#tw implied robbery gone wrong

[lildevyl]

Tommy Innit's Secret Clinic

Chapter 1:  Head Wound

Summary:   Tommy winds up meeting up with one of the most terrifying Super Villains of all time.  One of the Leaders of the Syndicate, “The Blood God” Erinyes with a major head injury outside of his work.  Now, Tommy has to make a decision, does he help the Super Villain and risk getting put in jail or does he high tail it out of there?

Read it on AO3 HERE

TW: Head Wound, Alternate Universe-Superhero/Super Powers, Healing Powers, Villain Techno, Mention of Violence, Implied Robbery gone Wrong, Mentions of Blood, Vomiting

Being born and raised in the East Side District of L’Manburg, you’ve seen, heard and experienced quite a lot.  From seeing giant flea infested rats that defy the very laws of Nature herself, to the multiple Hero-Villain Alerts that popup almost daily.  L’Manburg over the decades since it was founded has grown in size expanding beyond even the Founders Dreams.  And with it came the classic divide among the Working Class.

The Hero District as everyone now calls it, was where the infamous Hero Committee known as the Order and the Hero Tower reside.  Along with nearly every Hero as well as the Major Businesses and Hollywood Stars quality salaries living there and thriving there.  It’s also where most of the Heroes patrol (go figure).  Then there’s the West End District, where all the “Rich and Famous” people live.  High end designers, singers, business owners, business corporations, celebrities, you get the idea.  This is also the main place besides the Hero District that the Heroes patrol.  Then there’s the South Bay District, where you’re not the filthy rich but you’re still making a good living.  The Heroes do patrol this District once and while but not as often when compared to the other two Districts.

Then you have where our Protagonist of our story, Tommy Innit and his “family,” live, the East Side District.  Where the “Poor People” live and scrape by just to make enough for ends meet and pay their bills.  This is also the Highest Crime Rate in all of the Districts.  Why may you ask?  Well, dear readers it is simply because no Hero ever comes to patrol the East Side District.  Hell if you were even a Villain, just grab a cheap apartment here in the East Side to stay every now and then to keep a low profile and you’re guaranteed to never have someone call the hotline.  Spotting a Villain was one thing but unless they’re actively doing something?  Then no one would bother to call.  That’s the truce.

And it’s this truce that one particular teenager will be making a major decision on.

(Muffins and More Café)

Tommy began his usual routine of closing the Café, with his headphones in his ears, the Spotify App opened on his playlist that consisted mostly of Lovejoy and Able Sisters.  Tommy whipping down the tables, sweeping and mopping the floors, jamming out to the tunes, completely lost in own world.  Today hadn’t been that bad of a day, the customers weren’t that bad, Tommy only had to deal with one Karen this afternoon.  And to top off this amazing day, Tommy met the Baron!  One of L’Manburg’s most famous Vigilantes of all time!  And the one that helped inspired many others to follow in their footsteps after the Demon retired many years ago.  If it weren’t for the Vigilantes then the streets of East Side wouldn’t be safe enough for the parents to even let their children outside to play, let alone be able to walk home safely, without the fear of getting jumped or mugged.

Okay, so Tommy has a slight grudge against the Heroes, but can you blame him?  No Hero even patrols here in East Side. Well, okay Tommy will take that back, he has seen TimeKeeper and he has met Arachnid a couple of times but no other Hero would patrol here.  Hence the reason why the Crime Rate skyrocketed!  Which is why East Side is better known for having Vigilantes then Heroes to patrol at night.  They do what the Heroes are supposed to do, stop crime! Even the pettiest and smallest of crimes.

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!

Of course Tommy’s phone decides it’s about to die just when he’s about to end his shift.  Going to the back Tommy plugged in his phone to the Free Phone Charger, Bad gave all of his employees usage too.  Missing the Alter that popped up ten seconds after being plugged in.  Tommy grabbed the trash bags and headed out to the back alley to put them in the dumpster.  And that was when Tommy noticed that it started to rain, great, a crummy ending to a good day.

Shaking his head, Tommy grabbed the “One Size Fits All” Raincoat and hauled the trash bags out.  Dumping them into the dumpster and making sure the lid was closed so no animals got in.  They do not need a repeat of the “Pest Control Incident.”  Tommy started to head back inside when he stopped at the door.  Did he just hear something?

“Hello?  Anyone there?  Look if you need me to call someone I can bring the phone out!”  Nothing.  Must have been a racoon or something.  Shrugging his shoulders, Tommy headed back inside to finish getting ready to head home.

Grabbing his hoodie, his backpack, mini umbrella, keys and checking to make sure all the lights are off and all the doors are locked.  Tommy headed towards the back of the Café towards the back alley to start his journey on his way home.  Tommy got outside and was about to lock up for the day, when he noticed he forgot his phone.  Groaning, Tommy shoved the door open and went back inside, and grabbed his phone.  That’s when he noticed the Alert.

