#i didn't even relish in being 22

[robertsbarbie]

sometimes you realize you're no longer 22, six months after turning 23 to be exact

[aetherghouls]

I am relistening to the entirety of The Magnus Archives and it's the first time I've done full relisten since I got infected with Modern Warfare and now I am plagued with a thought of codmw x tma

I'm trying to figure out what Fears would fit each one of them

Of course, considering that they are military, the most obvious answer would be the Hunt; considering that all important police officers in TMA are servants of the Hunt. Besides that also Slaughter, maybe, considering that many statements are about soldiers, however the Hunt makes much more sense, looking at what exactly TF141 specialises in. But I do also think the Hunt would be both too easy and would ignore the complexities of the characters as a whole. So, here's a rough idea of what Entities I think would match each of them the most:

(and a quick TW as I will be discussing many common fears and it's a bit too much to list them all)

— Ghost would either be the End or the Buried – the latter in case we talk about '09 Ghost or take the comic book as '22 Ghost's background too. I don't think there's much to add about him here, he is, after all, considered to be the embodiment of Death in cod.

— Gaz would be the Vast or the Hunt – first one is, I admit with shame, inspired by the heli scene in MW2, but some of the missions we play as Gaz just match it too, though it is kind of a stretch. I was thinking about the Lonely, but he doesn't strike me as the type to be targeted by it in the long run, even more to be its servant. Vast makes much more sense here.

— Soap would be the Desolation – the Lightless Flame is quite obvious in his case, being demolitions expert and all, the way he looks at explosions. It is such a simple choice I didn't even hesitate here. UNLESS we talk about Captain MacTavish, then it's Hunt through and through, no questions asked, he is the hunter.

— Price is kind of tricky in my opinion – he matches the Hunt the most out of them all I think, though all of the team does. Maybe aspects of the Slaughter, the things from statements related to military (which, also drives it into the territory of the End in this case). If we talk about '09 Modern Warfare Captain Price, it is the Lonely, mixed with Slaughter and Hunt and maybe the End, but Lonely is the biggest part of it, looking at how he's the only one that survived through the games.

— Talking about the '09 Modern Warfare, Roach! Couldn't miss him, of course. Lonely, probably, he does strike me as the type that would relish in being alone and so being its servant makes sense, somehow. Though if we play with it more, take his call sign into consideration, the Corruption, but not the way Jane Prentiss was the Flesh Hive, just bugs and the skin crawling parts, no rot or decay. It would tie together with how he could have gotten his call sign.

— Laswell would be the Eye – another easy one, considering that she's mostly there as a kind of an informant, gathering intel and all. Not much more to say.

— Nikolai would also be the Vast – it's tied to him being a pilot more than anything else, spending so much time alone in the vastness of the sky. No notes here.

— Makarov is the Slaughter – just like before, easy one, but I do think that, unlike with Price, it includes all of the aspects of the Fear. Pure, unpredictable violence, cold blooded murder. The Hunt, too, maybe, only if we were to think of him as a hunter who kills for the sake of it, not for the hunt itself but for the end goal (so it's a slight sprinkle of the Hunt, as it is about the process itself, not the end). Honestly, thinking about it like that, I think he could lean into the Flesh more than Hunt? Something to think about for the future.

— Shepherd would be the Web — with how he plots and lies, with everything he did "for the country", the Web is another obvious choice here, it makes perfect sense. He is the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, getting others to do his dirty work, it's perfect.

I have some other thoughts (Graves and Shadows being the Hunt/Slaughter maybe), but this is all I have for now I think. It could easily be mixed more with other AUs (looking at bluegiragi's Monster AU, which itself could give much more nuance to the Fears that could fit the characters based on what creatures and monsters the characters are in that AU. Example: Simon in that AU would be serving the Dark and the End)

No one is probably reading this either way and I don't think there's much overlap in the fandoms, but I do think this is a fun idea of mixing both universes and there's much more to be said about it all, if anyone ever wants to hear me yap more :D

It is heavily unedited and just written in the moment, it may not make much sense and I may revisit this to correct some stuff (like how I keep mixing Flesh and Slaughter into one thing 🧍)

[biggie-chcese]

rain code age headcanons because i have literally only ever been choosing ages based on what's funniest but now i wanna cast away my grand layers of irony and be genuine for a moment. also. this goes pretty in depth so be prepped for the long haul when you click read more lmao.

spoilers for the whole game below and it's because of one specific character iykyk

Yakou - this man has the soul of a guy in his late 40s going through what would be his midlife crisis if not for the fact that he's fully aware he passed the midpoint years ago. but that soul is trapped in the body of a guy who doesnt look a day older than 28. what moisturizer does he use? i doubt he even uses anything other than that 13 in 1 shampoo. anyway, i think he's 32.

Halara - 26. nothing really to justify this other than they've got that mid 20s swag but 25 didn't feel right. adult enough to be as competent as they are yet young enough to look like that. moving on.

Desuhiko - 19. i think he's the youngest of the NDA because. well. idk man have you read his dialogue? he's got a whole lot of growing to do and is still very lost on his direction in life. he's giving 'bitch fresh outta high school (or in this case, detective training) and relishing in his freshly obtained freedom."

Vivia - 28? yeah i got nothing for this i am going purely on vibes here. 28 just feels right.

Fubuki - 23. she's clearly still a bit young but is also clearly a grown ass adult who wasn't raised right so i think this makes for a happy medium, especially if she's already been on some worldwide adventures n shit before the game. works out quite swimmingly methinks.

Kurumi - 18. for my personal comfort bc we'll get to yuma later but im not gonna sit here and ignore the way the game constantly grovels at the audience's feet to ship them so id rather she not be any younger than this. anyway, more about her: she tends to hold her own as an informant with more competence, maturity, and effecience than most of the NDA. but she also has a pretty childish black and white view on things, like believing her beloved detectives are always right (girl if you were real you would be ENTRENCHED in stan culture oml do NOT get into minecraft youtubers) but i've... seen 18 year olds on the internet that are exactly the same so whatever

Aetheria girls - putting them all at 17-18 because, based on honorifics, they are treated as upperclassmen by their peers in the Japanese dub. i think waruna is the youngest and kurane is the eldest.

Yomi - 25. he has that vibe. old enough to be taken seriously as an adult but young enough to act like That™. yknow?

Martina - 32. she's giving older woman sexy librarian vibes and generally carries herself with a certain level of poise and maturity but is also a freak in a way that can best be explained by being a woman in her 30s. not elaborating on this

Swank - 41. to me he's like those awful surly businessmen who go to cabaret clubs to drink and smoke their office job woes away and cheat on their wives. but he also has extreme mafia boss swag about it so i kinda love him for that. dunno what this has to do with age tho. moving on.

Seth - 22 because he's giving youngest brother. i think he's the youngest of the peacekeepers in general. guillaume definitely bullies him about this.

Dominic - 34. bro is built like a jojo character what else do you want me to say. he's still got that youthfulness about him that makes me think he's still not going through his midlife crisis, so i wouldn't place him any older

Guillaume - 23. guillaume is so girlypop manic pixie dream girl core that she's definitely got the energy of someone who is young but also strikes the balance of being someone who has a job and a mortgage. dunno how she does it. id like to think she isnt even much older than seth but still bullies him for being the baby of the peacekeepers. do u understand my vision. please. they have so much annoying coworker potential.

shinigami - idk like 1000. she's a death god who cares.

yuma - okay. yeah. look i dont give a singular fuck about age discourse- headcanon whatever you want- but from looking at canon material i genuinely think that he could not possibly be any younger than 21. 20 if we wanna push it. yes, i know he looks young. i have eyes. but also, im in my 20s and the most common thing people tell me when i reveal my age is "oh, i thought you were 15." one time a person asked me if i was 12. at my job. that i was actively working at. i was 20. adults can look young, and contrary to the classic 1000 year old loli dragon trope he doesnt act overtly childish. he acts like a normal fuckin guy. yes he cries but like. you wouldn't in his position? bro speedruns lifelong trauma so skillfully that he's backwards long jumping into alternate universes where everything is somehow worse. i'd be freaked out if he didn't cry. also im aware that the child prodigy detective trope is a thing and that kodaka has written that before but... he was number one three years ago. and the training takes two years. which means, if he is a minor in the game's present day, he started working at the WDO at 12 and became number one at 14... at the oldest. have you ever met a 14 year old? forgive me for not suspending my disbelief here. and really the kicker for me is that yuma has a line where he says he's not sure if he's drinking age (which would be 20 in japan), but you know who would be sure? you know who knows yuma's age better than yuma?

makoto kagutsuchi - this megacorporation CEO has a fully stocked minibar installed in his penthouse. <- sentence i cannot bring myself to believe if it's about a child. since i also cant picture him becoming CEO at age 14 without yomi at least once angrily pointing that out (he only ever mentions that makoto is an outsider, or has his head in the clouds), id like to think both him and yuma, at their youngest, earned their top spots at their respective organizations at 18. it keeps their gifted kid syndrome and young prodigy-ness without making things comically ridiculous or uncomfortable for the sheer amount of sexual situations yuma gets put into.

anyway that's my silly little ramble on age headcanons. this was actually really fun to think about. shoutout to kodaka for leaving out the ages. funniest choice he could've made

[betweenthings2]

22 in sept prompts!!

Thank you for the ask!! I'm sorry I didn't get this done in September, but the October prompt list is here =)

September prompt 22- an airport terminal at midnight

Matty's freezing. He's sure he's never been this cold. He's wearing George's sweatshirt and then his own jacket over it, but he's still so, so cold. He's not even sure when or where he is. Well, that's maybe an overstatement. It's the middle of the night and he's in an airport, sat in an uncomfortable chair at the gate his plane will leave from in several hours, headphones on, fidget toy George had put in his backpack before he left in his hands. It doesn't make him feel any less anxious, doesn't take him mind off anything, but Matty appreciates the sentiment.

George had also left some other things in Matty's backpack, mostly tokens of encouragement and sentiment, most of which Matty thrown out or destroyed in the midst of withdrawal. He'd been so miserable, in so much pain, and so angry that when the methadone kicked in he'd thrown out everything he could fine. He didn't find the fidget toy until later, when he felt better, which only made him feel worse, but he appreciates it now.

Matty misses George, maybe more than he had for the past seven weeks. He feels like he's sixteen again and sneaking out of the house, knowing intimately that he's somewhere he's not supposed to be but relishing the freedom. Actually, maybe it's more like he's been kicked out, turned adrift in the would without the skills to survive. Everything is different, colors, sounds, people, Matty. Matty is different now. Airports have never been this could, midnight has never been quite so empty, Matty has never been quite so alone. He misses George. God, does he miss George.

Matty's never been good at missing people. There's a reason he worked so hard to be able to spend his life making art with his best friends, a reason his relationship with George looks like it does. Matty's fine at being by himself, for the most part, but he's bad at being lonely. He's bad at missing people. He's bad at missing George.

Lost in thought, Matty drops the fidget toy and it rolls a few feet away. It's stupid, but as he moves to grab it, Matty can feel tears welling in his eyes. He's just so tired and cold and miserable and angry at himself and he misses George and he's stuck in this airport terminal at midnight because it wasn't worth getting a hotel room and he misses George.

Sitting there, staring at the fidget toy with stubborn tears in his eyes, Matty can't help but call George. He has no idea what time it is in London or what George is doing, but Matty needs to hear him. Matty needs to know that he's not alone, even though he feels terribly alone.

George answers the phone with a, "Are you ok?" that sounds suspiciously like he's just woken up.

"Did I wake you up?" Matty asks. His words are punctuated by a sniffle as he does his best not to cry.

"That doesn't matter," George says. "Are you ok? You sound like you're crying."  

"'m not cryin'," Matty says. "At least, not yet."

"What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"'s stupid," Matty mumbles.

"It's not stupid if it upsets you," George tries. "What's wrong, Matty?"

Matty sniffles again, then admits, "I miss you. It's stilly 'cause I'll be home so soon, but I miss you, G. A lot."

"I miss you, too, sweetheart," George responds. "Can't wait to see you. I'm gonna meet you at the airport and we're gonna go home and hide out for a while, just you and me."

Matty's quiet for a moment, not sure what to say. He thinks about how good it'll be to be home, just him and George, but he also thinks about how hard it's going to be to be back in London.

"We'll figure it out," George offers. "Whatever you're worried about, we'll figure it out together."

"I've got a lotta problems, ya'know," Matty mumbles.

George chuckles at that. He sounds warm and sleepy and if Matty tries hard enough, he can imagine that he's there, in bed with George, warm and cozy and sleepy and talking about nothing. "I wanna be involved in your problems," George says.

"I miss you," Matty repeats.

"I know. I miss you, too," George responds. He pauses to muffle a yawn, then adds, "I can't wait to have you home."

"You should go back to sleep," Matty says. "'m sorry I woke you up."

"Don't apologize. I want you to call me. I wanna be there when you need me."

"I love you," Matty murmurs. "Thanks for answering, but you should go back to sleep. Sorry to wake you up."

"Are you sure you'll be ok?"  

"Yeah," Matty promises. "I'll be in one piece when I get back to London. Promise."

"Alright," George agrees, sounding a little it reluctant. "I love you and I'll see you soon."

"Love you," Matty echoes. "G'night." And then he ends the call. He glances around the terminal again, and things seem different, again. He's not sure what that means, but he puts his headphones back on and leans back in his chair and lets time pass. He'll be home soon. Home, with George. Soon.

[repldemiurge]

Four months.

The honeymoon period feels like it's over - and July was kinda teh suckz0rs in general. Not even related to gender stuff, it was just a kinda bleh month. I couldn't really see or feel any physical differences since the end of June, which is frustrating. That's not to say I'm having regrets or second thoughts, God no. Just that HRT has become daily life I guess.

Meanwhile, I've been having this nagging feeling of a catch-22 where I'm kinda stuck between:

A) Feeling like I'm not even a human being anymore - just a tgirl, and whatever aspects of me that are outside of my gender are difficult to express, or feel hard to engage people with. (Didn't fucking Halimede make a good post about this???)

B) Being myself obsessed with my gender presentation, in no small part because I relish the attention and support that I get for talking about my gender

I think this is a pretty fake problem outside of my head, but it does leave me stuck where I want to just bombard people with talking about being a girl, because I'm socially rewarded for it, but also feeling awkward that I have nothing to provide to my relationships besides being a girl.

This probably speaks more to more general social issues I have, and the desperation, hell, borderline obsession,,, I tend to approach friendships with. I still have a lot of self-image problems with feeling like I'm too intense, come on way too strong, and impatiently overcommit. I feel so, creepy all the time. I'd avoided this issue for the previous couple years by just...not really having friends? To no surprise, having friends is universally better, but I wonder how capable I am of being friends outside of only. Being trans at people.

But ahhhhh I like being trans at people! And people are very nice and positive to me when I am! And heaven knows I'm addicted to hearing about other people talk about being trans!

A very tense situation.

It's all exacerbated by me breaking my longstanding "no net only friendships" rule, but I've met some like. Miracles of people this year, so. No putting that genie back in the bottle.

Good news is I at least have gotten better about being someone who messages first. Folks seem to dream about people like that, so I can internalize that fantasy I suppose. And I've gotten more comfortable with different people's responses to it. Some people take my message toy and are very playful and conversational, I just have to get the ball rolling. Others take it and just slow blink at me, but I think it's still appreciated. These are both fine and good.

This doesn't really feel like it has anything to do with HRT anymore I've kinda lost the plot. Oh well. Classes start up again at the end of August so hopefully that structure will help me organize my time a little bit better, when compared to this incorporeal July

[itsblasttothepast]

Karun is an asshole. He’s a bitter bitter old man who’s pissed off at drivers (Lewis and Daniel) who lapped him in 2011 and brings that into his punditry. Any moment he gets, he’ll shit on Charles. What he did today was nasty and foul. Trying to get a sound bite to fuel the media for the next race weekend. As if he hasn’t been bashing Daniel for the past 5 weeks alone and weak at the knees for Lawson to replace him. As if he wasn’t the prime commentator in 22 relishing Daniel’s struggles in McLaren and his lack of performance. It’s the sorry state of commentators and journalists in the sport. A journalist said at the start of the year that a group of journalists want a driver out of the sport. It’s unethical.

The comment Max made was a follow up to Daniel talking about the GoodWood revival and how he would love to drive in it and why Max said about him and Daniel driving in the car cause Daniel had just spoken about it. Karun did not need to say anything especially with the noise around Checo. It’s been an issue for a while in f1 but these commentators and journalists have ran unchecked so their egos think they can say anything to these drivers. It’s been clear for years but Karun should not be allowed on live tv anymore with any of these drivers.

And even when Max didn't mean that comment like that, this went completely out of control and now every news' header I've seen so far says that Max wants Daniel as his teammate and that he snubbed Checo and humiliated him. I mean... what?

Also, and maybe this is me being paranoid, he kept his back to Checo, like ignoring him instead of actually trying to interview him, I mean, he was there too!

At least the hispanic press is going wild with this making Max the bad guy, when he was just making an innocent comment, he and Daniel are friends, he never imagined that Karun was going to add the whole teammate question next.

Sometimes the Sky Sports people (mostly the ex-drivers) forget what's like being in the F1, the pressure, the intensity, and how the press can crush anyone.

Hugs to you, anon! 🤗🤗

[fiveisnumber1]

The Worst Isn’t The Worst When I’m With You - A “Remembering The Past/Fixing The Future” Side Story

Timeless Fanfic Main Story Parts:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35

Hi everyone! Sorry that it's been a bit since I posted. I've been focusing very hard on finishing my master's degree, but now that I know I am officially graduating I will have plenty more time to write. To make up for things though here is a side story that I have slowly been working on in between portions of my final paper. I will be getting back to the main storyline and start working on the next chapter sometime next week. I'd also like to thank my trans bestie Georgia for her assistance on the last section of this side story, her advice and input were very much appreciated.

Thank you all for your patience, and much love <3

Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse (section 1/Lucas) and deadnaming/misgendering (section 7/Viktoria). If those topics are uncomfortable feel free to skip them.

_____________________________________________________________________

This is the story of Lucas Alexander Klein. Born June 16th, 2001 at 1:37 am to Austin and Meredith Klein. With two older siblings, Jackson and Katherine, he was the youngest and last child of the Klein family. From the outside life in the Klein household looked as golden and shiny as the hair on all their heads, but inside it was much darker. Rules and standards were engrained into the family structure and stepping outside those bounds led to one thing. Punishment. Physical punishment. But in the house, those rules were arbitrary and ever-changing. What was fine one day was wrong the next and it was entirely at the discretion of Austin Klein. He was an abusive man who relished the power he had over his children and his wife Meredith felt no need to step in as she idly let him parent the way he did.

Their children however were completely unlike them. Jack, Katie, and Lucas stuck together doing their best to keep each other safe rather than leaving each other alone to face things themselves. They were kind and empathetic to each other and other people because none of them wanted others to feel the way they felt. None of them wanted to be like their parents and did everything they could to make the world a better place, from activities, to volunteer work to just helping random people because they all knew how terrible it could be sometimes. Being the oldest, Jack took the brunt of the punishment in order for his siblings to face less. But when he turned 18 he knew he couldn't stay any longer. No matter how much he loved his siblings, for his own sake, he had to go, no matter how much he wanted to take them with him. And so he left.

Lucas was 12.

It was then that Katie tried to step up to protect Lucas just as Jack had done for them but as Lucas got stronger he instead stepped in to protect Katie even if it meant he got hurt more. But that didn't last long as two years after Jack left at age 18, Katie did too. She cried the day of her birthday as she packed her bags to leave and go live with some of her friends. She wanted to take Lucas with her, she told him she'd find a way to get him out, but Lucas refused. Jack had tried the same thing and Lucas remembered how their parents made his life a living hell until he stopped. Lucas, still trying to protect his sister, told her that he was strong. Strong like Luther Hargreeves, his hero and inspiration. Strong like he was in all the comics she and Jack gave him since he was six. He didn't want her life to be difficult because of him and he would be okay. And so she left.

Lucas was 14.

And so Lucas was all alone, with four years left til he too could leave and never look back. But until then he was stuck in his shitty situation. He stayed away from home as much as possible to try and minimize his time in his father's presence. Between school and sports and activities and friends he managed to stay away for the most part but not entirely. And it was on those days that he was stuck at home with no excuse or got home before his parents went to bed that times were tough. Very tough. But he never told anyone, not even his closest friend brushing stuff off as a thing he got from football or at the gym or being clumsy. Except for one night, when he was 16 and he finally came clean to one person. You.

June 16, 2017:

Today was a good day celebrating Lucas' 16th birthday.

Your friend group had a tradition of always saying yes to whatever people wanted to do for their birthday. It made for the best celebrations and always made the birthday person happy. And for Lucas, he decided he wanted to get away and go to the beach. And so you did. Getting up early everyone had piled into Dean's car and driven to Rockaway Beach. Together you swam in the warm salty water, collected shells on the sand, and even indulged Lucas in an impromptu game of capture the flag. You soaked in the sun and watched as Dean used a toy shovel to scoop up a tiny crab and fling it toward Kenny. It was hilarious. And once Lucas was satisfied with his beach day you moved on to the next thing.

And so after washing off in the bathrooms at the beach, you piled back into the car once more before coming back to the city and going to your favorite comic shop. You all scanned through all of the vintage comic collections looking for more Umbrella Academy comics for Lucas to take home and add to his collection, especially the ones that focused on Luther. Lucky for him you were able to find one, which of course you and all of your friends paid for him.

And then finally to end the day you went to the local arcade pizzeria to eat shitty pizza and play overpriced and definitely rigged games. And as you sat cramped together in a booth you presented your birthday gifts to Lucas. He loved every single one of them but you knew he really liked yours. You had gifted him an astronomy book that had Luther's signature in it. Granted, all you did was steal the book from Luther's room, but it's not like he was using it anytime soon and it made Lucas happy so what was the harm? As the day ended you had all gone your separate ways but you knew that you had given Lucas the best birthday you could. But as the night drew on, and you wrote about your day in your journal for Five to read one day, your phone began to ring.

Looking at the caller  ID you saw it was Lucas. It wasn't odd that he was calling you but the timing was. It was 11:18 pm. The latest he had ever called you before was 9 pm. Picking up your phone you could hear his voice on the other line.

"(Y/N)?" He questioned

He sounded out of breath and clearly upset.

"Lucas? Are you okay?" You asked concerned

"Can you come to the park?" He asked quickly "To the sitting area by the pond."

Something was off. Something was very off. You had never heard Lucas sound so panicked. Your heartbeat began to pick up its pace as you worriedly asked,

"Lucas, what's going on?"

"Please," he begged, "Please just come to the park."

He sounded like he was crying. There was no time for questions. Something was wrong and you needed to get to him. Immediately, you sprang from your seat and quickly replied,

"Don't move. I'll be there soon."

You could hear Lucas whimper a tiny sound of acknowledgment before the call ended. Rushing to your closet you quickly threw on a pair of shoes and a jacket before dashing out of your room and towards Reggie's office. Entering you looked around before finding the key to Hermes, the car the academy used to drive around in. Everyone was asleep at this point so no as was going to stop you from taking them. Running out of the office you transported your molecules outside and into the car. Placing the keys in the ignition you turned on the car and peeled out of the driveway behind the academy and onto the road toward the park. It took you practically no time and if Eudora had seen your reckless driving she would've been highly disappointed but the urgency was needed. Parking the car you immediately jumped out of it and ran down the pathways to the area he had told you to meet him. The park was dark and empty and your voice echoed throughout the area as you called,

"LUCAS? LUCAS?"

As you neared the area by the pond you could see a figure stand up and look your way.

"LUCAS!" You shouted

Quickly you spatial jumped over toward him but as you regained your focus and looked up at him the sight you saw shocked you. His face was wet with tears, streaks of dried blood ran from his nose and he had the beginnings of a black eye.

"Oh my god, Lucas what happened?!" You asked panicked

But instead of saying anything he just hugged you and began to cry. Wrapping your arms back around him your heart broke as you heard him sob into the quiet night. Just a few hours ago you both were having an amazing day together with your friends, what happened to make it go so wrong? Pulling away from the hug only slightly, you guided him over to one of the tables and had him sit down. Gently, you placed one of your hands over his black eye and made it colder in an attempt to quell the swelling and bruising. You could feel the wetness of his tears on the palm of your hand as he placed one of his hands over yours and pressed your cold hand against his eye more.

"Lucas, what happened? Who did this?" You softly asked

Lucas tensed up for a second. The fear of being honest was so ingrained in him that even the mere thought of opening up scared him. What if he was found out? How screwed would he be? But then he let out the breath that he was holding in and his shoulders dropped. He called you for a reason.

"M-m-my dad..." Lucas stuttered out "He did it."

His dad did this? Why the fuck would he do this? What reason did he have to harm his son like this? Not that any reason would be acceptable in the slightest but you needed to know what happened so you could help.

"What? Why?" You questioned more urgently

"Because I apparently got home too late." Lucas answered

"He did this because you were home too late? You've gotten home later before though." You mentioned

"I know...I- he's always changing his mind on what's allowed and not. It's always been like this..." Lucas responded sadly

Even with one eye covered, you could see his thousand-yard stare. You recognized that stare not only because you had caught glimpses of it on him before but because it was the same one you would get when you thought about the pain of your past. When he said it's always been like this he didn't just mean his dad changing his mind, he meant this. The injuries were not new. And that's when it clicked. The long sleeves in summer, the last-minute canceled plans, the way he would occasionally flinch if you approached him from behind or called his name too loud.

Your brain felt like it was running at a million miles per hour. Sadness and anger filled your system with adrenaline as you sprang to your feet and began to pace back and forth. You needed to help him. He didn't deserve this. Nobody did, but especially not your friend. Especially not when you could help.

"Oh my god, Lucas. We- we need to tell someone about this. We can go to Eudora, she's a cop-" You ranted your thoughts

"No- I-" Lucas tried to interject

"I mean I know the whole department. The detectives, the chief, the district attorney. They all like me and would be willing to help." You stated

As you paced past him Lucas grabbed your wrist catching your attention. You stopped and looked at him, tears in his eyes and the hand that held you visibly shaking.

"(Y/N), please. No." Lucas begged, his voice trembling "I can't go through the hell Austin put Jack through."

Jack was Lucas' older brother. You had met him a few times before he had moved out of Lucas' house but it was never for long. He was nice but also stand-offish, wary of people, and very protective of Lucas. But now it all made sense. You had no clue what type of hell Lucas was talking about but if he was begging you not to do anything you would put the subject aside for now. Even if you hated the thought of doing so, Lucas came first.

Relenting you sat down next to him once more, his hand still shakily gripping your wrist. And with a question nagging at your mind, you quietly asked,

"Dean is your best friend and Addison is your girlfriend so why did you call me?"

"Dean and Addison would be on a war path the minute I told them my dad did it regardless of whether I wanted them to or not." Lucas explained quietly "But you- I know you can keep a secret."

You looked at him confused and slightly concerned. How did he know you kept secrets? Did he know the truth and hadn't said anything?

"What makes you say that?" You asked

"When you talk about your past, you choose your words carefully so you don't lie, but I know you also don't tell the full truth. You have habits with seemingly no explanation like how no matter how old you are you insist on only 8 candles, the way you start to panic when it snows unexpectedly, or the way you grab onto people tightly if they walk too far ahead of you. Without fail, you refuse to leave the house on November 22nd every year but won't tell anyone why. Certain topics cause you to have a 1000-yard stare and I know on occasion you've hidden power-related injuries from the group." Lucas explained

You were taken back. He had seen all of that? You knew some of the things he mentioned were things you were actively hiding but you didn't expect him to notice. It seemed like none of your friends had noticed. And then there were other things you never realized you did. You grabbed onto people if they walked too far ahead? You would stare off blankly occasionally? He had noticed these things the whole time?

"You noticed all of that?" You questioned

"I did. Because it reminded me of myself." Lucas replied "And I don't know what it is and I don't expect you to tell me, but I know that whatever it is, it's something you feel you can't talk about. So I felt like...I felt like you would understand."

You did understand. Maybe not like how Lucas had experienced, but you held a lot of pain within you that you felt you couldn't talk about. You didn't know how people would feel or what they would think if you told them, especially your friends who knew the bare bones of your past. And for the people who knew a bit about your situation, like Diego, they already had their own biases so you'd never be able to have a true discussion with them. It was tough keeping all of your pain to yourself. You could feel tears come to your eyes as you somewhat understood how Lucas felt. How he was probably feeling now. Gently pulling your wrist out of his hand, you then took his hand in your own.

