Steve for the opportunity, it helped him get enough cash to stop dealing, move out of his uncle's trailer, and move to Indianapolis to his own apartment.

Life was great for Eddie, he has a decent job, great friends, he even traded his rusty old van for a much better motorcycle. Everything was going well but yet he longed for something more.

"Hello Eddie." Chrissy, Eddie's coworker said as she walked past him parking his motorcycle not even sparing him a second glance

"Hey, hey, good morning, Cunningham" Eddie replied, now getting off his motorcycle and walking towards Chrissy. Who's now reading a magazine.

"What are you reading, girl? You catching up on your current events? ''Turn-On Tricks: How to Make Him Hot.'' You know, if you want to try those out sometime, we should get together." he said jokingly.

"Victoria and l have an appointment at Composure, the fastest growing magazine in the country, and seeing as how our clients run a lot of our campaigns in their nationally-syndicated little girlie magazine, it wouldn't hurt you to do a little reading."

As if on cue, "Hey Eddie" Victoria said as she walked out the building towards Chrissy and himself.

"Good morning, Victoria"

"You finally decided to show up today?" She asked.

"Yes I did."

"You ready?" Victoria asked Chrissy.

"Ready. Later Eddie." Chrissy said as both of Eddie's coworkers walked towards a taxi.

"Have a nice day, ladies." He said walking into the building.

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You knocked on your apartment door, since you knew Robin was home there was no need to search for your key.

"Hi!" Robin said, laughing nervously as she opened the door. You could tell Robin was holding back her tears. You knew her better than yourself and it hurt seeing her like this.

"Oh.." She said as she started sobbing the closer you walked in.

"Good morning, sunshine. Don't cry, go get dressed. Staff meeting, 15 minutes. Let's go" You said as you walked by her to open the living room curtains. As much as you wanted to comfort her you knew she would turn into a sobbing mess if you started asking questions. You only had 15 minutes and getting her ready for her job seemed better than for her to be heartbroken and jobless.

"l'm going back to bed. l have no reason to live." Robin said as she jumped on her bed pulling the covers up.

"Sun's out. Oh..." You said as you walked towards the table and grabbed the little black bag that Nancy handed you.

"Okay, just..." She stopped talking as she harshly blew on her nose with a handkerchief.

"Okay, now..." you said as you sat down on her bed and tossed her the shirt you grabbed on your way home.

"Cashmere?" She asked with a slight smile on her face. You knew she'd like it.

"Put it on. It'll make your eyes look fiercely blue." You smiled at her.

"Oh!" She said as she clutched the shirt tighter to her chest.

"Get up Robin. l'm not going to let you lose your job on top of everything else."

"Oh." she said as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Come here." you extended your arms to pull her in for a hug.

"Oh, Y/N." she got up and pulled you into a tight hug.

"Okay." you said.

"Okay." she replied.

"You only dated the girl for a week."

"It was the best week of my life." She said as she bursted into tears.

"Sweetheart." you squeezed her tighter.

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"Good morning, Ladies! What's up, Jonathan." Eddie greeted as he walked by his coworkers' offices, making his way towards his own office he shared with Steve.

"What's up, kitty cat?" Eddie said to Steve as he walked into their shared office, towards his side of the room.

"What's up, daddy? Big night?" Steve asked as he removed his headphones.

"Not bad." Eddie said as he placed down his helmet on the side of his desk.

"Orgy?" Steve asked.

"Where were you man?" Eddie snorted.

"Not at an orgy." Steve said as he walked to Eddie's desk.

"Did you hear?" Jonathan asked as he suddenly walked into the room.

"What, that my Knickerbockers are now in the championship series and Jonny 'the bone' here owes me 20 bucks?" Eddie said as he removed his leather jacket.

"Pay him." Steve said to Jonathan.

"Oh, man. Well, you were right. DeLauer Diamonds is looking for a new ad agency. Mr. Harrington wants to move on it aggressively." Jonathan said as he pulled out a 20 and gave it to Eddie.

"Yes! Oh, this is a good day. This is a good day! Guys, did you know that diamonds are about as common as taxis on Fifth avenue?" Eddie said as he pulled off his black Metallica shirt to put on a more work appropriate shirt. He felt eyes on him outside his office, probably his other female coworkers he always catches staring at him. It still surprises him that he somehow turned his title from "Freak" to "Ladies man."

"The value is entirely sentimental, maintained by a supply, demand and advertising." Eddie said as Jonathan showed him two shirts to choose from.

"Stripes." Eddie said, pointing to a striped shirt and catching it as Jonathan threw it at him.

"Now, DeLauer dominates the world diamond market. Meaning if l represent them, l basically represent the entire industry." Eddie said as he flicked a little ad of Mrs. DeLauer.

Steve and Jonathan then gave each other a look and muttered something only for them to hear.

"What?" Eddie asked.

"My dad gave it to the judys." Steve said.

"Chrissy and Victoria, they're already on it." Jonathan added.

"No way!" Eddie said disappointed.

"Yeah, well, you know, Mr. Harrington is kind of partial to hot leggy chicks, for some reason." Jonathan said as he looked towards Eddie who was now looking out the glass window at the three girls who were staring this whole time. They quickly looked away as Eddie gave them a glance.

"Yeah, we're the, you know, the sneakers and beer division. Precious gems aren't exactly our forte." Jonathan added.

Eddie, who was now fully clothed, pointed to the window as he made his way towards the door "Lips and Hips are over at a chick's magazine right now. I gotta get to Mr. Harrington before they sink-"

Jonathan got in the way of the door before Eddie could walk out "You can't. You can't. He's on a plane."

"Easy pal, my dads at a Chicago meeting." Steve said as he patted Eddie's shoulder and slightly pushed him back.

"And it's too late anyway 'cause Mr. Harrington's meeting them for drinks at Mullin's tonight to discuss their idea-"

"This isn't happening. You know why?" Eddie said, interrupting Jonathan.

