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bubbles-for-all-of-us · 1 year

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Exactly as you are

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a/n well look at us meeting at part three already. Thank you so much for all of your love. And an extra thank you to @brekkershadowsinger for being my knight in shining armor and a beta reader! Love you so much!🤍

summary: when two broken souls meet something is bound to happen.

warning: mention of past trauma, anxiety, sexual assault, murder.

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The sun peaked through the open window. The sun - which was supposed to warm and bring hope did little for the coldness that lingered in the room. Kaz rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. Sleep just didn't find him tonight. And how could it be when all he heard were your cries? Screams and pleas that dragged way into the night. Kaz leaned back into the chair that he had pulled over hours ago. His gaze fell on your curled-up body, now fast asleep in his bed. His pillow beneath your head, his blanket warming up your body, his shirt clenched between your hands as you held it closer to your chest.

When Kaz had made his way back, the first person he was greeted with was Jesper. He could tell that the man was lingering. Purposely trying to wait out to catch Kaz there. Kaz thought about ignoring him, and he was going to until Jesper spoke up, "I'm sorry. You know that I am", dirtyhands spun around to face his crow. A cold, predatory gaze seeped through his eyes. Not family. Not friends. A boss and his investment, "Are you, though?" Now step away from one another, they were practically breathing at each other's throats. "Imagine that was Wylan? What would you do, Jesper? How far would you go?", Kaz barked out and turned away in an instant. Too much. Jesper had already seen too much. There had been too much. Too much was at stake. Too many people were involved.

"You love her", Jesper breathed out. "You…", but Kaz quickly turned back to him, the tip of his cane now pointed straight at Jasper's throat. "One more word, and I will rip your throat out". The warning was primal, raw, and something that deep down Jesper hoped Kaz would never actually do, but from the way, Kaz's eyes blazed and the way his hand shook ever so slightly, "Consider yourself lucky because Wylan was there if none of you would have been…", but his words died down. Choked out by that fear of losing once again. Kaz had already run through every possible scenario and every feasible way that those two could have hurt you. He needed names. Needed a reason. Now he wished he had left at least one of them alive. One of them to tell Kaz, who had been stupid enough to try to get to you when you were his. Because those faces were new to him tonight. Not prepared. He was as unprepared as the crows, and for that alone, Kaz couldn't find the strength to properly punish Jesper.

"Take Inej and sift through the docks. I need reports of all the newcomers, their names, who they work for, and why they came here. Find out who those two were", Kaz ordered, fingers running through his hair in frustration. He needed to calm down. To properly pull himself together. His emotions were too much of a giveaway that he cared. But shouldn't he? Shouldn't he care? His business might be in danger. There was a tassel in his club. His property was damaged. Who knew how much it would cost to get the blood off the floor? "Inej is upstairs with Nina looking after Y/N", Jesper muttered, and Kaz only nodded his head. "Good, go after it or go alone. I don't care".

"Kaz", you had muttered at least a thousand times since Jesper had walked in with you in his arms, shaking like a leaf. Nina dragged a wet cloth down your back, locking eyes with Inej, who was just as worried, before turning to you. "He will be here shortly, darling. Fix a couple of things, and I will be with you", she said as lightheartedly as she could, although Nina doubted if the state Kaz would come back in would help you in any way. The heartrender had suspicions. Most of the crows did. You two were almost glued to each other. And for goodness sake, who else besides you got to sit on Kaz's bed, let alone lay or sleep in it? No one. They couldn't even breathe the same air as him for longer than intended. But then there was you. And no matter when or for how long you stayed in Kaz's office, there wasn't a time when you were cursed out and pushed through the door. Together. Almost always together. Kaz's heartbeat changed first. At least that was what Nina caught onto. Maybe it wasn't affection at first, but still, you managed to alter Kaz's heart. Give strength to the beats, but lighten them at the same time.

"Kaz", you muttered your mantra, once again, big puffy eyes looking up at the two girls. Inej was a breath away from comforting you once more, but Nina cut in swiftly, changing the subject, "Let's get you out before you turn into a prune. Come, up you go", she pulls at your hands, making you stand, before wrapping a towel around your naked body. "Inej, why don't you fix a cup for all of us, huh?", but there was more behind this, and Inej could tell. Almost a silent plea to go look for Kaz. That whatever Nina was doing to keep you calm wasn't going to hold for much. She could feel it too. Slowly bubbling. Building up.

Kaz selfishly did not want to seek you out after all. Why would he? You had Nina and Inej. What would he do there? Stand and look? But then shouldn't he go up there and demand answers? Maybe the two had told you what they wanted. Because this seemed more than just a quick fuck that they were after. If that had been the case, Kaz would have been too late to stop it. Too late… Promised to protect. To keep safe. The image of you stripping in his office the first night flashed through his eyes. Kaz clenched his fist angrily. He had killed them all. Found a list of every man who had put in money to buy you off. They were begging for it to stop, but all Kaz did was repeat your name over and over to them. Dragging their deaths painfully slowly. No one knew about that. It wasn't something anyone else needed to be a part of. It was for Kaz. It was for all the rage that waked in him every time you flinched, every time his eyes caught a glimpse of your scars that painted your wrists and ankles, the torn skin on your back while you were changing, and the emptiness in your eyes.

Then Kaz heard it—the faint sound of your voice once again. His name slipped out of your lips in desperation. Calling for him. Searching for him. Kaz stood up, rushing towards the door, but then he halted. Still as a stone. He could not face you. He could not see you. Not now. Not like this. Not for everyone to see. Your voice grew louder. Kaz. Kaz. Kaz. Kaz. Kaz put his palms over his ears. Turning to walk to the furthest corner. Yet he still heard the way Nina was trying to soothe you. Kaz could almost see you trashing in her arms. The cries made him tightly close his eyes. He wanted to. There was nothing more that he wanted than to hold you now. To answer the call. To pull you out again, but he couldn't. There was no way.

Slow her heartbeat, make her pass out, Kaz thought to himself. Come on, Nina, be useful. And as if the heartrender had heard him, the cries died down softly. Followed by a little sob from Nina and a ray of apology slipping past her lips. The silence stood again. Kaz braced himself against the sink, catching a glimpse of his worn-out face in the mirror. Weak. Worthless. How can you protect her when you can't even go to her when she needs you the most? The anger rippled again, and without a second thought, Kaz's left fist slammed into the mirror.

The room was dim. The last remaining light source was the fire slowly dying down in the fireplace. Wylan was rubbing his hands over Jesper's shoulders. Nina was leaning onto Inej. The tea that sat in front of them had gone cold. Neither of them had touched their cups even once. It had been several hours since the last cry echoed through the house. Nina had stopped sniffling. She had never before used her ability in that way. It was one thing to make someone fall and cripple them in the middle of the job; it was a completely different story to choke the air out of the lungs of someone you cared for while watching their limp body in front of you.

Even at the thought of that, Nina's lips trembled once more. Jesper reached towards her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. Tonight had been a mess. Everyone's brains had been scattered with questions. All the ifs and whys, maybes, and whats. And with Kaz nowhere to be seen… He had made it clear to everyone that Y/N was someone that each of them had to look after. And tonight they all abandoned their posts. Sure, it was Jesper's night to keep an eye on you, but the blame couldn't be placed solely on his shoulders. They all let loose. Disappointed Kaz, but most importantly, hurt you in the process. They didn't talk about the other side of this. There was not even a thought about it that lingered. Jesper, while telling everyone about the conversation he had with Kaz, cut himself off right before the question of love was brought up. Not his to discuss. Not his to be brought to daylight.

"Why are all of you still here?", Jesper had stood up so quickly, nearly sending the little table flying, the tea cups rattling. All of them stiffened, like kids who had been caught misbehaving and now were awaiting the scolding of their parents. None dared to meet Kaz's eyes. It felt like he had brought coldness with him, as the room suddenly became almost freezing. If Kaz was being honest, he wasn't sure if he wanted them to fall over one another while they apologized or if he preferred silence. The silence that carried fear. The power he had over them.

"I gave orders to Jespere…", dirtyhands spoke once more, and Inej was quick to cut in, "He told us". Kaz nodded his head, and said, "Good. Then why are you here?" It seemed like such a simple question, but then again, what were they supposed to say? Because they wanted to see him? Because they tried to find strength in one another? Because being alone felt too vulnerable? Yet this set of silence was met with a growl from Kaz. "Go", he muttered angrily. Turning to the side so they could walk past him. "Kaz, she…", Nina started, being the first one to lift her eyes, and the coldness that pierced her made a shiver run deep within her body.

Kaz lifted his hand, silencing her. "I'll take it from here. I have unfinished business with her as it is", Nina shook her head. "Kaz", you were too weak. The demons within you had feasted on your strength. If he were to come at you Kaz-style, he would send you into yet another panic attack. But Kaz only let out a snarl, "Did I ask for your opinion?" They lowered their heads. Jesper wrapped one of his arms around Nina, bringing her closer to him, and clasped Wylan's hand in another. He glanced at Inej, who only nodded her way. Get the two settled, and then they would hit the town just like Kaz had ordered them to.

When Kaz finally made his way up to his office, he tried to pretend that you weren't lying in his bed. That he couldn't hear your breathing. When that got too hard, he tried to trick his mind into thinking that this was the usual night. Like always. He had chosen to work too late, and you had ended up falling asleep. The only difference was that on nights like that, Kaz found himself watching you. The way your face would relax. There was no sign of the slight frown that lingered then. Calm and relaxed. Comfortable enough to sleep in his presence. Now, however, Kaz tried to keep his eyes away from you. Too afraid that it would only break him more.

But the uneasy breathing was hard to miss. You let out a cry, and Kaz's eyes drifted to your frame. Only now did he notice the shimmering drops of sweat clinging to your forehead. Hands clenching the sheets. Kaz blinked again. There in your place now laid Jordie. Turning and tossing as the plague spread further and further. Kaz stood up, crossing the distance between him and the bed in a couple of steps. He ripped the gloves off his hands. The taste of bile in his mouth picked up again. What was this cruel joke? Sure, he was a bad person. Had done so much wrong, but why you? Why Jordie? What have you two done? Or was it a curse for just letting Kaz be a part of your life?

He kneeled once more. One deep breath in, and his hand came into contact with your warm forehead. Not burning up, but warm enough for a slight fever. A part of him was trying to stay rational. To get a fever after a night filled with such events was normal. It could happen, but what if this was something more? What if they had poisoned you? What if he had missed it? Kaz reached for a jug of cold water before dipping a piece of cloth in it. The moment the cold material came into contact with your skin, your eyes opened up slightly.

The fright in Kaz waked again. He wasn't ready. Wasn't prepared to see you conscious just yet. You glimpsed up at him tiredly. Body eased slightly at the sight of him. Kaz swallowed thickly. He didn't know what he wanted to say or what he should say. A part of him wanted to shout at you, but one look at your eyes, which had lit up ever so slightly at the sight of him, halted him once more.

"I'm sorry", you murmured, licking your dry lips as the uncomfortable tightness pulled at your skin. Kaz shook his head, reaching for a cup, "Nothing to be sorry about". The words had come out more sarcastic than he had wanted. As if he didn't genuinely mean it. You gave him a look. One that he had learned to identify. One that let him know that you were more than aware that he was lying. But he wasn't.

"I would do it again", he muttered, turning his gaze away from you. And he would have. As much as he tries to tell himself that he would never reach for you again, he knew deep down that it was a lie. Because he would. Because you were now a part of him. In ways that Kaz couldn't fully identify. Ways that were unfamiliar to him. He had only felt somewhat similar when it came to Jordie. Sure, Kaz cared for his crows, but that was different. You were different. Your eyes filled with tears as you watched him. You had been so desperate to apologize. Aware that you crossed the line by touching him tonight. For reaching out to him in a way that he didn't want to be reached. And here he was telling you that he would do it again. You shook your head, "No." Your voice died down. Cut off by the fear. By the lack of words spoken for a long time.

"Don't push yourself", Kaz ordered you firmly, but you jerked your head once more. He needed to know. You wanted him to know. Through your heavy, tired eyes, you looked at Kaz. You searched for him as you always did. "No one has ever touched me without bad intentions. You…", you stopped yourself as the tear ran down your cheek, stinging in your eyes getting unbearable. "You were the first who wanted to hold me without the intention to hurt me".

The sob finally slipped past your lips. You quickly moved your hand to cover your mouth. Trying to silence the cries, knowing how much Kaz hated emotions displayed like that. Kaz closed his eyes, lifting his head ever so slightly. If you hadn't crossed the line before, you sure have now. You reached for the sides of the sheets. Not waiting for him to scold you. Not ready to face him pushing you away. But Kaz was quick to snatch the side of the blanket out of your hands, pressing it down onto the bed and keeping you covered.

There was so much that Kaz wanted to say. So many words at the tip of his tongue. So many thoughts. And you knew it too. You could tell, so you settled back down. Both of you used up your emotional resources tonight. Drained yourselves dry. Yet Kaz looked at you once more. Reaching for the cloth to dip it into the cold water once more. Just this time, his palm lingered on your hair for a moment. A silent promise that he wanted to figure this out together. Step by step. No matter what was to come, you were going to do it together. Then he turned away from you once more. Pushing the rising water down. You watched him for some time until your eyes grew heavy, and the darkness pulled you under once more.

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Kazzle Dazzle taglist: @igakc @anxiousbeech @vicky-09 @coldheartedmar

#kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker #the six of crows imagine #the six of crows x reader #the six of crows x you #shadow and bone x reader

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ezdotjpg · 8 months

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ok but know I need you to Tell Me Things about the Zeldas. all of them. I am literally*bouncing*.