"Whatever you need, I'm here for you." You stated

"I just need you to hold on to this for two years. I'm used to it, I have strategies and I can get through. Once I turn 18 and get out there's nothing else my dad can do. And he never bothered Jack or Katie once they left and didn't bother him." Lucas explained "I don't know how he's going to react when he has no children to directly control but we'll get there when we get there. And if he does pull some shit I promise I'll let you get involved then."

"If that's what you want, that's what I'll do," You replied softly "But if you ever change your mind before then I'll help. Whatever you need I'll be here to support you."

Lucas looked at you. There was sadness in your eyes and the light of the lamp illuminated the tears that were beginning to form. There was something about seeing the pain reflected in your eyes whether from calling you out about your own secrets or finally admitting his that made him feel overwhelmed. He tried to hold it back, to not worry you further but sadness washed over him as he began to cry once more.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Lucas apologized through tears

"What are you sorry for?" You asked confused

"F-for crying and making you s-sad. For being scared an-and waiting this out. For not being st-strong enough to deal with i-it now." Lucas cried

Without even thinking, as those words left his mouth you let go of his hand and pulled him into a tight hug. You loved your friend dearly and to think he thought he needed to apologize for wanting someone to be there for him, for someone to let him be vulnerable, it broke your heart. He didn't deserve to feel this way. He never should've had to feel this way. You couldn't go back in time to change it, as much as you wish you had the power to, but you would do everything you could to help him now and going forward. As his head rested on your shoulder and tears stained your shirt, you stroked his hair gently trying your best to calm him. He wrapped his arms around you tightly once more, his body vibrating from the weight of his emotions. You had trouble breathing from the strength of his hold but it didn't matter. What mattered was Lucas.

"Lucas, you have no reason to be sorry." you cooed "You're the strongest person I know."

The strongest person you knew? Lucas couldn't believe it. There were way stronger people than him. He could think of a few but especially, one. Pulling back from the hug to look at you Lucas quietly questioned,

"As strong as Luther?"

"Stronger." You stated firmly

Now Lucas was especially confused. Not only was he the strongest person you knew, but he was stronger than Luther Hargreeves?

"How?" He asked

"Because even through all the unjustified malice you've faced you still choose to be kind." You answered softly "And there's a lot of strength that comes from still trying to be good even when everything seems so bad."

"I just don't want anyone to feel the way I feel or experience what I do." Lucas explained

"I know and if it means anything, you're doing a great job." You mentioned

"It does." Lucas replied before slumping against the picnic table and remarking "What a way to end my birthday, huh?"

You watched as he looked up at the dark sky above. The vast expanse of space covering the sky, but no stars to be seen with the lights of the city surrounding you. And then an idea hit you. Looking at the clock on your phone you saw it was 11:51 pm. You still had time. Quickly standing up, you exclaimed,

"Come with me, I have something to show you."

Lucas looked at you surprised but stood up anyway. Grabbing his hand, you ran off towards the hill at the center of the park, Lucas keeping pace with you. As the hill got closer you called back,

"Run to the top and look at the sky."

Lucas nodded his head and when you both got to the base of the hill he began to run up it. But when he saw you weren't following he stopped.

"Aren't you coming?" He questioned

"No, I need to be here." You quickly replied

You saw as Lucas still hesitated. Checking the time once more you saw it read 11:57. You were running out of time.

"Lucas trust me." You told him

Seeing the pleading sincerity in your eyes Lucas finally turned around and ran up to the top of the hill and looked up at the sky like you asked. Rushing over to the closest lamp post you dropped to your knees and phased your hand through the locked electric plate at the bottom. Placing your hands on the wiring inside you hoped you could recreate what you had done once before by accident. Looking at the clock once more you saw it said 11:59. It was now or never as you focused on the electricity inside the wires. Taking a deep breath you closed your eyes and then-

It was dark.

Lamp by lamp, building by building the lights shut off.

Lucas saw as the sky grew brighter and brighter. New stars became visible by the second as the world above illuminated with twinkling lights. It was so bright. It was so beautiful. He had never seen anything like this before except in pictures from his space books. Never did he think he would get to experience a sight like this let alone on his birthday. And as he watched a shooting star fly across the sky emotion overcame him again. A smile came to his face and tears welled in his eyes once more, not from sadness, but from joy. Closing his eyes, a few tears of joy ran down his cheeks as he made a wish on the shooting star above. When he was done wishing he opened his eyes and looked towards you, his friend who gave him the greatest gift of all.

Hope.

It would take time but Lucas knew from small moments like these, with the love and support of his friends, life could get better. No. Life would get better.

"(Y/N)!" Lucas called

You looked toward him trying to keep your focus on suppressing the city's electricity. It was taking all of your efforts, and you knew you couldn't hold it much longer.

"Make a wish!" He shouted excitedly pointing at the sky

Looking up you saw the same shooting star that Lucas had wished on and made a wish yourself. Closing your eyes, you wished that one day all of your friends would be with you and that they'd all be happy. Truly happy. As you finished your wish, you opened your eyes and looked up the hill toward Lucas.

"Happy birthday Lucas!" You shouted back

Lucas smiled. And as the lights of the city began to come back he knew that today was still a good day and with you as his friend, he knew no matter what every day after could be too.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is the story of Decano Francisco Sebastián Hernandez. Born December 4th, 2000 at 9:26 pm to Sebastián and Liliana Hernandez. With older brother Antonio and younger brother Matías, Dean was the forgotten second son. Although his mother attempted to show him he was remembered, he still did everything he could to try and climb into his father's graces and earn his praise. But as time went on Dean realized that praise would never come nor would his family fully remember that he was around. And even on the rare occasion they did, it was never as special as Antonio. He would always be second best.

He tried his best to accept it. If Diego Hargreeves from the Umbrella Academy could be number two and still be cool then he could too, right? He could still be a hero and make a change without his family's approval...no matter how much he wanted it. And so he worked and trained every day he could. His combat skills were much more than the average citizen, his knowledge of law, history, and mechanics was impressive for someone of his age and his archery skills became unmatched. But even with that he still compared himself to his older brother. Dean had far greater skills and knowledge but Antonio only had to exist to be number one. It felt unfair. He hated that he had no family to notice him.

That was until you came around. You noticed him. You noticed his skills, his knowledge, his talents. You saw it all and you praised him for it. The praise he had never gotten before. It was amazing. You were the closest thing he had to actual family.

No. You were his family.

You never rejected him, you never ignored him, you never not cared for him. You were his sister and he was your brother and together you were an unstoppable twin duo even if you weren't actually related. If neither of you had anyone else, you'd always have each other. Dean would protect all of his friends with his life, they were the family he chose, but especially for you. And especially after The Incident.

March 23, 2018:

School was boring today. In early March there's not much going on and today was no different. Typically, a slow school day with no tests or quizzes, or presentations was desirable, but after having days like this for the past 3 weeks it started to become mind-numbing. Dean was just itching for something to happen. But today was Friday which meant that he and the rest of your friend group had time to go off and do something exciting and he had the perfect idea.

For seven months at this point, your friend group had been going out across the city fighting crime just like the Umbrella Academy did. Just on a smaller scale. Dean and the rest of the group had received more in-depth training from you and they all learned how to work like a team. Each of you playing up each other's strengths and filling in the gaps where there were weaknesses. Together you ran like a well-oiled machine of seven highly competent fighters all under the direction of their talented and super-powered leader, you. And so like many other days as the final bell rang and your group of friends met up by the front doors of the school Dean proposed,

"So what do you guys say we take a little cruise around the city today? See what's up?"

Most of your friend group perked up with excitement at the thought. They loved going out to fight crime just like the Umbrella Academy did. They felt so cool and like their heroes. Hell, they didn't just feel like heroes, they WERE heroes. Even if nobody knew so besides the seven of you.

"That would be awesome!" Kenny exclaimed

"I've been dying for an adrenaline rush." Addison added

Dean felt excitement grow within him. Finally, the action that he had been looking for. He had heard rumors from some guy at his MMA club that there was some seriously shady business going on at the abandoned warehouse downtown. That would be the perfect place to shoot some arrows, fight some criminals, and get him out of this slump. Looking at the group as they all walked toward his car he shouted,

"Alright, the seven of us taking on the town once more!"

While the rest of your friends cheered for the adventure they were about to have, you gave a wary smile.

"What's that face for sis?" Dean questioned

"I don't think that's a good idea..." You mentioned reluctantly

"Why not?" Bren questioned confused

"I'm really tired." You replied

It was true, you were very tired. For years you had been working on some theories on how to use your powers to manipulate space-time. You had been tweaking one specific idea for the past 8 months now and you thought that you had gotten it to a workable place. All last night you had been trying to rip molecules apart in a specific fashion that would open a wormhole without creating a black hole. Over and over you tried again with no results, but then you started to get the hang of it and for one instance you could actually see something forming. It had been working up until the moment it snapped back closed causing a huge burst of energy and sending you flying into a wall knocking you out. When you woke up, your alarm for school was going off, your head hurt, and you felt mentally exhausted and physically tired. It was as if that burst of energy had knocked all of the energy out of you. You felt weak in a way you never had before. Granted, you had never pushed your powers to the point you did last night but you knew that you didn't have it in you to fight today. You had a regenerative nature to you so you knew that a day to relax and sleep in would fix you right up and you could go out fighting tomorrow, but today you just couldn't.

"I can't protect you guys as well as usual if I don't have the energy to." You added

"C'mon Ringmaster you've been training us constantly for eight months and we've been killing it every time we go out." Lucas reminded

"Yeah, but-" You began to say

"But nothing. We're practically professionals." Dean interjected

"If you want to take it easy this time when we go you can do that. I'm sure we can handle it." Viktoria suggested

As you all made it to Dean's car you stopped and stood in front of your friend group. It felt like they weren't listening to your concerns or what you were saying at all. You didn't have the energy to fight and you could not guarantee their safety like other times. The last thing you wanted was for something to go wrong because the outcomes were disastrous. Look what happened to Ben...

Most of the group was already his age. Hell, Bren had turned 17 nine days ago and Kenny had nine days until he turned 17. You were all around that age and it just put a bad taste in your mouth to have your concerns ignored.

"It's not about me wanting to take it easy. It's about me being at the power capacity to keep you safe." You emphasized, "We're not the Umbrella Academy."

"No, we're not the Umbrella Academy because we'll never be as cool as them." Dean stated, "But we sure are close!"

The rest of your friend group nodded ecstatically at Dean's sentiment as they all opened the back seat doors and slid into the car. Opening his door Dean looked at you as he asked,

"You coming?"

Letting out a reluctant sigh you knew you weren't getting out of this. You were just going to have to pool your strength as best you could and hope that you couldn't find any trouble around. Nodding your head you watched as Dean got into his seat before opening the passenger side door.

"They weren't even that cool..." You mumbled to yourself as you got in the car "They were lonely dorks who just happened to have powers..."

As you closed your car door Dean turned on the car and began to drive out of the high school parking lot. Speeding down the city streets he made his way toward the downtown sector of the city. And specifically toward the old abandoned warehouse that he had heard stuff about. If the rumors he heard were true there was some type of group or organization that was utilizing the warehouse to hide and guard something. As he approached the building, he slowed down and parked the car behind a dumpster. The anticipation built in him. Something big was going to happen he just knew it.

You however weren't excited about being here. From the times that you had spent in the police precinct waiting for Eudora to get off of work, you heard that there was some "underground" organization moving into the downtown area of the city. It was recent, so they didn't have enough evidence to confirm and were waiting on warrants to go investigate places such as this abandoned warehouse. You didn't feel right about being here but obviously, that was not the sentiment of everyone else.

You watched as they reached into bags and pockets pulling out the masks you had given them months ago and placing them on their faces. One by one, they got out of the car pumping each other up for what came next, but you lingered in your seat. Pulling Five's mask out of your bag you held it in your hands and stared at it. If he was here would he agree with this? Would he tell you to deny your gut feeling?

You knew the answer.

"You coming, Ringmaster?" Dean asked

You snapped out of your trance and looked away from the mask. To your right you saw your brother leaning over, the passenger door open, looking at you from behind the mask. Looking back at him you thought,

Dean, I don't know about this...

You don't have to come but the rest of us are going to go

From behind Dean, you could see the excited looks on your other friends' faces. Looking down at the mask in your hands once more you pushed your concerns down. Perhaps it would be alright. You had trained your friends well and they were competent in their abilities and working with each other. They were your friends and you trusted them with your life. Looking toward Dean you relented,

"Yeah. I'm coming."

Getting out of the car you closed the door behind you and placed the mask on your face. Things were going to be fine. Everything was going to be...

Fine.

And so you were off as you had done many times before. Going in solo, you scouted the building invisibly before reporting back.

"12 guys in total. Two are guarding the doors and the rest are inside. 8 in total are armed, the two at the door and then 6 more inside. Three of the men inside are arguing so tensions and adrenaline are high but it might give us the element of surprise since they're distracted with each other." You explained

"Not too bad," Bren mentioned

"We've definitely faced more guys before," Addison added

"So what's the plan?" Lucas asked

"Marksman and I will take out the armed guards swiftly and quietly. Once that's done I will sneak you all through the walls and to safe places to ambush. The first objective is for me to get the guns away from those that have them and then it's business as usual for everyone." You replied

And with the nodding of your friend's heads acknowledging your plan, you headed off. Taking Dean's hand you transported the two of you behind a parked car. A pinching feeling ran down your spine as you bit your tongue to keep yourself from making a sound. Peering very slightly through the windows of the cars you turned to Dean.

On my call, we take them out. I'll take left, you take right.

Dean nodded his head back as you shifted yourself closer to the front of the car while he stayed behind the trunk. You took a moment to center your self and then you thought,

Now.

Both you and Dean popped up from behind the car, a knife and arrow immediately flying from your position across the alley towards the two guards and lodging in their hearts. You watched as the men collapsed to the ground, their guns dropping from their hands. Using your powers you swatted the guns out of their reach if they were even still alive to reach for them. And once more the shooting pain you felt a minute ago raced through your body and caused you to stumble for a second. Regaining your balance you rushed towards one of the men on the ground and pulled your knife from his chest while Dean ripped his arrow from the other one. Tapping the one next to you with your foot you saw there was no response or reflex. Two fewer guys to worry about.

With the coast clear you waved the rest of the group over to you. Carefully, they snuck over and arrived at the doors with you and Dean. Grabbing onto Kenny and Bren's wrists you flashed them inside and behind a large boiler of sorts quietly making hand motions to signify for them to stay there and keep quiet. Returning back to the front door, you stumbled a bit as you materialized in front of the group, your knees feeling slightly weak. Grabbing onto Lucas and Addison, you repeated the process for them as well, placing them behind a pallet of crates and giving them silent instructions before going back and repeating the process once more for Dean and Viktoria.

With all of your friends in place, you moved yourself to a different location behind the group of gang members and hid behind a pillar out of view of everyone. You leaned up against it for support and you could feel your stomach begin to churn in such a way that you were becoming nauseous. Pressing your back against the wall you slowly slid to the floor and your arms wrapped tightly around your waist. As you sat there waiting for your gut to settle you could feel the sensation of something running down from your nose. Wiping your nose with the back of your hand you could see a slight trail of blood. Great. A bloody nose. Using your powers you slightly cauterized your nostril which did get the bleeding to stop but it also made your stomach jump. You just wanted to get this over with so you could rest for a while.

Peering around the corner you could see the few men from before talking as the others stood by. Closing your eyes you took a deep breath as you focus on the guns in the room. Most of them were holstered either on the hip or inside a jacket except for one man who held his weapon in his hand. One by one you used your powers to melt the holstered weapons to the point that they would be unusable. You knew that the molten plastic and metal were going to hit the skin of the men with holstered guns very soon so, to cause a distraction you finally melted the gun that was being held directly in hand. Poor guy decided on an all-metal one though. Oh well. The gun immediately turned into molten metal that had a bright orange glow. The man who held the gun cried out in pain as the others became distracted and turned to look. The action of the turning spilled the molten liquid from the other guns onto the men carrying them while the 6 unarmed men looked on in confusion.

As you tried to stand up a searing pain ripped through your thigh causing you to stumble back down, before finally forcing yourself up. You leaned against the wall you hid behind as you could feel your other nostril start to bleed and pain stab in your side. Taking deep breaths you tried to concentrate on the task at hand and push past your physical pain. And it was at this point with all of the men distracted that the rest of your friends sprung into action.

Quickly, Dean shot off two arrows taking out two of the men and causing them to drop to the floor. Addison had convinced a guy to run away from her only to be surprised picked up by Lucas and slammed into the concrete ground below. Viktoria had found some type of pipe and slammed it against the kneecaps of one of the men sending them to the ground before cracking it against their skull. The sounds of clanging metal and crackling of bone rang through the air like a loud soundwave. Kenny went back and forth fighting with one guy before finally managing to grapple him and bash his head repeatedly into the ground while Bren use his whips to grab and snap the neck of two other guys. In a matter of a few minutes what was once a room of ten men was dwindled down to three.

You finally stepped out from behind the pillar as you became more aware of your surroundings and the damp humidity of the space making itself known. It gave you an idea. Looking at one of the men left standing you pulled the water molecules from the air and redirected them into the body of the man before you. Slowly the water molecules began to fill his lungs as he gasped for air finding none. You pulled more moisture from the air and into his body as he began to drown from the inside. You watched as he doubled over pressing on his gut and trying to cough up water but it was no use as you began to fill the rest of his organs with water. His body began to swell from the fluids as foamy blood ran from his nose and mouth. And then he collapsed. Dead.

As he dropped though, so did you. You fell to your knees as you felt a tearing pain rip across your right forearm. You couldn't see what had happened though as your jacket covered the skin and before you could get a chance to tug it up you saw a man rushing towards you. With a flick of your hand, you sent him crashing into a nearby pillar, his head and neck crunching against the concrete, but you could feel a tearing sensation rip across your collarbone as you did so. You grunted in pain as you reached a hand up to touch the area, only to be met with the sight of blood as you pulled your hand back to look at it. You stared blankly at the red on your fingertips. This had never happened before.

But then you heard the sound of fleeting footsteps. Looking up you saw as the last man began running towards an exit, Bren quickly pursuing him. You watched as the man slowed slightly as he passed a large gas tank and everything that came next felt like it was in slow motion. You saw as the man pulled out a lighter and tossed it into the tank that Bren was about to pass. You didn't even notice as you pushed yourself up from the ground, your body reacting on instinct as you shouted,

"BREN!"

Flashing in front of him you pushed him to the ground behind you before turning your body towards the tank. Mustering all your strength you forced your powers to work overtime blocking the explosion from harming your friend. Energy coursed through your body as you tried to redirect the explosion and flames away from him. Searing pain ripping across multiple parts of your body until all you could feel was the sensation of your body being torn apart. You could feel the energy of the explosion dwindle and as you looked back, you caught a glimpse of Bren's terrified face before the world went blurry and then completely back.

From across the large warehouse floor, the rest of the group heard the sound of an explosion and a blood-curdling scream, and then...

Nothing.

There was of course the crackling of some flames but nothing else except haunting silence. Dean looked around before seeing Bren across the room kneeling in front of something. Concern shot through his body. What if it wasn't a something? Taking off toward Bren, Dean's heart raced but as he approached he was met with a horrific sight. There he saw the corpse of the last man burnt to a crisp, but that's not what terrified him. It was seeing Bren frozen in fear as he kneeled in front of a separate body.

Yours.

Rushing toward you, Dean dropped to his knees by your side as Bren remained frozen. Blood ran from your nose and seeped through parts of your clothing as you lay still on the ground, the area surrounding you and Bren blackened and charred. Your mask had fallen from your face only to reveal your eyes were closed. Grabbing your shoulders he gently shook you calling,

"(Y/N)?"

But when he received no response he shook you harder. This wasn't funny. You needed to get up now. Harder and harder he shook trying to wake you, but it wasn't working. His heart began to race and he could feel his hands shake as he held your face in them.

"C'mon sunshine, open your eyes." He begged, his voice cracking "Open your eyes please. I need you to."

The rest of the group found their way over to you as Kenny and Lucas saw the scene first. This wasn't good.

"Oh shit," Kenny said turning on his heel to go grab his medical bag from the car

"Don't look." Lucas exclaimed quickly pulling Addison and Viktoria in towards him shielding their eyes from the sight

Dean picked your motionless body up and held you tightly in his arms as he sobbed. This was all his fault. You told him you were uncomfortable and he let his own wants outweigh your concerns. And now here you lifeless in his arms. He was a failure of a brother. He promised himself he would keep you from getting hurt and yet he was the one who caused you to get hurt.

"I-I killed her." Dean cried, tears streaming down his face and leaving behind messy streaks "It's my fault I killed her."

The rest of the group recoiled in pain hearing those words. No. You couldn't be dead. They needed you.

Rushing back over with his med bag Kenny dropped to his knees next to Dean.

"Dean I can help. Let me help." Kenny stated trying to pull you from Dean's arms

"Back off!" Dean shouted pushing Kenny away

Kenny knew Dean's emotions were getting the best of him. He wasn't thinking straight and it was actively preventing you from getting help which is the opposite of what you needed right now. Kenny hated to do it, and he knew he would face Dean's ire at some point for it but he didn't care. You were his main concern right now. Looking back at Lucas, Kenny commanded flatly,

"Grab him."

Lucas hesitated for a second but saw the seriousness on Kenny's face. Stepping away from Addison and Viktoria, the two girls grabbed onto each other for support as Lucas wrapped his arms around Dean's waist and pulled him away from you and Kenny pulled your limp body from his arms.

"No No No!" Dean yelled, "Let me go!"

"I'm sorry." Lucas apologized pulling Dean further away from you

"LET ME GO!" Dean shouted

He needed to get back to you. He had to be there for you. You hated being alone. He wasn't going to let you be alone. He promised you so. Kicking Lucas in the shin, Lucas momentarily loosened his grasp enough for Dean to break free, but as began to run back toward you he was tackled to the ground. Lucas held his body against the floor, his face pressed against the cold concrete. And from where he laid he could see you. With one arm that he was able to get free, he reached out to you even though he knew he was too far to reach.

"THAT'S MY SISTER!" Dean cried out "GET OFF ME! THAT'S MY SISTER!"

Tears silently fell from Lucas's eyes as he held his best friend down. he knew how much Dean cared for you and he hated having to hold him down like this. Dean's shouts and cries were filled with heartbreak and pain that all of them were experiencing and it only made him feel worse for not allowing Dean to have the comfort of being near you.

"She's our friend too, Dean..." Lucas said, his voice cracking as he spoke

Dean did not respond and continued to cry out for you, but Lucas knew Kenny wouldn't be able to work on you if Dean wouldn't let him get close and so all Lucas could do was keep Dean tackled and hope that maybe he would calm down.

"I'M SORRY (Y/N)! I'M SO SORRY!" Dean wailed, his pleas echoing across the room

Kenny tried his best to tune Dean out as he was distracting him from providing you medical attention. Pulling out a stethoscope Kenny placed it in his ears and put the flat portion against your chest. Dean was wrong. You weren't dead. You had a pulse, but it was low. Very low. Same with your breathing. It was shallow. But you were still alive. Kenny had been in plenty of high-stress situations before in terms of medical crises, but this was different. This wasn't some stranger, this was you. His friend. Nevertheless, he had to put his emotions to the side and think of something quick. He couldn't let it get any lower or else there would be severe complications. Quickly wrapping up the cuts on your collarbone, arm, and waist he now needed to get your heart rate up. Flying by the seat of his pants he reached into his bag and pulled out a syringe and a vial of epinephrine. Pulling the syringe out of its sterile packaging, he placed it within the vial and pulled out 0.6 milliliters of epinephrine into the syringe. The standard dose in most cases was 0.3, but you were not a normal human and therefore he believed that following most standard procedures was not going to be beneficial. Pressing the depressor he made sure all the air was out of the needle before taking a deep breath and lining up the needle between two of your ribs and pressing it down directly into your heart.

Was it the best plan? No. Was it the standard? No. Did it present risks that would not come up in a typical case? Yes. But you were different. Unlike most people, you had a quickened regenerative factor, and he believed that as long as he could keep you alive your body would do the rest.

As he released the epinephrine into your system, he slowly pulled the needle back out, placing it back in the sterile packaging and into an empty pocket of his bag. Placing the stethoscope to your chest once more he could hear your heartbeat pick up its pace more and your breathing steadied out. With your vitals seemingly stabilized, for now, Kenny began to figure out the severity of your unconsciousness. Pulling out a mini flashlight he lifted up each of your eyelids and shined it into your eyes but found that your pupils were not responding to it. Kenny tried to get the limbs of your body to move but the only time they would do so was through intrinsic reflexes. And on top of it, even if unconscious there was no reaction to the needle he had just put in your chest.

"Oh, that's not good." Kenny said to himself

Slowly Bren, who had been kneeling there silently the whole time, looked over and asked,

"What's wrong?"

Kenny could see the look on Bren's face. Kenny knew his best friend since birth better than anyone else and it was evident that he was completely broken by this sight. Bren was blaming himself and while Kenny wanted to comfort his best friend he couldn't confidently reassure or comfort him until he knew you were okay.

"She's not just unconscious. She's comatose." Kenny answered trying to mask the concern in his voice "But I have some old medical equipment that my job let me take to practice using at home."

Standing up Kenny turned on his heel to face the rest of the group as he stated firmly,

"She's alive but we need to get her to my house now."

Lucas finally stood up which allowed Dean to spring to his feet and rush over toward where Kenny stood, the rest of the group quickly following behind.

"I'll drive." Dean stated, pulling his keys out of his pocket

"You're not driving." Kenny rejected

"It's my car!" Dean shouted

"I said you're NOT driving!" Kenny yelled back "You are in no condition to drive now give Lucas the keys!"

Dean grasped his keys firmly in his hands. Why didn't Kenny get it? He needed to be the one to do these things. He needed to help somehow to make it up to you. This was his fault. He was the one who caused this and now he had to try and figure out a way to fix it and he wasn't letting him.

Seeing how Dean was not relenting, Addison stepped forward and put herself in between Kenny and him. Grabbing his face she made sure that he was looking her directly in the eyes.

"See that fire? It's spreading, this place will come down on us if we don't leave including your unconscious sister and I can bet that police are probably headed this way due to the sound of an explosion. If we don't leave we're going to have more than a medical emergency on our hands so give Lucas the keys NOW." She commanded

Dean attempted to look away and tried to fight the urge to listen to her but he just couldn't seem to do so. She was too persuasive and he never knew how to not do what she said. Tossing the keys to Lucas, Dean looked behind Addison at Kenny and said,

"At least let me carry her."

"Fine." Kenny replied urgently "Now, we need to go!"

Placing your mask in his pocket, Dean scooped you up in his arms as he quickly carried you out to his car with the rest of the group with him. Lucas slid into the driver's seat while Addison and Viktoria shared the passenger seat and then Bren, Kenny, and he sat in the back seat with you laying across their laps. Lucas, who was typically a more responsible driver than Dean was, actually sped away from the warehouse and back to Kenny's house. Dean carried you inside and placed you on Kenny's bed as he and the rest of the group stood by and watched as Kenny pulled out some medical machinery and hooked it up to you along with putting a clear tube in your arm that dripped some clear liquid into it.

"What is this stuff?" Lucas asked

"That's an EKG heart monitor machine and this is a pole for the saline drip so she doesn't get dehydrated or lose important nutrients while she's unconscious," Kenny responded as he fiddled with the saline drip bag

"How did you get this stuff?" Viktoria asked

"My job just upgraded the stuff we had, and it's still functional so I took the old machines. Just in case." Kenny explained

"And the saline?" Addison questioned

"You can buy medical grade saline electrolyte solution in bulk on Amazon. I sometimes like to saline drip myself as I sleep after a night out 'cuz it diminishes the hangover the next day." Kenny added

As Kenny finished up and moved away Dean pulled up Kenny's desk chair next to the bed and sat in it. Brushing a strand of hair from your face, he looked down at your unconscious form and quietly asked,

"How long will she be like this?"