"This was my tip. It's gonna be my pitch, my account, my campaign. This is my baby." Eddie said with determination.

"That's what I'm talking about." Said Steve.

"They will not ace me outta this." Eddie said as he fist pumped Steve and Jonathan.

"I heard that!" Jonathan added.

"Okay.. Mullins tonight." Eddie confirmed as he walked back towards his desk.

"I heard that!!" Steve mocked Jonathan.

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You walked out the taxi and walked towards the other side to Robin blowing her nose and Nancy running towards you both with coffees in her hand.

"Hi!" Nancy greeted Robin as she handed her a coffee.

"Hi. I don't really wanna talk about it okay?" Robin replied as she discarded the handkerchief in her purse and closed the taxi door.

"Okay." Nancy replied, handing you your coffee.

"Okay." Robin replied as you three walked towards the entrance of your work before stopping abruptly.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Robin said as she started tearing up again. "Things are going great for like a week and a half, and then all of a sudden it's over and I am mystified. Seriously, I am mystified because it always starts out so well." She rambled as she walked away from you both and towards the entrance.

"Poor baby." Nancy said as you both tried to catch up with Robin.

"Let's just roll with this" You said.

"Vickie and I had such a connection." Robin said as she stopped again in front of the entrance and turned to face you both.

"The first time that we had sex... it was so beautiful, I cried." She smiled and walked away into the building.

"You cried?" Nancy asked as you both tried to catch up with her again.

"Yeah."

"You mean like one glistening year on your cheek, right?" You asked now side by side with your best friend walking towards an elevator.

"No, I was really emotional. I even told her that I loved her." She said.

"After how many days?" You asked.

"Five.. Two. It was how I felt. I just wanted to express myself. You know how my brain and mouth work."

"Okay. Well, what did she say?" You asked.

"Oh, Vickie didn't have to say anything. I know that she felt the same. But then she started getting really busy and I didn't know where she was. I kept calling her, and calling her but she was never home."

"You kept calling her?" You asked looking into her eyes with a "Really robin?" look.

"I didn't leave a message. She didn't know it was me.. my numbers blocked."

The elevator dinged and you all walked toward the opening doors.

"Oh. I'm.. I'm sure she thought it was one of her friends." Nancy said as you all walked into the elevator.

"Anyway I know why she dumped me. I'm too fat."

"You're not fat!"

"You're not fat!" You and Nancy said in sync as the elevator doors closed.

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Arriving at your floor, the three of you walked into the doors and towards the staff meeting in your bosses office.

"Robin, if the most beautiful woman in the world acted the way you did, any normal partner would still go running in the other direction." You said.

"Oh, no. Nobody would go running from you, Y/N. You could barf all over them and they would say 'Do it again.'" Robin replied.

"That is both incredibly disgusting and categorically untrue. If I did the things you did, I'd get dumped too." You said as you three entered your bosses office and sat in the main area's couch, joining all your other coworkers.

"Okay, family, shoes off..." Your boss Linda entered the room and sat in a chair that faced everybody. Your coworkers, including yourself, proceeded to remove their shoes. "And breathe." She said as everybody inhaled.

"And out." Everybody exhaled.

"Okay Michelle let's start with you." Linda said.

"Well, the "Botox For Beginners" piece is done. Now, it's a little scary, but mostly upbeat. Now I'm on "What your Gyno Won't Tell You," which is also pretty scary but you know, upbeat. I finished my research on "deadly pedicures," about the woman who contracted that fungus from the unsterilized tools. It's a terrible story.. although surprisingly..." Michelle looked towards her boss and noticed her "terrible story" mistake.

"Upbeat." Nancy finished.

"Marvelous. What's next for "How-To with Y/N?" Linda asked. Now all eyes were on you.

"Well, I've been working on something that's kind of different." You said as your boss nodded confused.

"It's.. it's a political piece and it's-"

"No. Y/N. you work at Composure magazine. We are fashion, trends, diets, cosmetic surgeries, salacious gossip, that's Composure." Linda said.

"Okay, but-"

"Look, Y/N, okay. The column is new for you. When you turn it into a must read then you can write about whatever you want. Until then you can write about what I want. Understood?"

"Yeah." You said dissatisfied. You saw this coming. Your boss wouldn't let you write about what you wanted but hearing that once your column gets popular she'd let you write about whatever you wanted certainly catches your attention.

"Robin, what have you got?"

Nancy turned to Robin and gave her an encouraging nod. But there was an awkward silence waiting for Robin to answer.

"Um. I'm sorry, Linda. I wasn't feeling very well" Robin said as she looked at the ground not wanting to see the looks shared amongst others and the disappointed look on Linda's face.

"She got dumped." Nancy quickly added.

"Oh, no, Robin. What a hellish ordeal for you. But I gotta say, you are looking fabulous. Are we loving the way she looks?" Linda said, turning to the others trying to lift up the mood.

"We love the way she looks."

"Oh, you are so right."

"She looks great."

"She looks so great!"

Everyone said as they talked over one another.

"I haven't eaten since the split." Robin said.

"Good for you! Write about it."

You looked at your boss very judgmental. Obviously Robin feels uncomfortable throughout this entire conversation.

"I can't use my personal life for a story." Robin said as she lifted her head and was now looking at Linda.

"I understand completely... who will use Robin's personal life for a story?" Linda ignored Robin's protest and looked at the other workers.

"Oh I will." Michelle said proudly as she raised her hand.

"No, no, no! Linda, with all due respect, Michelle has no business mucking around in my personal life, and I can't... I can't let her. I'm-"

"I'll do it." You suddenly interrupted a rambling, distressed Robin. Of course you wouldn't actually put the heartbreak of your best friend's life in a magazine for the whole world to see but knowing Michelle and Linda, they obviously won't respect Robin's boundaries anytime soon.

Nancy and Robin both turned to you. "What?" Robin blurted out.

"I'll... I will sort of do it. It's- You will be my inspiration." You said looking at Robin.