Erinyes spotted coming out of the Record House.  Be on the lookout.  If you spot Erinyes, call the HOTLINE.

Tommy had to do a double take on that, the Record House?  The Record House used to be where Town Hall was before they moved the location to the Hero District.  Then they converted the old building into the Record House.  The Record House was where all of the records of L'Manburg was stored and kept.  From public records you can easily do a quick Google Search on to the most Confidential Records that you need the Top Security Clearance for.  And with those kinds of records you must know what it was that you’re looking for, because they tend to have decoys just in case.

But what made it worse was the fact that it wasn’t just any member of the Syndicate, it was one of the three co-leaders of the Syndicate!  The Syndicate was one of the top Crime Boss Supervillain Organizations well known in all of L’Manburg.  Tommy has his suspicions; it’s actually well known in all of Egopocalypse if he’s going to be honest with himself.  Tommy shudders at that thought.  As if Orcus, Erinyes and Siren weren’t bad enough, having to deal with DiePie, Darkiplier, AntiSepticeye, and BlankGamePlays would be a nightmare in itself.  Looking back at the Alert, Tommy noticed that the Warden and Arachnid were on scene along with several police cars.

Tommy wasn’t sure that would be enough though.  Many people have dubbed Erinyes as the Blood God, a Piglin Hybrid that seemed to be Invincible and there have been several theories, speculations and even a few reports stating that the Erinyes has what they call, “Blood Magic.”

Then Tommy remembered something, the Record House was only a half an hour to forty five minutes away from Bad’s Café.  Half that if you use the back alleys.  No, stop that!  There’s no way a bunch of Villains, especially one of the Leaders of the Syndicate would be caught dead here in East Side!  Stop scaring yourself over nothing!  Just grab your phone, Tommy and lock up and head home.  Maybe you can bribe Ranboo into giving you some leftovers so you don’t have to do anything when you get home.  He and Tubbo would be staying up and Tubbo would have no problem in informing you of the fight.

Tommy took a deep breath to help calm himself down, grabbing his phone, it was at fifty percent good enough until he got home.  Tommy went out the back and was about to lock up when he noticed someone passed out in the back alley.  Tommy took out his phone and activated the flashlight part of the phone.

He cautiously walked to the person laying face down, and froze when Tommy spotted who it was.  There lying face down was none other than Erinyes.  Rose pink hair tied back in a braid, trademark red cape, Boar Skull mask and Golden Crown laying askew probably from passing out.  Black dress pants and what Tommy could only assume would be his trademark white puffy pirate like shirt.  Tommy cautiously stepped towards Erinyes like he was stepping towards an injured wild animal.  He grabbed Erinyes arm and with a lot of difficulty in trying to make sure the Boar Skull didn’t fall off, leaned the Erinyes against the wall.

Now, up close Tommy can see what had happened.  Head wound, the blood coming down it looks bad.  From what Tommy can see it looks like it was a gunshot wound.  Erinyes were Invincible but not when it came to fatal wounds.  The Erinyes being a Piglin Hybrid can easily regenerate and heal themselves but with fatal wounds?  There was no way that they would be able to heal themselves.  And here Tommy was, standing in front of unconscious Erinyes with a fatal head wound if not treated.

Tommy took a few steps back and started to head back to the Café.  Call the cops Tommy!  Call the cops and then leave!  That’s all you have to do.  You can turn right around now and go the long way home taking the main street route and no one would ever know!  Or the hotline!  Yeah that’s what he will do, Tommy will call the Hotline, make an anonymous report and come back tomorrow to hear the full gossip from his boss!

When Tommy reached the back of the Café, phone in hand, unlocked, he stopped in his tracks.  There on his phone as his background screen was him, Tubbo, Ranboo, Ms. Pinkett and her son Michael.  Ms. Pinkett and her son Michael were like Erinyes, both of them Piglin Hybrids.  Even in a world with eighty percent of the population either being a Hybrid or being born with powers.  Many people still fear and discriminate against certain Hybrids.  The Nether and the End Hybrids more specifically.

Now, Tommy would be the first to admit that he wasn’t what you called a good person.  He lied, cheated, stole, scammed, pickpocketed and has been lock picking since he was five.  Tommy, with this phone still in hand, turned back to look at Erinyes.  Erinyes was a Piglin Hybrid just like Michael, a kid that he sometimes watches, for Ms. Pinkett.  Tommy doesn’t know Erinyes, he’s a Villain to Tommy, but he’s also a person.  A person that Tommy doesn’t know the backstory to or the reason why Erinyes joined the Syndicate, but he’s still a person.