(I love how both your TP Link and Zelda have RBF. they have truly Had It)

HEHE sorry i held onto this ask until I had all the Zelda designs posted, and then I,,,forgot to do that lol.

some Bonus Zelda thoughts! some of this i've maybe said before idk:

ALTTP Zelda

her armor is more ceremonial than practical. While I didn't give this to every Queen Zelda, I liked the idea of the princess's pauldrons progressing to more plate armor in the queen's dress. That's also why I changed her color scheme to blue to differentiate from the princess' pink (exceptions for this being HW Zelda who wears red as queen, ST Zelda who still wears pink as queen and BOTW Zelda who wore blue as princess)

anyway. she's more of a scholar than a warrior but she still has killer aim with a bow

her pet project has been recovering, restoring, and filling in the gaps of the royal library and archive. Mage helps her out with this as he has a knack for stumbling upon forgotten ancient texts in his travels

A lot of ppl assume she's rather prim or austere but she's actually got a lot of whimsy and humor in her. It's why she and Mage get along so well :D

She lets Mage get away with a lot of shenanigans and keeps the royal guard from arresting his ass all the time

if mage is ur weird uncle she's like. ur cool aunt

Tetra

she's still sailing the seas with her crew!

she and Wake have had a bit of a falling out though, partially over disagreements about searching for New Hyrule, and have gone their separate ways for now. There's not any real animosity between them, just like,,,frustration. They'd still do anything for each other.

She's got 2 pistols and a cutlass and she knows how to use them

She could bench press Wake. easily.

She's brash and commands a lot of respect but she's also a lot of fun to be around. She's brutally honest and says what's on her mind.

I think she still feels a lot of confusion and frustration about the revelations about her lineage and the role King Daphnes seemed to force on her because of it. She doesn't want much to do with what the divine. She values the freedom sailing on the sea gives her.

TP Zelda

she's. so tired. a lot of the responsibility of rebuilding the kingdom has fallen squarely on her shoulders. She's holding shit together by a thread but by god is she holding it together.

Looks pretty cold and unapproachable but she has a kind heart. She cares deeply for the people of her kingdom. She would sacrifice a lot for them and already has.

Never relaxes. Works like 24/7. get this girl a hobby

Midzel canon. Midna also had a thing with Link but it wasn't a polycule more of a this is my girlfriend Midna and this is Midna's boyfriend Link kind of a situation. Anyway she misses Midna.

Wolf and Zelda are like. coworkers. They haven't really gotten any closer in the aftermath of everything. Wolf wants nothing to do with playing the role of the hero in a political sense like Zelda keeps asking him to. I don't think Zelda necessarily blames him for escaping that responsibility, but she Is frustrated she doesn't have that luxury.

MC Zelda

a little cutie!! very bubbly and extroverted and curious about the world. She spends a lot of time outside of the castle running around with Mini. The King is so glad she's safe after everything he still just lets her do whatever she wants lol

She used to be the one dragging Mini into shenanigans all the time but he's gained a lot of confidence over his quest and is less timid now. now they are equally engaging in shenanigans

Hangs out with Malon too!! The three of them are besties

I like to think she can also still see the minish even if she can't shrink down to their size. she thinks they're so cute. Maybe mini gives her a jabbernut so she can speak to them too :-)

She helps Mini build his fucked up little trash robots. She also pretties them up with paint

scolded by castle staff frequently for getting grass stains and dirt on her nice clothes lol. She probably isn't usually running around in her full princess garb though.

Like Mini, has mostly refused to process most of what happened to her and is just trying to enjoy life.

Prince Zel

I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to go with naming him Sheik or not. I decided against it since this is the version of him that never had to become Sheik. He keeps Zelda as a legacy name and shortens it to Zel most of the time.

Pretty lonely in the castle without many friends his age. He desperately wants to be better friends with Mask but is mostly rebuffed.

Even though he doesn't have to become Sheik in this timeline, I think he has begun training with Impa. Just under a lot less duress

Still occasionally has prophetic visions but has become somewhat hesitant about sharing them. I think he understands a little more of what went on in other timelines than he lets on, but he doesn't know or put together all of it.

Often described as odd or intense or standoffish by ppl who meet him but he can be really chatty and lively under the right circumstances

HW Zelda

Her armor is also mostly ceremonial, even though she's definitely more of a warrior queen. She and War are both dressed to project 'peace time' and 'prosperity'. She has other sets of armor that are more suited for combat.

She and War are a lot alike, calculating and cunning, which is why they understand each other. It's also why they're often at each other's throats. They're not really above backstabbing each other, though has Queen she has a lot more leverage.

She's not exactly warm or particularly kind, but she does care about the safety of the Kingdom.

Also never relaxes and works like 24/7

Constantly dealing with a tense, power-hungry and antagonistic court looking to undermine her authority. She has her own private ambitions she's working towards.

ALBW Zelda

She's a really charming and fun person! very down to earth as Queen and a lot more willing to eschew tradition.

She comes across as carefree but she's been ruling Hyrule by herself since she was young and has been subject to a lot of pressure. She had to grow up pretty fast and is wiser than she seems at first glance. She has her court and the people's respect.

She and Mirror share an interest in fashion and the arts. They're,,, they're both theatre kids.

I don't have a lot of other headcanons abt her yet sorry but. i love her

ST Zelda

Has been crowned Queen at the ripe old age of 16 because the last time they appointed a chancellor he turned out to be a demon who stole her body. so

She does not feel ready to be Queen at all but she's doing her best. She's determined not to let anybody push her around again.

She's taken an interest in learning how to fight after the events of spirit tracks. She never wants to feel as helpless as she did then, trapped as a ghost outside her body. Also she really enjoyed hitting things with a giant sword in her big phantom armor. She's become a much better swordsman than Spirit ever was lol

She specifically requested her own suit of armor to mimic the phantom armor

she's pretty protective of Spirit

BOTW Zelda

I think she was conscious for all 103 of those years fighting ganon, even if it seems somewhat blurry and surreal to her now. She remembers it in fits and bursts. She often feels disconnected from her body.

She has no interest in reviving the monarchy or ruling over Hyrule again. However she does have an interest in rebuilding Hylian towns and helping all of Hyrule recover. She still feels like it's her responsibility, not because of her role as princess, but because of what she perceives as her own failure to avert tragedy.

she doesn't just blame herself though- she blames the gods and her father too.

Right now though she's mostly taking a break to get her bearings and recover from 103 years of endless fighting. She and Slate travelled around Hyrule for a while at first, and now she's settled in Hateno trying to figure out how to be normal again. Some rebuilding efforts have already started spearheaded by Hudson and she helps out with those.

SKSW Zelda

honestly not even she is sure what parts of her are herself and what parts are hylia. it's as disconcerting for her as it is for Loft. She's both frustrated that he looks at her differently now and understands completely why he does. She still wishes he wouldn't.

she remembers more about being the goddess than she necessarily lets on

she's really invested in the settlement on the surface and is basically its unofficial leader. she puts a lot of time and effort into making sure everything is going according to plan and that they have everything they need to keep living on the surface

she's protective of Loft and worries a lot for him. She blames herself for a lot of what he struggles with now and wants to make it better.

she's not the fun police though, she likes a death-defying loftwing stunt as much as the next person

she did become a knight after the events of skyward sword! They don't really wear the uniforms down on the surface much anymore though and it's become less of a formal order while everyone focuses on building and improving the village.

She's been working on her swordsmanship

I think she really loves music and singing

#long post #bonus lore #dusting off that tag #bonus alttp zelda #bonus tetra #bonus tp zelda #bonus oot zel #bonus albw zelda #bonus mc zelda #bonus botw zelda #bonus hw zelda #bonus skord zelda #bonus links #bonuslinks #bonuslinksdotjpg

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bisexual-horror-fan · 5 months

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Seeing as Scream 7 is going to end up being cancelled because who even wants to watch it anymore, what would you personally have done with the plot and storyline?

Also Happy New Year!!!!!

This ask. Oh my GOD! This ask yes! Okay, okay, let's get into it.

I want some serious stakes, some real blood, hear me out. I want shit to be serious. So.

We start off with someone getting ready. We are unable to tell who they are, like gloved handles lacing books, sheathing a knife, all that, like it is not clear who it is. We then see them leave, we keep on their boots as they walk, some cuts, they make it to wherever they are meant to be. We hear rustling in their backpack, and then you see the robe drop, they are in the Ghostface fit. It pans up slowly, phone is out and they are calling someone.

Who do they call for the opening cold call?

Gale Weathers.

We have the opening scene, the back and forth, all that, they've broken in, they get the drop on Gale, I am talking a dirty, nasty thing, like she is tryna come around the corner and just gets a knife in the side of the throat, blade is dragged through and just full throat slit. She is bleeding and choking everywhere. Ghostface doesn't leave until she is dead. Multiple stab wounds. Stays until she is no longer breathing.

It is an uncomfortable shot, long. Ghostface with the mask a little bloody just staring down at her.

Then, they leave. No big dramatic slash to the title. Not this time.

We get into the main people, Tara, and Sam and Chad and Mindy finding out that Gale is fucking dead. Obvi there is concern about what this means.

I think the four of them have been cautious about getting close to other people, but the small relationships that they have allowed are not targeted like they all expect. It's the opposite. Anyone who is causing the core four issues is ending up dead.

Suspicion is thrown on the core four hard. Kirby is involved, she is of course trying to help, when she gets a bit too close she is hurt but not killed, just seriously maimed, to the point of medically incuded coma lets say. Sidney is mentioned briefly, she is staying farrrr away from all of this mess, everyone is glad about that, because man she still deserves that break.

The cops feel very unhelpful and so it's on the four to try and solve this, but it's hard, long, twisting, shit is confusing and not making sense and they are TIRED. The average Scream movie takes place over a few days, this will be longer. Suspicion is weighing heavily on all of them, the murders are piling up, it isn't totally making sense, it's messy, there seems to be no real reason to who is dying. At first.

It comes out over time that these people who are being killed sucked, did morally shady and awful things.

I want this body count high and us caring about the people in my opinion is not important. I want them amount of gore and the uncertainty to be bringing the scares and the heat, I want it oppressive.

And then. Kirby gets out of her medically induced coma.

And guess what she has to share?

She knows who did it. She is on the phone with like Tara and Kirby reveals the killer is Sam.

Not sure the place of the final set piece, but somewhere outdoors is appealing to me, don't ask me why, (also btw we should just set this in winter, blood on snow man, we need it, we need a winter set Scream to finish this series cuz this would be the finale' in my opinion)

Mindy is there for the reveal monologue cuz she deserves that. Sam goes off about how frustrated she is. It's been years since the last Ghostface event. She talks about how good it felt to kill and having some asshole pop up and terrorize them, she got to kill in self-defence, get some of the urges out, there has been no such opportunity in too long. She tried to ignore it, the pressure is building, she is attempting to be good, but then she gets an email from Gale who reaches out, she is trying to be better and do right by her, telling Sam and giving her a heads-up she is going to be writing a new book about the events of EVERYTHING, a full covering of all the Ghostface murders with her years of perspective after everything and Sam is just done.

She decides she is going to get her fix. She is gonna take out Gale and be done. She does it and oh my fucking God she missed this. She cannot stop herself, it becomes a compulsion. So, whenever the opportunity arises, when someone fucks with her family, with the core four, she takes the opportunity. It escalates further, she is seeking out people who she deems deserve this because that makes it okay, right? She is better than those other murders, those previous Ghostface's. She has been through so much, she's earned the right, she is doing it to protect her family. She has just fully snapped under everything.

They, the core four, assume she is gonna take them out. They know too much, she is going to end them.

She doesn't hurt or go after them because she wants them all to be together always. Tries to convince them that this is what is right, this is what should happen, just keep quiet and she will keep everyone safe. Girl is manic and unhinged.

They can't let that happen.

Three against one. They don't kill her but manage to hurt her bad enough to restrain her. The cops are called, she is hauled off, screaming and crying and heartbroken. The core four is no more, but hey, the triangle is the strongest shape in nature, so maybe they can find a way to be okay. Sam is naturally locked up and ngl at this point we also get some serious confirmation Stu IS alive and is ALSO in prison because Sam gets a letter from him. Sam and Stu are prison pen pals, no, you cannot change my mind.

#OKAY #OKAY SO YEAH #SO THIS IS MY THOUGHT PROCESS #BHF writing #BHF opinions #This is what I would want scream 7 to be I don't care

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ultralightpoe · 3 months

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Pinky Promises - Chapter Two

Authors Note: Another Part in the series is up, I am very excited for their story.

Word Count: 8532

x Series Masterlist x

-Main Masterlist -

x Prev Chapter x

October 13th, 1977 - Thursday

“Both of you need to be on your best behavior.” Charlotte Fraser warns, watching as the two children in front of her give each other wide smiles that she knows firsthand will only cause trouble. “You hear me?”

They nod, staring blankly back at her before turning to each other and giving that same smile once more. Before she can call them on it another figure emerges in the kitchen, limping slightly as she laughs at the scene before her.

“Lottie, dear. They are just getting ready for the day. Take it easy on them.” Nana defends, coming to kiss her granddaughter's head lightly. “Are we doing pancakes for the birthday girl then?”

Everyone blinks, and Steve watches as Lottie tries coming up with an answer to her mothers question. But Ollie is quick to beat them too it.

“We already ate breakfast Nana. I wanted you to sleep because you stayed up late making my dress.” She smiles, spinning to show her the work she had done. “Thank you so much by the way.”

Nana blinks, looking at the clock before realizing what time it is and nodding slowly. “Right. I must have overslept. Silly me. Alright. Let me say goodbye at least.”

She kisses Ollie’s head, and then kisses Steves before limping off to find where Wiley ran off to in an effort to flee from his father and school. The second she turns the corner Lottie bends down to fix Ollie’s dress a bit and wipe some of the hair out of her daughter's hair. “You’re such a pretty birthday girl. Let’s get you to school.”