"For?" Linda asked.

"Look at robin. She's a great girl, right?" You pointed towards Robin looking straight at your boss.

"Yes." Linda replied.

"An amazing woman." You said now looking at Robin. "But.. she has a problem hanging onto relationships and she doesn't really know what she's doing wrong, which is a lot like our readers."

"Uh-huh" Linda nodded for you to proceed.

"So, I was thinking that.. I could start dating a guy, and then drive him away, but only using the classic mistakes most women, like Robin.." You gave her a sincere look and turned back to your boss "make.. all the time. I'll keep a diary of it and.. it will be sort of a dating how-to in reverse." You said looking at Robin and Nancy who were now chuckling.

"What not to do." Your boss says smiling.

"Yeah." You smiled back.

"How to lose a guy in Ten Days." Linda said, looking at the wall, probably envisioning it in her head. "Yes. Go. Alice, what's new in the shoe?"

"Wait, wait, Linda. I'm sorry. Why ten days?" You asked.

"Five days is too short and we go to press at 11. Yes?" Linda turned her attention to Alice.

"Ten." You whispered to yourself. It's a lot longer than what you had hoped for given you only did this to save Robin from humiliation and to stop her from actually hiding under her covers for the rest of her life but then you remembered what Linda had said about you being able to write about whatever you wanted if your column made it big. Could this possibly be a ticket there?

You looked back at Robin and Nancy who nodded in approval and Robin mouthed the words "Thank you". You smiled at them with the big question flying around in your head. You were in for a long ride.

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"Maybe toss in something spiritual as well." Linda said to Nancy walking towards the lobby with you and Robin right behind them.

"Ah, here's my ten o' clock. Welcome." Linda said as you all followed her as she walked towards a blonde and a brunette who seemed to be waiting for her.

"Hi." The blonde said with a smile.

"Ladies, Chrissy Cunningham and Victoria Green from Warren Advertising. We're going to cook up some fabulous tie-ins for the fall." Linda said, turning to you, Nancy, and Robin.

"Nancy Wheeler, Fashion and Trends. Robin Buckley, Fitness and Health." She said as Robin loudly blew her nose.

"Excuse me. Hi." Robin interrupted.

"And Y/N L/N our resident How-To girl." Linda continued.

"Oh, I've seen your column, Y/N. What are you working on now?" Chrissy said as she pointed at you.

"Oh-" You began but you were quickly interrupted by Linda.

"How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. She's actually going to start dating a guy and then drive him away in a week and a half." Linda said proudly as her, Chrissy, and Victoria started laughing.

"Sounds needlessly vicious." Victoria added.

"It's going to be fabulous. Now all she has to do is run along and find the lucky guy." She said turning to you. "Go, go, go." She pointed towards the exit and turned back to the two girls.

You, Nancy, and Robin both started walking towards the exit.

"Nice to meet you." You said to the two girls.

"Ladies come." Linda said as all three of their footsteps started to reside.

You grabbed Robin's shoulder from behind. "Find the guy. Find the guy." You said distressed.

"Okay." you whispered to yourself.

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"Oh you are never going to pull this off." Robin said as you, Nancy, and Robin walked across the street towards a bar, arms linked with Robin. Moonlight reflecting on your dresses and Robin’s suit.

You put on a cute grey dress with enough cleavage to be shown but to still keep the guys wondering what you looked like with your top off. Matched with high heels and a cute purse. Normally you wouldn't wear this out especially to a bar but tonight, you were on a man hunt.

"Watch me. Tonight I'll hook a guy. Tomorrow, pull the switch. Before the ten days are up, I'm gonna have this guy running for his life." You replied as all three of you laughed.

"You're not gonna burn his apartment down or bite him or anything, are you?" Nancy asked.

"No. I'm gonna limit myself to doing everything girls do wrong in relationships. Basically, everything we know guys hate. I'll be clingy, needy."

"Be touchy-feely." Nancy added.

"Yeah." You said walking towards the bar's entrance.

"Ooh. Call him in the middle of the night and tell him everything you had to eat that day." Nancy said as you both chuckled.

"What's wrong with that?" Robin asked, looking at you both. You both looked at her with concern.

"I'm.. kidding" She then said.

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A waitress escorted Chrissy, Victoria, and Mr. Harrington towards a table.

"There we are. He's waiting." The kind waitress pointed at Eddie waiting for them at a table.

"Hello, Eddie. What are you doing here" Mr. Harrington asked.

"Tom, I'm here for the meeting. Ladies." Eddie replied as stood up, shaking Tom's hand and nodded towards the girls.

"But you weren't invited." Victoria said.

"Yeah, but I should have been. I mean, It was my tip that DeLauer was shopping for a new firm." Eddie said as he passed by Chrissy standing in front of Tom.

"Yes, it was, but I have to think in terms of who's best suited within the company." Tom said, looking at both Chrissy and Victoria.

"Yes, sir, and that's me. I wanna handle this pitch." Eddie replied as Chrissy chuckled.

"Eddie, you sell Joe Blow better than anyone else in my shop, including Steve, but these girls sell luxury better than anyone else in the business." Tom said proudly as he gestured towards both the girls.

All four of them sat down as Tom proceeded.

"We have to put our best foot forward on this pitch. DeLauer would be our biggest account."

"Yes, sir, they would. Annual advertising billings of 50 to 60 million dollars. And I am the man that's gonna bring this home for you, Tom." Eddie said as he poured himself a glass of champagne.

─────────────────────────

"Why this place?" Robin asked as you three entered the bar.

"Because it's perfect." You said grabbing onto Robin's shoulders and giving her a squeeze and walking further into the bar.

"Mullins is the apres-work watering hole for the upwardly mobile." Nancy added with her smart ass vocabulary.

─────────────────────────

"Now, to date, the diamond industry has always targeted men..." Eddie said as he poured champagne for Chrissy, Victoria, and Tom as he continued. "Sending the message that the woman needs the man to buy her the rock. All right, they say 'A diamond is forever.' We say, 'A diamond is for everyone.'"