"Some people wake up in a few hours. For some people, it takes.....longer." Kenny responded quietly

"Well, then I'm gonna wait here until she does," Dean replied

"I don't know I think someone else should take the first watch, Dean." Kenny mentioned

"No." Dean retorted "I can't let her be alone. She gets scared when she's alone."

"Okay, so we'll rotate so she's not alone," Viktoria suggested

"No." Dean rejected once more

Lucas could see how poorly Dean was doing. He had stopped crying but he had sadness in his eyes and his tone was filled with worry. Placing a hand on Dean's shoulder, Lucas looked down at his best friend and tried to comfort saying,

"Dean it's not your fault. We couldn't have anticipated it."

"But it is my fault." Dean replied, "I'm the one who pushed going when she said we shouldn't."

"Dean, we all encouraged going," Addison stated

"And if it's anyone's fault it's mine." Bren mentioned quietly "I was the one who was in harm's way and if I didn't pursue that guy it wouldn't have happened."

"But I'm her brother." Dean stated, "I should've listened from the start...and now this is my karma...and I'm going to stay by her side no matter how long it takes."

The rest of the group knew there was no convincing him otherwise. Dean was Dean, loving yet stubborn. Seeing as nothing was going to change anytime soon the rest of the group knew that the only thing they could do was sit and wait.

"Okay, if you need us we'll be in the den, I guess." Lucas replied as he walked out the bedroom door with the rest of the group

And with the door shut, Dean took your hand in his as he said quietly,

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

Hours passed and then days as your friends waited worriedly hoping for you to wake up. No one left Kenny's house, and instead, they resorted to sleeping in different places. With Kenny's mom away on a business trip, Lucas and Addison slept in her bed. Viktoria took the air mattress and Bren and Kenny each took a couch. Kenny would go into his room to check on you at regular intervals and make sure you were still okay and each time he did so Dean's eyes would watch intently hoping for any sign that you were waking up. The rest of your friends would rotate in every once in a while they had the emotional capacity to do so, but Dean never left your side except to go to the bathroom. And he'd only ever do that if someone else was there. With each day he became worse for wear as he forced himself to stay awake in case you woke up and needed an explanation. But exhaustion is something that can only be fought for so long and Dean had fallen asleep. But on Monday morning, three days after the events at the warehouse, Dean who had fallen asleep was woken up by his alarm on his phone of Heat of the Moment by Asia. But as his, eyes opened he could see yours open too.

You put a hand over your eyes to cover them from the bright light of the morning sun pouring through the window.

"What the fuck..." You mumbled

"You're awake. Oh my god, you're awake!" Dean exclaimed sitting upright

"Are we late for school?" You asked slowly sitting up

Tears welled up in Dean's eyes seeing you with your eyes open. You were here now. You were okay. Moving from his seat he immediately went to hug you as he replied choked up,

"We're not going to school today. I'm just so glad you're awake."

It was then that you began to remember the events that had occurred. You and your friends had all gone out to "save the day" and Bren almost ended up getting hurt. You had jumped in front of him and then after that, it was all black. You had told them it wasn't a good idea and you were about to say so when you smelled a pungent stench of body odor

"Dude, when was the last time you showered?" You gagged

"Three days ago." Dean replied still hugging you tightly

"Gross." You remarked, gently pushing him away

Seeing more clearly, you could see how red and puff his eyes were, shiny lines where tear streaks had run down his face, and his messed up appearance. Knowing your brother, you knew he blamed himself for this. He was taking on all the blame for you getting hurt even if that wasn't the case, and you could only imagine how many times your friends had tried to tell him the same. You let out a soft sigh as you took your brother's hand in your own.

"I'm okay now." You whispered

"I'm sorry." Dean replied quietly, his gaze turned away from yours

"You don't need to be sorry we couldn't have known, but if it makes you feel better I forgive you." You replied

Dean turned his head back to look at you as he gave you a small smile. Things were going to be okay. As you held your sibling's hand you could hear the door open as Kenny exclaimed,

"(Y/N)! You're awake! Guys (Y/N) is awake!"

Immediately the rest of your friends ran up the stairs and into the room as you were flooded with chatter and hugs from them all.

"Oh my god! you're okay!" Addison exclaimed

"Yeah, yeah. I just needed a power nap." You joked sarcastically "But next time you fuckers listen to me when I say no, I can't today."

"We will." Dean stated, "I'll make sure of it."

"I know you will." you replied giving him a smile "Because you're a good brother."

Dean gave a small smile. He was a good brother but this was never going to happen again, not if he could help it. He was going to be the best brother.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is the story of Addison Pheobe Evans. Born July 27th, 2001 at 10:13 am to James and Taylor Evans. Everything was just perfect in their life. Their marriage was perfect. They had been college sweethearts and met during their orientation college tour. They dated all four years and then got married soon after. And then they bought a perfect home. A large two-story house with high ceilings and white walls. A high chandelier in the entranceway, rigid beige furniture, and decor that was curated for the current trend filled the rooms. And then they had their perfect family. One older son Caleb, and a year and a half later a younger daughter, Addison. They had the perfect nuclear family in the perfect picket fence house in the perfect gated community. There was not one thing out of place and there would never be anything that wasn't perfect in the Evans household.

Including the people.

From day one the standards were set high for Addison. You MUST be perfect. You must get perfect grades. There was no room for laziness in the Evans household. You must look presentable at all times. If you did not look like you could host guests at the drop of a hat then you were not up to the dress standards for the Evans household. You must excel in any activities you do and those activities must be respectable. People had to see how talented and successful the children in the Evans household were. You had to make others jealous of how perfect life was by being an Evans because if you weren't perfect you weren't anything.

She had seen the shitstorm her older brother Caleb had to deal with when he brought over his girlfriend, whom her parents did not vet, to see if they were permissible to be with him. Apparently, she was perfect in terms of grades, activities, looks, and manners but the only issue was that her family lived in an apartment. Addison knew it was superficial, but because that girl wasn't perfect to her parents she wasn't good enough for Caleb.

Addison had to have her friends be interviewed to see if they could go over to her house to hang out, but the only people she felt confident would be acceptable to her parents were you and Viktoria. She was right but it was awful to put you both through an interrogation just to have you enter her home. And when Lucas asked her out she said yes but told him that he'd have to go ask her parents first before they could officially go out. Fortunately enough he passed in their eyes but the standards of perfection made her life a living hell.

The only times she felt she could be herself were when she was out of her parents' view. She preoccupied herself with being anywhere but home. They were the times she was happiest. But still, she wished she could be like Allison Hargreeves, have powers to make everything she did perfect without the effort by just speaking it into existence. Life would be so much easier.

It was immense stress on her but Addison managed to be "perfect". She did everything her parents expected of her, but it made her nervous. She was constantly worried, looking over her shoulder for the time that she would not be perfect. The time when she would fail at being an Evans.

July 30, 2015:

It had been three days since Addison's birthday, and three days since her parents had told her that they had enrolled her in Aria Cadence's Music Performance Camp. Addison was so excited at the prospect of going to the camp and she had told everyone in your friend group about it. And when she found out that Viktoria was going as well her excitement grew even more. The performance camp was one of the most renowned summer programs in the area and the ability to go to it was an honor.

But as she was planning for a month of music and theatre and performing her skills, her parents had given her a condition in terms of her participation in this camp. Get the leading role in the camp theatre performance or else they would pull her from the camp. The excitement she had felt for the past three days had drained in an instant as anxiety filled her brain. Wanting the comfort of someone with her she invited you over and you sat on the floor scrolling on your phone as she slowly packed her bags for the camp. As she stood in her closet you asked aloud,

"You still excited about your camp?"

Addison paused. She used to be excited, but now all she was was a bundle of nerves. She wasn't going to say no though. She wanted comfort but she didn't want to get into the details of why.

"Yeah, it's a month-long of musical fun." Addison answered, "At least that's what their website says."

"I mean, you'll have Viktoria too so even if it somehow sucks at least you've got a friend." You remarked

"True." Addison replied turning to look at you, "I still don't get why you don't want to go."

You looked up from your phone and gave her an expression that was a mix of annoyance and disgust. You hated rich kids. Granted, you too were rich and always had been. You were at the level of having fuck you, fuck around, and find out money but your parents taught you that someone's wealth was not as important as their character. What mattered most was how a person treated others, the good they put in the world, and the value of their character and beliefs.

"What? And be surrounded by a bunch of pretentious, talentless, rich kids whose parents bribed their way in?" You complained "Yeah no thanks. You know how I get around other rich kids."

"Aggressive," Addison commented

"Hate them." You stated firmly

Turning around the face you, Addison looked at you confused. You had never explained your reasoning behind disliking other rich kids and anyway, the more she got you to talk about yourself the less likely she'd have to talk about her own issues.

"Why?" She asked,

"As you know before I transferred to Argyle Public Middle School I went to Argyle Academy from kindergarten to seventh grade. I was surrounded by pretentious assholes who bullied me for being nice and quiet and smart. After a while of that, you develop a certain attitude toward those types of people." You explained

"Right, well it looks like you're not getting a rich boyfriend, huh?" Addison teased

You rolled your eyes at her statement. Money was the last of your concerns when it came to getting a boyfriend. Your first concern was hoping he came back...

"I don't care how much money a potential partner has or makes." You retorted "Love is not about money, it's about mutual respect, dedication, and connection."

"That's true." Addison replied, "But still when are you going to get a boyfriend?"

"When he falls from the sky, Addison." You remarked

It was a highly unlikely scenario that the "perfect" guy would just fall from the sky and become your boyfriend and Addison knew that. How was she ever going to do cute couple things, like double dates with you if you didn't have one?

"But (Y/N)!" Addison whined, "I want to go on a double date."

"I'm not gonna date just anyone so you can have your double date." You replied, "No one around is my type."

"Well, it's going to be hard to find a dark-haired, smart, sad boy with daddy issues and a good heart who might also have superpowers." Addison explained, "Who also really likes their girlfriend."

"That's not my type..." You mumbled looking away

It was absolutely your type though. How she peered into your mind and described Five without mentioning him by name was intimidating and you didn't like how she understood your own psychology better than yourself. It was a scary power to have. Granted, the only part she got wrong was the really liking his girlfriend part. Yeah, you were a girl and his friend and he liked you but it wasn't like that...

"Oh really?" Addison questioned sarcastically "Tell that to the numerous fanfictions you have open on your phone of redeemed Zuko, Robin from Teen Titans, and Spider-Man."

"I don't like being put on blast like this."  You snapped back

And then somehow, in the middle of your frustration, it hit you. You had asked her about camp and she somehow deviated that conversation into your non-existent love life. She was deflecting. And when she deflected, something was wrong.

"Wait! You're deflecting onto me." You remarked, "You always do this when you're worried about something."

Addison's eyes when wide as she realized you saw through her conversational ruse. Shit.

"No!" She exclaimed

"Yes!" You shouted back before asking "What is it?"

Addison paused. She knew she wasn't going to be able to deflect again because now you were on notice about it. Letting out a defeated sigh she quietly mentioned,

"I'm worried about the camp."

"Why?" You asked, "It's the camp you've been begging to go to and Viktoria is going to be there too so what is there to worry about?"

"My parents." Addison answered

"What about them?" You inquired

Addison slumped down in front of her dresser, sitting defeated on the floor as she looked over at you. Her head fell into her hands as she explained,

"My parents told me that if I don't get the lead in the camp's musical performance they're pulling me out of it because it would be embarrassing for the family for me to be at such a prestigious camp and not have a worthy role."

Anger began to form within you as you heard that statement. How dare they. How dare her parents present her with an amazing opportunity as a fucking birthday present, A GIFT, and then dangle it over her head like a carrot if she doesn't live up to some pre-determined standard.

"That's bullshit and you know it." You snapped

Addison didn't say anything though. She didn't even lift her head from her hands to acknowledge that you had said something. Her parents had such a grip on her that she was now obviously reeling from this. You needed her to recognize the truth though, this was bullshit.

"Addison look at me and tell me you know that's bullshit." You stated

Slowly, Addison lifted her head. It took her a moment, but quietly she spoke,

"I know it's bullshit..."

"Your parents are so superficial and egotistical that even Narcissus would pull his gaze away from the water to tell them to chill." You ranted

You were right. She knew you were right, but god it was hard to say so. She was so nervous. Her parents' judgment loomed over her just as it had for her entire life. What if she couldn't do it? What if she failed and became an embarrassment to her family name? Her parents still held things Caleb had done wrong over his head, and she saw how it hurt him. It was wrong, she knew so, but she also didn't want to be next.

"I just- what if I don't get the role? What if there's someone better?" Addison questioned

"Addison Pheobe Evans I don't know anyone as talented as you are." You reminded

"Really? Look at yourself, you can sing and dance and play the piano." Addison retorted frustrated

"Yes, but those were my parents' interests that they introduced me to and I just so happened to fall in love with them too." You mentioned "But theatre? You chose that. That's all you, Addi."

"It's never enough..." Addison complained looking away from you, "I do everything to make them happy and it's never fucking enough."

Letting out a small sigh, you got up from where you sat on the ground and walked over to where Addison sat before crouching down in front of her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, as nicely as you could make it sound, you said,

"Addi, I say this with so much love for you, but your parents don't love you."

Addison's head turned to look back at you hearing your statement.

"Huh?"

"Your parents don't love you, Addi. They love the idea of you." You elaborated gently "They didn't want children to raise them, they wanted children for show purposes to fulfill society's expectations of what the perfect life is. Your parents don't care about your happiness, they care about how they look to others and treat you and Caleb like decorations to make themselves look better."

Your words hurt. She knew you were only telling it how you saw it and you had never been wrong about things before, but it wasn't something she wanted to hear. For so long she at least believed that her parents' love could be conditional even if she believed conditional love was wrong. But now you had presented her with reality. A reality that she had been trying to avoid.

Her parents didn't love her.

They had no capability to love her, only themselves.

"It's not fair." Addison complained, "I wish I had Allison's power so I could rumor myself into a better life."

You were not surprised by her reaction to your words. The anger made sense, but you were taken aback by her statement. Allison's power, just like any power, was not something to be taken lightly. There were serious consequences if they were misused and the ability to control a person's mind just with one simple statement was a slippery slope that could lead to dangerous places if a person was cautious. One simple request could quickly turn into a series of more controlling ones.

"You don't want that." You replied firmly

Ugh! What did you know? You thought you were so knowledgeable on powers just because you had them. Standing up from the floor she began to angrily pace across her floor.

"I do!" She shouted "If I could rumor people I could make my parents actually genuinely love me and my brother! Or I could rumor the camp director into giving me the leading role so my parents don't throw a hissy fit and pull me out. I want that ability to control my life, make it better."

Addison was being ridiculous. She didn't know what she was talking about. You knew that she wanted to become successful in her parents' eyes and in her own but she was never going to accomplish that with the mentality she was having right now. You needed to get her to truly see what she was suggesting. Standing up you looked at your pacing friend and in a serious tone stated,

"Well, I guess you'll never be successful then."

"What do you mean?" Addison questioned, "Of course, I would be successful."

"It is really success if you never earned it?" You suggested

Addison paused.

"I- I mean-" She began to stutter out

"Because the way I see it if you had Allison Hargreeves rumor power, and you rumored people into giving you what you want you're not earning it, you're forcing it to be given to you." You explained

"But-" She tried to interject

You didn't let her though as you wanted to finish getting your point across to her. You felt bad as what you were doing was a bit harsh but she needed to hear it before she continued to bemoan the fact that she couldn't force people into doing what she wanted solely because her hero could do so.

"You will have proved nothing in terms of talent and any 'success' you have will always be hollow." You remarked "And one day you'll look back and realize nothing you got was actually yours and you will never know if it could've genuinely been yours."

Addison stopped. Once again you were right. God, she hated how you were always right, but you were. And if she had Allison's rumor ability, and made people give her roles to appease her parents' ideals of her, she would never be earning the parts. Just taking them. Why did life have to be so difficult? Why couldn't it just be easy and perfect? Allison's life was easy and she was perfect. Why couldn't she have that?

"I just wish I could be perfect like her..." Addison whispered looking down at the ground disappointed

You placed a reassuring hand on your friend's shoulder. As much as you wanted to explain to her how that was most likely wrong you didn't want to accidentally make things about yourself by talking about your past. This was about Addison and no one else. And so the best you could do was be supportive and work around the topic.

"I can promise you that she is not perfect. No matter how good it looks from the outside everyone has something going on. And with powers, I can only guarantee that fact because this shit," You said creating a small ball of flame in your hand "Only complicates life more."

"But her life looks perfect and I want mine to be too," Addison replied bringing her gaze to meet yours

"Addison, your parents want a 'perfect' life, is that really what you want? The same thing as your parents?" You questioned

"I don't know..." She replied quietly

"Removing your parents from the equation what would you change about your life?" You asked

Addison thought for a moment. If she excluded her parents there wasn't anything she could think of to change. She loved her brother, her friends, her boyfriend, and her life as it existed outside the realm of her parents' judgment. She loved it as it was.

"Nothing." She replied

"Then your life is already exactly how you want it to be." You responded kindly "You don't need to try and copy someone else's or have a superpower to make it any better."

Addison smiled as you brought her into a tight hug. You didn't want your friends to doubt themselves or try to change because of what their parents thought. That didn't work out well the first time and you weren't going to let it happen again. History would not repeat itself because you loved your friends and you were going to make sure they knew they were amazing and loved as they are.

"I believe in you, and all you need to do is believe yourself the same way." You said as you hugged her "You're perfect as you are and anyone who actually loves you can see that."

"Thanks, (Y/N)." She replied as she held onto you

After a moment, when it felt like Addison no longer needed a hug, you pulled back and gave her a wide smile.

"Now c'mon, you have a camp to pack for." You mentioned heading over to her closet "You're gonna need to look like a star after all since you're gonna get that leading role."

Addison smiled as she followed you to her closet to pick out clothes once more. You were a good friend and she was glad she had you to talk sense into her and keep her grounded. God only knows what kind of mess she'd put herself into otherwise without you here. Addison's life was great as it was, and with your reassurance, no one could tell her otherwise.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is the story of Kenneth Dearil Wagner. Born April 1, 2001 at 11:49 pm to Oscar and Clarissa Wagner. As an only child, he should've been his parents' focus. Unfortunately, that was not the case with his parents constantly arguing throughout his childhood. The shouting only stopped once his father walked out when he was seven. The screams still haunted him though. Like ghosts in his head.

During the day he was perfectly happy, especially when he was with his best friend and next-door neighbor Brendon Young. But when the sun set and it was time for bed the sound of those terrible fights returned plaguing his mind. If he tried to sleep he would have night terrors beyond compare and if he didn't he would experience severe insomnia for days. Seeing this his mom attempted to fix it by getting him a body pillow with an image of his hero Klaus Hargreeves in his Umbrella Academy uniform on it. She would tell him that Klaus would fight all the "ghosts" in his head as he slept. And when he was younger it really worked. He had Klaus to fight the ghosts and his mom down the hall to keep him safe.

But when he turned twelve his mom got offered a better-paying position at her job. The issue was that it was the night shift. Of course, she didn't want to leave her son, but she was a single mother and needed to make sure she could provide all that her beloved baby boy needed. Deciding that it would be better to have more money to take care of her only son she took the promotion and began leaving Kenny alone at night. If anything happened the Youngs were right next door anyway. But being alone in that empty house only made things worse for Kenny. While he still had Body Pillow Klaus, he was now completely alone. His night terrors got more terrifying and his insomnia grew worse. He was struggling and even his best friend Bren couldn't fix it, so he found a different solution.

He had overheard an eighth grader talking about how he had stolen some weed gummies from his older brother and had them in his backpack. Kenny had taken a drug prevention course in his health class and knew the possible outcomes of using weed. But honestly, at this point, he would give anything a try to get out of his own head, and without even thinking he very sneakily snuck the gummies out of the eighth grader's backpack and into his own. That night when bedtime came around he hesitantly took one, and for the first time since he didn't know when he actually felt at peace. His mind was calm and he was able to sleep well and from then on he never turned back.

The edibles helped him sleep at night and drinks from his father's abandoned alcohol stash kept him calm during the day. Granted he didn't let it affect his school work or his friendships, and he was always already a few days sober on the days he did his volunteer EMT job but together both items made life easier and helped him really open up with who he truly was.

But even though he had a supportive group of friends he needed more. He was still at home alone every night haunted by the ghosts of his past that hid around every corner. He could still hear the screams of his parents arguing even though both of them weren't present. He wanted to feel wanted. And so he went to parties. Became practically a king of the party scene and experimented more with some good results and some bad results. But at one party trying to forget his last few insomnia-ridden days he experienced one of the worst times he had so far.

May 22, 2016:

With his mom always working the night shift, Kenny was home alone a lot. But that lack of supervision turned out to be a blessing because it meant that whenever he wanted to, or more so needed to, he could just leave for a party. No questions asked, no lying necessary, just freedom to come and go as he pleased. And tonight was no different. He needed to get out of his house and needed to get out of his own head. And so, to a high school party hosted by one of the school's basketball players, he went. Consuming jungle juice, smoking what he knew to be sub-par weed, and making out with the Graves twins, Jasper and Jade, from the grade above him he was getting his mind off of things.

He had barely been sleeping, insomnia causing bad memories of the house he lived in to resurface. The shouting and screaming, the sounds of doors slamming, and the deafening silence when all was said and done. He could hear and see it all in his head even if it wasn't actually happening in front of him. But compared to the other times he had gone to a party to free his mind, this time, it wasn't working as well. And so he drank more jungle juice and smoked more sub-par weed. And the more he did so the more clouded his mind became. At first, it was a great feeling and he was having a good time, but as the night went on and he consumed more and more he began to feel ill.

Getting up from the couch he pushed his way out of the grasp of the Graves twins. As he walked away attempting to make it to the bathroom his view of the world doubled. It looked as if everyone had a twin. The world around him was spinning and the voices of the people he pushed past sounded muffled and distant. Kenny bumped into people and walls trying to find some type of support to keep him moving forward. As he finally found his way to the bathroom he saw no one inside. Thank god. Using that last bit of energy to push himself forward, he entered the room shutting the door and locking it behind him. But as he turned to approach the sink his legs could no longer hold him up. Falling towards the ground he hit his head on the side of the tub and everything went black.

Coming to, his eyes shot open and he sat upright, a chill running down his spine. But then all the feelings he had lacked laying cold on the floor flooded him at once. His head was pounding just like the distant sound of music playing outside the door. His vision was still blurred and seeing double. His muscles felt like jello and made him feel nervous to stand.

"You done fucked this time, Kenneth." Kenny said to himself as he leaned against the wall next to the toilet

He needed to get home, but there was no way he was getting home in this condition. The thought of standing up, let alone walking, was enough to make him nauseous. He needed help. Pulling his phone from his pocket, the screen lit up brightly causing searing pain to rip through his head. Quickly, turning the brightness down he struggled to type in his password but managed to do it before it locked him out. Tapping into the messages app he looked through the blurry names of the people he talked to who could help. He had his mom, but if he asked her to come get him he would never be able to leave the house again. Lucas, Addison, and Viktoria were definitely all asleep, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't be able to sneak out if they tried. Dean was probably asleep and wouldn't pick up because he's such a deep sleeper, while Bren was probably awake and although he would come to get Kenny there would be a whole lecture on the way home. Of course, the lecture would come from a place of care given that Bren was his best friend, but Kenny already knew his head could not take the talking to. At least not in this condition. Narrowing all that down, he was left with one option. You. With shaky hands, he tapped on your text conversation and tried his best to type out a message. Hitting the send button he watched as the blue bubble of his text popped up on the screen before placing his phone down on the tile floor. Resting his head back on the wall again, he closed his eyes as he tried to keep his head from spinning.

You however were looking at a wall of complex math in front of you in another attempt to figure out how you could use your powers to manipulate space-time. Matter and space-time were intrinsically intertwined so there had to be a way to get your abilities to work like that. There had to be...

Hearing the text chime of your phone from behind you, you looked away from your work for the first time in god knows how long. Seeing the time on your screen you realized it was 2:36 in the morning. Thank god it was a weekend or else you would be screwed in terms of sleep before school. Looking at the text on your screen you saw it was from Kenny. As you read it though, your head cocked to the side a bit confused.

pleade c0me hwre

It only took a few seconds to see that what the intended message was supposed to be was Kenny asking you to go to his location. Opening up the text you tried to figure out what was going on and replied:

Are you okay?

You waited a bit before seeing the bubble with three dots appear in the chat and then a blue message show up.

In bqthroom nedd hekp plz

He was obviously not okay. Looking at the find my friends app you saw his location pinned at a house that definitely wasn't his and you could only assume he was at the party that the Graves twins had been talking to him about. You looked back over at your work. You had been at it for hours, postulating and formulating some kind of theorem to work with. But at this moment faced with the choice of which problem to solve, the choice was simple. You needed to find Kenny now. You didn't even know if the other wanted to be found.

Turning on your heel you walked away from your work and toward the window across the room. Stepping out onto the fire escape you made your way down before hopping on your bike and using your phone to navigate your way to Kenny's location. After about 20 minutes you had made it to the house. Muffled music and the sounds of dozens of voices could be heard outside and only grew louder as you approached the door. Places like this weren't really your scene, but you put your feelings aside to get to your friend. Opening the door, you walked your way through the crowd of people drunkenly dancing and shouting their conversations over the blaring music. Looking around you tried to find where the bathroom would be located and after a bit, you saw a closed door that seemed like it would be one. Walking over you tried the doorknob but finding it locked you decided to just walk through the door. Everyone here was too drunk or high to comprehend or probably even remember you doing so. And there you saw Kenny leaning against the wall by the toilet. Walking over, you crouched in front of him and shook his shoulder a bit. You watched as he opened his eyes and looked confused for a moment before he finally smiled and said,

"Hey (Y/N), you came."

"Yeah, you said you needed help. What happened?" You asked

"I've been having a rough few days and went a little bit overboard." Kenny explained "I couldn't get home myself like this."

"It's gonna be okay. I'll get you home." You reassured before asking "Can you stand?"

Kenny looked at you for a moment before placing his arms on the ground and trying his best to push himself up. For a moment it seemed like he was going to be able to do it but then his arms gave out from beneath him and he slid back to the ground.

"No can do, buckaroo." Kenny groaned back

When he said he went overboard, he really meant it. You had been around Kenny when he was drinking or having a few edibles before but he had never gone off the edge. He knew his limits, which you could admit were high, but nevertheless, he typically stuck to those limits. You didn't like seeing him like this. You were going to figure out what was rough enough to make him forget his limits but first, you needed to get him home safe first.

"Okay, give me your hands." You replied extending your hands out

Nodding his head, Kenny held his hands out. Taking them in your own, you helped Kenny to his feet before throwing one of his arms around your shoulder to help him stand and walk. Once you knew he was stable you made your way toward the bathroom door but as you did Kenny planted his feet in place.

"I can't leave through the crowd." He mentioned

"Why not?" You asked

"I'll look like a quitter." Kenny answered, "It'll mess up my party king reputation."

Now, it was established that you hated the party scene but you weren't going to put your biases in front of your friend's desires. If he felt that it would affect him negatively, you'd find another way. It's not like you needed to walk through the house anyway. Turning to face the blank wall in the bathroom you said,

"This is gonna feel weird just for a second, okay?"

And with that, you walked you and Kenny straight through the wall and to the outside. The night sky above as you quietly made your way over to your bike. And then you realized there was no way you could get Kenny home on your bike in the condition he was in. That's it, next time something like this happens you're just stealing Reginald's fucking car. No license be damned. Looking around you saw a large child's wagon and a jump rope on the next lawn over and you got an idea. Sitting Kenny on the grass, you went over and grabbed the two items to bring next to your bike. Picking Kenny up again, you helped him into the empty wagon. He didn't quite fit as his legs hung out of the wagon but it was better than nothing. Tying one side of the jump rope to the wagon's handle, you tied the other side around your waist. Giving each side a tug, you made sure they stayed in place before getting on your bike and peddling away. As you peddled, you used your powers to make Kenny lighter making it easier to move. And with that, you were well on your way back to his house. The ride was relatively quiet besides Kenny's drunken ramblings from behind you.