Sighing to himself, Tommy started back towards the Erinyes.  Tommy crouched down and with a lot of effort and difficulty, Erinyes was a super tall guy and probably has like a hundred or so pounds on Tommy.  Tommy lifted Erinyes, put an arm over his shoulder and carried - dragged Erinyes to the back of the Café.  Tommy with his foot and the one hand not supporting Erinyes, kicked the backdoor open.  Tommy brought Erinyes in and nearly dropped the guy, putting him on the floor.  Quickly looking around Tommy spotted the camera on the one shelf and he moved everything he could in front of it to block the camera.  Then he went over near the sink where Bad kept the first aid kit.

Bringing it over to the unconscious Erinyes, Tommy opened up the first aid kit.  He immediately found a disposable mask, perfect!  Tommy took the mask put on the Erinyes doing his absolute best to cover the bottom part of the man’s face without seeing who he is.  Then Tommy took the Golden Crown and the Boar Skull Mask off.  He quickly brushed the hair outta the way and took a look at the head wound.  Tommy grabbed some rubbing alcohol, tweezers and cotton balls and began to dab at the wound cleaning it.  Then he grabbed some of the gauze and cleaned the rest of the blood.  Tommy then took out the mini vial of the Health Pot that Bad and Skeppy always kept for emergencies.  Just in case.

Tommy then put his hands to the head and closed his eyes and concentrated on healing the wound.  For the longest time, Tommy never knew that he had powers.  He actually thought he was one of the twenty percent of the population that was born “Human,” a person that was not a Hybrid or had any powers.  It wasn’t until he was about twelve or thirteen when he met Ranboo at one of the Foster Homes they were put in.  Ranboo was just starting to learn how to cook when there was a bad accident with the stove.  Tommy came over with Ranboo screaming bloody murder with his arms burned.  Tommy grabbed his arms and was about to yank him to the sink when he felt the surge of energy flow through him.  When both Tommy and Ranboo looked down, Tommy’s hands were glowing then the burns were healed with minor scabs and light scaring.  That was when they found out Tommy had the rare power of Healing.

Tommy’s never healed a head wound before so he’s going to keep that Health Pot just in case he absolutely needs it!  The warm feeling of the energy coursing through him hummed and his hands began to glow that bright neon orange.  Tommy could feel the wound beginning to knit, and stitch itself back together.  Tommy’s head began to pound behind his eyes and went all the way to the back of his head.  He was going to have an awful migraine in the morning.  Tommy quickly pulled back and gasped for breath before it became too much.

The room began to spin and Tommy felt like his lunch was about to come up as nausea settled in.  With ginger legs and nearly falling flat on face, Tommy ran over to the sink and emptied his stomach.  He didn’t notice Erinyes taking a deep breath and evening it out, he didn’t notice Erinyes's hand twitching, he didn’t notice Erinyes's eyes shot open and scanned the entire backroom before he landed on Tommy.

Tommy did however notice Erinyes quietly standing right next to him.  Not even having a chance to react before being pinned to the wall and facing a very pissed off Supervillain.  God damn, Erinyes was a lot stronger than he originally thought!

“Where the hell am I?!”  Erinyes demanded.

“In the back of the Café that I work at!”  Tommy quickly responded.  Normally Tommy would have some type of smartass comeback but right now, with the exhaustion, the nausea and being up close and personal with one of the most terrifying Supervillains of all time.  For once Tommy decided to use his head.

“Yeah, I kinda figured that part out Einstein,” Erinyes shot back.  “What part of the City am I in?”

“East Side.  Quite lovely this time of night save for the rats and trash,” Tommy deadpanned.  While his logical side of his brain screamed at him.

“East Side?  East Side.  That  .   .   .   sounds about right.”  Erinyes said more to himself.  “Wait, how did I end up here?”

“Beats me Big Man.  I was just about to lock up when I saw face down in the back alley, bleeding from the head.”  Tommy said, desperately trying to loosen Erinyes’s grip on him.

“Bleeding?”  Erinyes took his other hand and touched his forehead where the wound should be and winced.  Yeah, it’s still sore and tender there but there was no wound, as a matter of fact it felt healed?  “Why am I not bleeding anymore?  How did that wound heal?”

“That would be thanks to me.  I dragged you back here so I could heal you.”

“You, have healing powers?”  Erinyes loosened his grip a bit and Tommy sagged with relief.   Okay, so Tommy might be able to get outta here alive after all.

Then the Erinyes caught a glance at himself in the mirror that was above the sink, noticing the mask that covered the bottom part of his face.  Turning around, Erinyes saw his Boar Skull Mask on the floor.

“Did you look under the mask?  Did you see my face?!  Who do you work for?!”  Erinyes tightened his grip on Tommy and Tommy was surprised that Erinyes could easily hold him with just one hand after being healed while Tommy struggled.