"I like that." Tom said grinning towards Eddie.

"Yes." Eddie says confidently.

"Uh. We don't." Chrissy said laughingly. "'A diamond is for everyone?' It sends the message that diamonds are everywhere. Which means that they're not rare, and if they're not rare, they lose their status." Chrissy said while looking directly at Eddie.

Eddie rolled his eyes as Chrissy continued. "Status is the reason to buy them in the first place, which Edward would know if he understood women, which you don't." Chrissy finished as they all laughed at Eddie, including himself. Not because of what she said, but the fact that she's so confident with her words.

"You can't feel bad about that, Eddie. No man does." Tom said grinning.

─────────────────────────

"Here. Here." Robin said as she handed both you and Nancy a Martini.

"Dum, dum, dum, dum." Nancy mimicked a clock ticking while looking around the bar. You honestly forgot the real reason you were here for a second.

"Don't pressure her. She's perusing." Robin said, looking directly at Nancy.

"Yes, exactly." You said as all three of you scanned the room.

─────────────────────────

"Selling a diamond to a woman is like making her fall in love." Victoria said to Tom while dragging her fingers along her long diamond necklace starting from her neck to her cleavage.

Eddie scoffed but smiled at this knowing exactly what game Victoria was trying to play at.

"She has to feel giddy, desirous, adventurous and desperate." Victoria continued.

"Take a look around this room Tom. Most women in this bar are looking for just that." Chrissy added.

"Exactly. The skills required to market diamonds are the same as those needed to make a woman fall in love, yes." Eddie said, interrupting Chrissy.

"I'm not talking about lust Eddie. A woman in lust just wants chocolate. A woman in love wants diamonds."

"Yeah, I'm not talking about lust either, ladies. I'm talking about deep.. meaningful, head-over-heels, his-and-her towels, let's grow old together L-O-V-E. Look, I love women. I do. Whether they're four or 40."

Chrissy sighed at his little speech. Looking around the room she spots you.

"I respect women. All right. And I also listen to women." Eddie continued.

Chrissy's still staring at you. You're laughing at something your short hair friend said and she slowly gets an idea.

"And that's why I can sell myself to any woman.. anywhere, anytime." Eddie finished.

"Make a woman fall in love with diamonds, Edward.. or with you?" Chrissy asked, moving her attention from you to Eddie.

"Uh. Either one." Eddie replied slightly hesitating looking at Tom.

"That's cocky, Eddie." Tom said while drinking his champagne.

"No, not cocky. Confident."

Chrissy laughs at this. "I'd like to see you prove that." Chrissy said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"You would?" Eddie questioned looking at Chrissy then at Tom.

"The agency's co hosting a party for the DeLauers at the Astro museum. The party's a week from Sunday. Do you think you can make a woman fall in love with you by then?" Chrissy challenged Eddie.

"Ten days?" Eddie asked.

"Any woman, anywhere, anytime?" Victoria added mocking him from before.

"Any single, available, straight woman, yes." Eddie said.

"Yes. I'm not trying to trick you, Eddie. In fact, we'll choose a woman right here, right now in this bar. And then you'll decide." Chrissy said as Her, Victoria, and Tom laughed.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Eddie said as he adjusted himself in his seat to face the rest of the bar.

"Okay. Let's see here." Victoria began. "Ooh there's that blonde babe in the leopard print." Victoria said as she laughed and pointed to a woman with a messy pointy tail in a leopard dress that was worn out and way too tight on her.

Tom and Chrissy joined in on her laughter. "She looks like fun." Victoria added.

"Be nice, ladies." Eddie said as a little chuckle escaped his lips.

"Or, well, Miss Babylon 5. Now she's on the prowl." Victoria said talking about a curl headed curl with colored hair and mean stare.

"No. Her." Chrissy said.

"Her who?" Eddie asked as he turned to look at Chrissy.

"Her in the grey dress, cute hair, pretty smile." Chrissy added.

Eddie turned away from her looking around the bar for Chrissy's description, then he saw you. Laughing at something a curly headed girl next to you said. Eddie smiled as he saw you laughing.

"Her?" Victoria asked as she removed her gaze from you to Chrissy. Chrissy only held a finger to her mouth not sparing her a word.

Eddie was still staring at you, you're now laughing at something else another short haired girl says.

"Done." Eddie says not removing his gaze from you.

"What?" Chrissy asked.

"Done." He confirmed again, finally looking away from you and now looking at Tom.

"Done." Tom said as he nodded.

─────────────────────────

"See the guy next to the horrible guy in the green shirt that I would never even consider?" You said pointing at a guy with short curly hair, wearing a blue button up shirt with a black blazer over it.

"Very cute." Nancy said.

"Right? Good." You chuckled and squealed, making you way over to the cute stranger leaving Robin and Nancy together.

"Oh." Robin said as her and Nancy chuckled at your cute excitement.

─────────────────────────

"Okay, you're on. But here are the stakes. After I win this bet, this pitch is mine." Eddie said, looking at all three of them.

"Agreed." Chrissy added.

"Tom?" Questioned Eddie.

"Agreed." Tom said as he nodded. "You come to that party with a girl that's really in love with you, Eddie, you can make the pitch to the DeLauers."

"But, Tom, you can't-" Victoria was cut off by Tom.

"Nope. I've made up my mind." Tom said, raising his glass. "To the DeLauers."

"To the DeLauers." Eddie said, clinking his beer bottle to Tom's glass.

"Cheers" Chrissy and Victoria said, raising their own glasses towards Eddie's bottle and Tom's glass.

─────────────────────────

Nancy and Robin are laughing at how adorable you look laughing at whatever bad joke the guy next to you said.

"I was just wondering if you found..." You said talking to the cute stranger next to you making eye contact with your friends.

"She doesn't seem that interested." Robin said to Nancy who only hummed in reply.

"Exciting." You said looking at the guy in front of you.