"Y'know, I met god in that bathroom." Kenny stated

"Did you now?" You asked intrigued

"I did!" Kenny exclaimed before explaining "They were a little girl on a bike in a dress and floppy sun hat. She told me I wasn't supposed to be there but invited me for tea anyway. We had a good chat and she called me her silly clown creation before telling me that she was going to wake me up because I'm part of her earthly entertainment."

"So heaven is real?" You asked

"It's called The Void and it's just a place after death." Kenny answered

"I see...." You replied unsurely

He sounded very confident but Kenny sounded very confident a lot of the time. On top of it, he was highly intoxicated. And you were the type of person to like empirical evidence. It's not that you couldn't believe it, but you'd rather see it to believe it. Hearing the wariness in your tone however Kenny exclaimed,

"It's true!"

"Okay Kenny, whatever you say," You playfully relented "How about you tell me about that Lego Ninjago show you love so much."

Kenny's ears perked up at the name of his favorite show.

"Oh believe me, I'll fuckin' tell you about Ninjago." Kenny commented

And so for the rest of the ride back to Kenny's place, you listened to him explain the lore of Ninjago, his complaints about the writers adding Cole as a love interest for Nya, and his theories on what he thought would come next. As you pulled up to his house you rode your bike up the sidewalk path to his front door before untying the jump rope around your waist and getting off of the bike. Going round to the wagon you extended your hands out to Kenny and helped him up once more. As he stood he found his own balance without the need for you to support him. A proud smile came to his face as he proclaimed,

"Y'know I think I'm feeling better."

"Really? That's gr-" You began to say

But alas, you were cut off by Kenny leaning over and puking in the bushes in front of his house.

"Gross." You finished

Gently, you rubbed circles on his back as you let him finish emptying his guts into the bush. After he was done, he stood up straight once more and gave you a thumbs-up with a weak smile.

"C'mon buddy let's get you inside." You cooed guiding him toward the door

Letting you guide him, he reached into his pocket and handed you his keys. And when you got up the steps to the front door, you opened it and let both of you inside. Bringing Kenny over to the couch you sat him down before heading off to get some items to help him feel better. shuffling through the cabinets and drawers of the kitchen you find what you're looking for and collect the items. Coming back to Kenny you handed him a glass of half water and half Gatorade, a plate of some saltine crackers, and two ibuprofen pills. Taking the glass, Kenny grabbed the two ibuprofen and took them before grabbing the plate and beginning to pick at the saltines. Sitting down next to him on the couch you looked at him with concern as you questioned,

"So are you gonna tell me what happened?"

"I told you. I went overboard." Kenny answered curtly

"But why?" You pressed

You weren't going to let this go, were you? Granted, he couldn't fully blame you for pressing the issue, since he did call you in the early hours of the morning and you found him on the floor of a party bathroom incredibly unwell. The only person who had ever known about his insomnia and night terrors was Bren though. It was the reason he would've gotten a lecture if he had called Bren for help. While Bren understood the reasons Kenny did what he did, he thought they were destructive. He thought that Kenny would push his boundaries if things got bad and he would spiral. As his best friend, Bren was concerned, and perhaps he was right. If Kenny learned anything tonight it's not to push his boundaries again because the outcome was pretty shitty. Letting out a sigh, he looked up from his plate of saltines to you and explained,

"I've had really bad night terrors and insomnia for most of my life. I have some healthier ways to deal with it like melatonin and a um- specific body pillow to comfort me,"

"Yes, I've seen Klaus before." You interjected

"But they haven't been working and the night terrors were getting worse so I went to the party tonight and drank more than usual, had some shitty weed that was definitely more on the THC side, and made out with the Graves twins a lot to help me forget." Kenny finished

"You realize the Graves twins just use you as an incest buffer right?" You mentioned

"Whatever they do at home is their own business, all I know is they're both hot and are good with their tongues," Kenny remarked

"Didn't need to know that." You replied before adding sincerely "But you needed a distraction. I understand."

Kenny's head cocked to the side confused at your admission. You understood? How?

"You do?" Kenny questioned

"Mhmm. I have night terrors too." You admitted "And the occasional hallucination. Although those are much less frequent than they used to be."

Night terrors? Hallucinations? You never gave off the impression that you dealt with those things. You always seemed so put together. Even with the stuff you had told the group about your life before meeting them you still seemed like you were always on top of everything. How had he not seen it?

"I never knew..." Kenny whispered looking down at his plate of saltines

"I wouldn't expect you to." You explained "Only my mom, older brother Diego and his girlfriend Eudora know."

"I feel like I should've noticed though." Kenny replied still disappointed he never knew

"I hid it pretty well." You replied honestly "Never wanted to worry anyone."

"I'm sorry." Kenny apologized

"Don't be. I should've noticed what you were going through too." You stated

Kenny turned to look towards you. If he had never noticed you were going through these things then maybe you knew how to cope with them better than he did.

"How...how do you get through it in such a healthy manner?" He questioned

"I wouldn't call it healthy," You remarked "Just different than yours."

You were damaging yourself, just in a different way than Kenny was. You constantly were keeping yourself busy and even going so far as to sometimes stay up late until your body literally collapsed from exhaustion so you wouldn't have any time to think about the past. At least not in the way you didn't want to. You looked back towards Kenny, meeting his gaze.

"While you use whiskey and weed I just throw myself into learning. Books and theories and power training constantly so that anytime I'm alone I'm never without thought." You explained "If I distract myself I don't dwell as much and if I don't dwell I don't have nightmares."

"Does it work?" Kenny asked curiously

"Not all the time, but enough to justify doing it still." You answered

It wasn't the answer Kenny was expecting to hear but he understood it. While he numbed his mind to forget his past, you filled your mind to do the same. Kenny coped by making himself incapable of thinking properly about his trauma while you coped by making sure you thought of everything but your trauma. Kenny nodded his head slightly understanding your words.

"Yeah. I get that." Kenny replied trailing off "I get that..."

There was silence for a moment. A heaviness loomed in the air at the admission that both of you were far more broken than you let other people know. Of course, there was a feeling of solidarity but it stemmed from your unspoken sorrow. Kenny was okay with the silence. Honestly, it was nice to not have his head fill it in with the echoes of his parents screaming all those years ago. But looking over at you he could see the way you shifted uncomfortably. You must hate the silence. Trying to change the mood, Kenny put his cracker plate down on the coffee table before turning and laying down, his head now resting in your lap. Gently you stroked his hair, running your fingers through his dark curls. For someone with such a strong personality, you were always so gentle. Looking up at you he joked,

"We've got pretty messed up heads, huh?"

"Yeah," You commented looking down at him "But we have each other now and I think that makes them a little bit better."

You gave him a smile to which Kenny reciprocated with one of his own. But even so, as he tried to bring up the mood, he wondered,

"Why did you come for me?"

"Because you're my friend and you needed help." You responded

He would've accepted that answer outright if he couldn't see that it seemed like you had more to say. Your answer was a response on its own but it felt like you were holding something back.

"And?" He pressed

"And what?" You asked

"There's more. I can sense it." He replied

You let out a sigh. There was more. There was always going to be more because no matter what everything connected back to your life pre-time jump. It would forever influence who you are no matter how far in the past you wanted to put it. But you knew Kenny wasn't going to let this go and at almost 3:30 in the morning you had no reason to lie. Your voice dropped low and you spoke softly as you began,

"Before I lost my parents and had to move to my new house, I had a different group of friends. And I loved them so so much. They were the first friends I had and I did everything I could to have them know how much I cared for them but..."

"But what?"

"But I guess it wasn't enough." You lamented

Your eyes looked off at the wall ahead of you instead of at your friend. Your gaze tuning into a 40-yard stare as you rambled on,

"I thought maybe even though I left they still knew how much I cared and it would be enough to make sure they stayed okay...but that didn't happen. Last I heard, things went bad for all of them. Some came out better than others but none of them are okay and I fear it was my fault for leaving that they turned out the way they did."

"But you couldn't have known what would happen." Kenny tried to comfort

"I know..." You whispered before stating "But knowing what I know now, I swore to myself that if I ever made friends again I was going to make sure that there was never a doubt in their mind how much I loved them."

Kenny knew how much you loved him and the rest of the friend group. You made it known every day through your words and actions. Both explicit and implicit. You were an amazing loving person and none of them could've asked for a better friend.

"If it makes you feel any better I feel very loved right now." Kenny mentioned

"Good. You are." You said softly

"I hope you know that you're loved too." Kenny reminded "I love you. We all love you."

"I love you all too." You replied

There was silence again as you looked at each other. This time however it felt more peaceful. Nevertheless, Kenny didn't want you to get uncomfortable with the silence, especially after discussing something that you probably didn't want to linger on too long. Giving your brain something else to work with, he requested,

"Hey, will you sing that song I like? The one with the funny lyrics. I can't recall the name but the quiet kind of bothers me."

"Of course." You responded

You were happy to sing for your friend. You'd do anything to help make them feel better and loved and singing a song was not a difficult request to do. Gently as you continued to stroke Kenny's hair you softly began to sing,

I was scared of dentists and the dark I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations Oh, all my friends are turning green You're the magician's assistant in their dream

Kenny closed his eyes, a small smile coming to his face as heard you sing while stroking his hair. Taking your free hand in his, he held it close and placed it over his heart.

Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ahh-ah-ah And they come unstuck

Opening his eyes back up, he saw you looking down at him softly and he smiled wide. You were an amazing friend, and after tonight he was never going to let you forget that. Joining you in the chorus together you filled the quiet house with song and the bond of your friendship.

Lady, running down to the riptide Taken away to the dark side I wanna be your left-hand man I love you when you're singing that song And I got a lump in my throat 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong

________________________________________________________________________________

This is the story of (Y/N L/N). Born October 1, 1989 at 12:00 pm to (M/N L/N) with the man who would become your dad, (F/N L/N), present at the birth. Raised in a loving home with parents who would give you the world you had all you could ever need. Your parents did everything they could to make sure you were raised happy, healthy, and with a good and caring heart. They tried their best to help you when your powers developed but that however came with a caveat. Nobody could know.

And for years nobody did until you became too curious about the house you were forbidden to go to across the street. And it was there that you met Five and soon after the entirety of the Umbrella Academy. For a while things were great, you had friends and family and there was nothing wrong in your life. Of course, that was until Five ran away through time, accidentally dragged you with him, and the rest was history.

You knew the story of what happened, you were the one who lived it. The one who was currently living it. But nevertheless, you picked yourself up off the ground, tried to brush away the pain as best you could, and move forward. The last thing you wanted to be was alone. You hated the feeling of being alone and so you started over, filling the spots where others used to be. Not intentionally of course, but it still managed to happen. And through that life got better. You returned to a sense of normalcy in a new fancy home, going to school, with six new friends Lucas, Dean, Addison, Kenny, Bren, and Viktoria. And while you saw all of your friends as family, Dean became like a brother to you. Which was perfect because someone had to take over the brother spot since you had subconsciously filled in the father figure role.

And of course, that unintentional father figure role was filled by none other than your older brother, Diego. He watched over and took care of and loved you just like your dad had! And his lovely girlfriend Eudora filled in perfectly for your mom. The world outside saw you as a happy little family and while you had never said it aloud, you did too.

The three of you did so much together. You took plenty of day trips to do fun activities, you would go out for meals, and you even would spend time at Eudora's house playing games or watching movies or just being all together. And at Eudora's house, you had your own room right across the hall from where she and Diego slept. When you had nightmares of your past they were immediately there to comfort you until you felt better. They would drop you off at school as many days a week as they could and they would always make time to see you perform at your activities. By the time you were fifteen, they were already discussing what colleges to take you to go visit and when you turned 16 they threw you a wonderful sweet sixteen party. You could still remember clearly your "father-daughter" dance you had with Diego and Eudora wiping a few happy tears from her eyes on the sidelines.

They reminded you so much of your parents. So happy. So loving of you and loving of each other. You just knew that you three would always be together and happy. Right? No. The thing was no matter how much you wanted them to be your parents, no matter how much you subconsciously thought of them as that, they weren't your parents.

Granted for a very long time things were good but a little after your sweet sixteen things went downhill. Eudora was getting further into her career and Diego had been kicked from the police academy and refused to stop or slow his vigilante work no matter how many times Eudora asked. And one night that all came to a head, but the one thing they never expected was you finding out that night.

November 4, 2016:

After a long day of school on a Friday, most kids would've headed home when the final bell rang. But you however were not one of them. For you, you had been working with Dean on your history presentation after hours in the library. It was only assigned one day ago and you had a week and a half to finish it but you both decided it was best to trudge through and get it done as soon as possible so you didn't have to worry about it anymore. After about 3 hours of research and work to put it together you finally had your slide presentation done. You had made it a challenge to finish it by the time you did because when you were finally done the school library was going to kick you both out anyway as extended hours were finished and it would be closed for the weekend. Packing up your things the two of you walked outside to the now dark and empty parking lot of your high school. Feeling accomplished and ready to relax Dean turned to you and asked,

"Hey, do you wanna come over to my place? It's the weekend after all. We could play Mario Kart."

You however had other plans.

"Nah, I was planning on surprising my older brother Diego and his girlfriend Eudora at her house since they haven't made plans with me in like 2 weeks." You replied

"You know you don't have to keep reintroducing who they are. I know their names and their relation to you." Dean mentioned, "Also I've met Eudora, just not Diego."

You kept your friends separate from Diego and your mom Grace and relatively separate from Eudora so it sometimes slipped your mind that they already knew their names and relation to you through your mentions of them. Perhaps it was because you weren't ready to explain your past more so you established who they were over and over as a boundary that was not meant to be crossed yet.

"Oh right. Sorry." You mentioned, "And good, you don't need to meet him."

"Pfft, he shouldn't meet me because then he'd see how much better I am than him." Dean jabbed

You smiled as you playfully shoved his head and jokingly replied,

"Shut up, loser."

"Anyway do you want a ride to Eudora's?" Dean asked

"No thanks. I rode my bike to school today, so I'll just ride it there." You said gesturing to the only bike left on the bike rack

Dean knew you were completely capable of riding your bike to Eudora's safely. You were the most indestructible person he knew, but that didn't mean he didn't worry about you getting there still.

"You sure? I can just put it in the trunk of my car, it's pretty dark already." He pressed

"It's nice out right now. I think a bike ride would do me some good" You replied, "And anyway Eudora's is in the opposite direction of your house."

Dean was still a little wary, but he trusted you. You were right that the houses were in opposite directions and if you wanted to go surprise them then riding your bike would be a much better option than having his only semi-familiar car drive up outside a cop's house when it's dark out.

"Alright, well, if you're sure then I hope you have fun."

"Thanks!" You exclaimed

Walking over to your bike you unlocked it from the bike rack, putting the lock in your backpack before gently riding up next to Dean.

"Hey call me when you get there," He requested before adding "And be careful, the weather app says it's gonna downpour sometime in the next hour."

"Yeah yeah sure." You rushed as you began to ride away calling back "See ya, Dean!"

"Call me!" You heard him shout back

You waved him off as you continued to ride away as if to signify your same sentiment of yeah, sure, whatever. The streets were relatively empty with a car passing by here or there, and the fall air was crisp as you rode your way to Eudora's house. Like you had told Dean, it had been two weeks since you saw either Diego or Eudora. It was understandable if they were busy, but both of them typically made an effort to see you at least once a week individually, if not together. It was odd. They had never done this before. But then again, they had adult schedules and lives, and you were a sixteen-year-old who could do pretty much whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. So this situation was okay with you because now you could surprise them! You smiled as you pedaled your bike along the roads taking your time to just enjoy passing homes and the rising of the moon.

And soon enough you could see Eudora's house in the distance. Her and Diego's cars were parked in the driveway and there were lights on behind closed curtains signifying that both were inside. As you pulled your bike up you gently placed it on the ground and pulled out your phone to call Dean. Tapping his contact image and then the call button you let it ring as you walked toward the front door, but as you did so you could hear what sounded like yelling. Getting closer to the door Dean's voice came through the phone,

"Hello?"

You didn't recognize it though as you stayed silent trying to hear if the yelling was truly coming from the house. Getting even closer to the door you could hear loudly hear the shouting of two familiar voices. Through the phone, Dean became more worried as he didn't get any response from you and could also hear shouting although it was muffled for him.

"(Y/N)? Are you there? Are you okay?" He asked concerned

But instead of getting a response the call ended. You had inadvertently ended the call as your hand fiddled to force your phone down into an undersized pocket on your jeans. Damn women's pocket sizes. Trying to find out what the shouting was about you turned yourself invisible and quietly phased through the front door, only to be met with a shocking sight. The living room was a complete mess as it seemed police files were scattered all over the floor. Diego and Eudora stood by opposite sides of the couch their faces filled with an emotion you had never seen before.

Anger.

"I'm trying to make the world a safer place!" Diego shouted

"No, you're trying to relieve your glory days and play hero because you don't know what else to do." Eudora yelled back "If you really wanted the world to be a safer place you would let the police department do its work."

"We both know that the police department isn't making those changes fast enough." Diego retorted "I'm stopping the problem at the source!"

"You're being reckless and disregarding the law." Eudora remarked, "What kind of example are you trying to set for (Y/N)?"

Oh no. They were arguing. You had never seen them argue before. Perhaps a playful banter but this wasn't that. This was serious. And to make matters worse it seemed to be that they were arguing about you. At least in some capacity. Quietly, you took a few steps closer.

"One in which she recognizes that if given the opportunity to make a change to do what's right, she should," Diego responded firmly, his arms crossed over his chest

"She is not like you, Diego!" Eudora snapped as she took a step toward him "Just because she has powers does not mean she should be inclined to save the world or whatever. I'm trying to raise a law-abiding citizen who can make positive changes in her own way. Not your way."

"I don't know what you're talking about! We both want the same thing!" Diego jabbed

Your bottom lip started to quiver and it felt like your heart was breaking in your chest. You knew it was. You had felt it break like this before, almost three years ago. Why? Why would they be yelling at each other? You had never seen two people who were supposed to be in love argue like this. Argue with so much anger and vile in their voices. Is this why they had been avoiding you these past two weeks? Because they were fighting so much? Your heart began to clench in your chest as tears formed in your eyes. And as much as you wanted to you couldn't look away from the situation.

"No Diego, we don't." Eudora scoffed "The hero schtick was charming at first but we're adults now. You need to grow up."

"I am grown! I make my own decisions and I'm tired of you telling me what you think I should do!" Diego spat before jabbing "Constant criticism isn't attractive."

"Neither is breaking the law! Or unnecessarily putting yourself in risky situations! OR NOT LISTENING TO YOUR PARTNER'S FEELINGS!" Eudora exclaimed

"This is who I am and if you don't like it then maybe I should just go!" Diego yelled stepping closer to Eudora

"Maybe you should!" Eudora retorted getting in his face

"No." You said quietly

After you realized what you had done you placed your hand over your mouth, not only as a reaction to you accidentally speaking but to hide the cries that you could feel forming in your throat. You could feel the way it tightened and clenched as you tried to hide any more sounds of the surmounting sorrow you felt. However, your one sad little no was enough for Diego to snap his head in your direction.

"Did you hear that?" Diego questioned more quietly

He looked at the area of the room where you stood. You knew he couldn't see you. You were invisible, but the look on his face made you think that maybe he knew you were there. His expression softened just enough for you to notice it and it almost seemed as if he was going to walk toward you. And for a moment, you wanted him to. You wanted him to find you, to realize that you had been there the whole time, and perhaps the two of them would tell you that they were alright. That it was just a one-off argument and they hadn't been hiding this from you for a while. But that one moment was short lived as Eudora remarked sarcastically,

"Oh, what? Is that the sound of another mission for you to leave me to go on?"

And so you watched as Diego's face contorted back into anger. His gaze whipped back toward her as he complained,

"You know what? I don't fucking need this and I don't need you."

"Fine by me!" Eudora shouted as she pointed to the door "Get your shit and leave my house."

"It'll be my pleasure." Diego sneered getting in her face before storming off upstairs

And there it was. The complete and utter heartbreak as you realized that this was the nail in the coffin. Just as you thought life was truly getting better it came back to slap you in the face again. Your hand pressed against your mouth harder as a few tears began to roll down your face. Maybe you were never meant to be happy...

Carefully you walked backward and phased yourself back out the front door before taking off toward your bike at the front of the drive. Hopping on your bike you immediately sped off. For a moment it sounded like you could hear the shouts of your name echoing in the distance but you couldn't dare turn back. It was too late. It hurt too much. The night was dark as storm clouds had gathered in the sky blocking out the moon and the air that felt crisp earlier now chilled you to your bones. Rain began to fall from the dark clouds above but you didn't stop pedaling. You had no clue where you were going. You had no direction. You just kept riding as far as you could away from the pain.

But it was unavoidable. It lived inside you. Your pain was like a cancer. One that you thought you had fought, but the truth was that it sat benign for years only to become malignant out of nowhere and taking over your being once more. Your scars from the heartbreak of being pulled to this time were carved open with the sharp pain of this new discovery. And just like that, all that you had built up came tumbling down. Tears spilled from your eyes as the rain picked up. The dark sky opening into a downpour drenching your clothes completely. The raindrops fell at a furious pace just like the tears from your eyes, both of them blurring your vision ahead. For a moment you lifted up your soaking-wet sleeve and wiped your eyes in an attempt to clear some of your vision but as you looked back up you saw the bright flash of oncoming headlights.

Quickly swerving out of the way your front wheel hit the street curb sending you flying forward off your bike. The left side of your face scraping roughly against the concrete sidewalk. Your body ached from the impact almost as much as your heart did from what you saw. Rolling onto your back you stared up at the dark sky as the rain beat down on you. Your head raced with all that you had suffered, all the pain and trauma you had endured in such a short time.

And you screamed.

You screamed into the void of the night, a harrowing sound of heartbreak cutting through the downpour. There was nothing you could do. Nothing you could say, that would stop this pain. You were forced to feel it no matter how it tore you apart and broke you down. And all you could do with it was scream. Scream the pain into the world just as the world had forced tragedy onto you. And when you could no longer scream, when your lungs ran out of breath, you just laid there on the sidewalk letting the rain fall down on you as you cried, wondering what you had done to deserve this. Closing your eyes you drowned out the world around you as you wondered if you could just sink into the earth and hide away from it all. But then you heard a voice shout,

"(Y/N)!"

Opening your eyes, you sat up and looked toward where the voice came from. And there you saw your brother standing there. He stood behind his open driver's side door, an umbrella in his hands as his eyes looked at you worriedly.

"Dean...?" You called weakly

Hearing you call back his name, he immediately stepped out from behind his car door, slamming it shut as he raced over to you. Still standing he held the large umbrella over you two as he got a better look at the condition you were in. Your clothes were fully soaked by the rain as blood ran down your face from the scrape you had gotten. And even though the only light was that of his headlights it was obvious your eyes were red and puffy from crying. Dropping to his knees to be at eye level with you he questioned panicked,

"Oh my god (Y/N), what happened to you? You hung up abruptly and I got worried. What happened?"

Tears began to well in your eyes once more as the events of earlier began to replay in your mind. You tried to speak but it felt like the words were stuck in your throat. You pushed yourself to speak, your voice wavering as you stuttered out,

"Th-they were screaming and fighting- an-an-and-"

But then you stopped. The words caught in your throat once more as you began to get choked up. They were so angry at each other. Their words were so full of malice. Every jab they threw at each other was another jab to your heart. And as much as you tried to keep it together, which was barely, you couldn't. You fell apart. Your body shook both from the chill of the rain that had fallen on you and from the strength of your emotion.

"Screw the umbrella." Dean said letting go of it before wrapping his arms around you "Come here."

Dean held you close as tears spilled from your eyes and you cried once more. Your sobs muffled as you buried your head into his shoulder. Dean held you tightly as he stroked your wet hair. He didn't even care that it was raining. All he cared about was figuring out what happened and what he could do to help.

"Hey it's okay, I'm here now. I'm here." He cooed

"They broke up, Dean. Diego and Eudora broke up." You choked out "I watched it happen."

Oh no. That's why they must have been avoiding you for so long. Because they didn't want you to see them fight...

"Oh, (Y/N) I'm sorry." Dean apologized

He had nothing to apologize for though. He had done nothing wrong. In all honestly, he was the only one doing something right currently. You didn't know why things always ended so fucked up for you when you least expected it. Things like this always ended taking you by surprise. You hated it. You hated it beyond belief. It was so overwhelmingly infuriating that you were stuck in this shitty cycle of loss and heartbreak. Pulling back from Dean you angrily shouted,

"It's not fair! Everything I love I lose!"

But just as quick as the wave of energy that caused your anger came on, it went away just as fast. Your shoulders slumped and you looked down at the sidewalk as you quietly repeated defeated,

"Everything I love I lose..."

"Hey look at me." Dean softly called, gently taking your face in his hands

As he tilted your head to look up towards him you could see the concern but also care in his eyes. You didn't know why he was here with you, getting completely drenched by the rain, but you appreciated his presence.

"Remember what you told me?" He quietly reminded "When you have no other family, you will always have me. Always."

You didn't know what to say, so you didn't say anything. All you did was lean back into your brother again and held him tightly as if the world was going to take him away from you too. Dean held you once more, his hand rubbing your back as he rested his head on top of yours and comforted,

"You're not alone. I'm going to take care of you."

After a quick moment, Dean stood up taking your hand to help you stand as well and although it didn't really matter at this point he held picked up the umbrella and held it over the two of you. Walking you towards the passenger side of his car he opened the door saying,

"C'mon let's get you out of the rain. I don't want you getting sick."

Sliding into the passenger seat Dean closed the door after you before heading back to grab your bike and put it in his trunk. Closing the trunk he closed his umbrella and threw it into the backset before getting in the driver's seat and turning on the car. He turned the heating on to keep you both warm as he turned around and drove the two of you back to his house. The ride was quiet. You weren't in a mood to talk and Dean wasn't going to force you to either, but at least you had stopped crying for now. As you got back to the house Dean parked his car in the garage before getting out and heading over to the passenger side to get you. The two of you walked together toward the door inside the garage that led inside the home. Taking your shoes off first, you entered the door that led into the laundry room, Dean closing it behind you. And right as Dean finished shutting the door, you could hear his mom call from inside the house,

"Decano? Has vuelto?"

"Sí, Mamá," Dean called back "(Y/N) también está conmigo."

"Oh (Y/N)!" She exclaimed

You saw as his mom rounded the corner into the laundry room, an excited smile on her face until her eyes landed on you. Her smile turned to an expression of shock as she quickly made her way over taking your face in her hands and turning your head side to side to look at you.

"Ay, dios mío! What happened?" She questioned

"Lo siento aparecer aquí en tan malas condiciones." You apologized before explaining "I was riding my bike over here and it started to rain. I couldn't see and hit the curb causing me to fall and scrape my face."

"Oh don't apologize mija. I'm just glad you're safe." She cooed

"Mamá, can (Y/N) stay the night?" Dean asked

"Stay the night? She can move in if she wants. We'll give her Antonio's room in the basement." Dean's mom responded before mumbling under her breath "...entonces tal vez finalmente le proponga matrimonio a su novia y se mude..."

You watched as Dean's mom turned to grab a towel from a stack of them before turning back and handing it to you.

"Here mija, take this towel and go take a hot shower since you must be cold from the rain. Dean will grab you some fresh clothes and can help with your cuts when you're done." She explained gently "And I'll make some hot food for you to have."

"Gracias Señora Hernandez." You thanked

"Te lo dije, llámame Liliana," She replied with a smile before walking out of the room presumably to the kitchen

"I told you my parents like you more than me and my brothers." Dean mentioned "If any of us came home in this condition solo we'd get hit with the chancla for sure."

"I'm surprised you didn't realize that when they asked to throw me a quinceañera last year because they had no daughters." You commented back

"No, I did. I'm just glad you convinced them to make it a joint party for us." He replied "The look of envy on Tony's face as we got a huge celebration and he didn't warmed my second-son heart."

"You're welcome for that by the way." You remarked

"Whatever man," He dismissed before recalling the task his mom set him to "I'll go find you some dry clothes, okay?"

"Okay..."  You responded "I'll go take a shower. Just leave whatever clothes you get outside the door."