“I don’t work for anybody!  Honestly, Erinyes!  I put the mask on while you still had your Boar Skull Mask on so that I wouldn’t see your identity.  And yes, I have Healing Powers.  Never healed a head wound before, so you're welcome.”  Tommy answered as best as he could.  Tommy was now reminded of who he just healed and why it was such a gamble on healing him.  Erinyes were one of the three Leaders of the Syndicate for a reason!

“You clearly know who I am and yet you healed me?  What do you want?  Nobody goes around healing someone like me unless they want something in return.”  Erinyes demand.

“Yes, I healed you.  Look you may be a Supervillain and I don’t know your reasons nor do I agree with your actions. But you're still a person, right?  Even in a world where eighty percent of the population is either Hybrid or born with powers.  You still have some bigots, especially against certain Hybrids.”  Tommy answered honestly.

Erinyes took a moment before releasing Tommy from his hold and casually walking back over to where his stuff laid.  Picking up his cape, and securing his Boar Skull Mask, Erinyes went to the backdoor and wrenched it open.  Then he paused for a moment and turned back to Tommy.

“By the way, I appreciate what you did for me.  I owe one, and the Syndicate owes you a favor.  Even if you never cash it in, we do owe you one.  I’ll be in touch so we can discuss how to contact me if you ever want to cash that favor in.”  And with that Erinyes dashed out of the Café and blended in with the shadows of the night.

Tommy just sank to the floor and tried to figure out what did he just get himself into?!

****

Characters:

Villains:

Erinyes - Techno

Orcus - Philza (Mention)

Siren - Wilbur (Mention)

Darkiplier - Dark Alter Ego of Markiplier (Mention)

AntiSepticeye - Dark Alter Ego of JackSepticeye (Mention)

DiePie - Dark Alter Ego of PewDiePie (Mention)

BlankGamePlays - Dark Alter Ego of CrankGamePlays (Mention)

Heroes:

Warden - Awesamdude (Mention)

Arachnid - Spyder (OC) (Mention_

TimeKeeper - Karl Jacobs (Mention)

Vigilantes:

Baron - Eret (Mention)

The Demon - BadBoyHalo (Mention)

*****

Tagging: @weirdmixofweirdness, @ashedflower, @tracobuttons, @isa-ghost, @septic-dr-schneep, @nastiiuu, @iamliteraltrash1, @a-humble-narcissus, @d-structiveive, @m4delin, @juju-on-that-yeet, @10th-no-name-personon

[fl3shm4id3n]

ᵢ ₕₐᵥₑ ₐ dₐd?!

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭. 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟗𝟗. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞.

ᴍɪɢᴜᴇʟ ᴏ'ʜᴀʀᴀ x ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ! ꜱᴘɪᴅᴇʀɢɪʀʟ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (ᴘʟᴀᴛᴏɴɪᴄ)

Tw: implied that reader is a Latina, death of loved ones, reader is fatherless, emotional ig.

A/N: This fic is from this idea I had.

Masterlist

Your name is 'Y/n M/n Grabriella O'hara L/n', but you just went by 'Y/n L/n'. You got bit by a radioactive spider, since then you've been the one and only Spider Girl. You lived with both your Mom and Aunt. Sadly you had no father. You often wondered who he was and how he was like. There was a huge picture of him in the hall, so you had an idea on what he looked like.

You used to have an uncle, who you saw as your father figure, but he got killed in a robbery gone wrong. You were resentful for a while, wanting to find who was responsible for the murder of your uncle, but you had learned that no matter what you did, your uncle wasn't going to come back. At least you got the guy to be put in jail, paying for what he did.

After a year, everything was normal. You went to school, then went to fight a few bad guys from the streets and went home to be with your mom and aunt. That morning you were sitting on the table eating breakfast with your mom and aunt, your mom had got a call from the school, telling her about the many tardies and missed classes you had.

"Por que me andan llamando de la escula que estas faltando y que llegas tarde?" Why am I getting calls from the school that you're not showing up to class and getting to class late?, your mom asked, clearly not happy about this. Sure one or two calls, but many? Nope, she was not having it. "I don't know! Maybe they must have not seen me?" you explained, you couldn't possible tell her the truth why you were running late. All your mom did was sigh. "Oh andas con esos Vagos, te dije que no megusta que andes con esos, marijuanos" Or you're with those bums, I told you I don't like it when you hang out with those, potheads, she complained, she began to sound like your Abuelita.

All you did was sigh, there was no winning this with her. If you said a word, she'll give you that look that you didn't like. Even as an older teen you hated getting that look. "Okay Okay, ya le dijiste algo, deja que coma para que ya se valla a la escuela" Okay okay, you already told her something, let her eat so that she can go to school, your aunt defended you. All your mom did was roll her eyes as she began to wash the pan she used to cook the eggs and chorizo. "Anda, consentida, consentida" Go on, spoil her, spoil her, she chanted obviously annoyed.