"Yes. My wife and I love Indianapolis, especially this time of year." Oh shit, he has a wife. How did you not notice the ring on his finger? What do you do? What do you do?

"She'd been here before and I-" He'd been cut-off by a brunette wearing a pink and white dress grabbing onto his shoulder giving you the smile.

"Hi. Hi." She said, now showing her pearly whites.

You felt so awkward and wanted to leave.

"This is Y/N" The guy introduced you to his wife.

"Hi. Um." You said standing up while grabbing your martini. While his wife took the spot you were just leaning on. "You guys enjoy Indianapolis." You said slowly backing away.

"Okay." The guy said chuckling

"Thanks" The wife said straightforwardly.

"Nice meeting you." The guy said as you walked away, not even passing them a second glance.

Walking away, you glanced at your friends who were already staring at you, presumably the entire time, you mouthed "he's married" holding up your hand.

─────────────────────────

"Good luck." Tom said, patting Eddie's shoulder as he walked by him.

"Thank you, Tom." Eddie said as he left, leaving him with Chrissy and Victoria. Eddie took out a 50 and put it on the table paying for their drinks. "Now if you'll excuse me, ladies.. I have a bet to win." Eddie said, turning around and immediately looking for you.

"Ta-ta" Chrissy said as Eddie walked away.

"Now do you wanna tell me what's going on?" Victoria asked Chrissy.

"You don't recognize her?" Chrissy asked as they both stared at you.

─────────────────────────

Eddie pushed himself through the sea filled with people and began walking towards you. He smiled when he could finally reach you.

─────────────────────────

"Hi!" A man with long black curly hair walked up to you, stopping you in your tracks. He had bangs that framed his face perfectly and was wearing black jeans with a black blazer to pair it.

"Hi." You replied back with a slight smile.

"Hi." He said looking at the top of your head to your eyes. He had the biggest pair of brown eyes you'd ever seen.

You chuckled and waited for him to say something but he only chuckled back. He was obviously nervous so you tried to make it less awkward. You extended your hand with the little space that was between you both.

"Y/N L/N"

"Eddie Munson" He said as he gently took his hand in yours and shook it.

"Cute."

"Thank you." Eddie replied.

"Mm I meant your name." You said, offering him a closed smile. He looked away and smiled when he looked at you again.

"Thank you two times."

"Unattached?" You asked.

"Currently." He answered.

"Likewise."

"Surprising."

"Psycho?" You questioned.

"Rarely."

"Hmm."

"Interested?" Eddie asked.

"Perhaps." You looked away but then looked back at him.

"Hungry?"

"Starving." You said looking deep in his chocolate eyes.

"Leaving?"

"Now?" You asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay."

"Okay." He replied.

"One second." You said pointing a finger and walked past him.

"I'll meet you at the door." He said loudly.

─────────────────────────

"Hey, guys." You said now standing in front of Nancy and Robin

"I think I got one."

"He was married!" Robin said.

"No, not him. It's the guy by the door. But don't look!" It was already too late, their eyes were scanning the door. "No, guys!"

Eddie smiled at your friends who were both staring right at him.

"He is really cute." Nancy said as they both looked at you again.

"I'm gonna check this one out and see if he's the keeper." You said as you handed Nancy your martini.

"Okay." Nancy replied.

"And if he is?" Robin questioned.

"Tomorrow night I'll.."

"Flip the switch" Nancy finished your sentence as she took a sip of your martini.

"I'm doing this for you." You said directly to Robin handing her your apartment keys

"Well, good luck. Be safe. Call me!" Robin said as you walked towards Eddie.

"Mm. Drama, drama, drama." Nancy said as her and Robin watched Eddie gently hold you by the waist and open the door for you.

Chrissy and Victoria, on the other side of the bar, were also watching the entire interaction and smirking at one another, clinking their glasses together knowing that you and Eddie were both secretly playing each other and how badly this was bound to end.

Authors note; If you enjoyed this please leave some feedback and consider reblogging! It would meant a lot. Thank you so much for reading! <3

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a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 2 years

Text

Make Me Forget

Winter Whumperland 2022: Day 8. Unexpected Kindness Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, f!reader, former Bob x reader

Summary: Soon after a tragedy strikes, Jake finds you at his door late one night. Will he do what he has always dreamt of and you are now begging him for? Or will he find the strength to do what is right?

Word Count: 4300

TW: Emotional Angst, Grief, Death of a Loved One, Main Character Death, Tears, Drunk Reader makes bad decisions, Intoxicated Kiss, Tattoo

Notes: Thank you to @lorecraft and @green-socks for talking me through this and their support! I love you guys!

Sequel to No Laughing Matter but can also be read as a stand-alone piece.

As Jake poured his third glass of bourbon of the night, he was starting to regret not taking Coyote up on his offer to go to the movies with him and his new girlfriend. There wasn’t anything interesting playing, but it would have been nice to take his mind off of things and just mindlessly watch some robots blow some shit up or whatever for two and a half hours. But instead, he was sitting alone in a dimly lit room with only his drink for company. Not his smartest idea, but he just didn’t know how to act around his best friend at the moment.

For the past eight months, Jake had been on an extended medical leave back in Texas after he was injured in a training exercise. The break was actually doing him a lot of good. He had forgotten what it felt like to not have to try to be the best all the time. For the first time since joining the Naval Academy straight out of high school, he let himself relax and didn’t worry about how he compared to those around him. He stopped cutting his hair and grew a beard, both things he was never allowed to do while on active duty. It felt like he had control over everything in his life for once. That was until he had gotten the phone call.

Which was how he found himself staying in this rental house back in California a month before he was to be cleared for active duty. Though they had kept in contact through texts and emails, he hadn’t expected to be in person with the entire Dagger Squad again this soon. Or at least…. almost the entire squad.

Downing the rest of his glass of bourbon, he reached for the bottle to pour another when a knock on his door drew his attention. At almost one a.m., he had no idea who it could be. Only a few people even knew where he was staying, and he had made it clear he wanted to be left alone tonight.