Steve watches in silence as Ollie runs to grab her backpack and Charlotte wipes the tears before everyone is being ushered out the door.

“I have your gift.” He mumbles to Ollie on the way to the car. “I’m giving it to you later.”

“Are you going to have dinner over here tonight?”

“My mom is going out with an old friend so yeah. That and I want to come celebrate your birthday.”

“I know.” She smiles, leaning to hug him. “You’re my best friend.”

“You're my best friend.” He sighs, hugging her back, nerves filling his body.

October 13th, 1983 - Thursday

“I am so irritated with you right now I can’t even begin to describe it.” Cece snaps, her hand slamming into the locker next to the one Via currently stood in front of, shuffling through to find her lighter as her friend went on a rant. “It’s not even worth arguing over.”

“Good because-“

“You know what? I changed my mind. It is worth arguing over because how dare you? How. Dare. You.” The brunette seethes, eyes narrowing as Via’s fingers finally wrap around the lighter and drag it out from the abyss of a locker. “I’ve been your best friend for how many years now?”

“4 I believe. Might be 5.”

“And this is the treatment I get?”

“Okay, let me get this straight. You’re mad at me because I accepted a shift tonight? I need money and Thursday nights are the best since it’s just a bunch of middle schoolers and their parents.” Via mumbles, exhaustion coating her every movement. It had been a rough couple nights, spent unable to sleep and so she crammed herself in that tiny desk and tried drawing or painting until she got tired enough to pass out at the desk until her father woke her up for school. All. Week.

“It’s your birthday, Olivia.” A couple people turn their heads to them at the tone which makes Via panic and shush her.

“Not so loud. Alaska can probably hear you.” They glare at each other for a moment, both unwilling to give up on their stances.

Finally, with a growl of frustration, Cece stomps her heel into the ground. “We should be celebrating tonight Via.”

“I need to work.” Via huffs, rolling her shoulders to release some of the tension that had built up. “Besides, Hartson wasn’t really offering it. It was more of a ‘I need this shift covered so do it’. And so I agreed.”

“He can’t do that. That’s not legal is it? He can’t do that.”

“I’m not sure but it’s already been done so who cares-“ Before she can finish her sentence a body shoves into her, wrapping her in a hug that sends them both careening into the lockers by them.

“Gareth.” It’s a warning enough, but the brown haired boy doesn’t listen to Eddie and continues hugging Via with a big smile.

“You smell like fish.” She scoffs, trying to push him away.

“It’s my new deodorant. I call it sweat.” The fool smiles, lifting his armpit for her to smell which leads to her gasping and pushing him harshly. In their little scuffle they both accidently push into another figure that had been at her locker.

A soft grunt of pain could be heard as Barb dropped the books she was holding, making the group in front of her stop quickly.

“I’m sorry.” Gareth blushes, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as Barb nods, doing her best not to make eye contact.

Relatively Barb and the group before her sat at the same rank on the food chain of this school, barely making it by with Tommy Hagan. And yet their groups sat on opposite sides.

Via and her friends were considered ‘burnouts’ whilst Barb was considered….a ‘goody two shoes’ not that there was anything wrong with that. But it’s safe to say they all normally avoided each other.

“We didn’t mean to do that.” Via confirms, bending down to grab the books for her as the redhead keeps nodding.

“No it was me. I was in the way.” Barb tries a laugh, grabbing the books back from Vias outstretched hand slowly.

“Hey I saw you in the hall the other day while I was ditching. You told the teacher the wrong way when they asked where I went.” Eddie smiles, and Via watches in real time as her cousin does what he does best. Break tension and make people feel comfortable. “That was totally cool. You rock for that.”

Barb's face turns a deep red as she ducks her head a bit, fighting off a smile. “Oh that was nothing.”

“And that top is extremely cute.” Cece smiles, reaching forward to feel one of the ruffles between her fingers. “Have you ever seen Vogue magazine? It’s got a top that looks a lot like this-“

“I just got it from my moms closet if I’m being honest.” Barb admits. “It’s hard finding sweaters that fit me sometimes.”

“Oh here we go.” Eddie rolls his eyes, watching Cece’s face light up with excitement as Gareth groans out when she shoves him out of the way to get closer to Barb.

“I can make you something out of any sweaters you don’t like anymore. I actually think you would look so good in-“ As she starts going on and on Gareth groans again and Eddie reaches out to shove him and give him a death glare as Via shuffles to make her escape.

She normally waits until her free period to sneak out and smoke near the track field, it was the perfect time of day to do so. No student or teacher traffic, she didn’t have to worry about missing class and got the perfect amount of silence to work in her sketchbook. Not that she needed silence, she just liked letting her thoughts run free without anyone near.

She would miss math class, and her dad won’t like that call when he gets it later but she’ll say she wasn’t feeling well and lie about going to the nurse. It was her birthday after all. So she takes a sharp breath in and walks through the halls while patting her jacket to make sure she had everything she needed before taking the side exit out of the school and heading to the weird alley left between the gym building and the main building.

The gravel digs into her legs as she sits on the ground, shuffling around to get comfortable as best she could before dragging out her sketchbook and lighting a cigarette as she begins working.

Via liked to follow her instincts when it came to art, she trusted her imagination more than anything else, and it had never really caused a problem before. If a project wasn’t working then she moved on to the next.

But this one had been killing her, and she had no clue why.

It was a rough sketch, shadowed figures all huddled in the forest. There were four young boys, and Via kept seeing images of her brother flash in her mind as she detailed them out before she finally gave up and focused on the fifth figure but that was the thing that caught her the most.

She couldn’t tell if she had been drawing a boy or a girl, the images flashing in her mind were always hazy and undistinguished and yet it was so clear. The hospital gown that reached their knees, torn a bit on the right. The hair cut short, a sort of buzzcut that reminded her of Eddie back when he was in middle school. The nose was bleeding, but there was something on the wrist that she could never make out. A tattoo of sorts that-

“Are you smoking?!” An angry voice snaps her attention quickly, she had been so involved in the sketch that she didn’t even hear the person exit the gym, a soft curse falling from her lips as panic claims her, making her drop the cigarette to the ground desperate to stomp it out until she sees Steve there with his hands on his hips. “Really, Ollie?!”

“Someone needs to put a bell on you.” She snaps, her skin flush with heat as she tries to glare at him while he shakes his head gently. His face is puckered between amusement and shock, his eyes bright with something that makes Via nervous. “What? You going to run and snitch on me now?”

“First you shoplift-”

“So did you.”

“And now you’re smoking on school property. What? You buy eyeliner and suddenly feel like a bad girl?” His tone is teasing, but Via stays on edge. Teasing probably means his friends were soon to follow and she would become the butt of the joke.

She had to get out of here. Her eyes narrow in on his slow shuffling, like he was trying to move closer without her knowing. His shoulders tense and he is messing with the white towel balled up between his hands as he begins looking everywhere but her.

Without another thought she grabs the handle to her bag, keeping her sketchbook gripped in her hand as she gets ready to jump up and scram.

“Don’t you know those cause cancer?” He asks after an awkward moment of silence passes, laughing a little under his breath. She goes rigid, turning to glare at him rather than her exit.

“So does your hairspray, you don’t hear me raggin on ya.”

“My hairspray does not cause cancer.” He argues, eyes snapping to hers. “It is completely safe to use-”

“That’s such a lie, Harrington.” His face falls slightly at the last name, blinking as he nods. “What? I offend your hair?”

“I just can’t get used to my last name.” He admits, shrugging a bit.

“You’ve had it since you were born.”

“Yeah but you never used it.” And the silence that follows that sentence is deafening, it settles between them like a wall and Steve inhales quickly. “I just figured you would be the most cautious about cancer and-”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She snaps, sitting up quickly as his eyes widen in fear.

“It wasn’t supposed to mean anything-”

“You really want to bring up my nana, you little shit?!”

“I’m a little shit?! You’re a little gremlin!”

“Oh I’m a gremlin now?! Listen here you half baked ken doll, you are the most annoying person on this earth. You walk into a room and your ego sucks out all the air in it!” She stands to be at his height, the sketchpad dropping from her hand.

He’s quick to snatch it up, when she moves to snatch it back he turns his back to her and keeps it away. “If I’m a half baked Ken doll then you're a metal melted barbie.”

“Give it back Harrington.” She seethes, trying to jump over him to grab the book. Doing so she wraps her arms around him and just hangs from his back as he laughs. Dropping the white towel to reach his free hand up to hold her arm there so she doesn’t fall from his back. She reaches out once more, face heating as she catches a whiff of his overly priced cologne.

“Jesus, Ollie…via. This is really good.”

“Yeah, right. Okay.” She rolls her eyes, diving for the book once more. He slips a bit, and they both panic. She wraps her legs around him to stop from falling and he catches himself on the wall.

“Your dad said not to koala me!” He gasps, still gripping her arm to keep her up. “This isn’t fair.”

“Give me the book then!” “No!”

“Yes!” “I just wanna see it!��

“You are such a pain in the ass-”

“Who is the girl?” He asks before gasping for air a bit when her arm tightens around his neck as she begins sliding off. “Ollie-”

The strangled sound of his voice makes her let her legs to, moving to unravel her arms from his neck, too focused on what he said about the sketch to care about grabbing the book back. He keeps a hold on her arm though, and a part of her feels like he just wanted to keep her near him while the other part of her knows he’s getting ready to block her again.

“Girl? What makes you think it’s a girl?”

“The eyebrows? A random feeling? How am I supposed to know? You’re the artist.” He scoffs, keeping a hold on her elbow as he pulls the book closer to himself. “Is that…that’s Wiley right?”

“I…. don’t know.” She blinks, suddenly feeling way too exposed and snatching the book finally. “Just get on with the mocking already-”

“I’m not here to mock you-”

“Here, I’ll even get it started for you. ‘What are you doing in the alley you freak?’ or ‘It’s creepy to draw people you stalker’ or-”

“Can I have a cigarette?” He interrupts her, wiping his palms on his shirt as his eyebrows pinch together, a look of pain passing across his face so fast that she thinks she must have imagined it.

“And then I say something like ‘why don’t you go make out with a mirror you narcissist?’ and-”

“Olivia, can I please have a cigarette? Please?” He tilts his head, holding out a hand as she rolls her own eyes and reaches into her pocket to grab one for him. She freezes halfway through, blinking up at him with suspicion which makes him smile slightly. “I’m not trapping you to snitch.”

“Fine.” She pulls out the box and opens it to him, he is quick to snatch one, their fingers brushing together a bit which makes her pull her hand back quickly with a sneer, the heat from his touch rising up her arm and somehow sending chills down her spine.

“How bout a light?” He asks with it between his lips, hands on his hips as she pulls out her lighter and tries to hand it to him. After a moment of standing there she realizes he won’t grab it so with a huff she flicks it on and leans to light it for him. He shrugs and leans his head forward so she can light it while it’s still between his lips. A cocky smile spreads across his features. . “Remember when we used to talk about stealing our first cigarette from your dad when you hit high school?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Liar.”

“Jackass.” Her words were supposed to piss him off, and she gets aggravated and annoyed when it seems to have the exact opposite reaction and instead drags a smile onto his face.

She didn’t understand why he was even bothering to bring it up, it obviously never happened. Whispering their plans of sharing their first cigarette and first drink had been useless. He had started his freshman year without her and somewhere along the way she had completely been dropped from his life.

Eddie’s warnings from middle school are still right there in her ear as she watches him now.

“I know you both are close but…. He’s not the person you think he is you know? He hurts people. You’re not like that.”

She hadn’t understood then, hadn’t been able to process that her very best friend in the world was a bully. But the second she moved up to the same school as him once more it all made sense. And the betrayal of finding out who he really was hurt like a bitch.

The apologies she had to give Eddie for not believing him tore at her chest.

As if he knows what she is thinking while she stares he awkwardly clears his throat before taking a drag from the cigarette and shuffling to find a spot.

After a few moments he leans against the brick wall, trying to seem relaxed as he smokes while she shuffles to the opposite wall, moving to pick up her bag and toss all her supplies in. The sketch pad is thrown in, and she fights a cringe when the pages bend against the other books but she’s too interested in getting the hell out of here.

“What are you doing today?” He asks after yet another minute of silence, his voice a little cracked, almost as if he was desperate to keep the conversation going before she could escape. Alarm rings through her, waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to reveal what he actually needed.

“Oh just the usual, plotting your murder and then robbing a bank after school.” She scoffs, trying to fix the hair that had fallen out of her bun when she attacked him earlier. “Any requests? I’m partial to the throwing you down a well idea but I would also be willing to set you on fire.”

“Oh. Interesting. I think I’m gonna go with Plan B.” He smiles, shuffling closer once more and she finds herself trying to find something to say that would piss him off. Anything that might shred his heart the way he shredded hers, but the words get caught on her tongue whenever she thinks of something close. “Seriously, what are the big plans tonight? For Ollie’s birthday extraordinaire?”

There’s a bite to the words, and she tries not to scoff at it, noting the small tinge of jealousy.

“I have work. And I already told you not to call me that. ” She admits, shrugging a bit. Torn between dashing away and or staying near him. Why was it so hard to leave? She hates him.

“You work at the theater, right?”

“Yes? How did you know that?”

“I’ve seen you there. Not in a stalkerish way but like- you work the snack counter. Why are you working on your birthday? That is the biggest sin known to man. Especially in your family.”

“I…..” For a second the words almost tumble out, desperate to finally rant to someone about the situation. For a second it’s not Harrington and Via, rather than Ollie and Stevie and she feels the emotions hit her chest as she breathes in air for what feels like the first time in forever.

She wants to tell him that she hasn’t celebrated her birthday without her Nana before, and explain that her family had no money to do a warm dinner or cake so what was the point of making them feel guilty? It wasn’t worth it anyways considering she wasn’t anything to celebrate over.

For a second she almost slips and admits her sad thoughts to the longest friend she ever had.