With a quick nod of your head, you walked out of the laundry room and down the hall toward the bathroom. Turning on the hot water to the shower you stripped off your drenched clothing and got in. The heat of the water helped to warm you up and remove the chill you felt in your bones from the cold rain but it also stung the scrape on your face. You didn't mind it though. Honestly, the physical pain of the scrape helped to numb the emotional pain of the night a bit. It provided a distraction even if it necessarily didn't feel good. You had no clue how long you stayed standing there but when you felt the hot water start to become lukewarm you realized that it was probably time to get out. Turning off the water you grabbed your towel and dried off, wrapping it around you once you finished. Opening the door just slightly you saw a plastic shopping bag hanging on the door handle with clothes inside. Grabbing the bag, you closed the door once more as you used your abilities to dry your undergarments and put them on before changing into the baggy t-shirt and gym shorts that Dean had provided you. Hanging your towel up on the rack next to the shower you went and opened the door to the bathroom. Stepping out, you saw Dean walking down the hall from his room in your direction also wearing some new dry clothes. Catching sight of you, he came up and asked,

"Hey, how you feeling?"

You shrugged your shoulders. You weren't sure yet how you felt.

"Understandable." He replied adding "I hope the clothes are okay. I know they're probably still kinda loose but since you're smaller than I am, I tried to find stuff that I'll probably outgrow soon that would fit you better."

"No they're great, they're comfy. Thank you." You reassured

"Oh good." Dean replied

Dean then again recognized the cut on the left side of your face. Fortunately, it had stopped bleeding but it could get infected if it stayed uncovered and untreated like it currently was.

"Here uh- let me help you with that." Dean said gesturing back into the bathroom

With a nod of your head, you stepped back in and sat on the sink counter as Dean looked underneath the sink for the tiny first aid kit his family had. Finding it, he stood back up and placed it on the side of the counter away from you pulling out some antibiotic ointment and a very large bandaid. Placing some of the ointment on his pointer finger, Dean gently spread it over your cut making sure to get it evenly spread across your forehead and upper cheek on the left side of your face. When he felt he had done a thorough job he placed the tube of ointment back in the kit as he washed of his hand.

"That's gonna be a nasty scar, huh?" Dean commented

You looked behind you in the mirror as you saw the large abrasion that ran across the upper left side of your face. It was pretty bad, but you weren't one to scar. Any time you got hurt, the signs of an injury would disappear faster than most people's would. At least it did so for minor ones.

"Don't worry it'll be gone by morning. Like it never even happened." You replied quietly

Dean looked down at the first aid kit as he brought out the large bandaid he found. Gently he questioned,

"And the internal scars? What about them?"

"I don't know..." You murmured "I still haven't figured that out from the last time something this upsetting happened."

Turning back towards you, Dean tilted your face toward him so that he could get a better view of your cut. Opening the bandaid, he took the protective backing off revealing the adhesive part. Carefully, he brought it up to your face and placed it over your injury making sure to avoid getting adhesive on any of the scratched parts. After taking a moment to look his work over, his focused his gaze on you as he replied,

"That's alright. We'll figure it out together."

"Promise me." You said sticking out your pinky finger for a pinky promise

Wrapping his pinky around yours he gave a gentle shake as he promised,

"I swear."

"Okay." You spoke, the slightest hint of a smile on your face

"You hungry?" Dean asked as he put the first aid kit away under the sink

"Yeah." You answered

"Good. My mom made you a whole pot of soup." Dean stated

Giving him a nod you hopped off the sink counter as you walked out of the bathroom and to the kitchen, with Dean following closely behind. The two of you sat down as Dean's mom served you a bowl of fresh made pozole before then giving a bowl to her son. You ate your soup quietly only really talking when you asked Liliana for a second and then third bowl of soup. You didn't realize how hungry you were until you had started eating. But of course Dean's mom didn't mind and was in fact delighted that you wanted to have more than one serving. As you finished your third bowl, you got up from the table and walked over to place the bowl in the sink. Turning toward Liliana you asked,

"Would you like me to help wash the dishes?"

"Oh (Y/N), that's not necessary. Dean will do them, you should rest." She responded

"Are you sure? I don't mind helping him." You replied "I mean it's the least I could do to thank you for the food you made."

"You are so thoughtful, but it seems you've had a rough night and you are a guest. I'll get Matías to help him." Liliana explained before shouting "MATÍAS VEN A LIMPIAR LOS PLATOS AHORA."

You watched as Dean's younger brother ran into the kitchen, a frantic look on his face before stopping as he noticed you.

"Oh. Hi (Y/N)." He said

"Hey Matt." You replied

"What happened to your face?" He asked confused

"I fell off my bike and cut it up." You answered

"Aren't you a little old to be falling off a bike?" He asked condescendingly

Jeez. It was pretty harsh to hear that from a 10-year-old after the day you just had. But just as quick as it hurt, you immediately felt better as Dean's mom smacked the back of his head.

"No seas grosero!" Liliana chastised "Ve a limpiar con tu hermano."

You smirked as Matt walked past you grumbling under his breath before helping Dean with the dishes. Sitting in the living room you waited for Dean to be done with the dishes but as you rested on the couch you could feel yourself growing a bit tired. Once Dean was done with his chore he came to find you and the two of you walked down the hall to his bedroom, shutting the door behind you. As you looked at the room you saw a sleeping bag rolled out on the floor next to the bed. Turning to look at you Dean said,

"You can stay in my bed, I'll take the floor."

You were about to nod your head but then something in you just felt the need to check the bed more thoroughly. And instantly you regretted it. Granted, you were happy to now have this information due to your powers but you were also grossed out that there were...bodily fluids...in the sheets. You weren't surprised, he was a teen boy and teen boys tend to jerk off occasionally. But your lack of surprise did not mean you wanted to stay in that.

"Um- I don't want to take your bed from you." You politely declined "I can sleep on the floor."

"No, you should have a comfortable place to rest after tonight and anyway my mom would kill me if she found out I let you sleep on the floor." Dean insisted

"I've slept on a floor before, it's totally fine." You tried to persuade

"No absolutely not." Dean rejected "The bed is yours."

This was not good. He was not letting up and you worried about what to do now. Your mind raced with various thoughts about what to do in this situation because you had never been in this predicament before.

Oh god. How do I insinuate that I know he's jacked off in his bed and that his sheets are gross? 

Dean's head snapped toward you. You didn't speak...but he somehow still heard you. He thought for a moment that perhaps he was losing it from the stress of worrying about you but then he could hear your voice in his head speak once more.

Do I just keep denying sleeping in the bed until he caves? Can I somehow make UV light and not give him radiation poisoning by being so close?

You watched as Dean walked past you back to his bedroom door. Stopping at it he looked back toward you as he stated,

"I'll get new sheets."

Your eyes went wide as you began to question,

"How the fuck-"

I don't know you tell me.

Taking a step back your eyes went wide just as Dean's had done a moment ago. Did you just hear his thoughts? Could he hear yours? You knew the two fo you were close, but what the fuck.

"Oh- oh that's fucking weird." You retorted "We are NOT dealing with that tonight."

"Whatever you say, but I think it's cool." Dean replied before leaving his room

It only took a few moments for Dean to return with a new set of sheets, stripping the old ones and putting the new ones on. As he walked out of the room once more to bring his old sheets to the laundry room, you sat down on the newly made bed and looked out the window. The rain still in a torrential downpour. The door to Dean's room opened and closed once more as he made his way over and sat on the bed next to you.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Dean asked

"I don't know..." You responded, your eyes still trained on the rain outside

"That's okay," Dean responded "I'll be here either way."

There was a moment of silence between you two. Neither saying a word, just existing side by side. But after a bit, there was something you wanted to express. It wasn't specifically about what happened but you felt you needed to tell someone.

"It just feels like every time things are going well something goes wrong, and it always feels like my fault..." You sighed "Maybe I'm just a rain cloud on my own life..."

"Well if you're a rain cloud then I must be a thunderstorm because to me you're a ray of sunshine." Dean mentioned

"You think so?" You inquired

"I know so." Dean responded "My life was never as bright as it's been since you came into it."

You looked away from the rain and toward Dean, the corners of your mouth lifting up briefly into a small smile before falling back into a neutral position. It might not have been much, but it was a start. Leaning over you rested your head on Dean's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around you and rested his head on top of yours. You both stayed quiet for a moment, but then you could hear as Dean quietly sang,

Eres mi sol Mi único sol Me haces feliz Cuando el cielo esta gris Nunca sabrás, querida Cuanto te quiero Por favor no me quites mi sol

As he finished his song he turned his head only slightly to kiss the top of yours. There wasn't much he could do to change what had happened but as long as you knew he was there for you and he loved you he felt that was enough for now. You were his sister, his favorite sibling, his closest family and if he could help it, he would never let you suffer alone.

"Thanks Dean." You whispered

"It's been a long night, how about you get some rest?" Dean suggested

You nodded your head before pulling away from Dean as he also let you go. Dean slid from the bed onto the floor and climbed into the sleeping bag he set out as you got yourself comfortable in the bed. Turning off the lamp on his nightstand you both lay there in the dark as the rain poured outside but after a few minutes, you rolled over to look down toward your brother on the floor.

"Dean?" You called quietly

"Yeah?" He replied

"Will you hold my hand?" You asked

"Of course."

Sliding one arm off the bed you reached down toward Dean as he took your hand in his own. It felt comforting to know someone was there and you always slept easier knowing someone was nearby. As the waves of tiredness began to wash over you and your eyes began to get heavy you mumbled one more request,

"Please don't ever leave me."

Holding your hand just a little tighter, Dean looked up at you and quietly replied,

"I wouldn't even dream of it."

________________________________________________________________________________

This is the story of Brendon Mal-Chin Young. Born March 14, 2001 at 7:51 pm to Alistair and Adeline Young, Brendon would be the only child that the Youngs ever had. He was the only child they would ever expect they would need. But things didn't turn out quite how they wanted. When Bren was born, it was in the middle of his parents setting up their consulting business and therefore he got just enough of his parents' care for him to survive, but not enough to nurture him. And when he became a toddler that needed more supervision, he was placed in the care of his next-door neighbor Clarissa Wagner who was so happy to give her son Kenneth a friend to play with. Especially since they were only about two weeks apart in age. The two boys became inseparable and the Wagners became more like family to Brendon than his own parents did.

This would go on for years until his parents' business was settled enough that they were comfortable being home more often, but by that point, Bren had already formed his connections and bonds. There was a strong disconnect between him and his parents as when it really mattered most they weren't around and now the people he cared about most were Kenny, Kenny's mom, and Ben Hargreeves of the Umbrella Academy.

Bren was introduced to Ben Hargreeves as Kenny was discussing how cool he thought Klaus from the Umbrella Academy was. And together when they would hang out, Clarissa would read all the comic books to the boys and would even make sure to pick up two copies when new ones came out so that Bren could take on home. Bren admired Ben because he was like him. He looked like him and even though he was kind of in the background of his family he still had people who noticed him.

Ben was his hero.

But then tragedy struck. When Bren was just about to be six years old the Jennifer Incident occurred and Ben Hargreeves tragically died. It was unexpected and it absolutely shattered Bren. His hero was gone. No, no. He couldn't let that happen. Ben couldn't just be gone. Ben was like him and he was like Ben so Ben needed to be remembered. He didn't want to be forgotten, he didn't want his existence to be left behind by the people around him. And this incident put more space between him and his parents at a young age. They didn't understand why he was so despondent all of a sudden but never sought a solution.

And as he grew up his parents seemed to forget him more and more as they sunk themselves into their work because Bren wasn't turning out the way they wanted him to be. It was not that he wasn't successful, he was just successful in the wrong way. He played an instrument but it was the guitar. He was excellent in his English courses and was a stellar writer but he mainly put those skills into solitary reading or writing lyrics for songs. He had a physical activity that he was great at but it was focused on using two whips for some reason. It never made sense to them.

It hurt that his parents put him so low in their priorities. He wanted someone to remember him and love him as he was. Granted, he had his friends and of course, they loved and remembered him, but he wanted more. And when he was seventeen, that love would walk into his life in the form of Juniper Lee. But unfortunately, Juniper was not the miracle he was hoping for and the tragedy of that would hit him hard.

August 12, 2018:

Around two weeks ago, Bren announced he had gotten a girlfriend. Your group of friends was incredibly surprised by this fact since he had never even talked about liking anyone prior but nevertheless, you were all happy.

Well almost...

You did not like Bren's new girlfriend Juniper. Juniper was a recent transfer from Argyle Academy, the fancy K-12 private school in the city. The fancy private school that you would've continued to attend had Five not pulled you to the future. The fancy private school that you knew was filled with rich assholes who, one, bullied you in your youth, and two did not care about anyone but themselves. The fancy private school that had a strict honor code and a "one strike and you're out" policy. Already you knew this girl was bad news. But your opinion grew worse as you spent time around her.

She was in the English class you shared with Bren and Kenny, and she began sitting at your table at lunch. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but you tried to be cordial with her so you could be supportive of your friend. Juniper however exuded red flags. She was very controlling of Bren even if she tried to portray it as being playful. She never compromised with him even on little things. She was very critical of your friend group, but especially you since your cordiality didn't hide your disdain. And you had a strong assumption from the way you could feel her heart race with your powers that she was lying. A lot.

But on top of it, you could see how she was changing Bren, for the worse. He would brush off plans with your friend group to go be with her. He was becoming more critical of you all just like she was. But the biggest thing was he was becoming a real dickhead. Sure he could be a jerk sometimes, just like everyone can, but this wasn't that. He was acting out of character being super pretentious and all high and mighty for no reason. It was like she was completely changing who he fundamentally was.

And you despised her for all of that. You had a terrible feeling in your gut about her, but for Bren's sake, no matter how much you hated her or how he was acting, you kept your mouth shut. That was until you had ridden your bike to the local shopping center to pick up some new running shoes when you saw Juniper, Bren's girlfriend, making out with a guy in an Argyle Academy uniform.

The AUDACITY of that bitch.

You saw red as you pulled out your phone and took a photo of her before turning your bike around and riding like the wind to Bren's house. Enraged adrenaline pumped through your veins as you dropped your bike on his lawn and flashed into his room. Materializing in front of him, Bren looked shocked for a moment, and taking in your upset demeanor he questioned,

"Are you okay?"

"I need to show you something." You stated firmly

Pulling out your phone, you pulled up the picture from your camera roll before turning your phone towards him and showing him the image. Bren took the phone from your hand, examining the screen for a moment before looking up at you and asking confused,

"What am I looking at?"

"That's YOUR GIRLFRIEND making out with SOMEONE ELSE." You emphasized

"How can you be sure?" Bren questioned, "That picture is far away and it doesn't really look like her to me."

"Are you fucking insane?" You blurted him in disbelief

He had to be joking right? That was obviously her. It was clearly, unequivocally, 100% her. And he didn't believe it was?

"What?" Bren asked confused

"I have photographic evidence that your manipulative bitch of a girlfriend is cheating on you and you don't believe it?" You ranted pointing at your phone "It's right there!"

"Hey, you don't get to fucking talk about her like that!" Bren yelled

You honestly wanted to start laughing you were in so much disbelief. This was crazy. You felt like you were being pranked. Was he really this blind or was he being willfully ignorant? Either way, it was fucking stupid.

"Wake the fuck up, Bren! She doesn't love you!" You exclaimed "She. Is. Using. You!"

Anger welled up within Bren as he heard you hurl insults and accusations at his girlfriend. What did you know? You weren't part of their relationship. They were happy. They were in love. They were a power couple as Juniper liked to call the two of them. You just didn't get it.

"You know what, I'm starting to think Juniper was right about you." Bren snapped

"Oh yeah? And what did she say, huh?" You taunted sarcastically

"She said that you were jealous." Bren stated matter-of-factly

"Jealous?" You repeated with a shocked laugh "Jealous of what?"

"You and I were the last two people in the group to never had been on a date but now that I have Junie you're the last one and you're jealous of me being in love." Bren explained, his tone obviously demeaning toward you

Were you the last one to never have been on a date in your group now? Yes. But you had your reasons and you were fine with that. However, you were not fine with Bren, someone who is supposed to be your friend, demeaning you for your choices. You were not jealous of his relationship in the slightest because you would never get in a relationship with a lying, manipulative, cheater.

"I'm not jealous of you in the slightest." You remarked flatly

"And there you go denying it." Bren spouted "You've hated my relationship since the start because now you realize how alone you are! But that's not my responsibility and it's not my fault you've never loved anyone-"

Before he could fully finish his rant the sound of a smack resonated throughout the room. One of your hands was held up, frozen in place as the other held tightly around your locket. As Bren held his one cheek with his hand he turned to look at you. Shock and anger on his face as he questioned,

"Did you just fucking slap me?"

Tears pricked at your eyes and your voice trembled as you spat back,

"Fuck you, Brendon. I wish-"

You paused. Standing up straight Bren removed his hand from his cheek. Stepping toward you, he stared you down, his face getting in your own.

"What?" Bren asked, his voice low "What do you wish, (Y/N)?"

"I wish I never met you." You answered

Bren pulled his face back from yours and for the first time, throughout this whole argument, his expression contorted from anger into hurt. But it only lasted a moment as his anger returned and doubled. All of this just because you don't like his girlfriend. You were ridiculous and needed to get a grip on reality. You were lying to yourself. Just like Juniper said, you were jealous and you were wrong.

"Get out of my house and leave my relationship alone!" Bren shouted

At this point, you had resigned though. Your heart hurt from Bren's words about never loving anyone as your heartbreak over the only boy you ever loved washed over you again. The tragedy of letting him go and losing him to time still pained you to this day and you weren't going to deal with someone who obviously didn't care about hurting you. You stared at him blankly as you bluntly replied,

"Goodbye, Brendon,"

And with that, you flashed out of his room, picked up your bike, and rode back home with no new running shoes, one less friend, and a re-broken heart.

September 3, 2018:

It had been three weeks since your argument with Bren and things had noticeably changed. Besides English class, where it was impossible to do so, you actively avoided Bren. If he wanted you to stay out of his relationship you would make it easier and stay out of his life altogether. The rest of your friends noticed this change the day you started doing it and asked for an explanation. You showed them the picture, explained what happened, and told them that you did not want them to feel like they had to pick sides, and they were free to still be around him, just that you would not.

Of course, after explaining that, Dean immediately picked a side. Yours. You being his sister apparently mattered more than Bren being his friend. Nevertheless, if he wanted to stop talking to Bren that was his decision but you weren't making any of your friends choose. Which of course left the rest of them in an uncomfortable position. They saw the photo and were on your side, but if they just emotionally cut ties like Dean did it would only push Bren closer to Juniper. And so the rest of them continued to be awkwardly cordial with Juniper and try to still be normal around Bren in an attempt that he would hopefully come to his senses. But the confused tension was palpable.

Bren of course noticed the changes too. Most of the friend group was still around and talking to him, but any time Juniper was around they got weird. And if he ever showed up when a conversation where you were a topic was happening, the group immediately stopped and switched gears. Then of course there was Dean who Bren obviously knew was making a point to show he was mad and ignoring him. But the biggest change was you. You were never around anymore except for in English class where you didn't talk or look at him. You used to talk to each other all the time. English class was the time when you would jot down potential song lyrics into the margins of each other's notebooks that you could use for your band. Now the margins were empty. Lunch was when you would all be together with the group chilling before classes started again, but now you sat in the library for lunch with Dean. You didn't read any of the few messages he had sent you since your argument. Granted, none of them were apologies but he didn't need to apologize. Even so, it was as if he didn't even exist to you. As if he as a ghost in your life. When you said goodbye, he didn't think at the time that you would mean it.

But that was the way things were, and you settled into this routine over the three weeks. But as you were biking to the shopping center before it closed at 7, to finally go purchase new running shoes you got a phone call from Kenny. Braking, you pulled your bike over to the side as you picked up the phone.

"Hello?" You spoke

"(Y/N)?" Kenny replied, "I need you to do me a huge favor."

"Yeah, what do you need?" You asked

"I know you probably aren't going to want to do so but I need you to go to Bren's house," Kenny begged on the other side of the line

"Why?" You questioned annoyed

"Because you were right and he's upset." Kenny explained "He had gone over to Juniper's house and caught her in the act with some other guy. He called me heartbroken but I'm at work and can't go be with him."

"But why me?" You pressed "I mean Lucas is a ray of sunshine and positivity and Addison is the one who's good at manipulating people's psyches."

"Because you're the only other person besides me he'll listen to," Kenny replied "And I know you love your friends more than anything."

Damn it. You hated it, but you knew he was right.

"Fine," You sighed "I'll go."

"Thank you." Kenny expressed relieved

Hanging up the phone you let out a sigh as you once again were not going to get your running shoes. Getting back on your bike you turned around and after one quick stop along the way you made it to Bren's house. Laying your bike on the grass, you could see that the house looked empty. His parents' car was gone and the lights were off. Taking a deep breath you walked up to the door and into the house before making your way upstairs toward his room. As you approached his door you could hear the sounds of muffled crying.

Phasing through the door you could see him sitting on the edge of his bed, his face in his hands. Gently, you walked over towards him, but as Bren heard footsteps he looked up expecting to see Kenny, but instead finding you there. His eyes were red and puffy and his face was obviously wet from tears. His eyes narrowed at you as he snapped,

"What are you doing here?"

You knew he was upset, and there was a strong chance he was redirecting his pain toward you because one, he didn't know where to put it and you were the closest, and two, you did warn him three weeks ago about this. But no matter what he said, you knew he was hurting and you weren't going to let him be alone anymore. Walking to stand in front of him you looked down at him with a soft expression as you answered quietly,

"Kenny called. He told me what happened."

Of course, he did. When Bren had called him and Kenny said help would be over soon, he thought it was going to be him. Not you. Why did you even show up anyway? Probably to rub it in his face that you were right. Standing up he looked at you angrily, although his eyes were still filled with pain as he shouted,

"Well go on then, say it!"

You didn't respond. You didn't know what to say and instead, you just looked up at him with a sad, soft expression. Your lack of response, however, didn't ease him as he tried to get you to say what you came to say.

"Say it (Y/N)! Say I told you so!" Bren shouted once more, his voice breaking "Tell me that you were right and I was wrong and stupid!"

But you didn't respond to that either. You weren't here to berate him or shame him. You were here to try and help him begin to work through this pain. Quietly, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around Bren, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry." You whispered, "For everything."

Bren froze for a moment as you held him. He was expecting you to brag and taunt him about how you had warned him of this and he didn't listen, but instead, you apologized. You apologized for all that had occurred. You were sorry for fighting with him, you were sorry for not talking to him and you were sorry for what had happened to him today. And with that, all the anger that Bren was trying to feel and push onto you went away as he could feel the pain of this situation return. His chest clenched and his knees grew weak and began to shake. His legs gave out beneath him bringing the two of you to kneel on the floor. Gripping onto your jacket tightly, balling the fabric in his hands, he rested his head on your shoulder as he began to sob. He gasped for air between his painful cries as the memory of what happened played in his head over and over again.

Gently, you ran your fingers through the back of his hair trying your best to comfort him as he processed what happened. You quietly stayed there with him and let him cry as long as he needed because what else could either of you do?

"I got you. It's going to be okay, I'm here." You reminded

As his sobs turned into sniffles, Bren lifted his head from your shoulder and looked at you as he quietly asked,

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend, and I'm not going to let you suffer alone." You answered sincerely

"Why did you ignore me then?" He questioned

"You told me to leave your relationship alone." You explained, "I was never going to be supportive of her so I thought it was best for me not to be around at all."

Bren nodded his head before slowly letting go of you and sitting on the floor leaning against his bed. He took slow deep breaths after crying so long and his pulse began to steady. And as you quietly sat next to him he leaned and rested his head on your shoulder. You had apologized to him, and he knew that he had to apologize back to you. The things he said were wrong and you deserved to know so.

"I'm sorry for what I said." Bren apologized "It was wrong of me to say you were jealous and it was worse of me to claim you've never loved anyone. You're a very loving person."

"Thanks." You replied

"You hit me hard though." Bren commented, "So I kinda feel like I have to ask, who was he?"

You paused for a moment as you stared off into the distance. One of your hands instinctively went to hold your locket as you thought about the boy you loved. Your beloved Five. It had been years and yet in your mind, you could still hear his voice calling your name and see his smile as he looked at you. A bittersweet smile rose to your face for a moment as you reminisced.

"He was my best friend and I would've done anything for him." You explained "He had a shitty home life, and I thought- well I thought I was doing enough to mitigate that. But he still ran away and left me behind to deal with the fallout."

Ben tilted his head on his shoulder to look up at you. There was a slight smile on your face but there was deep pain in your eyes. Your voice was wistful as you spoke but there were tinges of sadness within it. This boy had broken your heart.

"He sounds like an idiot." Bren commented

"No. He was wonderful." You corrected "He was sweet and caring and smart and he knew me better than anyone else did. And he made me happy. So so happy."

Lifting his head from your shoulder he looked at you as he asked,

"You still love him, don't you?"

You looked towards Bren, an earnest yet melancholic expression on your face.

"With all my being." You answered, "It's been four years, and every day I still hope it's the day he comes back to me."

"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." Bren quoted

"Wiser words have never been uttered." You responded, nodding your head

"Thanks but those aren't my words." Bren said with a slight chuckle "They're from the poem The Coming of the Ship by Kahlil Gibran." Bren replied

A small smirk came to your face as you joked,

"Flexing your literature knowledge I see."

"Well, I've got to now since my ex hated it so much," Bren remarked

"I told you she was a bitch." You mumbled

"And there it finally is ladies and gentlemen. The I told you so!" Bren exclaimed to his empty room

"Yeah, yeah. I had to say it at least once." You laughed before adding "If it makes you feel any better though you'll never have to see her again because the only places she's going now are either juvie or a psych ward."

Bren's head snapped toward you as he heard you say that.

"What did you do?" He questioned

"Don't worry about it." You replied

He thought for a moment about the extent of your abilities and what you could have possibly done to get his ex either sent to juvie or involuntarily committed. But then he remembered how she was a cheating bitch and he honestly couldn't care.

"You know what? I won't." He stated proudly

"Good. Now go take a hot shower and put on some comfy clothes. I'll order us some comfort food and we can break out a bottle of wine to watch some shitty reality dating show with." You explained, "Be a pair of lonely broken fucks together."

Bren liked that idea. Shit still hurt but it hurt a little less with you around.

"Okay." He replied, a small smile on his face

You ruffled his hair a bit before standing up and walking out the door. And as he watched you walk away, he was happy to have you back in his life and there was no one else he'd rather be a lonely broken fuck with than you.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is the story of Viktoria Rodya Petrov. Born January 12, 2001 at 6:08 am to Vincent and Anastasia Petrov, Viktoria knew who she was from a young age even if others couldn't see it yet. She loved dolls and stories of princesses and dressing in her mother's clothes. Viktoria would profess how she was the prettiest girl in the world and would correct others when they told her otherwise. She hated when her hair was cut short and didn't like dressing in the clothes that her parents bought her. It wasn't right. It wasn't her. And she knew that.

It was not until her younger brother Maxim was born that her parents began to understand. As she grew older her parents could see the differences between her and her brother and the way they behaved. She and Maxim were quite different even if they looked the same. Viktoria's parents had their concerns about how the world would view Viktoria but in the end, it wasn't the world that mattered it was their daughter. And so they did all that they could to support Viktoria as she was and to help her feel as comfortable in her skin as possible. They stopped cutting her hair, they let her pick her own clothes, and they even went to specialty doctors to discuss how to make sure future Viktoria was just as happy as current Viktoria.

But even though her family was supportive of who she was, some of the kids in school weren't as nice. It wasn't all the kids, but the ones that weren't nice didn't understand and bullied her because they didn't get it. It made Viktoria sad and she became isolated, even from the kids who were nice to her. She wanted to be included, but it was easier to just pull away and be alone. If she remained in the background, just passing by, perhaps things would be easier. And they were, but it was a lonely existence.

Viktoria wanted people to see her as extraordinary. As someone who was allowed to be around other extraordinary individuals. But she wasn't sure how to do that. Until one day, she was watching the news on TV and saw the famous Umbrella Academy doing a press conference after stopping some French supervillain. While most kids would've focused on the superheroes Viktoria noticed someone off to the side. There in an Umbrella Academy uniform was someone who looked just like her holding some kind of string instrument. Viktoria didn't know who they were but they had to be part of the Academy. They had the uniform and all! If that person could look like her and be part of the Umbrella Academy they had to be extraordinary. And if they were extraordinary then Viktoria could be too.