Throwing the door open, Jake inhaled sharply as he saw the last person he expected standing just outside. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

You rolled your eyes. “Well, hello to you too, Jake. You sure know how to make a girl feel wanted.”

“No, I’m sorry. I was just surprised to see you here. Especially this late.”

Neither of you spoke for a long moment, each just staring at the other. Jake hadn’t seen you since the service a few days ago but you looked even worse than you had then. Your hair was a mess, your lipstick was smudged, and your eyes looked sunken and bloodshot. It wouldn’t surprise Jake if he learned you hadn’t slept more than a few hours over the last few days. Not that he would have blamed you.

Finally, you broke the silence and asked, “You gonna make me keep standing out here, or are you gonna let me in?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Jake held the door open wider as you pushed past him into the house. “How’d you get here? You didn’t drive, did you?”

You scoffed. “No. Do you really think I’m that irresponsible? Phoenix put me in a car after she made me leave the bar. The guy was driving past and I remembered you were staying here while you were in town.” You stumbled slightly as you walked around the small space examining the decor. It was clear why Phoenix sent you home for the night, though Jake was surprised she hadn’t insisted on going with you.

You spotted the still-open bottle of bourbon sitting on the table and grabbed at it, almost knocking it off the table. Without even trying to look for a glass, you pressed it to your lips and took a long swig. You grimaced as you swallowed yet raised the bottle for a second drink, but Jake placed his hand on your wrist before you could.

He gently eased the bottle out of your hand and set it back down. Running his hand lightly up and down your arm, he asked, “Not that it isn’t great to see you and all, but whatcha doing here, sweetheart? It’s late and it looks like you’ve already had an exciting night. Maybe you should just be heading home. I can drive you.” He reconsidered as he remembered the three glasses of bourbon he had drank that night. “Well, I can make sure you get home safely.”

“I don’t wanna go home,” you muttered faintly as you ran your fingers through the few drops of bourbon that had fallen onto the table. “I came here for you. I want you to do what you said…. last year in the bar.”

Jake’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember what you might be talking about. “I say a lot of things. You wanna give me a hint which one you’re talking about?”

Awkwardly removing your jacket and letting it fall to the floor behind you, you took a step closer causing Jake to step back so you didn’t bump into his chest. “You said one night was all it would take. That after one night with you, I would forget his name. I’m here so you can help me forget.”

Jake felt all the blood drain from his face as he realized what you were talking about. The night in the Hard Deck when he had gotten very drunk and tried to fight Bob. Not that it had been much of a fight considering Bob had laid him out with a single punch, but Jake had still felt awful about it. He apologized to both you and Bob the next day and it seemed like that night had been pretty much forgotten by everyone involved. But he guessed he was wrong….

Jake placed his hands on your now bare shoulders. “Sweetheart, you know I didn’t mean that. It was a stupid, drunken mistake that–”

“You meant it.” Your tone wasn’t harsh or accusing, just matter-of-fact. You took yet another step closer. “You’ve wanted me since the first day we met, don’t deny it. And you can try to brush off all your comments as teasing but I saw the look in your eye when you made them. You meant every word. But that’s okay. Because tonight, I’m giving you exactly what you’ve always wanted.”

You slammed your lips against Jake’s, catching him by surprise as you pushed him back against the wall. Your hands threaded through his long locks, grabbing hold and using them to pull him even deeper into your lips. Jake could taste the strong sting of alcohol on your breath as your tongue slipped clumsily into his mouth and he froze, unsure of what to do.

For just a second, he considered it. He had dreamt about you often since the day Bob introduced you, and they were always the sort of dreams where he couldn’t look Bob in the eye for a few hours afterward. Yet he had resigned himself to the fact that even if you and Bob ever broke up, you weren’t the kind of girl to go for someone like him. So this, this kiss, this chance, it was more than he ever hoped for.

And yet the second you slid your knee up to rub against the growing bulge in his pants, he snapped out of it. Grabbing your wrists, he gently untangled your hands from his hair and eased you off of him. Your eyes darted across his face, so desperate and confused as to why he pulled away that he almost lost his resolve and pressed his lips against yours once more.

Panting slightly, he whispered, “We can’t do this. I–I can’t do this.”

“Why not? It’s what you always wanted.”

“I can’t,” Jake whispered again, shaking his head.

Running your thumb over his cheek, tears began to roll down your face as you whispered back, “Yes, you can. It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s gone, Jake. He’s gone, and I’m falling apart without him. I just need someone right now. I need you. I need you to take me back into the bedroom and do what you’ve always wanted, just…. just make me forget. Please. Just for tonight. I just need this pain to go away for just one goddamn night.”

You leaned forward again but he shifted slightly so instead of your lips meeting, your foreheads did. Pressing firmly against you, Jake closed his eyes and took several long, deep breaths before he muttered, “Please don’t ask me again. I’m not a good enough man to deny you a third time. You’re right, I’ve always wanted you. I still want you. But not like this. We both deserve better than that.” Jake opened his eyes and stared directly into yours. “He deserves better than that.”

You jerked your head back as if he had slapped you, rapidly blinking in shock. Releasing him, you stumbled back from the wall, turning your back to him. When you finally faced him once more, Jake could tell some of the alcohol-induced fog had lifted. Tears were streaming down your face more quickly now and your bottom lip was quivering so hard, he could almost hear your teeth chattering.

Wrapping your arms across your chest, you sobbed, “What am I doing? He’s been gone for only a little over a week and I’m already throwing myself at one of his best friends.”

Jake wasn’t sure if you were just being hyperbolic in the heat of the moment, but hearing you call him “one of his best friends” caused a knot to form in Jake’s chest. But he ignored his own pain and tried to gather you into his arms, “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

You struggled to free yourself from his embrace. “No, it’s not! I promised him I’d never do something like this. That he was the only one I ever wanted to be with. And now…. Now I almost–” Another wailing sob ripped through you, cutting off the rest of your words.