But his laughing face appears in her memory next, and she could just about vomit all over the gravel beneath them as it engraves itself there in the forefront of it all.

This was not how it used to be, and she needed to remember that.

It finally made sense why he was out here, he was looking for things to throw at her. Looking to trick her into talking to him so he would have fresh material.

“Why am I wasting time talking to you?” She scoffs. “You’ll just throw it back in my face the first chance you get. Fuck off Harrington.”

She storms off after that, and she should have felt victorious because she got to tell Steve to fuck off. But she didn’t, she only felt lame and hurt.

And the worst part was she knew exactly what to say to hurt him in the way he had hurt her, but she didn’t have the guts to do so.

She was pathetic.

October 13th, 1977

Ollie’s birthday dinner was spent with her family, just as it always was, elbow to elbow as they poured over the meal before them.

Nana, who sat at the head of the table, was recounting her trip at the store earlier to the little ones who had been in school, watching their faces as they listened intently.

“And the damn price of corn went up again. By the time you bunch are grown it’s gonna be damn near 5 dollars for one stock of it.” She grunts out, rolling her eyes gently. “You better become rich.”

“I am!” Wiley yells, raising his hand. “I’m gonna go to space!”

“Ollie is going to be a famous painter.” Stevie smiles, leaning forward. “She’s gonna be in a museum one day.”

“No I’m not!” Ollie laughs, shaking her head at her friend as he turns to her shocked. “They only put the really good ones in those museums. There is no way I make it.”

“They have to! I’ll make them!” Stevie snaps, his face thrown into one of disbelief.

“How are you going to make them?” The adults can do nothing but watch as the two turn to face each other, all aware just how this process goes with them.

“I’ll….. I’ll….. break their kneecaps!” Stevie rushes out, face growing red as Ollie gapes at him.

“You’re going to break their kneecaps to get my work in a museum?” She asks, her face melting into one of giddiness as Steve nods aggressively.

“I’ll break the museum's kneecaps. No question.” He confirms and his best friend shoves forward to hug him tightly. “Who even works at a museum anyways?”

“I have no clue. But they better watch themselves.” Ollie giggles with her arms still wrapped around Steve.

“I pray for them.” Flip mutters, shaking his head at the two kids. “I pray for anyone who bothers you two.”

“Do you believe in god?” Wiley blurts out, fully staring his father down.

“Eat your mashed potatoes, Wye.” Flip grunts, going red in the face himself at his youngest son's attention, flustered.

October 13th, 1983 - Thursday.

Standing outside Hawkins Theater, Steve Harrington shuffled about on his feet awkwardly with his hands in his pockets debating whether he should be here or not.

He knew, deep down, that this was a bad idea. Like pouring gasoline on himself and then lighting a match. And yet he stood there, wanting nothing more than to light the match.

It was an addiction, he was sure of it, having to be near Ollie. One that he had managed to avoid so well, until that night at the Mini Mart gave him a taste again and he found himself looking for her throughout the day.

It made sense, this was his best friend at one point. He used to spend nights at her house and eat with her family. This was the person who taught him to ride a bike and dared him to eat a worm. It’s only natural to miss her….. right?

He messed it up earlier, he moved too fast and asked too many questions. He made her paranoid, and that was on him. This time he would be more careful, ease into the conversation. He would-

Jesus when did Ollie go from his best friend to talking about her like she’s a scared kitten in an alley?

This was a bad idea, he knows this, the sinking feeling in his gut making him turn to walk away. He’d go to the store and get something for dinner and forget all about this. Go back to the way it was, completely ignoring her existence.

But her face flashes in his mind and he finds himself turning right back around and facing the theater. It was her birthday. He missed it last year, an away game for basketball, and even if he was in Hawkins he didn’t know what he would have done for her.

And the year before that had been the year when Cece emerged, the girl hating him through and through. He remembered her narrowed eyes as he carried the painting set to the house, the look of distrust.

He had gotten to watch from the sidelines last year just how close Cece was to Via, a firm layer of annoyance lacing his mind every time he saw them hanging out. Steve liked to blame Cece on Via's new look, the new shorts and dark colors. The chopped and bleached hair. Via looked completely different than what he was used to.

And it wasn’t bad, she was still beautiful, always had been. Even he could admit that as her best friend. But it was a shock to the system seeing her now. The first day of school this year he had kept an eye out for long brown hair and one of Nana's signature creations.

He had not known what to do with the new Via, or how to stop his heart from racing through his chest when she walked by with her middle finger pointed at his group.

But that didn’t matter, he had spent the year avoiding her, and had missed her birthday.

“Come on Harrington. Just get it together.” He mutters to himself, wiping the sweat from his palms down the front of his jacket before hopping on his feet a bit to hype himself up before he finally makes his way to the ticket booth.

“What can I do for you?” The kid sitting in the booth huffs, staring at Steve like he was crazy.

“Oh um. My friend is working. Can I just come in? I don’t really need a ticket.” He explains, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

“Can’t get in without a ticket.”

“Okay. Fine. Just a ticket to a movie then.” Steve rushes out, grabbing his wallet and paying for the ticket before he heads into the building and takes a deep breath in.

The smell of buttered popcorn fills the air, the red decorations around mixed with the maroon carpet and warm lighting making everything about this place feel so welcoming. It almost manages to ease all his anxiety as he shuffles to the snack counter, wiping his palms one more time as her voice fills the air.

“Just this today Miles?” She asks, even though she is already grabbing the money like she already knows it will be. The taller figure nods quickly, grabbing his snack and turning to walk away.

He makes quick eye contact with Steve before he whirls around and bends his head in thanks and blurts out a fast. “Thank you Ms. Olivia.”

With that he walks away, back ramrod straight and not making eye contact with anyone as he passes. And while Steve was busy watching him walk away he completely forgot that Ollie could see him.

“What are you doing?” She snaps out and he whirls to meet her eyes quickly, suddenly feeling insane.

“I’m….. here to see a movie.” He lies, stepping forward until his fingers touch the counter. “Obviously.”

She blinks up at him, her lips shut in a thin line. “Then go see your movie.”

“Well I need snacks.” He smiles, pointing behind her at all the snacks displayed on the shelves and the large popcorn display. “What do you recommend?”

“Popcorn.” She keeps her face bland, it makes his chest tighten as he panics for ways to make her smile.

“That guy before me was a little weird, huh?”

“Miles is really nice.” She rushes out, standing to grab a bucket and fill it with popcorn quickly. “He comes every Thursday for that Star Wars movie. And he always says thank you. So leave him alone.”

“Right. Got it.” He rushes out, nodding a little too much as he tries to come off relaxed. “So…. Nice hat.”

Her work uniform was a yellow button up with a red tie, and Steve was a bit frustrated by the fact that she actually managed to make it look good. With bracelets stacked on her arm and black nail polish. But the thing that caught his attention was the birthday hat on her head. Blue with the words ‘happy birthday’ printed all over it but it printed wrong so it mostly said happy with only about 3 birthdays. And there was so much color on the hat that he had to blink to focus.

“My manager gave it to me. Get your jokes out now.” She snaps, slamming the bucket on the counter. “And my ears were cold because they blast the ac so people don’t fall asleep.”

“People fall asleep a lot?”

“More often than not.” She hits the buttons on the register before looking at him with a raised brow. “Anything else?”

“A drink. Please.” Anything to stay here a little longer.

“What are you seeing anyways?” She asks and he struggles to pull the ticket out of his pocket to see.

“The… last Jedi?”

“Oh fun! You should sit by Miles.” She smiles, pointing to the soda machine and waiting for him to answer what he wants.

“Coke please.”

“The theater is almost always empty now. That movie came out in like May and we were packed back then for weeks and now it’s just Miles.” She explains, filling the cup. “He comes every Thursday. He used to come with his brother but I haven’t seen George in a minute. I think he got married and moved to Nebraska.”

Her voice holds a dreamy tone in the end, one that he catches a little too quickly.

“You want to move to Nebraska?”

“Not specifically. I’d like to move one day though.” She snaps the lid on the drink, coming back over to set it down, she’s close enough that he can smell the perfume she wore. It wasn’t too flowery or strong. Just a nice sage smell that had him at ease.

“Why would you want to leave Hawkins?”

“It’s…. Hawkins. Who wouldn’t I?” She laughs, slamming the buttons on the register once more before the total pops up. He pulls the cash from his wallet and sets it down gently.

“I like it here.” He mumbles, shrugging a bit. He always thought she liked it here too.

“It’s different when you’re the king.” She snaps a little, and he registers that wall building back up before his very own eyes. He had to switch the topic.

“Where were you from originally? Denver?”

“Yup. But my parents were from here.”

“I remember. Your mom got accepted into college out there? Right? She studied… history?” And Flip had followed her. From what Steve could remember of their story Flip had graduated a year before Lottie and he got a contracting job here in Hawkins. When Lottie left for Denver he stayed for a bit before he moved out there to be with her. He got a job with a construction company out there and they lived in a small one bedroom apartment when they got pregnant with Ollie.

Lottie had been 18 and in college but the way his mothers friends talk about it makes it sound like she had gotten pregnant in high school. And as a kid he never understood the big issue, and now that he can do basic math he knows that his own mother had gotten pregnant senior year.

She would never admit to that, too busy harping on everyone else.

“She studied history and artifacts.” Ollie answers, seeming to be a little more at ease. “But right now she’s working as a temp in a legal aid office.”

“Really? Wow.” His fingers tap against the counter as excitement courses through him. “How’s Wiley?”

“Good.” That answer comes out clipped and he sees red flags in his vision.

“Right. Well if you could tell him hi-“

“You’re gonna miss your movie.” She mumbles, pushing the popcorn and drink forward. “Wouldn’t want that.”

“Right. The movie….. that I came here to see.” He nods, picking both of the containers up and moving to leave before turning back once more. “They are playing trailers though. I don’t mind missing those. What was that thing you were drawing earlier?”

“I’m not sure. It just kinda…. I don’t know.” She answers truthfully.

“Have you seen those murals all around? Of the famous people?” He asks, leaning against the counter easily. “There was one recently of Marilyn Monroe. It was really cool.”

“Yeah I’ve seen them. My parents keep an eye on the paper for articles about the tagger.” She shrugs, cheeks turning red.

“It’s not tagging though….. technically.”

“Its not?”

“Tagging is like…. Graffiti. The paintings are nothing like graffiti. They are really good. They are murals.” He explains, feeling proud of the fact that he is getting her to smile a bit. Truth was he had studied different art topics all week knowing she would be interested in them. Art was her weakness. “And I think whoever is doing them knows that. They hit popular spots when they are mad, like the store. But most of them are for fun.”

“Who would think spending hours outside in the cold weather painting a wall would be fun?”

“People with something to say. I would if I had any talent. And I know for a fact you would if you knew how to paint faces.” He smiles and her head tilts a bit which makes his heart speed up.

“Who says I can’t paint faces?”

“You always struggled with it growing up. Remember that one you did of…. Oh what was his name? You know with the-“ his hands puff out around his head in attempt to show poofy hair. “With the- damn it. You obsessed over him.”

“Bob ross. And I didn’t obsess I just…. Liked him a little.”

“You drew picture after picture of him. You planned a wedding.” Steve laughs.

“I did not! I planned a proposal. You called me a donkey before I could start planning the wedding.” She huffs, her cheeks bright red. “And yes. I struggle with drawing eyes.”

“Struggle? Struggle?! You can’t do it period. He looked like a lizard. One eye staring at me and the other trying to find the lost treasure of Atlantis.” He laughs, trying to cross his eyes the same way that drawing had.

“Ohhhh you wanna talk about drawing. Let’s talk about-“

“Please don’t bring it up. I already know what you’re going to say.” He huffs.

“The family portrait! The one you drew with nanas colored pencils of all of us. But it was just stick figures, and you overdrew dads and it looked like-“

“I didn’t mean to give your dads stick figure a dick! I didn’t mean to do it!” He laughs, rubbing his eyes as he remembers that drawing. “It wasn’t my intent.”

“And you gave Wiley a unibrow.”

“The kid always had his face scrunched in confusion at the time! It looked like one eyebrow every time I saw him!” He tries to explain. “I’ve never seen a baby more confused.”

“He was always so confused! And so curious! Every time you came over he stared at you like you were some ancient mystery!” She laughs loudly, snorting a bit. “Remember the day you tried making him laugh and got mashed potatoes up your nose?”

“Oh my god! And then when I laughed it hit his face!” Steve cackles, bending over to try and catch his breath.

“You scarred him. I swear. That’s why he’s always so nervous now.”

“Always on the lookout for nose mash now.” He chuckles. “That was your 10th birthday. Right?”

“I think so, Wiley got so mad that he refused to let me blow out the candles.” She remembers with a laugh, before the sound of blasters fills the air. “I think your movie is starting-“

“HARRINGTON!” The voice sounds out from the doors, drawing both their attention to the doors as a couple of the boys from the basketball team show up. “What are you doing here?”

“W-watching a movie.” Steve rushes out.

“Nice man.” Nicky laughs, shoving past him. “Nice hat.”

His tone is sarcastic and the bitter laugh that falls from his lips makes Steve tense.

“Thanks.” Ollie sneers. “What can I get you?”

The next couple minutes pass way too slowly, the snarky comments from the boys as Ollie gets their snacks. He laughs, of course he laughs every time they make a comment because he is a coward. Always has been.

Ollie knew that. And judging by the look she gives him as he is dragged off by his friends he knows she’s remembered why.

All that work he did over the past 30 minutes ruined.

October 13th, 1977 - Thursday

Wiley gets cranky halfway through the dinner and he begins staring at his plate which makes Steve feel bad. He didn’t like when Wiley got upset. He elbows Ollie to get her attention and then leans in to whisper in her ear his plan. She nods with excitement as they both turn back.