Immediately, Viktoria begged her parents for a strong instrument like she had seen on the TV and was gifted a viola. She began taking lessons and excelled at her craft. This is how she would get the world to recognize her. Just like that Umbrella Academy member she would craft beautiful music and become extraordinary. But even with her skill and enthusiasm, it was going to take a while for the world to see her as extraordinary.

December 15, 2014:

Today was the day that Viktoria had been preparing for all weekend. The results of solo auditions were finally going to be announced. The high school orchestral band's winter recital was in a week and for months they had been preparing for the performance. It was going to be a spectacular night but what everyone was interested in was who would be getting the solos. Mr. Lennox the band instructor only handed out one solo to each instrument section. One for percussion, one for brass, one for strings, etc. The solos were completely coveted and for months Viktoria had been determined to get one. It would be an honor to earn one as a freshman and so for months she had rehearsed the solo piece over and over again until it was second nature for her. And when audition day came last Friday she put her heart and soul into the performance. And after spending the whole weekend anxious about what the results would be she finally was going to be able to see if she had gotten the solo or not.

Walking toward the entrance to the band room Viktoria could see you leaning against the wall outside the door. She gave you a nervous smile and a wave as she approached.

"Hey." Viktoria greeted

"Hi," You responded before saying "Results for solos are out today! You excited?"

"Kind of..." Viktoria replied warily

"What do you mean kind of?" You questioned

"I don't know, I'm just kind of nervous to see if I got it or not. They don't usually give solos to freshmen." Viktoria responded, "I mean you'll definitely get one since you're amazing, but I don't know about me."

Viktoria's anxiety always seemed to get the best of her, even when she was feeling somewhat confident in herself. It was always what if this, and what if that. She wanted to be perfect at her craft and for everyone to see so but sometimes it was difficult when her feelings were getting the best of her.

Seeing that Viktoria was obviously nervous, you placed a hand on her shoulder and reassured her,

"Well, I for one think that you are the best viola player out there and you will 1000% get that solo."

Viktoria gave you a small smile as she replied,

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"And hey, y'know what?" you mentioned "If I get a solo and you don't I'll tell Mr. Lennox that I pass on mine because it would be crazy if you didn't get one."

"Don't do that!" Viktoria exclaimed

It would be ridiculous for you to pass on a solo opportunity just for her. How could you even think of doing something like that?

"We have four years of high school and there's only one other piano player and they're a senior. I think I'll be okay." You stated with a shrug of your shoulders

You were so nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Viktoria wished she could have your level of confidence about things.

"If you say so..." Viktoria mumbled

"I do." You replied before asking "Now, you ready to go check the solo postings?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Viktoria remarked

With a nod of your head, you entered the band room, Viktoria trailing closely behind. She could feel nerves of anticipation begin to build within her. Viktoria wondered if she should take her anxiety medication out of her backpack as her palms became clammy and her heart began to race. She slowed her pace as she looked back at the door to the room wondering if she could just escape and go to the nurse. She was prone to giving herself a stomach ache from her anxiety so telling the nurse she was unwell would not be a challenge.

You however had noticed her demeanor and the way she stopped. Viktoria had a tendency to get in her head about a lot of things. She wanted to be noticed and accepted but she was also concerned about being too noticeable. You tried your best to reassure her and support her but you weren't in her shoes, so you could only do so much. Seeing the results sheet hung on the wall just a few steps away you turned to look back at her and asked,

"You coming?"

"You go first. I'm scared." Viktoria responded

You hesitated for a moment but then nodded. If this is what she needed then you would oblige.

"Okay." You said turning to walk over to the paper

Viktoria watched as you walked over and stood in front of the results postings. Your hand lifted up as your pointer finger ran down the paper looking for your name or lack thereof. Your finger tapped a spot on the paper three times before Viktoria saw you turn around. She looked at your face to see your reaction but was met with an expression of neutrality. She couldn't tell if you got the solo or not and was now concerned about figuring out how she was supposed to react. Slowly you walked back to stand in front of her your face of neutrality fading away as a smile appeared and you exclaimed,

"I got it!"

A wide smile came to Viktoria's face as she threw her arms around you wrapping you in a hug. Of course, you got the piano solo! There was no reason to ever doubt you!

"I knew you would! Congrats!" Viktoria cheered

Pulling back you looked at Viktoria, a smile on your face as you already knew the results of what came next. Stepping out of her way you gestured toward the paper on the wall as you replied,

"Thanks but now it is your turn."

Viktoria gave you a nervous look. Right. It was...her turn.

"Okay...here I go," Viktoria said warily as she took a few steps forward

But then once again she stopped. She couldn't bear to look at the paper. She was too nervous. It felt like she was gonna puke.

Rolling your eyes, you put your hands on the back of her shoulders as you pushed her forward toward the paper remarking,

"C'mon Vi."

Viktoria closed her eyes as she felt you push her closer and closer to the wall. When the two of you stopped walking forward she could feel as you grabbed her hand, pointed her pointer finger, and placed it somewhere on the paper.

"Open your eyes Viktoria." You requested

Taking a deep breath, Viktoria nodded her head and slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze landed on where her finger was pointed and it took her a moment to process what she was seeing. That was her name. Right there on the paper, it said Viktoria Petrov. Her jaw dropped. She did it. She got the solo. You both got solos as freshmen.

"Oh my god! I got the solo!" Viktoria shrieked "I got the string instrument solo!"

"I told you!" You stated excitedly

You knew Viktoria had gotten the solo when you looked at the page but you wanted to offer her the same excitement she had for you. She had worked so hard practicing the piece she would need to play and her efforts had paid off. She was a master at her craft and you were so happy she was being recognized as so. She deserved this.

"Looks like Mr. Lennox is running late once again." You stated, "Wanna go to the instrument storage to get your viola and hang til he gets here?"

"Oh definitely. A soloist is only good if they have their instrument." Viktoria replied confidently

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." You commented as you walked toward the instrument lockers

The room was relatively empty already as most people had gotten their instruments and headed into the band room so for the most part it was just you and Viktoria. Mr. Lennox had a habit of running 15 minutes late for class. The rumor going around with music department students was that he and the theatre director, Mr. Bardot, were hooking up before class since they both had a free period then. Nobody could confirm it of course, but Addison told you how she had seen Mr. Lennox's from one day tie sticking out behind the notorious theatre couch so you were inclined to believe it. Whatever the case was, it gave you and Viktoria more time to chat. The two of you went back and forth excitedly talking about your solos next week and how you would be inviting your families to come watch you perform when the sound of someone calling the name Viktor could be heard. Neither of you really paid it any attention until the voice entered the instrument locker room shouting,

"Viktor Petrov!"

Viktoria froze in place. She hadn't been called that name in a very long time and it wasn't a name she wanted to hear.

Viktoria was born Viktor Petrov and while she never hid the fact that she was trans she also wasn't making it known to everyone either. If someone she felt safe around asked her about it she wouldn't lie, but for the most part, she just laid low and kept it to herself and the people close to her who knew. It wasn't that hard to lay low either as her parents had started helping with her transition when they realized how serious she was in her identity around the age of 8. She started dressing like she wanted to, grew her hair out like she wanted to, and she finally was able to change her name to Viktoria. And fortunately, the schools she went to integrated that with ease. Her parents even went so far as to find a doctor who specialized in gender-affirming healthcare who assisted in her getting on puberty-blocking medication six months ago since she wouldn't be able to start hormone replacement therapy for at least two years when she was sixteen with her parent's written consent. Doing so helped with the dysphoria she was beginning to experience and kept the way she looked on the outside on par with who she was inside. She stayed small, petite, and with softer features and a lack of body hair. All of it helped her to feel more like her but it also helped in her ability to pass with relative ease. She had been presenting as herself for so many years that a majority of people didn't know and wouldn't have guessed otherwise.

But that didn't mean there weren't assholes. One of those was the voice calling out her dead name Ronan Jeffries. Ronan Jeffries and her had only crossed paths once before when she was in 6th grade and he was in 8th in the middle school band. Ronan was a violin player and therefore in the same section as Viktoria. Both of them were good players of their instruments but Ronan always seemed to have some kind of vendetta to be better than her. She never figured out how he had found out about being transgender but at some point he did and he made her life a living hell out of it. No matter how many times he got detention for calling her the wrong name or purposely misgendering her he still continued to do so. Apparently, her misery meant more than his record because halfway through the year he was forced to transfer to another middle school because he had gotten expelled from all his detentions. After his departure, Viktoria had pretty much forgotten about Ronan and his harassment marking it as a bad experience from her past. But hearing his voice now shouting a name that was not her own sent a frightful shock through her system.

Viktoria didn't move. She didn't even know he went to this school, in the months she had been here she had never seen or heard about him once. Her body froze as she tried to think of what to do or say but she couldn't come up with anything. But there was time to think of anything as a hand harshly grabbed onto her shoulder turning her around. There stood Ronan much taller and angrier than he was when she was in 6th grade.

"Who the hell do you think you are coming in and taking my solo Viktor?!"

"Ronan, what are you doing?" Another boy called from behind him "Why are you so mad at her?"

"Stay out of it, Sawyer." Ronan retorted "And they're a boy. His name is Viktor."

The boy behind him, Sawyer, looked confused at the entire ordeal. You however had a completely clear mind and a reaction time that could rival formula one racers. Immediately you pushed Ronan away from Viktoria, putting yourself in between the two. You didn't know who this guy was, or how he knew Viktoria but you weren't going to put up with his disrespect of her.

"Hey, hands off asshole." You snapped "I don't know who you think you are but she's a girl and her name is VIKTORIA. Now, I know you're not in our band class so why the hell are you here?"

"I don't need to be in the band. It's beneath me. I audition for solos as an individual player and for three years all the strings solos have been mine."

Oh, so not only was he a bigot he was a pretentious bigot. If there were two things you were known for not liking it was disrespect and pretentiousness. And this motherfucker decided to be both. If he didn't leave soon you knew he was going to have a very bad time.

"Get out of my way, I'm not here for you. I'm here for him." Ronan stated trying to push you aside

You planted yourself firmly, making yourself denser so that it was impossible to move you. He was not getting past. Not without a fight that is. He looked confused as to why he wasn't able to force your small frame out of the way but all you did was scowl back at him. Your eyes filled with rage as you replied loudly,

"HER."

"Are you blind?" He asked maliciously

"No, but you'll be when I rip your fucking eyes out." You threatened

Viktoria had her back against the wall of instrument lockers as she watched the two of you go back and forth. She could feel her hands shake as her heart raced. She was scared and backed into a literal corner. Even if she had you defending her, all she wanted to do was get away. Maybe if you two went into the actual band classroom he wouldn't follow. Then again, he didn't seem the type who would be afraid to cause an even larger disruption in front of more people. He would probably relish it. Perhaps you two could just run into the hall and then you could make both of you invisible. She didn't know, but it would probably be safer for both of you if you disengaged. Her hand still shaky, she placed a hand on your shoulder as she quietly said,

"(Y/N), let's just go..."

"Oh, so he's confident enough to steal my solo but too much of a coward to face me about it," Ronan remarked

"It's not your solo. You didn't get it." You corrected through gritted teeth "And stop calling her that, she's a girl."

And for the first time in a while, the confused boy, Sawyer spoke up and contributed,

"Yeah dude, I'm pretty sure that's a girl."

Ronan's attention looked back towards his friend, who obviously had no clue what he was talking about, as he snapped at him,

"Shut the fuck up, Sawyer."

Turning his attention back, Ronan looked over your shoulder. His gaze dead set on Viktoria. There was malice in his eyes and vile in his tone as he spoke,

"Mr. Lennox might think you're special but you're not. You're just an attention seeker who doesn't deserve that solo Vik-."

Before he could finish his sentence though you had shoved him into the instrument lockers behind him. The back of his head smacked against one of the closed wood doors. His eyes became trained on you as you looked back at him taking a step closer. Anger radiated off of you and adrenaline was pumping through your system at a rapid pace. You were done with his transphobic bullshit and you were going to put this to an end.

"Call her the wrong name ONE MORE TIME-" You threatened

"Or what?" He retorted

"Or I'm gonna ruin your life." You stated firmly

If he made just one movement, any movement, it would be game over for him. You watch as he scowled at you, clenched fists at his sides that began to raise slightly as he moved forward away from the lockers behind him. Your eyes kept focusing on his hands as he commanded,

"Shut up you freshman bitch."

And with that, you felt the impact of a fist colliding with your gut sending you doubling over. All the air in you felt like it was pushed out of your body, but you held your composure. You had taken a hit before this was nothing new. But then just as quick as the first punch came a second one flew towards your face making direct contact. You could feel the ring on Ronan's finger cut across your cheek.

"Oh my god (Y/N)!" Viktoria gasped

"Ronan what the hell are you doing man!" Sawyer exclaimed

Ronan looked down at his hands, one of them now covered in your blood. He stared at them, flipping them over back and forth, as shock and confusion appeared on his face.

"What the fuck..." he questioned under his breath

With him distracted, you stood up wiping your face with the back of your hand. Bright red blood coming from your nose and the cut on your cheek from his punch. You bared your teeth at him, anger burning in your eyes as you shouted,

"YOU FUCKING CUNT!"

Kicking him in the crotch you watched as he began to drop to his knees, his hands now covering where you kicked and he groaned in pain. Before he could fully hit the ground though, your hand roughly grabbed his hair slamming his head into the wooden lockers behind him twice. With one hand still gripping his hair you placed your other hand on his shoulder pushing him to the ground. As he landed on his side you kicked him in the gut hard enough to cause him to roll onto his back. As he groan out in pain again you dropped to your knees and began swinging at his face just as he had swung at you.

"THIS. IS WHAT. YOU GET. YOU BIGOTED. PIECE. OF SHIT!" You yelled as you punched him repeatedly

"Holy shit," Sawyer said in total shock

"(Y/N)!" Viktoria exclaimed

She didn't know what to do. This asshole deserved what you were doing to him and she knew she would've never been able to do it herself, but she didn't want you to get in trouble on her behalf. She knew you probably didn't care, but she didn't want you to have a bad reputation nor did she want herself to somehow end up with a bad reputation either. She wanted to be liked and accepted. The situation was hard enough already and it was only the first half of freshman year. The last thing she wanted was for people to look at either of you differently because of this. As Viktoria stood there panicking on whether to stop you or get help, Mr. Lennox finally showed up bursting into the instrument locker room. He looked disheveled and shocked as he frantically shouted,

"Miss (L/N) stop that right now!"

Bending over he pulled you off of your knees and away from Ronan who was bloodied and in pain on the floor. Carefully, Mr. Lennox let go of you as you caught your breath. Your hands and clothes were splattered with red, but you didn't care. You watched as Ronan slowly stood up from the floor but leaned himself against the wall away from you. Unconsciously, you took a step in front of Viktoria to block him from her.

"Someone tell me what is going on here?!" Mr. Lennox questioned loudly

"He punched me!" You shouted angrily "He physically and verbally harassed Viktoria and when I told him to stop he punched me."

"No, she beat the shit out of me!" Ronan exclaimed back

"Yeah after you hit me!" You yelled, "I was trying to defend myself and Viktoria, Mr. Lennox!"

"I didn't punch her, I swear!" Ronan denied

Mr. Lennox looked between the two of you noticing distinct injuries to your face and bright red on Ronan's hand.

"Ronan, there is blood on her face and blood on your hand. You really want me to believe you didn't hit her?"

"I didn't do it myself!" He bellowed

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Mr. Lennox turned toward Viktoria looking for answers. You and Ronan were going to do nothing but shout, therefore he needed an actual witness.

"Viktoria, did Ronan punch (Y/N) just now for the reason she stated?"

What you said was true but you had been much more vague in your description of events. Perhaps you were having trouble finding the words through your anger or perhaps you were worried about outing her to Mr. Lennox and that kid Sawyer. Either way, Mr. Lennox already knew and Sawyer seemed a little too dense about it all, so after taking a moment to herself Viktoria spoke up,

"Yes, he did. He grabbed onto me harshly and continuously called me the wrong name and pronouns. And when she verbally told him to stop he hit her."

"Twice. He punched her twice." Sawyer added

Viktoria could see the seething rage appear on Mr. Lennox's face, but he forced it down and tried to keep his composure. Turning slightly, he faced Viktoria and Sawyer as he said in a steady but serious tone,

"Thank you for that information, you two."

"Sawyer, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Ronan yelled, "Whose side are you on?!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Sawyer yelled back "You punched a fucking freshman girl over a high school solo that some other girl got."

"He's not a girl!" Ronan exclaimed

Quickly rushing away from Mr. Lennox, you decked Ronan in the face once more sending him sliding down the wall. Turning back towards the others in the room you stated firmly,

"I'm sorry Mr. Lennox that one was on my own accord. I refuse to tolerate his bigotry."

"I understand, I really do, but you can't keep hitting him. We just-" Mr. Lennox sighed obviously overwhelmed by the situation "Ronan you're coming with me to the principal's office. Your words and actions are unacceptable. The rest of you stay here."

The other three of you in the room watched as Mr. Lennox went over to Ronan picking him up and carrying him out of the room, most likely toward the principal's office. Sawyer, the confused boy, then looked over toward Viktoria. He had an awkward look on his face as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"I know my words probably don't mean much but I'm sorry for what happened. I don't know what he was going on about. I've never seen him act like that before but you don't look anything like a boy to me." Sawyer apologized before adding "I'm gonna go away now but uh- congrats on your solo."

"Oh...thanks." Viktoria responded quietly

As Sawyer left the room and closed the door behind Viktoria let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. A wave of emotion began to overcome her as the embarrassment, sadness, and fear from the situation caught up to her. Seeing her body begin to tremble you walked over to her, gently taking her hand in yours as you softly said,

"Hey sit with me."

Viktoria could only respond with a slight nod of her head, and the two of you sat down on the ground, your backs leaning against the door of one of the lockers. You watched as she closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply, her hand gripping yours tighter and tighter. Tiny tears fell from her eyes making her pain visible and leaving streaks down her reddening face.

"You okay?" You asked leaning closer to her

"I've been better." She whispered

Viktoria rested her head upon your shoulder. Her eyes still closed but her breathing became calmer and her hand now held yours a little looser. The room was quiet. You were trying to let her go at her own pace but after a few minutes, you decided there was something you wanted to say.

"I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay. That it was a once-off occurrence and this will never happen again. But we both know the world is full of assholes." You tried to comfort "What I can tell you though is that so long as I'm alive I'm not going to let anyone hurt you for being yourself. Or anyone else for that matter."

Slowly Viktoria opened her eyes, her breathing finally steadying as she looked up at you. Her hand holding yours tighter once again as she asked,

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do Vi. You are beautiful, you are talented, you are amazing just as you are," You explained with a smile "And I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Just as you are."

Tilting your face, you placed a kiss on her forehead. You never believed that physical affection was strictly a romantic act and your friends, who were like your family, deserved to feel loved too beyond just saying so. Wiping a few of her tears away with your free hand, you held the one in your other a little tighter as you stated softly,

"You are exactly who you are supposed to be."

Viktoria gave you a small smile. Thank god she had you with her for this.  Your love and reassurance helped her to feel a bit better even if she was still slightly shaken up. She could feel that you meant what you said and what you said meant a lot to her. There was another silence, the two of you just sitting there once more, but then just like you, Viktoria felt inclined to speak.

"I can't believe Ronan punched you." She joked, her voice croaky

"No, he didn't." You replied nonchalantly

Viktoria's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did you mean? She saw what happened to you.

"(Y/N) I literally just watched you take a punch for me. TWICE." Viktoria stated

"Well, he didn't do it himself." You remarked with a shrug of your shoulders

"(Y/N), your face got cut by his ring. Your nose is bleeding. What do you mean?" Viktoria asked for clarification

A smirk came to your face as you used your powers to drag Viktoria's free hand off to the side. Gently of course. Her eyes went wide as Viktoria finally realized what you meant.

"Oh my god!" Viktoria exclaimed in a hushed tone "You made him punch you?"

"Well I knew I could take it," You stated matter-of-factly "And I couldn't call it self-defense if I threw the first hit."

"You're insane. Completely insane." Viktoria replied

"Perhaps, but there was no way I was going to let him get away with what he said to you." You mentioned, "Nobody is going to talk like that to someone on my watch but especially not one of my closest friends."

"I cannot believe you," Viktoria said still trying to process everything

"Well, you better. If we weren't at school where I've got to hide my abilities I'd send that prick same-day shipping to hell." You explained, "Full-scale combustion comes quite easy these days."

Viktoria blinked her eyes at you a few times not quite sure what to say. She didn't know how serious you were since your tone was so upbeat but honestly, it didn't really matter to her either way. You sure were one of a kind though. She had never met another person like you.

"You are...something else (Y/N)." Viktoria commented

"Yeah, but you Viktoria Petrov are amazing." You replied with a smile "And everyone at the upcoming concert is gonna think so too by the time you're done with your solo."

Just as you had finished your statement though you saw Mr. Lennox walk back into the instrument storage room. The look on his face was serious as he stated,

"(Y/N), the principal would like to see you, and the people listed under your emergency contact info are on their way."

"Oh no..." You said under your breath

This was not good. Diego and Eudora were not going to be happy about this. They both had the day off today, so they were going to show up together. God, they were probably in the car figuring out how they were going to lecture you already. You looked a mess too. Ronan's blood was on your hands and your blood covered your face and shirt. When they saw you they were going to flip and you had no clue if it would be at you or the kid who started it. Well, it was too late at this point and it's not like you regretted your actions either. You just had to face the music for what occurred. Letting out a heavy breath you stood up from where you sat on the floor. Looking down at Viktoria you remarked,

"Well wish me luck. I'm either gonna get my ass chewed out by Diego and Eudora for fighting in school or I'm about to watch two 25-year-olds beat the shit out of a 17-year-old."

Turning away you walked to the door to be escorted by Mr. Lennox to the principal's office. Viktoria watched as Mr. Lennox stepped out of the doorway allowing you to follow him, but before you could get too far Viktoria called,

"Hey (Y/N)?"

"Yeah?" You answered stopping to turn back and look at her

"Thanks," Viktoria said

A smile came to your face as you kindly replied,

"Anything for you Vi."

December 22, 2014:

It had been a week since the altercation that had happened in the instrument locker room occurred and with each passing day the anticipation of the winter concert continued to build until it was finally here. The auditorium was completely filled with students and family members coming out to see the show. The way the program worked was unconventional compared to how Viktoria was used to it in middle school. Typically, all the band would come out at once and perform and the soloist would stand up and go to the front of the stage when it was their turn. However, at the last minute, Mr. Lennox had been presented with a new format idea by Mr. Bardot and decided to go with it. Now the entire band would perform their group songs together, then once finished the entire band would exit, and then the soloists would come from off stage and perform well...solo. And unfortunately, with that new format, it meant that Viktoria would be the last performance of the night, on stage, in front of the packed auditorium, alone. 

As the soloist before Viktoria performed their song, Viktoria held the neck of her viola and bow tightly in one hand as she fiddled with the fabric of her clothes with the other. This is not what Viktoria had planned for and she felt extremely concerned about the whole thing. 

"You ready?" You asked leaning against the concrete wall of the stage left wing

"Yeah, I think so..." Viktoria replied pulling nervously at the skirt of her dress

You could tell that Viktoria was nervous. Between the change of format and the huge crowd, she was becoming extremely anxious and her anxiety was not going to help. Trying to ease her nerves you encouraged her,

"You're going to do great and I'm gonna be right here cheering you on." 

"Thanks. I'm glad you were allowed to be here." Viktoria replied before adding "I'm still sorry you can't participate and lost your solo though."

"Eh, don't worry about it. There's always the spring concert." You mentioned unbothered "Anyway, losing my solo and four days ISS is worth you getting to perform and that asshole kicked from school."

You didn't let Viktoria in on all the details of what went down in the principal's office last week but apparently when Diego and Eudora arrived to see you covered in blood things got pretty heated and things got even worse when you had explained why you looked that way. You told her you were disappointed nobody got into a fistfight in the office, but somehow the issue was resolved by Ronan being expelled from school, and you having in-school suspension all of last week plus losing the ability to perform at the winter concert. Viktoria appreciated all that you did but now the annoying irrational little voice in Viktoria's head wondered if Ronan was right. What if she wasn't actually good enough for the solo? What if she screwed up? Ugh, why did she have to be the last performance? Anxious thoughts plagued her mind and as she could hear the soloist before her beginning to wrap up their performance Viktoria blurted to you,

"I can't do it."

"What? What do you mean?" You asked confused

"I- I just can't." Viktoria stuttered nervously

She was getting into her own head too much and you needed to pull her back out. Taking a few steps over to her you gently placed your hand on her shoulders and turned her to look at you. 

"Viktoria, look at me." You stated softly but firmly "You practiced for months for this, you gave your all in your audition to earn this and now you are going to go out there and show everyone why this is your solo."

You were right. Of course, you were right. This was her solo. She worked hard for this. She fought for this. This was her time to shine. Her time for everyone to see her and know how amazing she could be. This is what she was good at, this was her passion and she was going to perform.

"Okay." Viktoria replied, "I'll do it."

The sound of clapping could be heard and soon died off as Marissa Syddel walked by shooting you a smug smile before meeting some of her friends and laughing. 

"Laugh it up Syddel," You berated "Just remember you got that solo by default because I beat a 17-year-old half to death."

You an Viktoria watched as Marissa and her friends immediately stopped laughing and quickly scurried off until they were out of your sight. You relaxed your shoulders as you turned back to your friend and gave her another reassuring smile.

"Y'know people are intimidated by you now." Viktoria mentioned

"Good. I'm not looking to make more friends." You stated 

Viktoria watched as Mr. Lennox stepped out from the opposite stage wing and walked to the center of the stage. Picking up a microphone he looked over to Viktoria before looking back toward the crowd and announcing,

"I'd like to welcome our final soloist to the stage, performing a rendition of Halo by Beyonce on the viola, Miss Viktoria Petrov."

There was the sound of clapping again as Viktoria looked over to you one more time.

"This is your moment." You reminded "Give 'em the performance of a lifetime."

"I'll try," Viktoria replied

"You will." You reassured, "I know you will."

Viktoria nodded her head at your statement and then walked out onto the stage. Glancing over to the side she could see the rest of your friend group sitting on the front row clapping and giving her thumbs ups and her parents and younger brother a few rows further back smiling and waving at her. Viktoria gave a shy smile as she made her way to center stage and turned to face the large crowd. The clapping faded as she lifted her viola up and rested it under her chin before lifting up her bow and placing it upon the strings. Taking a deep breath she held it for a moment reminding herself of all the positive things you said. She worked for this. She earned this. This was her solo.

And nothing and no one was going to take that from her.

Letting out her breath, she remembered what she had worked so hard on and began to play. And just like that, the crowd faded away and all that was left was Viktoria and her viola. With each note, she became more entranced in her performance. The music flowed from her as if the sound was already part of her, to begin with. Her soul poured out into the piece as melody filled every part of the room. A smile played on her lips as she got lost in her own performance.

This was her moment.

Just like the crowd, you watched intently from the sidelines. The music was so entrancing and you had no doubt that this was always going to be the outcome of her performance. She was an amazing musician just as much as she was an amazing person. A small smile came to your face as a few tears welled in your eyes knowing everyone here would get to see your friend in her happiest and truest form. She deserved this. The joy, the recognition, the praise. She deserved it all and you couldn't be prouder. She was her, and she was happy, and everyone could see so. And that was beautiful.

As her song ended, Viktoria slowly lowered her viola and bow and looked out into the crowd as people began to clap. She could see her parents standing up as they clapped for her, her dad lifting her 7-year-old brother up so he could see her better. And looking down at the front row she could see your group of friends as they stood up cheering and clapping up a storm. The love and support from her friends and family meant a lot but it was to be expected. However, what wasn't expected was the way people besides her friends and family began to stand. Person by person, row by row, the auditorium stood as they clapped for Viktoria.  Viktoria's face lit up with pride and her mouth lifted into a smile as she looked out across the sea of people giving her a standing ovation for her performance. This is what she worked for. She worked hard to have people recognize her and her talents and now they were. Not just her friends or her family. Everyone. And if this was her starting point it could only go up from here. After a few more moments, Viktoria gave a curtsy to the crowd before turning away and walking backstage toward you. Her head held high at the accomplishment she just did. When she was sure she was behind the curtain once more she rushed over toward you into a hug.