Jake didn’t know what to do. In fact, he’d been having a harder time than expected dealing with what happened. As unrealistic as it was, Jake couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different if he had been back from leave and flying with the squad. Maybe he could have provided cover for Phoenix and Bob’s plane. Maybe that lucky bullet from the enemy wouldn’t have broken through the canopy and struck Bob in the neck. Maybe then he wouldn’t have bled out before Phoenix could even land the plane.

But all the what-ifs and could-have-been’s in the world wouldn’t change the fact that Bob was dead, and you were currently falling apart in Jake’s arms. However, where Jake might not have been there to help Bob then, he damn sure was going to do everything in his power to help you now.

“Sweetheart, look at me. Look at me!” You stopped struggling and gazed helplessly into Jake’s eyes. “I can’t be your Band-Aid to try to stop the pain, but you did nothing wrong tonight. It was only just a kiss and even if it had gone farther, you wouldn’t have been breaking any promises to him. Even in marriage, these things are only ‘til death do us part’, right? You held up your end of the bargain and he would understand. He would want you to be happy.”

“But I’m not! How am I ever supposed to be happy again when Bob is gone! We had our whole lives planned out together. He was going to propose and leave the Navy after his next tour so we could start a family. But now it’s all gone and I don’t know what to do.”

All of the fight suddenly went out of you, and you collapsed limply into Jake’s arms. Holding you tightly, Jake slowly sank to the floor and pulled you into his lap. Balling your fists into his shirt, you clung to him frantically as your body was wracked with sobs. There was nothing Jake could do but hold you tight and remind you that you weren’t alone.

After what seemed like hours, your sobs softened into sniffles before you eventually fell silent. Finally, you whispered, “Jake, how do I do this? It’s just too big. How do I deal with it?”

He took a deep breath and held it for a second before slowly releasing it. “I honestly don’t know. I guess you just take it one day at a time. It’s the best any of us can do. But you’re not alone. Let your friends help you through this.”

“Is that what we are, Jake? Friends?”

“I’d like to think so.” There was a moment of silence before Jake asked, “Why did you really come here tonight? To me. Was it just because you were driving by or….”

“You weren’t supposed to be this noble,” you chuckled dryly. “I thought out of everyone… Coyote has his new girlfriend, Fanboy and Payback can barely look at me right now, and Rooster’s been glued to Phoenix’s side all week. She’s trying to be strong for me but I know how much she is hurting too and he’s really helped her deal with things. So, that left you. And with your reputation and your little thing for me, I thought it was a full-proof plan. I guess I underestimated you. I’m sorry.”

“No, I guess that’s fair. You were right when you said I wanted you and that there was some truth behind my jokes and teasing. But I hope you know I would never have actually done anything. I wouldn’t have done that to Bob.”

You smiled softly as you linked your fingers with his before squeezing his hand. “I know. And so did he. He never minded your flirting because he said he knew at the end of the day you would never actually try it or make a move. And that I would never try anything either. So he just ignored it.” You shook your head softly. “God, how could someone have been so good?”

“I don’t know.” Jake wiped a tear off your cheek. “But he loved you so much. You were all he ever talked about when we were on a mission, just getting back to you. And Phoenix says your name was the last thing he said before…”

“She told me. I just wish I had been able to say goodbye.” Your voice broke and Jake pulled you tightly against his chest as your tears began to fall once more.

But they didn’t last very long. All of your crying must have taken a lot out of you because as your sobs began to dwindle and fade, Jake felt you slowly sagging in his arms. When he glanced down, he saw your eyes drooping further and further. The tears, alcohol, and late hour of night were all catching up to you and it wouldn’t be long before you had passed out completely.

Jake carefully helped get you to your feet before rising off the floor himself. His legs were numb from the way he was sitting, but he tried his best to ignore the sensation as he led you toward the bedroom.

“Where are we goin’?” you mumbled sleepily, your head leaning against his shoulder as he guided you.

“It’s late and I think it’s best if you stay here tonight. You can take my room and I’ll stay out on the couch. That way you can have the bed and a door with a lock if you want it.”

You chuckled softly without lifting your head. “Jake, I literally tried to force myself onto you tonight, and you turned me down. I think I can trust you not to sneak into the room while I’m sleeping.”

“True, but whatever makes you the most comfortable.”

He helped you climb into bed and covered you with his blanket. Almost immediately, your eyes fluttered closed and your breathing slowed. For just a moment, Jake stood there watching you sleep. You looked so relaxed and peaceful, that he wondered what you were dreaming about. It probably involved a blue-eyed, glasses-wearing WSO, or at least, he hoped it did.

Leaning over, Jake softly pressed his lips to the top of your head as he whispered, “Good night, sweetheart.”

Then he quietly backed out of the room and went to try to make the couch as comfortable as possible.

The sound of the front door clicking shut woke Jake the next morning. After raising his head slightly and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he saw a note and a still-steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of him. Sitting up, he brought the coffee to his lips as he read the note. It was short and sweet: Thanks for what you did…. and didn’t do.

Jake didn’t hear anything from you after that. He tried to text a few times, but you never responded. He talked to Phoenix so at least he knew you had made it home okay after you left his place, but that was all the information she would give him.

Days went by and he was just starting to think that he would never see or hear from you again when a knock sounded at his front door. And just like a few nights earlier, he opened it to see you standing there.

This time, you looked more like the you he remembered from before Bob’s death. The bags under your eyes weren’t as pronounced, your clothes looked more put together, and when you smiled at him as he opened the door, there was actually some light in your eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey….” he said as he leaned heavily on the door. “I’ve been thinking about you. How are you?”

“Um, better, I think. Still not good, and I don’t even know if I’ll ever be good again, but I guess progress is progress. Just taking it one day at a time, right?”

He smiled. “Yeah. One day at a time.”

There was a long pause before you said, “You really don’t like inviting me in, do you?”