Once you were done with breakfast, you gave your aunt your plate and went to brush your teeth. Once done, you went to get your bag and walked back to the dinning room. "I'm leaving" you said, going towards your aunt and your mom, giving them a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good day, and don't be late! Next time I get a call, your ass is mine!" your mom warned. "Bye Mija" your aunt said, then you left the apartment complex.

You were walking walking to the subway, hoping that you'd get to school on time, you did not want to get an ass whoppen or be grounded. Then that was when you heard some commotion happen, and there it was a bad guy. "Puta Madre" Mother Fucker, you cursed, pulling down your backpack and began to slip into your spider suit in the ally.

This bag guy was not your regular bad guy, he looked way different then how the other guys you dealt with, but you fought with him anyway. The fight felt like hours, who the hell was this guy? You were getting exhausted by the fighting, until something had happened. A portal had opened and a giant guy wearing a blue and red suit. You basically watched how this guy was fighting off this other guy.

"Hey don't you need help?" you asked as the guy ran by to capture the other bad guy. "I got it handled!" he yelled, as he continued to catch up to the guy. All you could do id watched while being amazed as well. Who was he? Another spider person? How was that possible? After a couple minutes, you had joined in the fight to help the guy. "So who are you? Another spider person? I thought was the only one!" you said while getting the hold of the guy with your web. "You'd be surprised kid!" he said while getting a hold of the guy as well. "I'm not kid! I'm the one and only SpiderGirl!" you corrected him. He ignored you, continuing to fight with the crook.

The fight was over, and he had sent the crook into a portal that he went through. You were amazed by the portal and the guy. "Does this mean you'll be my mentor? Or my partner?" you asked, making the guy scoff. "No kid, I got better things to do then babysit a kid. "Hey! I'm fifteen, so I'm not a kid, I had my quinceanera, which means I'm already an adult woman" you complained. The guy just sighed. "Anyway, come on kid, I need you" he said walking towards the portal. "I'd love to but If I'm l-" you were cut off by the look he gave you, even with his mask on, you could see the same look your mom would give you. "Okay, I'll just get my ass whopped by my mom" you said as you walked into the portal with the guy.

You had arrived at an elevator, it was pretty huge, not to mention the cool view of the outside. "Cool.." you said, then you looked at the guy, who had removed somehow got his masked removed. When you got a look on his face, your eyes widen, no fucking way, it wasn't possible. "Why do you look like my dead dad?" you asked the guy, making him look at you with a confused look. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "My dad? Why do you look like him?" you asked again.

The guy just gave you a look of confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about... I don't have a daughter.. at least not anymore" he said sadly looking away. You tilted your head a bit, confused by his confession. Then you had an idea. You then removed your mask, showing him your face to him. When the guy got a look at your face, his eyes had widen as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water on him. "Y/n?" he said in a whisper, in shocked.

Taglist: @sorryi-mtrash, @call-me-nev

ₙₑₓₜ ₚₐᵣₜ

[noeulneo]

hello wow i’m so very late but très excited to be here with my boi noeul! for a quick rundown he is: 25, atlas, a cop but undercover rn so unless we plot it out, no one should know this fact! he’s actually what you might consider morally upright for the most part (in comparison to probably most of elysium), but boy has an aggressive streak that might change your mind about that. the duality of man. who knows, idk he just has a lot of issues, which you can find below the cut!

but yeah if you’re up for plotting with him and all, please shmash that like button and lets just jump into it 🤪

QUICK CURRENT FACTS

yall know the atlas personality thing? yeah that’s him

in adjectives he is: reserved, resilient, determined, selfless to a fault but also prideful, competitive, unforgiving, anxious, possessive

as mentioned above he does have an aggressive streak, read more on how that developed in his history, which he thought he managed to temper, but now being undercover and in the thick of everything, it's kinda hard to keep down

his undercover task is really just to bring dirt to his superiors, so they can use that info to blackmail or sell or of course give to the powers that be

so he's now usually found around the afterlife and ambrosia, pretending to be but a mere delivery boi

he's so very conflicted and confused internally and morally and everything in between, so he's kinda a hot mess kinda jumpy and defensive

but pls love him thanks xoxo

THE ABRIDGED HISTORY

( tw: child neglect / abandonment, death / implied murder )

like most of elysium, his family was dirt poor when he was born

so his dad, also a cop, turned dirty, accepting bribes and such for the $$$

long story short, his dad hates it, feels gross abt it but what can he do, becomes an angry alcoholic to cope w it, blames noeul for it directly to his face

mind you noeul's a small kid at this point, and he just takes it all quietly and takes care of his dad when he comes home blackout drunk at 3am

meanwhile, his mom just keeps withering away, so he's basically raising himself and his parents

and then some years later somehow his parents popped out another baby on accident?? so yea he got a little sister, and surprise surprise, she's not well cared for at all by their parents

so he ends up essentially being her parental figure, tryin to protect her from all the arguments and bs going on in the house, etc. etc.