You held her tightly, beaming with pride at your friend. She had done such an amazing job and there was no better at playing the viola than her. As Viktoria pulled back from the hug, she looked up at you with bright eyes and a wide smile and asked enthusiastically,

"How did I do?"

You smiled at her knowing there was only one way to describe her performance,

"Extraordinary."

______________________________________________________________

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[saucedlx]

Metafuckery in videogames

This is pretty much just copy pasted from my steam review of AI The Somnium Files: Nirvana Initiative. It contains major spoilers for that game, so don't click keep reading if that's something you want to avoid.

tbh i don't know how to deliberately make the post cut off so i'm just adding a buncha line breaks and hoping that's enough

seriously there's spoilers for ai the somnium files nirvana initiative below. and also vague allusions to a twist happening in metal gear solid 2. which i know most people prolly know about cause it's been 22 years but i genuienly didn't know that was gonna happen my first time playing last year cause i never was that deep into metal gear

Okay the real post starts here

It's understandable to not like the story but as someone who loves the sorta mindscrew pulled by Metal Gear Solid 2, this is the only other thing that even gets close, so I loved it for that. More specifically the way it slowly builds up the meta fuckery going on, with small incongruent details slowly becoming more noticeable until the big reveal. I could totally understand not liking this sorta thing, since the story very much has to contrive itself to not reveal this too early on (two mizukis) and the game is very intentionally tricking the player. But I think it's worth it if you enjoy media that in part is about its own status as media, that relishes in its own ability to portray things in deliberately unintuitive ways. And personally I think some (not all [two mizukis]) of the misdirections are really clever. For example, the weirdness of 'the two halves of the same body being found 6 years apart' is mentioned with the first body the player finds, but then is never brought up again for the subsequent bodies despite them being presented in an order that would lead you to assume the same thing is going on. I could totally see that being annoying, "I never said the rest of these bodies were found years apart" "come the fuck on you obviously wanted to believe that" "but I never SAID that was the case outside the first one". Personally I loved that kind of stupidly simple trick, but if someone thinks it's just kinda bullshit that's a totally justified reaction.

I love the small details that lead up to the realization the game's initial description of the timelines is inaccurate; the lack of reaction to Date's supposed 6-year disappearence, the offhand mention of Komeji's bowtie being bought a year ago despite him supposedly having been dead for 6 years. Also there's the whole Frayer ending but it's the slow buildup that sticks with me the most. It reminds me of the slow realization of how similar MGS2's plot/progression is to MGS1's, of initially thinking something might be a minor oversight but eventually concluding that it's too blatant to not be deliberate. (although tbh i still don't think the prototype machine suddenly not needing eye removal is a deliberate part of the story).

Anyways this doesn't really go for the same vibe as MGS2; compared to that, AINI feels more lighthearted about its trickery, with the whole Marble scene where the game comes clean about it. The Frayer ending gets closer to that eeriness MGS2's reveal has, but it also feels less consequential to the overall story, and more like a little bonus thing that gets really meta but only within its own space where the game asks "would it even be that interesting for the 'true' solution to be the neatest happiest one". This sequence as well as the Ryuki hallucination moments also do the other thing I most love about MGS2's fuckery; the feeling that the game is collapsing on itself.

I still think MGS2's meta fuckery has something special and unmatched in anything I know of (emphasis on "I know of"; if you know anything like this feel free to give me recommendations cause i love this sorta thing), but at least now I have one other example of a game that does something similar in a way I enjoyed. Also if you're thinking of Undertale/Deltarune now, I love them too but I don't put them in this category of thing because they're way more upfront about their metanarrative stuff from the start. Also there's the Zero Escape series but that does more to try to justify meta gameplay stuff in-universe (the fields, babyyyyy).This kinda turned into a whole essay but TLDR the story does some unconventional stuff, and it's totally understandable to not enjoy it but personally I really like it.

Footnote: Two of them

Maybe I should write something like this except more focused on MGS2. It's been out for way longer and is way more known so I didn't feel compelled to, since people prolly already analyzed the shit out of it. I guess I love most of its ending except the main conclusion of "behind all the conspiracies, there's some shady group that has 99.99% perfect seamless control over everything and if you blink it's because they planned for you to do that a couple decades ago". While personally I'm more of a "there's no big master plan, people in power try to maintain their power through fucked up means but they're not superhuman, they're capable of fucking up" truther. And it feels like a decent amount of people do respond to MGS2 with "this is literally whats happening in real life the Patriots are just like wokeness". And I don't feel like dealing with that shit. But yea I love metafuckery in games.

[cease-this]

Creative title

HI it's me hello this is a tickle ficlet if you don't like that don't read it otherwise enjoy <3

Chuuya sighed. He thought about how stupid this was, undercover at a "formal dinner" for a different organisation, what the hell. His ability was meant for fighting, how was it useful here?? He adjusted his shirt for the millionth time this evening, and it was only about an hour in. The food was still being prepared and everyone was stuck in their own conversations. He supposed he should be trying to join in and find information but right now, he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb. Who would come to this sort of thing without a date??

"Well well." Chuuya stiffened as he heard a voice from behind him. Not just any voice. His voice. "Care for a dance?"

"What the hell are you doing here." Chuuya didn't turn. He tried not to raise his voice or show any signs of distress at the voice of his former partner.

"As it seems, same as you." God chuuya hated that voice. That stupid smug voice that always seemed too close to flirting. close enough to make him blush. He found it insufferable. Especially when he— "you didn't answer my question."

Chuuya flinched hard, taking a step forward as he felt the brunettes breath against his ear, only to be stopped by the bandaged man sliding his hand over the gingers arm before reaching his wrist and pulling him back, spinning him to meet his eyes, pressed nearly chest to chest with one another, fingers entwining. "You're blushing."

"Shut your mouth." The redheads voice was quiet but lacked no venom as he snapped back, free hand positioning itself on his shoulder so easily you'd think it was second nature for him. He didn't want to cause a scene fighting off the brunette, that was the only reason why. "Why are you here?"

"Like I told you, same as you." Chuuya flinched as he felt his ex partners hand slip to hold his waist. "Still sensitive there, huh? Feels almost like old times."

"Bold statement from someone who's neck I'm so close to." The redhead countered the man, shifting his hand a bit closer to his neck, relishing in the way he flinched from the feeling of his glove against the vulnerable spot.

"Oh so you wanna play that game, huh?" Chuuyas stomach flipped. Dazai's hand slid itself down slightly, now resting on the smaller man's hip.

This wouldn't be the first time they'd played this "game", in fact far from it, in their time as partners they'd attended at least a couple of dinner dances, playing a game of who'd break first, having a pretty even streak. Sometimes chuuya got the upper hand at Dazai's unbandaged neck, and others Dazai got the upper hand at Chuuyas hips before Chuuya even got the chance to defend himself, though at the ages of 15 and 16 it was much more excusable to behave that way with your partner. Behaving that way at 22 with someone you weren't supposed to be seen with? No, this was different. The stakes were much higher.

"Don't." The words didn't come off as firm as he meant them to. His breath hitching in the middle, clutching the hand in which his fingers were entwined as the taller adjusted his grip on his hip. "Dazai. Don't."

"Can't even get through one word, huh?" He could feel the grin in the man's voice. Yknow what, fuck the mission.

"Fine, you want to play, I'll play." Chuuya growled quietly, hand moving from its resting place and tracing up and down from his ear to his collarbone. He relished in the way Dazai tensed, and the sputtering breaths that scattered from his lips as he clearly tried to keep quiet. Chuuya grinned. "What were you saying?~"

"St-stoho—stohop it—!" Dazai whispered, clutching the hand they held together. It's almost as if he'd forgotten about his grip on—

"GYAH—!" Nearly the whole room went quiet at the noise. It was loud and brash, a reaction to Dazai suddenly pressing his thumb into Chuuyas hip. The redhead blushed red, looking back at the brunette who was wearing a grin that Chuuya would deem quite punchable.

"I win~"

[bakumu-archive]

driven control

kinktober 2021 day 22 - throat fucking

kisaki tetta x fem!reader

wc: 1.3k

summary: you beg your handsome boyfriend to train your throat after a night on the town and he isnt going to turn you down, not when you beg so sweetly.

cw: SMUT (sub!reader, throat training, breath control, choking, daddy kink, cum, cockslaps, good girl reader, power kink, dacryphilia, throat bulge)

a/n: have you ever wanted to suck dick so bad you wrote a whole fic about it in under an hour? wow me neither crazy.. anyways….

<< back to my kinktober masterlist

minors do not interact. this work contains mature themes and if you continue reading you have agreed you are willing to see such content

Your head hangs limply off the bed as Kisaki runs his fingertips over your lips.

“Just remember that you asked for this,” he says, his thumb smoothing over your bottom lip before he unbucks his slacks and pushes them down his thighs.

Your eyes feast upon the object of your affection, the only thing you’ve been able to think about all evening while being whisked around on the arm of the most dangerous man in all of Japan: his weighty cock.

You begged for this on the way home while sitting on his lap in the limo, you couldn't stop whispering in his ear, running your hands all over his body while his hands nonchalantly held your waist.

“Tetta, I need your cock so bad. Please, tonight. I want to take all of you, I want to please you.”

He was trying to act like your begging and words didn't affect him, but the bulge in his pants and the way he hastily pulled you into the bedroom once you arrived betrayed his facade.

Your mouth waters just from the sight of him and you wet your lips in anticipation. He is long and girthy, with two veins running down either side of his cock to the ridge of his sensitive tip that is pinker than the rest of him. He’s so pretty.

He’s already drooling precum at the tip and it takes everything in you not to lick at it, because you need to wait for his say so.

“You’re going to take everything I give you,” he commands.

He slaps his cock on your face, looking down at you with driven control. It drives you wild being beneath him. You squirm and try not to flinch away as he slaps the head against your lips and you obediently open up for him.

He slides neatly into your mouth, your tongue flicking against the head of his cock. You hollow your cheeks to suck on his length and you hear him let out a groan above you.

The taste of him drives your senses higher. The heady smell of his sweat and cologne, the taste of his precum, and the addicting texture of the soft, velvety skin of his cock has your head in heaven already. You want to drown in him; to let him consume and control you until there's nothing left.

His hips slowly pull back before thrusting into your mouth again, going deeper than before. You relax your throat, opening it up for him and relishing in the way he easily slides into you.

He thrusts into your mouth again, pushing further into your throat and this time you can't help but gag around his length. But that won't stop him. He pushes through the constricting muscles around him until all of his cock is nestled into your throat.

Your eyes flutter shut as you suppress the urge to gag on his cock and his balls brush against your nose as you begin to squirm. The way he is holding still, robbing you of air forces your hands to grab at his thighs, but he won’t move. Tears well in your eyes and your throat constricts around him, and your vision starts to go black until he pulls out of you.

You gasp for breath and watch the string of saliva connecting your tongue to his cock stretch until it breaks.

Tetta’s voice sounds so condescending as he speaks above you, “I thought you said you could handle it, poor thing.”

His feigned concern only drives you to do better; you want to be good for him. You have to.

“Sorry, Daddy. I can do better,” your voice is weak as you mumble your apology but seeing you so delirious for him always breaks his resolve.

He gently caresses your cheek, looking down at you through his glasses, “You’ll just have to be my good girl and take it, yeah?”

“Mhmm, ‘m Daddy’s good girl, I can take it,” you slur, with a drunken smile.

“Open up and take care of Daddy then.”

You obediently follow his orders, opening your mouth and sticking your tongue out. Kisaki can't help but feel pride welling in his chest; how he managed to find such a cock hungry, sweet thing to call his, he’s not sure.

He pushes his cock into your waiting mouth, letting you suck and lick on the tip until he can't contain himself. The need to ruin you is too great.

He thrusts, pushing into your throat and the sound of your gags only fuel him on. He knows that you can't breathe, he knows he needs to pull away, but you feel so good around him. The clench of your throat is just as addicting as the clench of your pussy, but so much more rewarding.

Your gags get louder until your legs flail and he pulls out of you. You gasp for breath again and he can see the tear stains running down the side of your face into your hairline and he's never seen a more beautiful sight.

“You're so hot when you're gagging on my dick, baby girl.”

Your coughing and gasps for breath only make him want you more.

“Just one more time and then I’ll cum all over your pretty face, alright?”

He waits for you to calm down, but with the promise of his cum, you only get more antsy. You rub your thighs together, trying to ease the burn and throbbing in your cunt, but it's no use, not when your Tetta’s looking at you hungrily.

You open your mouth again for him, tongue sticking out, eager to taste him again.

But Kisaki has other ideas. Instead of letting you suckle on him first, he decides to sink all of his cock into your throat in one smooth push. Your eyes widen as he enters you, and your body doesn't even have time to react.

Kisaki watches the bulge grow in your throat from his cock with hungry eyes before he reaches his hand around your throat and presses down. He can feel you all around him as he starts to thrust into you.

You gag on his cock again, but he doesn't hear it. Your nails sink into his thighs, trying to slow him down but he's determined. You feel so good: your throat constricting around him, his balls slapping against your face with each thrust, his dick stretching your throat.

This is what you wanted, what you begged for. He’ll give it to you, he'll give you everything.

You try to stay still as he gets closer and closer to his orgasm but it's hard. Your body is being used like you’re nothing but a hole to him to pump his cum into and it's all you can think as your vision starts to dot from lack of air.

He groans from above you, pulling out of your mouth and fisting his cock over your face. Your body is limp, but you gather enough strength to roll over and stick your tongue out for him, ready for your reward.

He can’t take his eyes off you as he unravels. His cum pulses out of him as he moans above you. Your open mouth catches some of his seed while the rest shoots onto your face.

His hand slows on his cock and you take it into your mouth to suck him clean. The salty warm taste of his cum swirls on your tongue as you swallow as much as you can.

You open your mouth, showing him that it's all gone, and he traces his fingers down your hairline before cradling your face in the palm of his hand.

“Such a good girl, did you get what you wanted?”

You nod with a smile, the taste of his cum clinging to the back of your tongue only makes you more horny for your Tetta, but you know that he will take care of you. He always does.

taglist: @eijirosriot @mossygreys @thathoneybee3 @hornime @luna-rin @tehehebri @lilyshadows15-blog @shittywomann @ebiharachan @bisexualtragedy @01-20-1992 @lunastellanova @jardiindexeliin

[spidernerdsblog]

Meet the parents

A/N : I got quite a few requests on this particular concept so I combined all your ideas into one. The twins are 22 here. Hope you like this. Let me know what you think.

Summary : Tom meets his daughter's boyfriend who happens to be from the rival family.

Pairing : Mob! Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings : little bit suggestive

Match made in Hell (series)

It was dinner time, all of you were seated at the table relishing the very delicious roasted spiced duck with plum prepared by your cook.

“So how’s the construction work going on at the Watford site?” Tom asked in between.

“It’s coming along just fine dad, don’t you worry. Given two more months, the new building will be available to be rented out to interested buyers.” Nathan answered and took a sip of his wine.

“Hmmm that’s good to hear. That plot cost a fortune since the Italians were after it too. And now those bastards are demanding more money for the property lease at Croydon” Tom said with an irritated grunt.

“Maybe tell your old boyfriend to cut us some slack.” Nathan teased Nailah, nudging her with his elbow. Tom’s hands froze in the middle of cutting the duck meat on his plate just by hearing the word 'boyfriend'.

“Shut up” she shoved an elbow into his stomach, hissing. “And he’s not old.”

“He’s four years older than you.” Nathan pointed out laughing and rubbing the side of his stomach.

“That’s not old!” she snapped and continued to argue with him.

Tom exchanged questioning glances with you. In return you gave him a light shrug because you yourself had no idea Nailah was dating someone again. Given the last few times of Tom scaring the poor boys away you don't expect her to share this piece of information either.

Tom gestured at your daughter’s direction being the overprotective father he was urging you to ask her and you had to fight back the urge to roll your eyes.

“Boyfriend?” You interrupted their ongoing bickering. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone, Leah.”

Nailah’s eyes darted between you and Tom. “Uhhh…well…you know, it’s nothing serious.” she shrugged hesitantly trying to think of ways to avoid the whole conversation.

“They went out on a couple of dates already.” Nathan piped in.

“He is a really nice guy.” she quickly added, shooting a death glare at Nathan’s way.

“Does he have a name?” you asked softly.

Here comes the hard part Nailah thought because how do you tell your mobster dad you are dating the son of his rival. Nevertheless she swallowed the lump in her throat and said, “Liam Romano.”

“The Romanos?!” Tom nearly yelled, his eyes wide in shock. “Leah, what were you thinking? Did you forget that our families have been in a lifelong feud with each other?”

“It was decades ago, daddy. And I like Liam.” Nailah argued but it fell on deaf ears as Tom was already seething in rage.

“I’m going to gauge his eyes out. How dare he?!”

“Mum…” Nailah looked at you for help with pleading eyes.

“Tom, don't get so worked up already before even meeting the guy.” you said gently placing your hand over his to calm him down.

“I don’t have to meet him to know his twisted intentions.” he muttered and turned to Nailah with a stern gaze as he ordered. “You’re never to see him again.”

“But daddy you and grandpa Vic were rivals too at first! This is not fair!” Nailah bellowed in anger, standing up from her seat to walk out of the room.

“Mija, wait!” You called out but she didn't listen and ran up to her room slamming the door shut.

“Tom…?” you sighed defeatedly.

“No, Y/N. This is just one of their schemes to get back at us. And I'm not letting them hurt my daughter.” he lifted his napkin to wipe his mouth and then strode out of the room.

Everybody had lost their appetite after that as Nathan silently went back to his room too. You asked Leslie to clear out the table and made your way to Nailah's room. You knocked on the door softly.

“Come in.” you heard her voice and the moment you stepped inside her room she jumped out of her bed and began pouring out her anger, throwing her hands up in the air.

“Dad is being unreasonable again!”

You scoffed with a smile. “Oh trust me, I know. Your father can be a stubborn bull when he has made up his mind on something.

“He does this every time. Also I think he has managed to scare each and every guy in London that no one would even dare look at me.” she ranted.

“I know sweetheart.” You pulled her in your embrace as she nuzzled her face into your chest. “He is just worried because he loves you the most. You know that right?” you said caressing the back of her head.

“But I really like him, mum.” She mumbled and your mother's heart couldn't bear to see your girl's misery.

“Ok then call him.” you said and Nailah pulled back with a confused frown on her face.

“Who?”

“Liam, of course.”

“Why?”

“I need to invite him for dinner tomorrow.” You explained. “C'mon now, call him and put it on speaker.”

Wordlessly Nailah pulled out her phone and dialed his number. The line trilled for a few seconds and then was replaced by a smooth masculine voice.

“Hey baby doll, missing daddy?”

Your brows rose, partly amused and partly shocked. You took a moment before answering coolly, “I don't think she is 'cause her daddy is very much at home.”

For ten seconds it was dead silence followed by a few loud coughs. Beside you standing was Nailah, trying hard to avoid your gaze, her face red in embarrassment. The corners of your mouth twitched as you fought a smile.

“I'm sorry, who's this?” Liam finally spoke, clearing his throat.

“Y/N Holland, Nailah's mother.”

“Oh hello Mrs. Holland,” he said. “I apologize for earlier it was completely a joke, I-I thought it was Nailah.”

“It's alright I understand and please call me Y/N.” you said sweetly.

“So any particular reason you called? Is Nailah ok?” his tone turned worrisome instantly.

“Oh yes, yes she is fine. I called to invite you for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. We heard that you're seeing our daughter and my husband, I mean Nailah's father, is quite eager to meet you.”

“Oh I see.” His tone was a bit uncertain.

“So is tomorrow good for you?” you asked.

“Yes. Tomorrow will be fine.” he confirmed.

“Great! We'll be expecting you by seven then.”

“Sure.” He said and you ended the call and turned to Nailah who was just wishing the floor to swallow her whole but it was you, her mother whom she used to share everything with since she was a kid, so it's kind of useless to act coy in front of you.

“Please don't say anything.” she groaned covering her face with her palms.

“I wasn't even going to mija.” you said with a teasing smirk.

“But what about dad? He would never agree to this.” she asked warily.

“Don’t worry, I’ve my own ways to persuade him.” you said smirking suggestively and when Nailah realized her face scrunched as she shook her head smiling.

“Tmi mum, tmi.”

“What?” You chuckled. “I’m just being the cool mom, okay.”

“You are the best mum actually.” She slipped her hands around in a hug.

“Now, now you're going to make me cry as well.” You kissed the top of her forehead lovingly. “I'd do anything to see my babies happy.”

***

After promising Nailah that you'll handle everything you had pestered Tom all night to meet Liam for once which he had half heartedly agreed to. Next day there was a gathering of your brother-in-laws in your living room. You figured he'd called his brothers so that they could jointly intimidate the guy into backing off and no way you are going to allow that.

“What are you lot doing in my house?” you arched a stern brow planting your hands on your hips.

“This is my brother's house as well.” Harry retorted.

“That doesn't answer my question.”

“Well it has been a while since we saw you guys so thought why not spend some time with my dearest nephew and niece.” he said.

“Oh I see, so you mean to say that this sudden gathering of the Holland brothers has nothing to do with Liam Romano joining us for dinner tonight?” you said seeing right through their bullshit.

“What? You're having dinner with that Italian chap?” he said in mock surprise before turning to Tom. “Brother, you didn't tell us anything about that.” Surprisingly Tom didn't say a word as he continued to sip on his tea.

“You think you guys are really smart huh? I'm stating it quite firmly that I won't accept any kind of hostility towards him tonight.” You said sharply. “For all I know my girl really likes this boy so you guys need to leave.”

“Y/N, how can you say this?” Sam interjected. “You have no idea about all the bloodshed that has gone down between our families.”

“Yeah your great grandfather killed theirs so what? It was decades ago. How long are you going to stretch this out?” you remarked. “I think this is the perfect opportunity to end this long lasting fight between the families. If Nailah marries Liam the Italians will have no choice but to be our allies.”

“Y/N might be right in this matter, Tom.” Harrison said after giving some thought to your words.

“I’m always right.” you huffed.

“Ok let's see how it goes.” Tom exhaled deeply, setting his cup down on the coffee table.

***

It was around seven when Liam pulled his car in the driveway. He stepped out of the car and glanced up admiring the huge mansion when he noticed a tall, lean figure walking down the front door steps. Quickly realizing it was Nailah's twin brother Nathan he called out.

“Hey Nate, where are you off to man?”

“The atmosphere inside the house is quite grim and I don't want any part of it so I'm out mate but you’re so in for it tonight.” he chuckled.

“I heard it was you who blabbed.” Liam narrowed his gaze at him.

“You’re welcome I guess? See you later.” Nathan grinned and strode off to his car. Liam made his way up the stairs and pressed the buzzer. The door opened with Tom, standing all tall and proud in his Armani suit. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, a dark look residing on his face. But Liam wasn't the one to be intimated so easily after all he was a mafioso himself as the two men stared at each other coldly.

“Welcome Liam!" You beamed, interrupting their impromptu staring match.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Holland.” he said politely and handed you a bottle of wine. “It's the best from our wineries aged to perfection.”

“That's so nice of you isn't it hon?” you turned to Tom with a narrowed gaze reminding him to behave properly.

“Indeed.” Tom muttered.

“Come in.” You ushered him to the living room as Tom and Liam sat across each other. Nailah descended down the stairs in a pretty burgundy dress and you noticed Liam's eyes go alight. She gave him a little wave and he smiled warmly in return before turning his attention to Tom. Tom silently poured himself a glass of whiskey and brought it to his lips eyeing him through the rim of the glass. You felt it was best to leave them alone so they can talk.

“I'll go and see if the dinner is ready or not. Leah, come with me.” You announced and left the room grabbing Nailah with you.

As soon as you were out of the room Liam straightened himself with a serious look on his face and looked Tom directly in the eyes.

“I know you're dying to rip my head off so just let it out already whatever you intend to say.”

Tom scoffed, nursing his drink. “You should actually thank my wife for the immense restraint I'm displaying at the moment.”

“I see you're quite afraid of her.” Liam remarked his lips tugged into a smirk.

“Love.” Tom corrected him. “It's because I love her and respect her wishes even though sometimes I don't agree with them… and I love my daughter the same way, maybe a little more so whatever game you're trying to play with her… stop it or you will end up at the bottom of the Thames.”

“I assure you there's no game in here sir,” he said. “I'm in love with your daughter and that's the truth. Even though she was a tough nut to crack. Nobody has rejected me as many times as she has.” Liam smiled at the memories of him trying to woo her and she rejecting him every time. A smug grin formed on Tom's lips as well, feeling proud of his daughter. Liam continued “I know things are a bit tense between our families for a long time but there is no malice in my intentions. We would like to keep good relations with you.”

Tom’s brows drew into a frown. “Do you speak for yourself or on behalf of your whole family?”

“I'm going to take over the position of the Don from my father soon so I speak on behalf of my family as well.” he told him. “Sir, Nailah is the most beautiful and kind hearted person I've ever known with the streak of wilderness she has which surprises me at times and I love that about her. I will always treat her with nothing but respect and love.”

Tom was partly impressed hearing him talk so sincerely. “Well you Italians are all about your honor so I believe you. But I'll be watching boy… and if you ever break my girl’s heart you'll be as good as dead.” Tom threatened him as he poured some more whiskey in two glasses.

“Most certainly, sir.” Liam gave a curt nod.

“Here.” Tom slid him a glass and he accepted it.

Meanwhile you were setting the dinner table with the help of Nailah.

“Mum, was it wise to leave them alone together? Daddy positively looked homicidal.” she looked at you warily as she handed you the clean burgundy wine glasses.

“Don't worry sweetie. He promised me that he is not going to do anything tonight”

“It's all Nate's fault.” she grumbled. “One day I'm going to kill that prat.”

“Some or the other day you had to tell us anyway or were you planning to elope?” you gave her a questioning glance.

“No way! I wouldn't marry if daddy doesn’t walk me down the aisle.”

“Oh so you want to marry him, huh?” you said with a knowing grin.

“I-I mean not now but someday.” She stuttered blushing.

“Ah, at least one of my children has thoughts of settling down. I've half my hopes for your brother. Also I wonder where he went.” you frowned.

“Where else does he have to go anyways?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Either it’s the bar or at Anna’s. Anna really has some patience to tolerate him. I would've kicked him out a long time ago.”

“At least Anna has always been a good influence on him.” you said thoughtfully but then quickly shrugged yourself off. “Let's go and check on them. It's been quiet for some time now.”

You reentered the living room to find the atmosphere quite lighter than it was before. Tom and Liam were engaged in a hearty conversation of golf and football over a glass of whiskey. Nailah let out a sigh of relief seeing them at ease.

After dinner you and Tom stood near the french doors of the patio watching Nailah show Liam the lawn of your house. He said something to her in return and she laughed out loud. You saw glimpses of you and Tom in them. It brought a smile on your face knowing your daughter has found the love of her life.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

I posted 1,474 times in 2022

1,291 posts created (88%)

183 posts reblogged (12%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@still-a-morosexual-help

@ohmyglobwhatthefrickamievendoing

I tagged 1,407 of my posts in 2022

Only 5% of my posts had no tags

#obey me - 934 posts

#asks - 885 posts

#obey me shall we date - 850 posts

#obey me! - 819 posts

#shall we date? obey me! - 818 posts

#swd obey me - 815 posts

#obey me mammon - 354 posts

#om! mammon - 288 posts

#swd mammon - 283 posts

#shall we date mammon - 260 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#amxudmfnfidlxunfk i hate that i didn't catch on that this was the anime 'sports festival arc' till you said it😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Ever stop to think about how fucking insane MC is?

Two of the brothers have admitted, to their face, to eating humans. To relishing it. They spoke about it with longing.

One of the brothers killed them, laughed over their corpse & was more than willing to kill the entire human race.

One of the brothers told them in graphic detail how he would rip out their heart.

Two of the brothers told them in graphic detail how they would rip them apart limb by limb.

Five of the brothers have nearly killed them.

One has threatened to kill them multiple times.

There is a high high chance.....................who am I kidding.....It's 100% guaranteed that all seven of the brothers have killed and eaten humans.

And MC gives 0 shits. They live with them, love them and consider them their family. I.....I don't think they'd care if the brothers were still actively killing humans. I think they'd actually pick the brothers over the lives of humans...