Wiley gives them a skeptical look, casting a brief look to Nana then back to them. Steve scoops up a bunch of potatoes in his hand, rubbing it all over his face as Ollie does the same thing, both of them moaning out like zombies.

“Me like potatoesssssss.” Stevie groans.

“Eat brains.” Ollie groans back and Wiley starts laughing which makes the other two start laughing. But it slowly starts turning out of control, all of them laughing a little too hard.

Then it happens, Steve snorts and a bunch of the mashed potatoes fly across the table and hit Wiley in the face. Chaos breaks out quickly.

His face falls quickly, a scream tearing from his mouth as he swipes his face quickly, already crying for their mom.

“I didn’t mean to!” Steve rushes out as Ollie cackles loudly, barely breathing which just makes Wiley cry more. “Ollie!”

“I HATE YOU STEVIE!” Wiley screams, picking up a handful of mashed potatoes from the center bowl, and throwing it right at Steve only for it to hit Ollie.

“Enough!” Lottie yelps when her daughter reaches for the same bowl. “How about some cake?”

“No! I’m gonna kill them!” Wiley yells.

10 minutes later as the family sings happy birthday to Ollie, Wiley keeps leaning over to blow out the candles before Ollie can, which makes Steve laugh. All three of them huddled around the cake and beginning to hit each other as the adults try to keep them all contained.

Ollie leans forward to blow out her candles but when Flip lifts the cake to avoid Wiley’s attempts he accidentally smashes it into her face. Another wave of laughter hits all of them as her face is covered in chocolate.

“Happy birthday Ollie,” Steve mumbles with a mouthful of cake, sliding his gift over to her. She unwraps it quickly, smiling from ear to ear when she sees the pack of colored pencils.

“50 colors?!” She yells out, already standing. “I can’t believe it!”

October 15th, 1983 - Saturday - Wiley

“Are you serious?” Flip asks, blinking slowly at his son from his spot on the couch, trying to glue a chair back together as the sounds of Via slamming things in her room fill the air. “You’re not messing with me are you?”

Wiley can do nothing but blink at his father, feeling nervous and excited in the same moment.

Another thud comes from Via’s room followed by a muffled “FUCK-“

“Olivia! Language!” Flip huffs, shaking his head before setting the remains of the chair down and looking at his son. “Go get your shoes. I’ll get my keys.”

Wiley dashes to go grab a pair of shoes that she shoved in his closet earlier, struggling to put them on because he was moving so quickly as he hears his dad knock on Via’s door.

“Hey Via? I’m running your brother to the store. You need anything?”

“No!” She snaps back, followed by another thud. She had been in a mood since her birthday, had come home and marched straight to her room. Not saying a word to and from school the next day and remaining in her room at every other moment.

Mom said to leave her alone, telling both Wiley and his dad that it was probably girl stuff and it would all be fine.

What Wiley didn’t admit was he snuck into her room yesterday while she ate breakfast and walked to her desk to see that she had drawn a very detailed flower with teeth on the petals and sprawled across the paper she wrote “Fuck Steve Harrington.”

He wasn’t stupid, he knew something happened between them last year, but Wiley would ve the first to admit he missed the older teen and he missed the way things used to be.

“Wiley! Come on let’s go!”

He doesn’t respond, prefers not to, and rushes down the hall to meet his dad at the door with a wide smile. One Flip matches with his own excitement.

“I’m about to drop my boy off to hang out with a friend.” He narrates, huffing a bit. “Can’t believe it.”

Wiley’s eyes narrow at the slight diss hidden in the words, but they were also the truth so he shuffles past his dad to get to the car.

The ride to the Hawkins comic store was long, not because of the actual ride but more so because Wiley was so excited to get there. When his dad parked the truck in front of it he hops out and meets him around the front.

“Okay. I’m gonna head to the general store and grab your ma’s prescription. You good here?”

A nod.

“No talking to strangers. If you need me then come get me okay?” Another nod. Flip smiles, ruffling his hair before nodding his own head in the direction of the door. “Go knock ‘em dead kid.”

And he makes sure Wiley gets in the building before walking down the block to the store, leaving his truck there so Wiley would have somewhere to run just in case.

The bell to shop rings out, causing Wiley’s cheeks to heat as he shuffles inside, looking around at everything within the building. He begins to panic, what if Lucas didn’t show up? What if this was all a joke and -

“Wiley! Hey you came!” Lucas Sinclair smiles, coming around the corner with another smaller figure in tow. “Was that your dad?”

“Y-yes-sss.” Wiley answers, hand coming up to rub his chest as a form of anxiety. He just had to remember to talk slow and breathe. It would be fine.

“Dude he’s tall.” Lucas laughs. “Mike has a tall dad too but he doesn’t ever talk to us. His name is Ted. He’s kind of boring but your dad looks cool. I like his truck. Have you read the new Wolverine? I just found it, we can go find a spot and read it.”

“Are you actually gonna let him speak airhead?” The smaller of the two sneers, her eyebrows pinching together in anger. “Or keep talking over him?”

“I’m f-f-fin-ne.” Wiley smiles, moving forward to take a closer look at the comic in Lucas’ hands.

“My parents made me bring her so she can play Pac man. Which she promised to do once we got here so scram forehead.”

“Whatever Buck teeth.” She snaps back before heading to the pac man game while Wiley and Lucas dash to find a spot to read their comic.

The friendship with Lucas was new. After school a couple days ago Wiley ran into him at the comic book store and at first he avoided him like he usually does. It had taken one bad play date with the wheeler kid to know that he would not belong in their group. They talked fast and often talked over each other. He wouldn’t be able to keep up and he knew that his stutter bothered Wheeler. So he had never gone out of his way to talk to them.

That is until Lucas saw Wiley holding a comic he was looking for and they ended up talking about marvel for a while….. Lucas talked and Wiley tried here and there.

But he slowly realized that when he did choose to talk that Lucas was willing to wait, and he never talked over him to finish the sentence, he just waited.

“I invited Dustin but he’s in a bit of trouble because he threw his bike in front of his garage and his mom nearly ran over it. Do you have a bike?”

“I hav-ve my-my sist-ters old bike.” He explains, shrugging. “S-she spr-spraypaint-Ted it for me.”

“You should ride your bike to school with us! Dustin passes my place and we normally meet at 7:40.”

And just like that Wiley Fraser was making friends, and he barely had to talk.

October 15th, 1983 - Saturday - Steve

It’s not like he planned on wasting the past two days thinking about Olivia Fraser. That’s just what happened, which was embarrassing considering the fact that he spent most of Friday afternoon sitting with Nancy Wheeler at the picnic tables outside after school.

She was cute, in that nerdy notebook way. She made him smile and all things considered she wasn’t the worst he had flirted with, that prize went to the muppet from study hall.

But Nancy Wheeler, as pretty and smart as she was, could not compete with Ollie in his mind. Ever since that interaction at the theater he found that she coated his mind like an oil spill.

Hey, my tire on the car looks flat; suddenly he remembers the year his bike broke and she had to help him limp home.

He needed to study for a history exam, suddenly he thinks back to the time they were doing homework at the table and she realized that she had been misspelling her name for years. Which had led to a full blown meltdown and she decided that she would steal his last name.

Her teacher had sent back all her work with the last name Harrington crossed off on each and every one. And Ollie learned that her name was Fraser and not Frazier.

Over and over and over.

But it got bad when Barb reminded him of Nana. That is what hurt his heart the most.

It was while he and Nancy were packing up after pretending to study and the redhead had come out to take her friend home.

It started off easy with a simple “can we stop by the craft store on the way home?”

And Nancy had simply responded “yeah. I love that place.”

Steve hadn’t even realized the connection, and had been partially listening when Barbs next words made him stop. “Remember that older lady that used to work there? I miss her! She owned the house on Steves street didn’t she?”

And just like that he is seeing Nana, the very last time he saw her. So frail and tired, so ready for the end and yet still so welcoming. Suddenly he is back to being that bloodied up kid who just needed to be near them.

“Yeah I think.” He mumbles, snatching his books. “How am I supposed to know?”

But it clung to him, of course it did. And he was still bothered by it a day later as he pulled into the general store with a bad attitude.

His mom would be home that Wednesday, so he just needed groceries until she got back and he figured the best time to do so would be early afternoon when the store was at its peak so he wasn’t trapped in the silent house all day. Peak hours meant he could browse the aisles without having to worry about being stopped since everyone was in a rush.

That was until he saw Flip with a basket in hand grabbing a box from one of the shelves near him. The man still wore his classic flannel, and his mouth was set into a from as he read on the box while Steve tried to figure out what he should do.

Say hi right? Or had Ollie told him what a dick he had become? He should just walk away and pretend he didn’t even-

“Stevie! How ya’ doing pal?” Flip smiles, coming up to shake his hand. “It’s been way too long, bud.”

“It’s good to see you Mr. Fraser.” He smiles awkwardly, his hand shaky in the hold of Flips.

“Oh? Long enough to go back to the Mr. Fraser then? Or am I just that old now?”

“No no. I just- I don’t know.” Steve laughs, moving out of the way of an older woman passing by. “It’s been awhile. I miss you guys.”

The admission makes his skin heat up, still nervous about it all.

“You need to come by for dinner. We haven’t had you over since we moved.” Flip mumbles, setting his basket down and pulling out a small notepad. Steve recognized it as one of the ones he used to carry around for contracting, so he could write down measurements and such.

Taking the tiny pencil Flip sprawls something across the lines on the paper before ripping it out and handing it to the boy.

“November 2nd we are making dinner for Lotties birthday. You should come over. That’s the address.” The man smiles, patting his back once more before heading to checkout while Steve stares at the paper in his hands with wide eyes.

It was like a golden ticket had just been handed to him, a chance to be near the Fraser’s again and be near Ollie again.

It was obvious he would go for dinner. The only problem was how mad Ollie was going to be when she found out.

{New Chapter out Monday}

#steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington angst #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fandom #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things fan #stranger things imagine #stranger things headcanons #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanart #stranger things fanfiction

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raedear · 1 year

Note

I’ve had a great time catching up on the musicians AU so here’s an attempt at a first line prompt that you’re free to use or ignore or use for something else:

“Somehow, there was a splash of tea on the sleeve of his shirt.”

every single time I start one of these I have to look and see what tense I'm supposed to be in and then I still get it wrong. da capo was in past tense so that's what I'm using HERE WE GO.

Somehow, there was a splash of tea on the sleeve of his shirt. Joe chose to try and focus on that instead of the frustration building like a stormcloud in his chest. It was even working, until:

'You're rushing,' Nicky's voice was dry and tired, and Joe had to breathe very carefully so as not to snap his bow.

'I am not rushing,' Joe protested as calmly as he was able. 'You're dragging.'

They weren't even playing their programme yet. Nicky had suggested warming up (warming up! Like it wasn't the pinnacle of some musicians' repertoires) with Summer, and Joe had never been one to back down from a challenge.

He also had never been one to beat someone he was trying his hardest to be friends with to death with his bow, but it was looking very appealing.

'You're leading, therefore you're the one rushing,' Nicky said primly, playing a tiny phrase with his left hand, the tumbling arpeggio rattling alongside offence down Joe's spine.

'Perhaps you've just forgotten how swiftly you need to play to keep up,' Joe snapped before he could rein himself in. He froze immediately after, unsure if he should apologise but also absolutely sure that he didn't want to. Past poor behaviour on his part didn't give Nicky carte blanch to be a dick.

Nicky's hands were very still on the keys. The already tiny practice room seemed even smaller with the weight of irritation and held breath inside it.

'Maybe we should come back to this later,' Joe said eventually, when it became clear Nicky wasn't about to dignify Joe's slight against his memory witha response. 'We have a lot to get through before technical rehearsals start.'

'Hmm.'

—

Joe dragged his feet on the way home, grateful he'd decided splitting rehearsals was silly. He only had his violin with him for once, and it was much easier to navigate the streets without the weight of his cello on his already slumped shoulders.

It wasn't often that Joe took the long route via Paddington station home. There were faster ways closer to the Albert hall, but he needed the walk to clear his head. It was exhausting, walking on eggshells around Nicky. It felt like they took a step forward, and then tripped two back before Joe could blink.

Nicky had made a habit of bringing Joe coffee every other day, so Joe brought Nicky coffee on the days in between. They didn't even acknowledge it beyond murmurs of thanks, but then they stepped from that detente straight into tense and frustrating rehearsals that went nowhere, and all their morning good will was gone by lunchtime.

Today Nicky had almost slammed the key cover down on the piano before he caught himself. He hadn't even looked at Joe when he excused himself for a smoke. No matter what they did, they just couldn't seem to play together.

The long walk to the station let Joe pull himself together where his edges were blurring. The guilt over how he'd treated Nicky had sat in his bones for years. It festered with every day he tried and failed to find new common ground with him.

It was dark by the time he reached Paddington, and the evening rush was almost entirely over, just late workers and people heading out for the night milling around the station. It was still busy, in that way transport in London was always busy, but it was quiet enough that for once the sound of the crowd was a murmur and not a roar.

Or, maybe they were being quiet on purpose. Over the sound of the tannoy and people on the move, Joe could just about make out the familiar sound of a piano. It was just incongruous enough to stand out over the usual miasma of noise; a bright and cheerful sound that had heads turning and smiles blooming everywhere Joe could see. Helplessly curious, already smiling, he followed the noise to its source.

Near the statue of the eponymous bear, someone with their hood up played the last few bars of the Succession theme to polite applause.

The pianist shook out their hands, sitting back from the keys, and as Joe watched someone approached them, phone in hand. The pianist leaned down towards it, listening by the looks of it, before they nodded and lifted their hands again.

The pianist started again, leaning into the keys with their entire body, and Joe couldn't help grinning in delight at the familiar song.