eventually, his mom just ups and leaves, and then a few years after that, his dad dies during a "robbery gone wrong"

their aunt moves in with them to take care of them, but she's also pretty shit at being a parent soo noeul basically does everything again, finding odd jobs and etc.

so he didn't properly get to grieve about any of those big life changing events at all, and that all came to a boil a few years down the line

enter: his aggressive streak during his later teen years where he picked fights with ppl he had no right getting in fights with just to get all his anger out and to Feel

got really badly injured one time and when his sister ended up having to take care of him, he reminded himself of his dad and so he vowed to stop and clean up his act

which he did, and ended up getting into the police force, and blah blah, that's essentially where we are now

ETC.

regarding the whole revolution stuff: technically he is working against it right now, considering he is feeding back all his intel to his superiors, which then gets in the hands of the govt and whatever

buuut tbh he hates the state of elysium and what it did to his parents and his ideals really kind of align with the revolution more, so my hope is as he learns more about the cause and stuff, he'll likely turn

that's my original arc idea for him anyway, but at the moment he is just a beat cop just doing the work he's been given

so what i'm sayin is please help break him eheheh

[pouttillo]

#2 from that prompt list, for jeremwood?

sorry this took me 2893 days to write, I had finals :,) tw for implied torture

“Hey, hey, calm down. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

Jeremy was kneeling over Ryan, voice gentle as he searched Ryan’s tear-streaked face. The older man was curled on the bathroom floor, his eyes glued to the empty doorway and his knuckles white from gripping the handle of a gun.

Jeremy knew better than to put his hands on Ryan- especially when he was armed and teetering on the edge of a breakdown- so instead he sat down next to Ryan, making sure to stay in Ryan’s line of view as he settled back against the bathtub.

When he had first joined the Fakes, Jeremy had steered clear of the sinister Vagabond, opting to preserve his life for as long as possible, lest he do something to piss the guy off. It had taken months for Ryan to start talking to Jeremy, and even longer for him to trust Jeremy. After spending nearly a year with the Fakes, Ryan and Jeremy had learned to get along- becoming one of the most vicious and lucrative teams in Los Santos.

Jeremy was used to seeing Ryan as ‘The Vagabond-’ a killer whose mask never slipped- but lately, Jeremy had been given the privilege to see Ryan without the facade.

The two had been getting on surprisingly well- with Ryan inviting Jeremy out on dinner runs and Jeremy pestering him to ‘come check out this game-’ falling easily into the familiarity of each other’s company.

Funny how a few days can change all of that.

Ryan had gone missing- vanished- and despite the mass of people that the Fakes had had looking for him, there was no sign of him. Jeremy had panicked the whole time; he knew Ryan was capable, but for him to just up and leave the crew without telling them? Something was wrong.

Five days later, Ryan stumbled through the elevator doors of the penthouse covered in blood-soaked bandages. He shoved his way past the crew’s bewildered questions and outstretched hands, shutting himself in his room with the deafening click of his door being locked.

Jeremy had sulked for a few hours- feeling betrayed that Ryan hadn’t asked him for help, and then feeling guilty for prioritizing his feelings above Ryan’s injuries- his conscience warring between going to check on Ryan and giving him space to recover.

In the end, concern won out. Jeremy quietly removed himself from the rest of the crew’s bickering over Ryan and went to knock gently on the older man’s door. When there was no response, Jeremy picked the lock and closed the door behind him, making his way to Ryan’s private bathroom where light spilled softly from the open door.

It was there that Jeremy found Ryan crumpled on the floor, aiming his gun steadily at the doorway where Jeremy stood. Ryan didn’t shoot, didn’t react in any way to Jeremy’s presence- and now, it was his job to pull Ryan back to himself.

“Ryan? Hey, buddy,” Jeremy began, voice barely above a whisper. Ryan didn’t look at him, or even acknowledge his speech, but Jeremy continued anyway. “I’m glad you’re back. We all are. Whatever happened to you out there-” Jeremy paused, looking for any sign of emotion on Ryan’s face. “It doesn’t matter. You’re home, you’re safe, and we aren’t gonna let anything happen to you.” The younger man hesitated, not sure if his talking was doing any good.

“While you were gone, I- I didn’t know what to do. I missed you, Ryan. I think we make a good team- ‘battle buddies’- ya know? Without you, I’d just be some orange and purple fuck stealing cars.” Jeremy chuckled awkwardly, well aware that he was rambling, but wanted desperately to fill the silence between them. “You have so much presence, Ryan. I don’t know if you see it, but I sure as hell do.”

Jeremy thought back to the first time he’d seen Ryan- not from the grainy footage of a robbery, but in person- how Ryan had strutted into the penthouse, instantly drawing the attention of the rest of the crew. Ryan had locked eyes with Jeremy- a then relative stranger who was sprawled across one end of the couch- holding his gaze for a few unblinking seconds before inclining his head slightly and heading into the kitchen. Those few seconds had cemented Ryan’s position of authority, and a glance around at the rest of the crew showed that they were equally enraptured by Ryan.