...They did pick the brothers over the lives of humans. Remember in S3 when a human pointed a gun at Belphie and they were able to summon fire, hot enough to melt a bullet, which then rushed towards the man? Even when Diavolo transformed to kill the man for daring to shoot Belphie, they were never concerned with Diavolo killing the man - either they agree with Diavolo and want revenge or they agree with Belphie and don't want to make more trouble for themselves.

They're also able to threaten to burn Little D No. 2 alive because he kept making too many chicken puns while in a chicken costume.

What the fuck is wrong with them?

I mean there's being chill and then there's not giving a fuck that the guy whose mouth you're sticking your tongue down regularly consumed human flesh at a point in his life

What the fuck is wrong with them?

Edit:

Lowkey devastated that people couldn't tell that as a monsterfucker & a person who is attracted to unhinged monsterfuckers this entire post was made out of a place of awe and lust

Anyway if you want a fic about this very concept, featuring unnamed gn! mc × mammon try -> Under the Gentle Rains

3,527 notes - Posted October 10, 2022

#4

Wait wait W A I T is this the first time MC gotta make out with demon form Mammon!?😳

click for better quality because the look, the raised eyebrow & the smirk deserve better quality

3,659 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

#3

I love this fucking family.

See the full post

3,837 notes - Posted November 22, 2022

#2

Some random demons: *gushing about how stoic and cool Lucifer is. how he must be a sadistic Dom. ~Daddy™~*

MC, a known eavesdropper, who lives with the guy; staring off into the distance:

4,239 notes - Posted August 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Mammon's such a fascinating character because canonically:

*good at solving complex mathematical problems in his head in a matter of seconds*

*understands people, their emotions and how they'd react to specific situations and uses that knowledge to manipulate them and get what he wants (whether that's some physical object or a certain reaction from them or just for them to calm down)*

*when there's no other choice at all, he steps up and effectively takes charge*

*a good teacher and seems to have a good balanced mix between being strict, encouraging and helpful*

*whenever Lucifer wants a job done well (no matter what the job is), he relies on Mammon (and has done so since they were angels)*

*scams usually work, he just tends to get caught at the end*

*came up with a code on the spot to tell MC he missed them while also being a comprehensible message on its own, that fit with his 'tsundere' personality*

*constantly found ways to sneak into the human world from the Celestial Realm*

*has fast and spontaneous reactions during high stake situations where you need to move/react fast*

*enjoys playing chess*

*can multitask well*

*actual emotional intelligence*

*one of the first brothers (the second?) to realise there was something wrong with Simeon*

*has a variety of skills that range from making balloon animals to fitting in seamlessly in a corporate environment*

*extremely hardworking when there's a goal he genuinely wants that he's working towards*

*when giving it his all he tends to pick up new skills easily*

*by his younger brothers' own admittance, he can do anything, complete any task and he can do it well as long as he puts effort into it*

But also canonically:

*had no idea what the fuck rent was*

*a shit liar*

*said "what if I accidentally tell MC I'm in love with them" to MC*

*constantly failing all his classes*

*easily falls for traps/curses*

*emotional intelligence fizzles out when it comes to talking about his own problems/admitting anything about himself*

*bet and lost their new house*

*managed to trick himself into believing he'd get a prize if he won a competition that Diavolo explicitly said there was no prize for*

*came up with a plan to win the competition in a matter of seconds, easily and constantly changing it to better fit the situation at hand. a plan that worked extremely well. lost the competition because he couldn't be bothered to check the title of a book*

Mammon's a character who'll break down and teach you PhD level Mathematics without breaking a sweat and then ask you what kind of animal the Pink Panther is in the next sentence.

I love him. I want to study him under a microscope.

See the full post

5,883 notes - Posted July 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[marengogo]

You confirmed that jk does things for jm only because jm asks him, and jm is his hyung so he can't say no 🙄 the point is that jk accepts reluctantly. Otherwise why he finds excuses to justify his behaviour? When jm said that jk visited his room a lot, why jk didn't say "yeah jm is funny, I like to spend time with him". But he minimized their relationship and Jm. I'm not saying that he hates him, but if there is the possibily that he likes him maybe he is ashamed of him or something like that. If it's that simple like you think, and everyone can see the love that jk has for jm 🥴 why they asked him (during a show I think, years ago) if he liked jm? And why some members admitted that they thought that jk didn't like jm?

JUNGKOOK’S FAILURE AT SHIPPING, SOMETIMES: PART 1・PART 2

Actually Anon, interesting that you should bring that up:

You confirmed that jk does things for jm only because jm asks him and jm is his hyung so he can’t say no 🙄

JK is very … What's the world I’m looking for? Mmm … : Jungkook does, what Jungkook wants. This is something that all members have complained about on a plethoooora of occasions except for Namjoon, he is admittedly the one member that Jungkook tends to listen to. Oh and gurl/boi/enby when he was younger he would fight. Literally. Nowadays,  he will end up doing on most occasions what he’s been asked to, but he will end up with that “reluctant expression”. That’s just how Jungkook is, but I’m sure you already knew that.

It has to be said though that he indeed did have a period where, being the type of teenager that he was, he very much did relish in pestering Jimin, so much so that he was called out for it  by none other than Jimin himself. I’m sure you’ve experienced or at the very least are aware of the type of silly/cute behaviour that many a person has when they, for example, “pester a crush” or simply someone they like. But you don’t have to hear that from me, let Jungkook tell you … hold on … Here it is! Rookie King Ep 4, you should watch the whole thing cause it’s funny AF, but if you want to go right to the point it is at 22:55.

This is probably, and admittedly is probably a silly hunch but, also why some people around him thought, to JK’s own very surprise, that he didn’t like Jimin.

… Funnily enough, the members who said yes are the very members who were mostly at the end of his roughhousing Jin, to this day is still “victim” of his roughhousing … almost as if they understood that this is how Jungkook acts and that maybe, I don’t know, he means nothing by it … but that just me you know? If you want you should watch this whole episode, just for fun, or even context??

Oh and yes:

When jm said that jk visited his room a lot, why jk didn't say "yeah jm is funny, I like to spend time with him". But he minimized their relationship and Jm.  I'm not saying that he hates him, but if there is the possibility that he likes him maybe he is ashamed of him or something like that. If it's that simple like you think, and everyone can see the love that jk has for jm 🥴

What do you want me to tell you Anon, I mean JK got himself in a bit of a pickle there, wouldn’t you say? Do you think it “normal” behaviour to show up at someone’s room at 1:50am? As Jimin said, he was indeed sleeping. And not only that, that whole part of the life basically JM, and Tae, as well just kept exposing Jungkook like there was no tomorrow … how would you have reacted? I’m petty AF, I would have denied everything right there and then and found a way to expose them as well bitches, but i love them. 

I’m glad you are not saying that he hates him, cause NGL, I’m not entirely sure how you could recover from that, though I am sure you have a lot of content that backs up all your statements … I will say though that circa 2022, if anyone might have had a bit to be ashamed of that is probably JM. 

Ultimately, however, what do I know?! How am I supposed to know why Jeon Jungkook does and says what he does and says? Going around telling people that they should keep being jealous because he’ll keep holding on to Jiminssi, or asking Jimin, out of nowhere, where he is going like it is any of his business … He is an interesting one that Jeon Jungkook, let me tell you that much, I’ve been around many an eccentric person, but he, takes the cake.

Always fairly and squarely yours,

Marengo.

[rosietrace]

Melodic Misconceptions 🎹

Track 20: Is it a date or...?

Synopsis: Victoria Shard was a former member of the popular idol group [ Poisoner ] from NRC corporations. After discourse with her group leader, Victoria decided it was best for her to leave and pursue her solo career in a record label run by her parents.

It had been half a year since her separation from her old group, and Victoria had never been more successful. But now she has a new problem. She must return to NRC corporations in order to mentor the seven idol groups.

Ellis Clawthorne is a member of [ (Co)-connect ] the most recent group under NRC'S belt. With no experience as an idol, Ellis must persevere in order to succeed and pursue her dreams.

Will both girls be able to adapt to their current situations?

✐ ✎_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_✐ ✎

Author's note: Ah yes, another attempt at second person POV-

Aguri's less of an ass in this, so relish in that 💀 As usual, Kaz is singlehandedly carrying "Melodic Misconceptions"

Not much to say other than uh- Track 21 is a continuation of track 17, and track 22 is info on Koral Larrane, [ Poisoner ]'s new manager/recently popularized solo artist.

I hope you enjoy this track! Reblogs are recommended though-

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

You didn't know why you were doing this.

And really, it felt like a really stupid decision on your end. Honestly, who randomly shows up at your friend's workplace after having argued with said friend?

You, apparently.

Either way, you couldn't leave now. They did a whole ass background check before you entered. It was a clear sign that Crowley values the profits his idols make to that extent.

Shrugging it off, you walked inside and began walking around.

When everyone saw you wandering around the place, they assumed you were looking for Vil. And you can't really blame them for making such an assumption.

Your friendship with Vil helped elevate your status as an actor. And just being associated with him was enough to make you rather mainstream in recent months.

But right now, it's kinda…. Iffy with Vil. But it wasn't like everyone in NRC corporations needed to know that.

And you weren't even looking for Vil to begin with. You were looking for someone who used to be in his idol group. And it wasn't Jiyoon Lockhart.

It was Victoria Shard.

I know, weird. It's pretty well established that you two don't see eye to eye whatsoever. Which was ironic since the chemistry you had with her was astonishing.

That aside, you furrowed your eyebrows and felt a little frustrated. Why the hell is NRC Corp so unnecessarily large? You thought, continuing to walk around.

But then you happened to stumble upon a conversation Vil was having. With Circe and Epel no less.

"Vil, maybe you should reconsider…" Epel suggested, appearing rather distressed. You assumed he was talking about the new manager Vil was going to appoint.

And your assumption was correct.

Circe crossed his arms."I agree with Epel on this one, Vil. I know you're open to new opportunities but this just feels…. Iffy." He commented.

You saw Vil's reaction to Circe's tone and cringed at him scrunching his nose."You just aren't seeing it from my perspective." Vil counteracted.

You rolled your eyes, thinking that his counteraction wasn't helping his case.

"Koral passed the interview with flying colors and has shown to be rather capable in her abilities as a manager."

"Yeah, but she's an idol. She can't be both at the same time."

"If [ (Co)-connect's ] manager can be an occasional rapper, then Koral can be our manager as well."

You cringed even more at Vil's attempt to justify his decision. It didn't help that Koral was a rather interesting choice to be a manager. Especially with her generally childlike aesthetic.

"He's gotten more convoluted with his justifications lately."

You flinched, jerking away from the direction of the voice. Relief hit you like a goddamn bullet train once you finally realized who it was.

The girl you were looking for.

Victoria motherfucking Shard.

Her eyebrows raised, yet her poker face rarely faltered."Are you alright?" She asked.

Coughing awkwardly, you did your best to hide your embarrassment."Uh- Yeah…. All good, princess."

Her lips formed a line, and her eyes were enough to tell you that she wasn't impressed by your failed attempt.

"Right…." She quickly checked to see if anyone was nearby. To her satisfaction, there was no one around."Why are you here?"

You tensed up. You didn't know how to tell Victoria.

I mean, it's just a hangout with friends, right? Was what was sprinting around your mind. It didn't help that you were probably looking ridiculous with such an awkward look on your face.

Her eyes narrowed, and she appeared to grow impatient."Why are you here?" She repeated her question, expecting her answer to come out.

And it did.

"I'm going to a cat café with Kaz, and… I happened to have an extra invite for my reservation."

Her eyebrows were knitted together now.

"Are you…. Asking me out on a date?"

"It isn't a date."

"It sounds like one with the way you look right now."

"What's wrong with the way I look?"

"You look like you're about to burst shit out of your ass."

You held back the urge to snort at her little joke. It wasn't innovatively creative and funny, but it was amusing to hear.

"So, princess…"

You tried to hide your anxiety by pushing her up against the wall. With your noses touching, you could practically feel her lavender scent take over you.

"What do you say?" You asked innocently. As if you weren't inches away from potentially kissing her.

Victoria paused, thinking of a proper response. Until she suddenly had her little eureka moment and quickly touched your nose with hers to have you jerk away.

"What I'm going to say…. Is that I don't mind as long as Kaz is coming."

"I can guarantee that, princess."

She bit the side of her mouth."Right… Pick me up at three?"

You smiled at her suggestion, leaning against the wall with playful glee in your eyes.

"Noted."

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

"Holy shit…"

Victoria looked right at you, appearing perplexed by your response to her clothing choice.

"What?" She questioned, eyes squinted."Do you not like it?"

You laughed."I do, it's just… uncharacteristically sexy." You tease.

As if on cue, Kaz hissed at your response to her outfit. But how can anyone not stare?

It was simple. A black dress with bishop sleeves, fishnet leggings, and platform boots that elevated Victoria's height.

What you were focused on was the length of the skirt. It was like any other mini skirt, but the way it complimented her figure… It made you not help but stare for a while.

Victoria just rolled her eyes playfully and sent Kaz a cute little wave."I'll tolerate your pretentiousness as long as Kaz is around to keep me sane."

You faked a pout."You're saying that as if you only agreed to this so you can spend more time with Kaz."

She smiles more playfully. Still ghostlike, but it had a slight playfulness that you happened to find attractive on her face.

"Is that not what I implied?"

"Nevermind…"

The ride to the cat café was, for the most part, silent. Not much conversation to begin with, especially after you mentioned how sensitive Kaz is to sound when he's asleep.

And naturally, Victoria respected that and did what she could to be as silent as possible. It's almost concerning how perfect her default poker face is.

But then the song on the car's radio changed to a certain idol's latest hit.

Not Victoria's 'young and beautiful'. But Koral's 'k-k-kiss me'.

It wasn't a bad song, per se, but… The fact that Koral's manager also sang a small verse in the song put you over the edge.

And as she was scrolling through her phone, she felt a hand on her thigh.

Your hand.

The tips of her ears flushed, and she turned to look at you and noticed the tensed look in your eyes as Koral's manager finally sang her verse.

"Are…. You okay?"

You gave her a nervous smile.

"Y-Yeah…"

"I don't think anyone who's genuinely okay would go out of their way to squeeze their friend's thigh."

"Ah- Sorry…"

Your eyes didn't divert from the road, yet your cheeks appeared warm. Victoria found it a little cute, honestly.

"..... I'll allow it."

You blinked, glancing at her for a second."What?" You breathed.

"I'm allowing you to touch my thigh. Think of it as a way to relieve stress." She reiterated her words earlier.

You inhaled. Relieve stress…..

A sigh left your lips and you continued to hold onto Victoria's thigh as if your life depended on it. Not like you were squeezing it like a stress ball, of course not.

Oddly enough, Victoria's little smile didn't go unnoticed by you.

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

"Ah…."

"Do you like it?"

Holding the door open for her, Victoria looked around the cat café with intrigue. You couldn't help but chuckle when you saw the wondrous feeling in her eyes.

Kaz purred, leaning against your touch. And behind your mask was the softest smile you could muster up.

You happened to rent the entire café for today, with permission from one of your old college friends who worked at the cafe.

After ordering, the two of you sat down and began watching and occasionally petting the cats. Kaz happened to be enthusiastic enough to wander around.

"Ah- Shouldn't we prevent Kaz from getting lost?"

"It's fine. Were you too charmed by my looks to notice his custom Versace name tag?"

She deadpanned at you before turning her attention back to one of the cats. A chuckle escaped her lips as she picked the cat up and began gently petting it.

The cat was gentle enough to cuddle against Victoria as she was petting it. It made you snicker at how tremendously easy-going the cats are with her.

The waiter with their orders arrived, and it happened to be the college friend you talked with.

They didn't expect you to bring Victoria with you. And it didn't help that she looked breathtaking with her hair down.

"...."

"Uh…. You okay?" You asked, your voice deep with confusion. Victoria looked up at them as well, which didn't help.

The friend gulped and just served their orders. They sent you an awkward smile that secretly said 'How could you not wait for me?'

A message that both you and Victoria immediately understood.

"I'm guessing that friend has romantic feelings for you?" Victoria questioned before she consumed her parfait.

You hummed."I guess? I wouldn't have guessed…" you replied awkwardly, with Kaz jumping back into your lap.

You noticed the frown that dawned on her face before she let out a huff.

"If you'd like…. We can get your mind off of that revelation by enjoying the cats… And the parfait." She quickly added, sending you a smirk.

You chuckled for a little while and nodded. Your friend may have feelings for you, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"As long as you make sure you don't hog all of Kaz's affection."

"I make no such promises, Harper."

"Rude much, princess?"

"Ugh…"

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

Tagging:

@starry-night-rose @nem0-nee @authoruio @windbornearchon @sakuramidnight15 @fumikomiyasaki @geminiiviolets @twsted-princess @knights-escort

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 22

We're at the Season 1 penultimate episode for both of these series (and I guess the next Sherlock episode I watch is ALSO the Season 1 penultimate episode, but like...that's a three episode season. We won't even SEE Jim til almost March :( )

"Salvation"

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: If the first five minutes are just sitting through a recap of the last 20 episodes? I can survive sitting through that (but I won't be happy about it). Nevermind, seems like we're getting a real first five minutes. Know what? I'd let Meg kill me. If she's gonna do it anyway, might as well make it my choice or something.

I relish Winchester infighting. There's been so much of it this season and it's so good even if a little pointless. And now there's three to fight with each other??

What a wonderful name for a midwest town to wrap this season up in: Salvation, Iowa. Damn.

So, I think I'd be more...invested in this whole "Pastor Jim is dead and that's hitting too close to home for the Winchesters" if, you know, the first time we met him it wasn't when Meg slashed his throat open.

It's kind of convenient that Sam has psychic visions at just the right times.

I'm. No. SIR! NO. Disrespectfully, no. You fucking DISAPPEARED, you don't get to tell Dean that if something weird starts happening with Sam, that you need to be told IMMEDIATELY. Fuck that noise. Stop it. Do not make me laugh. I'll fucking do it.

I paused before Dean got his say in, and OH MAN. YES, Dean!!! Nah, bitch, you don't get to abandon your kids and OCCASIONALLY leave cryptic messages, but then tell them you don't like the tone they're taking with you. Nu uh.

Oh. Okay. Her picking off John's friends one by one is, frankly, delicious. I should not be this attracted to her right now. I really do just love when villains

I...am truly heartbroken over what John wants for his sons. He wants Sam to be able to go back to school, which is nice and fine. He should get to follow his dreams. But then he says "I want Dean to have a home." And that's one of those moments you realize how much Dean has lacked for so much of his life. Sam had Stanford for all the time he was there, and he would have likely had a settled life, but DEAN? (I'm shifting into my "Being Broken Hearted Dean and Touya At the Same Time For Similar Reasons" mode)

I *DON'T* like the boys (*coughsamcough*) trying to say good bye "in case something happens," even if I do get it.

John IS smart though. Smart even if he's reckless. The boys, a little less so. Or the father of the family they're trying to protect is also...very protective, as he should be. Two guys in their mid-twenties just broke into their house in the middle of the night. Usually, they build a better rapport with whomever they're trying to save. Guess they didn't really have the time today.

Oh shit. Dean got that baby out not a moment too soon.

I mean, we had to know they weren't going to get the demon tonight.

Dean just doesn't want to lose the only two people he has, and those two people seem to be a-okay with just throwing their lives away, sacrificing themselves for this cause. I'm distraught.

"Been On My Mind...": No. And I didn't expect to with all plot that's happening

"Bad Wolf"

This is such a fun and weird way to enter the episode: the Doctor being sucked into some future form of the show Big Brother. And Rose is on The Weakest Link (does that even exist anymore?? Does it have actual new episodes on the Game Show Network or is it just reruns? Do they even have reruns of it anymore?)

You gotta love Jack's confidence "Ladies, your viewing figures just went up"

I think this bit would have been maybe funnier back in '06? Now it's just...I dunno. It's not hitting like it's probably supposed to. It's probably supposed to be a mix of funny and horrifying? But the whole Weakest Link part is now just horrifying....seventeen years later.

Don't tell me she gets vaporized too...wtf.

Finally. Some development.

(I feel bad because I remember liking this episode a lot more in the past.)

I shouldn't laugh because it's not actually funny (or it is in a grim way). But the actual news getting shut down and then governments collapsing because of that and the rise of all of these inane yet extremely dangerous game shows and reality tv shows...feels poignant for some reason.

Rose's disintegration doesn't hit as hard when you know she's not actually dead. Or at least she comes back.

I even SAW the daleks in the preview the other day and forgot they were coming back for this episode.

This episode was what would have been a lot of confusion in the first half (if this weren't a rewatch) and set up in the second half, so there wasn't a lot to say, sadly.

[j-wont-stop]

Mary Mary (Chapter One)

Title - Mary Mary (Chapter One)

Word Count - 1696

Fandom - The Umbrella Academy

Pairing - Five Hargreeves x OC

Summary - October 1st, 1989. Forty-Three infants were born to women with no previous signs of pregnancy. It was also the day of four-year-old Mariana Polakoff’s death. The world carried on, her mother being the only one left to grieve. But on one miraculous day, the little girl was spotted. But she was not how the world remembered her.

Warning(s) - None

Inspiration - I Just Died In Your Arms (Hidden Citizens)

A/N - This is set after season two, but instead of the Sparrow Academy appearing, everything is back to normal. Five is also physically 22 for reasons later on in the story.

22 April 2011

"I could keep you safe. They're all afraid of me."

"How is that when they can't see you?" There was a deep hum. No matter how many years he had been teaching her, her accent still remained thick as can be.

"Let's just say I'll be living vicariously." Lilac eyes shown through the darkness, filled with mischief. "Come, my dear," Knuckles brushed along her jaw. "The world isn't waiting any longer." Before she could question it his eyes faded. There was a growing pressure that surrounded her, suffocating her. An odd smell tickled her nose along with what had covered her. It was grainy, yet soft. It reminded her of something she couldn't quite remember.

The same clawed hand reached through to snatch the collar of her dress and she gasped when she was viciously pulled up. A bright light made her squint as she felt herself collapse on all fours, the pressure quickly relieving itself. A chill ran down her spine and she sat herself to wrap her arms around her thin frame.

"Mary?" A familiar voice beckoned ever so softly. She blinked a few times before fully opening her eyes that widened further. The first thing that she saw was the hoofed man towering over her, a curious look in his eyes. He gave a warming chuckle. "Confused as ever, I see." He bent down and pulled her to her feet, hands almost completely covering her upper arms. He brushed out the black fabric of her dress as she continued to look around in bewilderment. "It's a wonder how they didn't stain." He mumbled as he looked over her white cuffs and collar.

"Where am I?" The man paused and smiled to himself, then he slowly met her gaze.

"Do you not remember, my dear?" She shook her head. "This was your home. This was where you lived before I found you." He motioned to the scenery around them with his arms. Mary looked around her. The sounds of engines buzzing, birds chirping and phones ringing filled her ears. Numerous colors lined the busy streets with cars and people. She pulled her attention away from it all to where she had come from, but all she was met with was grass and a gravestone.

Mariana Polakoff

15 December 1985 - 1 October 1989

"How did I-?"

"You had a severe health condition and went into cardiac arrest." He cut her off, but she could tell there was more to it that he wasn't telling her. "Come, dear," He laid a hand on her back to guide her. "Let's find somewhere to settle down." The closer he led her to the sidewalk the more nervous she grew, unsure about the entirely new environment. Her heartbeat grew faster and he sensed it. "You have nothing to fear, sweet thing. All you have to do is follow me." She looked up at him and his eyes gently squinted, a sign that he was smiling at her. She leaned into his side as his arm rested around her shoulders. Those who passed her gave her an odd look, very few held sympathy and even fewer a smile.

"Why do they look at me like that?"

"They're just jealous, my dear." His thumb rubbed circles into the bone of her shoulder.

"Jealous how?"

"Jealous of your beauty."

"My beauty-?" She looked at herself using a window they passed and her eyes widened. She stalled her movements, or attempted to before her guardian forced her to keep walking. She stumbled a little at his light push, still fixed on what she saw. "Dascal?" Questioned Mary as they turned into an apartment complex. It was a bit run down, the paper starting to peel from the walls and stairs a bit worn. Dust filled their noses and Mary sneezed into her elbow making the man next to her chuckle. They were about to turn another corner when Dascal yanked her back. The girl threw him a pointed glare and almost pecked at him when she noticed the frightened brunette in front of her. She was practically her own height, if not slightly taller. Her face held a sense of innocence and it seemed to be refreshing to the girl.

"Mariana?" Dascal snapped her out of her head and she swallowed.

"Prostyte." The girl quickly apologized and continued on with her journey. The brown haired woman just watched her in confusion and slight fear until they disappeared through a door a little ways down.

"It's not much, but it will do for now." Dascal commented as the girl wandered to the bathroom off to the right. The man sighed and followed after her, hooves lightly clicking against the wooden floor. He ducked under the doorway and stood behind Mary who stared at herself in the mirror, eyes wide and lips ajar.

She was taller than she had remembered. Her frame now held a delicate form rather than the one she had as a four-year-old that was akin to a pencil. Her skin was smooth and almost white as snow, peppered with moles here and there.

Her nimble fingers reached up towards her hair, combing through it with ease at its softness. Egg white strands fell through, a deep contrast to the black roots. Her eyes were a ghostly blue rather than the stark icicles she held before, their liveliness lost along with who she used to be.

There was one thing that stayed the same, however. The one thing that brought a melancholic smile to her lips. Her fingers moved to brush over her nose. The small bird beak a resemblance of the same one her mother held.

Her mother.

Her eyes grew to saucers and she was about to whip around, but the hands on her waist held her in place.

"Mama?" She whispered to herself, eyes glistening from their new coat of water.

"I'm afraid that must be a conversation for another time." In her dazed and worrisome state he led her back out to the dull living room, the same size as the even more dull kitchen. There was no dining area due to how small the apartment was and an almost closet-sized bedroom was nestled in next to the bathroom. She knew she would touch up on some things later on, picturing what she wanted it to look like in her head. All of the paintings and nicknacks she wanted to put on display for no one to see.

Mary slowly walked behind the couch, her fingertips barely grazing the top of it as she came to its front and sat down. With her legs crossed and arms spread across the fabric she breathed in the scent of the worn out room. She felt a hand comb through her hair, claws gracing her scalp so gently that she closed her eyes at the pleasure. A sigh of satisfaction left her lips as her head tilted back and Dascal chuckled. Then his movements stilled. Mary's lips moved to speak, but she was cut off by the sounds of knuckles tapping the door. She raised a single brow at him and stood up fixing the skirt of her dress. "So soon?"

Dascal and Mary exchanged a look of confusion, though the former's stare held a certain hostility. He stayed where he was and carefully eyed her movements, the way her hand curved around the door knob. It twisted in a way that was suspenseful and her nerves became stronger, without a clue of who or what was behind the door. She pulled it back just enough to peek her head through.

"Hello?" A strained feminine voice cut through. Dascal gradually made his way over to the two of them, hovering over Mary. His presence, yet invading her space, was always a comfort for her. It felt like she was home. His scent was unique. She relished the moments she was able to breathe it in. Another reason she didn't mind his closeness.

"Yes?" Her voice was even, stoic. Void of emotion as she looked the stranger in the eyes. Her confidence unnerved them.

"Who is it?" Dascal quietly asked. Mary opened the door further to reveal the same brunette they had run into. He hummed, then stiffened when Mary flinched. The woman held out a ten dollar bill. Her posture was awkward and ansty, but at the same time she was as still as a statue.

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're thinking." The stranger softly spoke. It wasn't hostile or judgemental. It sounded rather fascinated.

"I've heard those words before." Mary's face remained unmoving. The woman sighed, her arm starting to wear out.

"Look, I found this after you almost ran into me and I just wanted to give it back to you. I think you dropped it." Mary's mouth moved to deny the claim, but Dascal cut her off.

"How kind." She turned to look up at him, seeing that same mischievous glint in his eyes. "Take it. She's waiting." She turned back to the brunette who seemed confused and slowly took the ten dollars from her. She watched as the woman quickly snatched her hand away with large eyes, but as soon as it happened it was gone. Before she left she spoke once more.

"I live in 205 if you need anything." Dascal softly closed the door and looked down at the pale girl who just stared at the money in her hands.

"Dinner?"