What a wonderful thing, he thought, staring at the pianist as they swayed slightly with the music. Their posture at the piano was perfect, but there was real joy in their playing. The person who'd requested the piece gripped her friend's arm in delight, smiling so widely Joe could see her dimples from halfway across the concourse.

Joe kept half an ear out for announcements about his train as he watched the pianist play, resting with crossed arms against an out of the way wall.

For all he tried to stay involved in the community, tried to do more than tours for the same people over and over, it had been a long time since he'd been anywhere near as publicly accessible as the pianist. There was a freedom to their playing that Joe ached for. He remembered vividly busking as a teenager to make a little extra money as he studied. Even that hadn't been the kind of playful fun this person was engaging in, not when the quality of his food and clothes depended on it.

Joe was tapping his fingers along by the time the pianist finished, improvising an accompaniment to the pianist's interpretation of the ending of the song. He wondered if Nicky would ever consider adding something like this to their repertoire. Maybe that's what they were missing. Something purely joyful.

As the pianist finished, they turned to face the person who'd requested the song. Their playing had knocked back their hood very slightly, and the spot on the wall Joe had picked changed his view just enough that in turning to acknowledge the girl with the phone bared the pianist's profile to Joe.

He'd know that nose anywhere.

#musicians au #this will be on ao3 when I'm not half cut #please comment on there if you comment/reblog on here 💜#nickyjoe #kaysanova #immortal husbands #joenicky

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ahyesmygoodomenssideblog · 9 months

Note

Hey, I wanted to thank you for writing those metas, I love reading them !

I watched good omens only recently and when I initially went through the good omens meta tag I felt kind of frustrated, since there is a lot of the "Crowley really has to learn to stop running away at the slightest problem" and stuff like that going around.

There was also a lot of "why are there so many people hating on aziraphale" but honestly I have trouble even finding a little criticism of him, so I don't understand why people are defending him, since there isn't even a threat? Or is there a tag for Aziraphale criticism I don't know of? ^^'

I'm a bit of tired of treating him, as if he isn't part of the oldest beings in the universe and didn't have time to challenge his thought process or learn how to, especially on earth with Crowley trying to help with that. When I was watching, Aziraphales well meaning behaviour hurt and his ignorance stung. He really is kind of delusional and I don't even know where I am going with these thoughts.

I hope dumping this wall of text in your askbox was okay. Are there any more metas planned? Thank you again, I hope you have a nice week!

Hi anon, thank you so much for the message! Sorry for the late reply. I 100% agree with you. Pretty much all I've seen on Tumblr is people defending Aziraphale or trying to reframe it so that Crowley and Aziraphale are equally at fault. I did see people talking about hate Aziraphale was getting on Twitter, but I don't use Twitter so I don't know what anyone might be saying over there.

Aziraphale is definitely woobified by the fandom, and it gets incredibly frustrating. Like, yes, Aziraphale has a lot of religious trauma. But so does Crowley. The opening scene of season 2 establishes that they've had this fundamental difference in views from the start, even before the fall, so I don't get why Aziraphale still gets so much leeway after refusing to change or grow for 6000+ years. He knows the complexities of humanity better than any other angel, but he keeps doubling down on his flawed belief system.

And season 2 really emphasized that Aziraphale's well-meaning ignorance is legitimately harmful. Like he got Morag killed by applying his overly simplistic worldview to a morally gray situation. And then there's the ball scene? The way Aziraphale dragged others into his rose-colored fantasy world was disturbing, especially with how freaked-out Nina was by it. Then Crowley shows up terrified and asking for help, and Aziraphale dismisses his concerns out of hand. He refuses to let Crowley’s worries put a damper on this Jane Austen ball nobody signed up for.

And Crowley was right. Like he was trying to raise the alarm about the very real danger that everyone was in. I’ve seen it framed a lot like Aziraphale is just an optimist and Crowley is a pessimist, but it goes farther than that. Crowley consistently has a more realistic view of Heaven, Hell, and humanity than Aziraphale does. Aziraphale's inability to engage with reality causes actual harm to both humans and to Crowley. It contributed to the world almost ending in season 1, because Aziraphale wasted a lot of time trying to reach the "right people" in Heaven instead of accepting that Heaven is as bad as Hell and trusting the one person that’s been trying to save the world with him for years.

And it's like, yes, Aziraphale is sympathetic. He’ll be very conflicted, and distressed about how conflicted he is, and then he’ll come around and do the right thing in the end. But it's frustrating to watch Aziraphale seeming to grow and then immediately backsliding. Like, he was ready to fall to protect Job's kids. But he didn't, and he went right back to his beliefs. He didn't lose his faith in Heaven despite the Flood, and Job, and Jesus, and the apocalypse.

He also has this superiority complex, where he's the nice one while Crowley is stuck doing the dirty work. "I am a great deal holier-than-thou" and all that. Aziraphale's belief system makes him "good" by definition. He dismisses and overrides Crowley's opinions instead of changing his own because, on some level or another, he thinks he's better than Crowley by design.

So it’s at the point where Aziraphale needs to do some serious self-reflection. He needs to be the one to make the choice to change fundamental beliefs he’s clung onto since the beginning of time. I think he's capable of changing, and I’m looking forward to how it plays out in s3, but I don’t think we’ll be getting a lot of good fix-its from the fandom any time soon. Most of what I've seen is still fans insisting that since they're both flawed they are both at fault, and their relationship can be fixed by just having them both apologize to each other. If people are looking at it beyond that, I don't know where they're discussing it.

#good omens season 2 #good omens meta #aziraphale critical

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arlana-likes-to-write · 1 year

Note

Hello, the same anon who asked about reader’s powers during and after the kidnapping, and yeah it’s an understandable response after everything, but if you could write something like you said. Sorryyyy just a sucker for you works, don’t feel obligated or pressured please ❤️❤️

I am so sorry this to took me forever! But I hope you like it and does it justice for what you were asking! But I am sucker for writing in this AU. Every time I write a one shot for it, the urge to write a full chapter story grows stronger and stronger. Would people be interested it that. Let me know!

Don't Tell

Master List of The Adventure of Y/n Barton and Yelena Belova

Setting: this takes place before Little Did You Know

Warnings: PTSD, panic attack, the reader is feeling the affects of the collar.

Word Count: 1.9k

“Hello, Miss. Barton,” The AI said as you snuck into the tower and headed to your room. It was a room you haven’t stepped into, you didn’t need to until the pressure became too much and you needed an outlet. “Should I alert the others of your arrival?” You opened the door to your room and closed it behind you, making sure to lock it.

“No FRIDAY but thank you.” You unzipped your backpack and placed the water bottles in the mini-fridge and you put the candy and cereal bars on the nightstand. It took a lot out of you. You learned the first time to not come prepared. But you kept all of this to yourself. You placed your hands on the blanket, squeezing the fabric between your fingers. “Breath,” you mumbled. It was easier if you were calm before you let go. Finally, you stopped fighting it. You began rapidly switching between different animals. Similar to Wanda, your powers were linked to your emotions. It happened a lot when you were younger as you were still learning to control your abilities. But now that horrible collar was to blame for this rapid switching. You didn’t concentrate on the type of animals, you let your feelings dictate it. Soon it stopped. You collapsed onto the bed. The adrenaline and fear that the collar mimicked left your body. You felt exhausted, tired, and sore. You dragged yourself to the fridge and grabbed two water bottles. You downed the first bottle and leaned against the bed. Slowly, you ate the cereal bar and placed the other water bottle against your forehead.

“Miss. Barton,” the AI’s voice seemed far away and distorted. “If I may, the medical team could assist you with your problem.” Exactly. It was your problem. Not anybody else; your problem.

“I don’t need your help or anyone else's. So stay out of it.” You snapped. You opened the chocolate bar and bit into it angrily. The only noise was your chewing. You weren’t angry at the AI but at yourself. “I’m sorry FRIDAY. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” You apologized.

“It’s alright, Miss. Barton. I’m used to Mr. Stark’s frustration as well.” You smiled but it didn’t last long until it faded and shame washed over you. This gift, this power was something you’ve had your entire life, why couldn’t you control it? You were so tired of feeling weak.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dr. Gomez asked as she set a cup of tea next to you. You nodded, not looking up from the puzzle you were working on. “Do you know how you got your powers?” You moved the puzzle piece between your fingers. You were a mutant by classification which meant you had the X-Gene.

“We think my parents have a dominant X-Gene but their cells turned off that specific gene,” you explained to the doctor. You did a lot of research as a kid. “A long string of DNA can compress so right it becomes inaccessible. As their first born it decompressed.” The doctor nodded, sitting next to you. She picked up a puzzle piece and placed it in the correct spot.

“Were your siblings jealous?” You remembered a fight that broke out between you and Cooper. He claimed that your parents favored you because you were different. As you both got older, he saw how isolated you were. He didn’t mind being normal.

“Cooper was but not anymore,” You told her. You looked up. “You’ve asked more than one question by the way.” She smiled. You blew on the tea and took a sip.

“It’s kind of my job to ask questions.” You couldn’t fault her for that. “Do you see it as a gift or a burden?” She asked.

“Both,” you answered without hesitation. It was useful when you fought Thanos and the Tracksuits with Kate and your father. You used it to make people smile around you. But it puts a target on your back. It was a weakness that others could take advantage of. “I’m still feeling the effects of the collar.” You admitted. “It’s like a pressure that builds me because my body thinks I’m still in danger.”

“Have you told anyone about this?” You shook your head. “The longer you hold on to the glass of water the heavier the glass becomes until you can no longer go on,” You knew it was a metaphor to tell you to open up to those around you.

“I just need some time to get this under control. Is there anything you can do to help?” You asked. The doctor sighed.

“I can prescribe you a prescription but only for 2 weeks. Got it?” You nodded.

“Thank you, Dr. Gomez.”

You walked into the kitchen to find Yelena up and cooking breakfast. “Morning, dorogoy.” She said, looking over her shoulder.

“Morning,” you said, opening the fridge and taking out the orange juice. You poured two glasses for you and Yelena.

“Kate said you are meeting her at the dog park.” The mention of the park caused the American Aikta to leave her dog bed and walk over to you.

“Yeah,” the archer has been begging you to hang out. It was getting to the point where she was going to drag you out of your apartment. “Are you headed to the tower?” Yelena nodded.

“Natasha and I were trying to find a lead to the group that kidnapped us.” You nodded as she placed an omelet in front of you.

“Be safe, please.” She smiled, kissing your cheek. You stopped your body from flinching away from her touch.

“Always.”

“It’s good to see you,” Kate said as she let Lucky off his leash. The golden retriever ran over to Fanny immediately. You smiled, their friendship was cute. The archer sat down next to you on the bench. “How have you been?”

“Tired,” Each night your mind brought you back into that cell. You flinched every time Yelena touched you and your powers were draining you. “How’s Avenger business?” Kate shrugged.

“Busy. It seems like every bad guy wants to pop up.” You smiled. “Everyone misses you.” That you knew. Yelena liked to mention that every night. Deep down you missed them but it was harder to keep up the mask with so many superheroes around. You sighed.

“I know I’m still trying to get my head on straight after everything.” You knew the archer understood. She disappeared after the events last Christmas. “Enough about me. Lena told me you had a crush on a new Avenger.” You teased the girl. Kate blushed. She told you all about America. It was nice spending time with her. You forgot how easy it was to hang out with her. But you still felt on edge. The dog park had three other families. The nearby traffic was causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. You tried to focus on Kate but something was wrong. A loud pop filled the park followed by tires screeching and a crash. It was a car accident down the street. Kate stood up.

“I’m going to see if I can help.” She took off in the direction of the accident. The pressure began to build inside of you. The pop sounded too much like a gunshot. You squeezed your eyes close and opened them. The green grass faded into concrete. You touched your neck and felt the metal collar.

“No,” you mumbled. “No.” You couldn’t release it. Not here. You went through your bag and pulled out the pill bottle Dr. Gomez prescribed for you. You took the pill dry. The pounding in your head stopped and the concrete ground turned back to grass with Kate standing in front of you.

“Hey, are you with me?” She asked. You licked your dry lips.

“Yeah,” you said. “Is everyone okay?” She didn’t look like she believed you. The archer nodded.

“Police are on the scene. I’m letting them handle it,” She said. “Are you sure you're okay?” You nodded.

“I’m good but I’m a little hungry. Do you want to go get food?” You stood up whistling for Fanny.”

“Sure,” she said slowly. Breathe, you told yourself, breathe and put your mask back on.

You were staring up at the ceiling, slowly eating a cereal bar. Because of the medication, the rapid switching wasn’t as common but sometimes you just needed to let it out. You were waiting for your heartbeat to return to normal before you took a shower. The last thing you needed was to pass out in the shower. A knock on your door surprised you. You slowly sat up and stared at the door. Maybe it was a mistake. No one knew you were here. Another knock. “I know you are in there.” It was Wanda. You stood up and walked over to the door. Before you opened it, you closed your mind to the witch. You did not need her to go through your mind. You opened the door. She smiled at you. “Can I come in?” You wanted to say no but you stepped out of the way and she walked in. You closed the door as she sat down on the bed.

“How did you know I was here?” You asked, crossing your arms against your chest.

“Why did you come here without telling us?” She countered. You glared at her. “FRIDAY told me you were here.” You had half the mind to tell Tony to deactivate the AI. She patted the space next to her. You sighed, sitting down. “Do you want to talk about anything?” She asked. You shook your head.

“There is nothing to talk about.” She hummed, nodding.

“HYDRA wasn’t the only one to use the collar,” she told you. “The RAFT used it on me as well.” She looked at you but you couldn’t look at her. “Did Nat tell you what happened when they took it off?” You shook your head. It was a time Natasha didn’t like to talk about. “I lost control and hurt her.” Your head snapped to look at her. “They didn’t know what the collar did so my powers needed an outlet.”