The man on the floor in front of him now still had that commanding presence, that effect of moths to a flame. Even with bruises strewn across his body and dirty red strips of cloth wrapped around his limbs, Ryan had power radiating from him. He held the team together, he held Jeremy together, and Jeremy would be damned if he wasn’t gonna try and hold Ryan together.

“Ry,” Jeremy said, voice low and gravelly, “we need you. I need you. I don’t know what happened to you, and I don’t need to know, but- but you’re here now. If you think I’m gonna let any more fuckin’ bastards get their hands on you, you’re wrong.” The younger man meant every word he said- Ryan had become an all encompassing part of his life.

Ryan’s hand trembled.

Or at least, Jeremy thought it did, and that was enough. Slowly, Jeremy reached across the space between them to tug the gun out of Ryan’s grasp- the older man didn’t resist, he simply let his arm fall away from it. Jeremy set the gun gently on the floor next to them, the metal of it sounding softly against the tile.

“C’mere, Ry,” Jeremy murmured, wrapping his arms around Ryan and pulling him close. Ryan heaved a great, shuddering breath and leaned his full weight onto Jeremy, burying his face in the crook of the younger man’s neck. Ryan was shaking, one hand clutching the fabric of Jeremy’s shirt to stay grounded. A soft smile played on Jeremy’s lips- Ryan was going to be alright.

[etherealblasphemy]

From Now On

it took me far too long to write this...

TW: Cursing (lots), alcohol, people getting drunk, talk of past death, talk of past injuries, implied rape (any more just let me know)

It was a fun ride back to Remy’s. Cal refused to take off their attire for the time being, wanting this feeling of youth to last just a bit longer, adding a dash of wine-colored lipstick to complete their ensemble. As the familiar planet grew closer on the pilot’s dashboard, a comfortable silence fell over the group.

   “So, how do you guys know Remy?” Cal asked, curious as to how the steampunk became so close with the outlaws. Side glances were traded, hinting at a story Cal was willing to hear. “Come on, tell me!” they wheedled, pouting.

   “It’s a... story, to say the least,” Patton sighed, running a hand through his hair. Cal shrugged. “Well, I guess we do have time.” He gestured for Cal to come closer, so they picked up their stool and waddled with it between their legs, unwilling to properly stand and waste their energy on those sort of activities. Logan huffed, not seeing the necessity of recounting past adventures when there was no way to re-experience them for oneself.

   “Don’t forget all the juicy details,” Cal said, their eyes shining with excitement.

   “Alright, kiddo, calm yourself before you fall of your chair,” Patton warned, pointing at the transparent floor, where Cal’s stool was tipped so far over it would take but a breeze to blow them over. Cal made a sound of surprise, righting their chair as they thanked the paternal shapeshifter. “I don’t really remember when we first went to Remy’s. I do remember the first time xie talked with us, though,” Patton laughed, eyes brimming with distant memories he wished he could share with Calrex.

   “Wasn’t it just after Anxiety joined our crew?” Roman interjected, finally bored with playing with Anxiety’s hands, which rested just in front of his face as the being the hands belonged to slumped against the chair, tuckered out from the heist. Patton hummed, his eyes glancing up as he tried to remember if Roman’s statement was true.

   “I believe it was,” Logan added. “Correct me if I’m wrong- though I do not believe that will be a problem- I recall Anxiety was still rather distant with us, and Patton decided to make a stop at Sleeping Stars, hoping to cheer Anxiety up and prove he could trust us.” Cal noted how stiff Anxiety’s shoulders were, and caught Roman’s eye, jerking their head towards the sullen human. The prince nodded, pulling Anxiety’s hands close to his chest, massaging them with his fingertips. Slowly, the emo’s shoulder relaxed once more as Cal tuned in once more to the story Logan was telling. “...Remy approached us, interested in the song that Anxiety was singing.” The robot turned towards the human. “What song was it again? I apologize, I must have deleted that data to increase my data storage,” Logan inquired.

   “It was ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance,” Anxiety mumbled. Logan thanked him and continued.

   “As Anxiety was intoxicated beyond belief-”

   “Hey, it’s not my fault that I can’t hold my beer! Blame genetics!” Anxiety complained, accidentally wapping Roman’s face, who shrieked at his precious visage being damaged. Cal sniggered.

   “Quiet! I am the orator of this narrative, not you,” Logan ordered, straightening the glasses he had yet to take off from the bank robbery. He cleared his throat. “As I was previously saying, Anxiety was rather intoxicated, and thusly had little control over his volume. I suspect Remy heard us and came over to investigate. At first, we were all quite confused as to why the vivacious steampunk we’d learned earlier to be the owner was approaching us, perhaps to throw us out for creating such a commotion.”