“Oh! Sorry. Come in.” Jake stepped to the side, allowing you to pass by him, your arm lightly brushing his chest as you did. Once you were inside, he closed the door and asked, “So, uh, what can I do for you, sweetheart?”

With your back to him, you said, “I wanted to thank you for the other night. I wasn’t in a good place and I had been drinking and I made some bad decisions. And while I’m still not in a good place, now that I’m sober I’m mortified about said decisions. But the way you handled it….” You turned to face him, your lip quivering slightly. “Honestly, Jake, I don’t know how I would have ever forgiven myself if I woke up the next morning and realized we had gone through with it. Just thinking about it makes me physically ill.”

“Damn. I don’t think I would have been that bad in bed,” Jake scoffed, but he gave you a wide grin to let you know he was joking.

You smiled softly. “I’m sure you would have been exceptional. And I have no doubt that you could have lived up to your promise of making me forget everyone and everything but you in that moment.” Your face fell. “But after, when I did remember,…. It would have destroyed me. And I’m not saying I’ll never sleep with anyone ever again, but doing it that night– for that reason– would have felt like such a betrayal to Bob’s memory. So thank you for stopping me. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make.”

Jake ran his hand over the back of his neck. “I won’t lie and say part of me doesn’t regret not going through with it just a little bit, but overall I’m also glad it didn’t happen. When you feel like it’s time to take that step, you have every right to sleep with whoever you want and you’ll have nothing to feel guilty for. But I agree that night wasn’t the best time for it.”

“No, it wasn’t.” You shifted slightly as you looked at the floor. “I, uh, I was having an extra hard time that night because the Navy finally gave me a box of Bob’s stuff and I found a receipt where he had put a down payment on a ring.”

Inhaling sharply, Jake said, “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

You shook your head. “It’s okay. We had talked about it a lot and I knew he was going to propose soon, I just wasn’t expecting that soon. It just made me think about all of the plans we had made that won’t ever happen now and…. I tried to drink the pain away but when that didn’t happen, I turned to you. It’s not an excuse for why I did what I did, but I thought you should have a little more context for why it happened.”

“No context needed. You got drunk and tried to sleep with the first available person you found. Who hasn’t been there?” You reached out and took his hand, giving it a small squeeze of thanks. The shift in your position drew Jake’s attention to something he hadn’t noticed before. He nodded towards the gauze poking out of the bottom of your shirt sleeve. “Didya do something to your arm?”

A soft smile spread across your lips as you glanced down at the floor. “I did, actually. I thought a lot about the other night and you made me realize that no matter how painful it is, I never want to forget Bob…. ever. I love him and I will always love him and I don’t want to forget a second of our time together or what he means to me. So, I found a way to keep a constant reminder of that with me always.”

Slowly, you rolled up your sleeve and unwrapped the gauze from your arm, revealing a vibrant tattoo underneath that hadn’t been there the other night. It was a heart made out of a thin branch or vine covered with leaves and small, five-petal blue flowers accented with yellow centers. It was a delicate design that perfectly fit the curvature of your arm.

“Wow. That looks amazing. Remind me to ask for your guy’s number if I ever decide to get more ink.”

Jake reached out to touch the design but hesitated as you whispered, “They’re forget-me-nots.”

He glanced at your face which was still smiling though he could see a hint of moisture collecting in your eyes. When you gave him a small nod, he let his fingers gently graze the tender skin of your freshly inked arm. It was only then that he noticed the small, faint lettering on the stem at the bottom of the heart: BOB.

Running his thumb over the letters, Jake said, “He would’ve loved this.”

“I think he would’ve too.” You ran your finger over one of the flowers as you gazed at it lovingly. Then you dropped your hand as you cleared your throat. “So, how much longer are you in town?”

Jake straightened up, removing his hand from your arm. “Just a few more days. I should be getting my medical clearance at the end of the month so I need to go home and make sure everything is in order for me to return to active duty.”

“That’s sort of a shame. I think your time on leave has been good for you.”

Jake frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You’re…. different. Like, it’s not just the longer hair and the beard– both of which look really great on you by the way– but it’s your attitude and how you hold yourself. Plus I don’t think the old Jake would have ever done what you did the other night.”

“Yeah, well, then maybe this new Jake is just an idiot. He’d have to be to ever push you away.”

“Not an idiot. Just a better man than people give him credit for.” Leaning over, you lightly pressed your lips to his cheek.

Jake felt his heart leap in his chest and it took everything in him not to turn his head and capture your lips with his. But you were right, he had changed. The old Jake probably would have kissed you, yet now….

Clearing his throat as you took a step back, he asked, “What do you think you’ll do now?”

Sighing, you said, “I don’t know. Without Bob, I don’t really have a reason to stay in California. My parents want me to move back near them so I have a familial support system around and I’m considering it. I think a change would be good for me.”

“Apparently, it did wonders for me,” Jake teased. “But whatever you decide, I’m always here if you need anything, anything at all. You have my number.”

Reaching out, you placed your hand on his arm and gave it a light squeeze. “Thank you. I’ll remember that. And good luck going back to work. Be safe up there.”

You dropped your hand and started to walk out of the door. When you were halfway down the steps, Jake called out, “Hey… Maybe one day in the future if you decide it’s time to move on with someone new, you look me up.”

Glancing back towards the door, you gave him a small, reserved smile. “Maybe…. One day. Goodbye, Jake.” Then you turned and soon disappeared from view.

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 2 years

Text

Make Me Forget

Winter Whumperland 2022: Day 8. Unexpected Kindness Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, f!reader, former Bob x reader

Word Count: 4300

TW: Emotional Angst, Grief, Death of a Loved One, Main Character Death, Tears, Drunk Reader makes bad decisions, Intoxicated Kiss, Tattoo

Notes: Thank you to @lorecraft and @green-socks for talking me through this and their support! I love you guys!

Sequel to No Laughing Matter but can also be read as a stand-alone piece.