“How did you get them under control?” You asked. “Hypothetically speaking.” She smiled.

“I wasn’t afraid of myself.” She said. “I wasn’t afraid of the power and Vision helped me a lot too.” You missed him but you weren’t afraid of the power.

“Thanks, Wanda but I’m fine.” She smiled.

“Of course. Just giving you some advice.” Wanda stood up. “I’ll keep this meeting our little secret.” You gave her a small smile.

“Thank you.” She left you alone with your thoughts. But Wanda was onto something you were afraid of being weak.

“Same time on Tuesday.” Dr. Gomez said, opening the door for you.

“Yup. See you then,” you turned to leave but stopped suddenly. “Wait, Dr. Gomez,” you turned back to face the doctor. “I don’t need these anymore.” You took the pill bottle out of your pocket and handed it to her. She looked at the pills.

“What changed?” The doctor asked.

“I got some advice from a friend,” you told her. “What were they by the way?” She smiled, putting the pill bottle in her pocket.

“Placebos.” Your eyes widened in shock.

“What? You gave me placebos?!” You questioned. She nodded.

“You’ve fought every battle with the use of your powers,” she said. “This is one battle those gifts can’t help you. Your mind is going to be your greatest advantage and your greatest threat. We have to train it to help you and from what I’m seeing you are doing just fine.”

___

If you like to support me as a writer, buy me a kofi

#the adventure of y/n barton and yelena belova #yelena belova imagine #yelena belova x reader #yelena belova x you #yelena belova #kate bishop x reader #yelena belova x y/n #kate bishop x you #black widow one shot #black widow imagine #black widow fanfiction #marvel imagine #marvel one shot #marvel au

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kelpiemomma · 1 year

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That post about kayaking got me thinking about something. About Akari living in the Highlands with Ingo close to/during winter where snow is slowly starting to cover the area. About Akari being upset about something but she won't talk to Ingo about it. She insists that she's fine but as her dad, he knows better than that. If he can't help her by getting her to talk about it, then he can help by getting her mind off of it for a little while. By engaging in a snowball fight. She's fairly annoyed at first. Until one of their Pokemon throws one at Ingo in her defense. It quickly turns into chaos and they even manage to drag an unsuspecting Melli into it. Eventually the father daughter duo settle down by the fire to warm up and she's finally able to tell him about what's bothering her.

THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE THO???

Akari is so used to the adults just giving her things to do, putting yet ANOTHER responsibility on her shoulders, that while she doesn't expect Ingo to do the same she's like... "well obv i am an adult now and I must keep my problems To Myself" and Ingo is like "darling child, you are a baby" bc Akari is still... idk. 13-15? That melodramatic age all teenagers go through where they think they're alone made worse by people going "also do this or die :)"

And Ingo is so Irritated by it but he doesn't have the power to tell ANYONE putting all these things on her shoulders to knock that shit off, that she's a kid, because she was doing it all before she met hm and he has no "legal" control over her. He tries to put her at ease as best he can but he's unwilling to confide in him bc she's an Adult doing Adult Things and he can't change her mind to ask for help or express her frustration.

So winter hits and she's been spending time with him, Melli over to visit and bug them both (he'd never admit he's been a little lonely, that he sees the warden and his adopted daughter as something like his closest companions in the highlands), and one night a blizzard blows in and covers EVERYTHING nearby in snow. Traveling too far is impossible by foot, and her pokemon are so blasted tired that she can't bear to ask them to take her anywhere. The snow is deep enough that even lord wyrdeer and lady sneasler and lord braviary are like "darling child, fuck no" so Ingo takes Akari with him to clear out the worst of the snow just from where he lives. And Melli is bitching about the cold and Akari is pouting and frustrated and snaps at him that she has too much to do, too much to handle, she can't be WASTING TIME here...

And Ingo throws a snowball at her.

It catches Akari in the face, gentle, but catches her off guard. She's standing still, confused and angered about what just happened, and Ingo does it again. Because he has very few memories, but he DOES remember someone important to him spiraling, and that he needed to help distract them, and so he did something they'd never expect. So he does it to akari. And she starts yelling (not as loud as Ingo can get) and he just throws another snowball and says if she wants him to stop, shes going to have to make him.

And the snowball fight starts off angry on Akari's side because she's stressed and scared and frustrated, so she starts yelling at Ingo except Melli joins in and also throws a snowball at her. She has no choice but to throw snowballs back (the idea of goin back into Ingo's home never occured to her) and at first she's mad, but then Ingo makes a move to dodge one of her throws except he slips, goes pinwheeling into Melli, and they both land in a snowbank. Melli immediately gets up, complaining about being cold, and goes inside to warm up but Ingo and Akari stay out a little while longer until theyre just chasing each other through the snow and laughing. Akari manages to shove a handful of snow down the back of Ingo's tunic, and he retaliates by filling his hat full of snow and slamming it onto her head.

And when they go back inside, the fire already lit with Melli snoozing in front of it, Akari's eyes start to water and then dribble with tears. And as they dry off and change clothes, pulling blankets around them as they sit in front of the fire, she curls up into her dad's side and quietly, fighting back tears, tells him about how scared she is of what she's doing, how she knows she can't say no. Ingo holds her close and promises that if she wants to stop, he'll help her, and if she wants his help, it's always ready to be given. Whatever she needs, if he can provide it he will. And for the first time in what feels like forever she relaxes, takes a deep breath, and lets herself be helped.

#Dad Ingo #PLA #pla akari #Akari #I love melli so much he's a big brother #He's annoying but he will run and tattle and nag playfully at his younger siblings #Ingo had to get on his case once about bullying Akari and melli got upset over it but quit #(for the most part)#But then he started spending time w Akari and realized that she's just a kid trying her best #So now he nags and mocks her but affectionately to distract her #Asked and answered #Forgersfeline

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writhe · 1 year

Text

woke up and felt dreadful but i can’t have a life where dragging myself out of bed is a chore and i don’t like sleeping and i especially don’t like to lay around and i got up and i cooked a big breakfast & that changed how i felt and i had a a beautiful day

i read without worrying myself with the time. i took a walk and -begrudgingly- found 5 things to be grateful about while walking. i feel so steely and spiny and hopeless but pushing myself to consider even a glint of something other than futility nice. i’ve convinced myself the apathy is the natural progression of my state of being, that everyone gets here eventually. but if i want things to matter i have to start letting them, yeah?

it was a beautiful walk. i ran some errands after and i felt good and bright and busy. i had some accomplices in thievery & got some girl scout cookies. i’m in all black and chains and big boots and jewelry and spikes and a knife on my hip but i tried to be so polite with the kid. idk who she’ll grow up to be but i’d like to think children witnessing adults who grow up to have some sort of alternative lifestyle (vaguely punk yet pathetic freak with no prospects aside from a dog) partaking in a simple joy (like 4 boxes of cookies) is important. you’re like 10 right now and if things feel bad don’t forget you can make it weird 15 years from now and also just buy cookies whenever you want, yknow?

felt good from all this. screen printed. had some feelings.

took a break and visited friends who are working on a farming project. drank around a fire, sat in the dirt. it felt good. i’m shocked in how wanted i’ve felt by people recently. im trying to cling to that & internalize that i specifically matter to people. im trying to be more honest, a little. trying to tell myself that there isn’t a version of me my friends want aside from the one they know.

then, saw a larger group of friends, kind of serendipitously. 15-20 of them, all headed to a plot of land. i walked up to everyone staring at me, standing in the field they will grow on. greeted by smiles and some pleasantries. the sun was lower in the sky and painted everything gold and dreamy. something in me twisted. i’m a less fun drunk now & everything feels closer to the surface but i think i was okay. made small talk, everyone seemed happy. i want to let my guard down. i want to be able to actively listen to people again. i’ve been feeling really fixated on my presence in people’s lives being a point of dread or irritation & this gets in the way of being a friend or making friends, which is both selfish and unproductive. i don’t like that i feel this way, i don’t think i deserve to feel this, & i think it discounts a lot of the ways people show up for me

i feel like the world is calling to me, was that what i was being shown? i got a few sweet texts today independent from all this. it’s hard to internalize the good things people say about me & im frustrated that it’s become that way. i’m lucky i get all this. i’ve really just set myself in thinking i’m always in need of a correction or that it’s impossible for me to not to immediately overstep. it wasn’t always this way. it wasn’t always this way. people are trying to be gentle & i am going to try to believe them more

got invited to another fire, sundown now. drank more, but also forced myself to eat some dinner. the fire was nice. i feel like i creeped people out but it’s hard to tell. im so edgy now and i hate it. i’d been outside for most of the day at this point & was a little tired & i’d almost started crying while i was walking over which was stupid and almost embarrassing. but i’m glad i went to the fire! everyone loved halliwell. i was more standoffish and less funny than i’d like to be

talked to olive

walked home, it’s such a nostalgic walk and i feel it like a knife in my ribs. i’m living the the wreckage of some things and i need to know how to get out. it was brisk, but brisk like a spring night. the moon was low and huge and orange

today felt big and very full and like a lot was offered and i tried taking it all. i hope i did well. i feel (literally) filthy from a day of movement and sitting in the dirt and that feels good. i love my body & jacket carrying the scent of woodsmoke. halliwell is passed out next to me now. i am going to take a warm shower & in this exhaustion i hope i sleep well

i am going to try again tomorrow too

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mcfuckity · 1 year

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I know a few people who dislike huntlow and say stuff like:"this ship is super rushed, hunter has to work on himself, he doesn't understand romance and it is the last thing he needs" but they ship huntric and lumity🥴like you dislike huntlow for being rushed and hunter not being able to understand romance but you ship hunter and edric who interacted only once 🤡 something tells me those are not the reasons why those people dislike this ship, but completely for different ones🫣 and they are afraid to admit. Again i don't have problem with people who dislike huntlow but i have problem with people who drag huntlow down meanwhile shipping edric and lumity. Again every person has a right to dislike or like a ship. And what is so interesting that the majority of people never brought these excuses for amity when they shipped so much lumity and attacked everybody who wasn't a fan of this ship. And also unlike amity hunter didn't have that much problems with morality, didn't harm intentionally willow and gus, even when he got them captured he still tried to fix mistake. He actually owned up to his mistakes and had to learn it the hard way. Meanwhile amity wasnt addressed for her awful behaviour and shifted the responsibility of her actions on to her parents. And she didnt even try to reconcile with willow. She suddenly became a "sofgtie" out of nowhere without getting called out and only around luz. I am sorry folks but this is not a proper redemption. People also dislike willow and gus for not being plot relevant when its clearly writers fault for not giving them episodes to shine, and it is not as infuriating as amity who got a lot of episodes dedicated to her but still ending as a "girlfriend" who doesnt do much. No offense to amity stans and they literally whine all the effing time like why people dont talk about amitys trauma, when it was the only thing discussed during s1-s2, as if all these talks and fanarts about amity wasnt enough. They always bring up amity literally all the time.

I agree and I’ve discussed this before. I recently haven’t said anything because I want the whole show to be over before rewatching it and having a retrospective to see if anything changes. I have talked about this before though.

I adore Huntlow/Winter and I love that they are still separate and unique characters while being together. I hate the stupid excuse that Hunter isn’t “ready for a relationship” because it makes no sense. A traumatized kid just found people who makes him feel seen, heard, and loved. He also got a crush on someone who ALSO experienced mistreatment and cares so much about him. I can see why Hunter would like Willow and vice versa. I CAN’T see how Luz would like Amity since she’s BEEN bullied and she SAW Amity bully Willow. I have no idea why Luz was all in Amity’s face.

The popular fanon ships are so frustrating because they’ll just ship Hunter w a yt person with the same logic he got with Willow for.

I haven’t seen any Willow and Gus hate but they were literally sidelined to make Amity look good because they know that she didn’t have a real redemption. It makes no sense that Amity got so much screentime just to keep reiterating herself as Luz’s gf but never have Willow and Gus be there for Luz to reiterate their friendship. Hell, even in s1 and Amity was barely there, the fans literally favored her and made so much fanart of her replacing Willow and Gus/ making them background support to lumity. It was literally just “tomato Amity” and “idiot Luz” fanart flooding my feeds. At least Huntlow art has character. Amity needs nothing else.

Then the show damn near goes out the way to have Lumity on one side and Emerald Trio on the other with sprinkles of Amillow interactions to be like “See? They’re all friends 😇”. It’s getting tired fr.

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arlecchno · 2 years

Text

mission accomplished [ scaramouche x reader ]

twelve | trial day

prev masterlist next

in a blink of an eye, a month has passed, and the day you've been quailing from finally comes. question is, have you even prepared for this moment?

warnings: swearing, overthinking, mentions and appearance of the fatui harbingers (dottore, arlecchino, childe and pierro), kaeya is hinted as pierro's son (not canon) (y/n shoots a shot lmao), comfort

a/n: woohoo i feel pretty good about this chapter!!! this one is pretty longer than the other ones so i hope everyone enjoys reading it lol i had a lot of fun writing this, happy reading!

grammatical errors may occur so please let me know if i've made any mistakes!

you woke up the next morning alone on the couch, with a blanket half draped over your body.

scanning through the room with tired eyes, you realised that, scaramouche, wasn't here. you stood up from the couch, checking the hallway and his room to see if he was there, but he wasn't.

he's probably on an errand or something, you thought to yourself.

the only thing scaramouche left behind before he went out was a small sticky note on the coffee table, saying that he'd be out for a quick run.

well, you guessed it'd be nice to take a nice shower before you start your day.

on another note, maybe you should've just continued sleeping on the couch.

“the court declined your proposal.” a gruff voice said on your laptop screen.

you sighed upon hearing that the court have refused your proposal to push back the date for a trial you're involved in, once again. “please check it thoroughly again, lieutenant. who knows you've read it wrong.” you pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration.

the man in the screen deadpanned. “i'm not that old, y/n. i still have pretty good eyesight.” he huffed. “you can check it yourself.” he said, sharing his screen to show the response from the court.

you took a moment to read through the letter shown on your laptop screen, and as soon as you saw the word ‘unfortunately’, you stopped and groaned in defeat, leaning back to your bed frame.

“can you believe this? i– i'm literally stuck being undercover here! how in the world am i supposed to get to court for this... this stupid trial!” you exclaimed frustratedly, eyes twitching at the thought of having to leave from undercover for the whole day. it'll be worse if the trial keeps getting dragged on, you'll quite literally die.

“is... there any other way we could ditch this or something, pierro? i can't just leave from being undercover!” you looked back at your screen. “and scaramouche is a witness for me, he'd have no choice but to follow me for that trial.”

pierro sighed on the other line. “sorry y/n, there's nothing we can do about this. i'm sure this is very hard for you, since it's of late notice.” he paused, looking at your complexed expression.

“we'll try our best to fill in for you and scaramouche when you two are away for the trial. i could send out childe or arlecchino to be on campus for awhile, just to look out in case anything happens.” pierro said, writing down some notes on a paper.

the usual busy background of the precint behind him surely never gets old. the people walking back to back, the holding cell full of suspects, and whatnot. it's been a long time since you last went undercover, so looking at your co-workers doing their normal routine at the prestigious precint you truly love makes you feel a tad bit homesick.

“...fine.” you replied after a short while.

“is scaramouche there with you?”

you scratched your head in response. “um... he went out for a run, i think he'll be back soon–” your sentence was interrupted when the sound of a door being opened and closed was heard, footsteps slowly becoming louder and clearer by the second.

“nevermind, he just got back. you want me to get him?”

a nod from lieutenant pierro was all it took for you to shout scaramouche's name, surprisingly it took less than a second for him to rush and barged in to your room.

“what? did something happen?” he asked through heavy breaths. he was clad in a tank top and a pair of joggers, glistening with sweat.

you raised a brow. “nothing happened. lieutenant just wants to speak with you.” you said, moving your laptop to his direction for him to see that you were currently on a call with the bearded man.

he sighed. stepping closer to your bed, he sat at the edge of it, making you grimace.

“ew, what the hell! get your sweaty ass off my clean bed, you jerk!” you yelled at the ravenette while bringing up a hand to push him off, though you instantly regretted it the moment you got in contact with his bare shoulder that was full off sweat.

you yelped, quickly wiping off his disgusting sweat from your hand on his dry joggers. he swatted your hand away and sent a death glare, gritting his teeth.

“i'm barely on your bed, idiot! and i'm not that disgusting, it's just sweat!” he retorted, making you roll your eyes.

you crossed your arms and looked away from him. “it's your sweat.” you pressed. “anything about you is revolting.”

“and yet you slept on me last night.”

your eyes widened at his sentence. “wha–”

pierro cleared his throat on the other line, making the both of you turn your heads towards the laptop screen. “good, you two didn't forget me. anyway, as i was saying...” he trailed off, glancing at the notes he's written. “the trial's gonna be next month, i'll let you know a few days prior so that you two can be prepared.” he said, looking back at you and the ravenette.

“i do not condone on making you skip your undercover duties, but i think we can have it covered. i'll have to send some of these guys here to fill in for you two for the time being.” he continued, while you and scaramouche listened to him intently.

“we're driving there ourselves?” you asked the white-haired man in the screen.

he was typing something on his keyboard before responding. “you can drive halfway there, we'll meet up somewhere and pick you two up. i don't want to risk people finding out where you're off to, and i want you to not let anyone follow your car, got it?”

scaramouche nodded. “copy that.”

“...okay then, that's all i have to say. any of you got any questions?”

you slightly raised your hand, in which made the ravenette next to you scoff, mumbling about how you're acting like a high school student, but you paid no mind.

“yes, detective, what is it?” he asked, urging you to continue.

you lit up at his reply, making you the more confident to ask your next question. “is kaeya still–”

“nope.” he said flatly with no expression on his face.

you grumbled. “worth a shot.”

and next thing you know, it was already the next month.

you spent the last 4 weeks doing nothing but being miserable, dreading on the trial date you've been trying to avoid all these months. it really surprises you how time flies so fast, and how it's already been 3 months since you started going undercover.

maybe it is true when people say that days pass on more quickly whenever you wish for it to be slower.

the clear afternoon sky definitely does not make up for the blues you've got right now. the breezy wind blows through the colourful trees as you got ready for the trial.

you looked at yourself dressed in formal attire through the mirror in your room, fixing up small details to make your outfit look as neat as possible.

sighing, you went back to pacing around the exceptionally small room, biting your thumb nail anxiously. your thoughts start getting bundled up the more you think about the trial.

isn't this too fast?

what if he's not guilty?

are you even mentally prepared for this?

what happens when the judge doesn't press charges?

what will you do when the man who almost took your dear life walks out free?

the voices in your head get louder. if's turning into when's, questions getting longer and longer by the minute, it's fucking you all up. it's wrecking your mind into small pieces that you can't even help to fix back. the voices become clearer, repeating dreadful questions every second.

are you ready for this?

how will you do?

what if you mess up?

why do the worst things always happen to you?

the sound of a knock brought you back to reality.

“y/n? you ready yet?” scaramouche asked from the other side of the door.

you stopped pacing around. “oh, uh... i'll be there in a sec.” you muttered, not even knowing if scaramouche heard you or not.

are you ready?

the same question repeated in your mind.

yeah.

maybe you're not.

“took you long enough.” scaramouche said, leaning on the wall in front of your door with his arms crossed.

you closed the door behind you. “it hasn't even been a minute.” you rolled your eyes despite scaramouche not being able to see as you had your back to him. turning around, your eyes immediately landed on his indigo ones that were already staring at you the moment you got out.

you took a quick scan of his attire. dressed in a simple black suit, blazer unbuttoned and necktie slightly loose, he stood before you. he isn't even dressed well, you thought. letting out a sigh, you walked over to scaramouche.

hands landing on his collar and necktie, you helped him fix his tie. “you can't even be bothered to fix yourself up properly, can you?” you chastised, loosening up the tie a bit before pulling it down again to tighten it.

he was pulled forward in response to you pulling his tie, making him breaths away from you. surprisingly you didn't notice, considering how you paid no mind and continued your ministrations, now fixing up his crooked collar.

his breath hitched the second you stepped towards him, and for a moment he couldn't quite remember how to breathe. the faint smell of your perfume filled his nostrils due to the proximity you two were currently in. his hands were hovering over your hips, too frozen up to even move.

buttoning up his blazer, you fixed his attire for one last time before you retracted your hands, looking up at him with a small smile. “there we go.” you said, patting up his shoulder.

you stepped back and exited the hallway, calling out for him to follow suit, not even minding how you've quite literally took his breath away.

one of his hands hovered over his mouth in disbelief, the colour red slowly creeping up his ears from being flustered.

what is this feeling?

the drive to the agreed location was fairly quiet, you and scaramouche just sat in silence. the radio to his car wasn't even on. you were scrolling through your phone in boredom while the ravenette was focusing on the road.

before completely heading off, you two have made sure to check whether anyone was following by looking if there were any cars behind you at every turn scaramouche made. luckily, there weren't any, and the road wasn't busy like always.

childe and arlecchino were assigned to take care of things at campus while the both of you were gone. you've known them long enough to know that they're great detectives and that they'd do a good job at taking care of your work, after all pierro was the one who assigned them, you surely have no doubts.

right?

“we're here.” scaramouche said, pulling up at... wait, what?

“...dottore's house? why is this our agreed location?” you asked dumbly, looking at the doctor's house from the driveway you were parked at.

you didn't know where you were headed to, since pierro only sent the location to scaramouche as he was the one driving. you only realised it was dottore's house when you caught glimpse of the dark turquoise roof of the house, his signature colour outstanding every other house in the neighborhood.

dottore isn't a police officer like the most of you are, but he's a close acquaintance of pierro, and he's usually the one who treats everyone's wounds and injuries whenever needed, so you could say he's a friend. keyword, could.

a knock on the window to your door made you jolt, moving your gaze to person outside the car. you pushed the button on the door to roll the window down, while still continuing eye contact with the person behind the clear window.

“my favourite person in the world!” dottore exclaimed after your window was completely down, waving at you with a mischievous smile.

“ugh, great, now i have to deal with you.” you said shortly after, a deadpanned look on your face upon seeing the man before you. “why do we have to be here?”

dottore brought a hand to his chest. “you wound me, y/n. i thought you'd be more than delightful to be greeted by yours truly!” he said dramatically, a hurtful expression plastered on his face.

you turned your head to scaramouche, mouthing a 'can you believe this guy?', in which scaramouche responded with a simple shrug. you groaned, looking back at the man with light turquoise hair, sending a death glare towards him.

“come on now, i'm not the bad guy here.” he brought up his hands in defense. “pierro thought it'd be a great idea to make my place where we pick you up, looking at how i'm not exactly affiliated with the police department. people wouldn't suspect me at all.”

you grumbled. “ugh, you of all people...”

you didn't exactly dislike dottore. you just have an ounce of hatred towards him because of something he did back in the day, but you wouldn't press it now.

if you had an enemies list, he'd totally be third, scaramouche being number one on the list without a doubt. second? this one dude who kept on stealing your parking spot at the precint. he must be having the time of his life right now with you being gone.

a honk of another car made the three of you look towards the sound it came from. pierro was sitting in the passenger seat of a honda jade hybrid car beside yours with his arms crossed, a sour look on his face, probably from waiting for too long.

“well, looks like that's our sign to get going.” dottore quipped.

if you think your usual car rides with scaramouche were awkward enough, then this is way worse.

everyone in the 6-seater car was silent, not even uttering a single word. dottore was the one who was driving, and due to how he's kind of a reckless driver, pierro had personally given him a lecture on how he should be focused on the road. now he opted to just drive in silence, instead of his usual jamming-through-blasting-music self.

pierro on the other hand was sitting at the passenger seat, eyes overlooking the scenery in front of him, while occasionally glancing at the back through the rear view mirror.

the back is where it gets exceptionally awkward. you were very much shocked when you were greeted with the tsaritsa sitting in the front row seat once you got in the car, you didn't think she'd be coming along. the captain usually likes sitting alone, so you decided to just cramp at the back row with scaramouche, despite his many attempts on making you sit next to her.

the court was quite far from dottore's place, since the trial is being held to the nearest court from the prison the prime suspect was placed at. all five of you sat in silence, minding your own business, until the tsaritsa herself speaks up.

“how's the case going for you two?” she asked, not even sparing a glance to your seat.

you looked at scaramouche first to see if he wanted to answer, and of course he didn't. you rolled your eyes at him, before answering to the captain. “it's going quite alright. though it's kind of been slow these past two months, it'd be nice if we had a bit of a breakthrough.”

the tsaritsa perked her head up at this, slightly turning her head back to look at you. “oh? would you like my help on that?” she questioned, raising a brow. “i can always work on getting some connections from that campus, and maybe host something big to see if anything happens. i certainly did not win an award for being the best captain in the police department for nothing.”

scaramouche knitted his brows, scoffing at her. “you've had connections this whole time? why didn't you use that first thing before making us go undercover?”

she brought up a hand to cover her mouth in embarrassment. “oh dear, i must have forgotten... my apologies.” she simply said, but from the tone of her voice, it was clear that she did not sound sorry in the slightest.

the rest of the car ride was silent once again.

while everyone else were doing their own thing, you were busy being bundled up with the emotions that's been crashing down on you since this morning. the unforgettable thoughts and thousands of imaginable scenarios keep lingering your mind, despite trying your best to not just burst out and have a breakdown.

why you? of all people?

why do you have to go through so much?

what have you ever done?

do you deserve this?

all you've ever wished the whole time growing up was to succeed on getting the dream job you've helplessly worked hard for, but now that you did, was it really worth it?

if it wasn't for this tedious career, you wouldn't have gotten shot and broke your leg. if it wasn't for this stupid position, you wouldn't have to stay in the hospital for months just to be treated to physical therapy for half a year right after you got discharged. and if it wasn't for this shitty job, you definitely wouldn't have to face the man that has made your life miserable ever since that one night.

so you asked yourself again, was everything you've worked your whole life for even worth it?

your thoughts were interrupted when a pale hand caught yours.

looking up from your head that was hanging low, you fixate your now glossy eyes to the man beside you. instead of his usual scowl face, you were greeted with a worried look.

“y/n, you okay?” he asked, voice barely a whisper. he did not want other people in the car to turn their heads back to him if they heard him asking such a question, loud and clear.

you blinked, unknowingly letting a tear fall down your cheek. he quickly brought up his free hand to wipe it away. “are you sure you're ready for this?”

you let out an airy chuckle. “honestly...? no.” you whispered, looking down to your lap. “everything just feels so... fast, y'know?”

scaramouche hummed, caressing your palm with his thumb. “look— i've got you okay?” he reassured, tilting your chin up with his other hand to make you look at him.

“‘we can go through this together.’ ” he quoted. “that's what you've always said to me whenever i was going through hard times. i'm guessing it's my turn now to say the same to you.” scaramouche remarked, putting up a faint smile for you.

you smiled at him in return. “yeah, that's definitely something i'd say.” you replied, the lingering thoughts slowly drifting off your mind from his sappy words.

“so, what do you say? we go through this together?” he asked you softly, making you brighten up.

you grasped his hand that was holding yours. “like we always do.”

the same question comes back to you once again. but this time, it came with an answer.

is everything you've poured your whole life for worth it?

if it means that you get to meet amazing people on your daily job and doing what you love, then the answer to this is a simple yes— it definitely is.

if you wanna know what a jade hybrid looks like you can watch it here lol

the tsaritsa is the goddess of love for a reason hehe

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