   Patton nearly jumped out of his seat to interject. “And then Remy came over and ogled us for a while before Logan freaked out and demanded to know why xie were watching us!” the shapeshifter giggled, recalling Logan’s expressions from the incident. Logan huffed in frustration.

   “I did not ‘freak out’, as you say. I am a highly advanced AI unit and am not capable of producing emotions. I simply wanted to deescalate the situation before xie kicked us out,” Logan argued, crossing his arms in annoyance. Anxiety rolled his eyes at the monologue. “To get back on track, I asked Remy why xie were observing us, and xie came up and sat down in our booth, resting xir head in xir palm,” Logan narrated with a stone cold face. “Xie asked what Anxiety was singing, to which he replied-”

   “‘The best goddamn song you’ll ever hear, fucker!’” Roman quoted, cutting off the robot who let out a groan of irritation as Cal threw their head back, cackling as they smacked their hands together, thoroughly satisfied with the storytelling so far.

   “Let’s listen to me, how about that? Remember who’s telling the story?” Logan asked as he pursed his lips. Cal could tell he was trying his best not to murder the prince right then and there. The AI composed himself again, remembering he would have witnesses. “As I was going to say, Anxiety replied with ‘the best song you’ll ever hear’- no, Roman, I am not adding the swear words in. Naturally, Remy, being Remy, asked to hear the whole song, which Anxiety happily did. He somehow managed to clamber onto of the table and scream it at the top of his lungs. Remy was entertained, to say the least, and announced that Anxiety was xir favorite kid. To make a long story short, xie ended up kidnapping Anxiety to the back room and forcing him to try on old clothes of Remy’s that no longer fit xem. He looks rather flattering with make-up, I must say.”

   “Mmm, sounds like Remy to pull that sort of shit,” Cal mused, shaking their head. “I feel sorry for you, Anxiety. It’s always traumatizing to meet Remy,” they joked. Patton hollered, his cheery disposition finally cracking Logan and making him flash a wavering smile at the Drisine.

   As the ship sped through galaxy systems, the crew made small talk until Roman asked, “Cal, how do you know Remy?” They chuckled.

   “Let’s just keep it short and say I like to scare people, and Remy has a banshee scream,” Cal told them, recalling the incident of how they met Remy. “I spent so many galleons trying to replace the shot glasses.” Patton laughed, evidently knowing what Cal was talking about.

   “Hey, kiddos, we’re about to arrive, so get settled before Roman falls on his face again,” Patton reminded them. Roman gasped at Patton’s betrayal as Anxiety muffled a snicker. Judging by their reactions, it probably happened often.

   “That was one time!” Roman claimed. Logan raised an eyebrow.

   “You’ve failed to secure yourself for landing thirty-nine times now,” Logan interjected as Roman huffed angrily. “I hardly count that as ‘one time’, unless you have a different counting system than me?” Roman shook his head, falling into a grumpy mood.

   “I have an image to keep up, thank you very much! I’m a prince, through and through, no matter how clumsy I am!” Roman proclaimed, sighing loudly. Cal and Anxiety covered their sniggers with a cough, finding some sort of amusement in the prince’s humiliation.

   A comfortable silence fell over the group as the stars raced past them, time and space bending to their urge to drown the crashing adrenaline in liquor and drunken laughter. At long last, the familiar black and white skies came into view and Cal silently cheered, ready to waste about half of the revenue they’d gained in the little adventure on Levian. Patton geared up the shields on the ship as they slipped into the atmosphere loaded with security that was no match for the Sanders Yersinia.

   Remy, fortunately, had gone on another escapade on some exotic planet, where xie were sure to woo a lucky local. That meant the poor bartender who had to deal with intoxicated patrons for a living would only let in those Remy considered ‘friends.’ Though the term, in Remy’s mind, was applied rather broadly, it was still a much smaller group of patrons than the normal traffic of Sleeping Stars. They had already shed much of their disguises so that they could be recognized, and were waved in almost immediately upon providing their names.

   They chose a booth in the far corner, close to the gnarled tree that crawled up the wall like an old man hobbling down a cobblestone street. The bartender noticed the frequent visitors and waved, already preparing their usual orders. They came over and handed out the tall glasses: Cal received a Harvey Wallbanger; Roman, a frothy red drink that sloshed dangerously close to the rim of the cup; Anxiety, a sparkling, fizzy liquid that smelled suspiciously like flowers for some reason; and Patton, a cup of milk and a cookie.

   “I’ll tell Remy you guys stopped by,” the bartender told them as they hurried back to the counter, several patrons already waving their empty glasses towards them.

   “Thanks, Joan!” Cal called to them, already wolfing down their drink. They slammed an empty glass on the table with a satisfied burp. “Damn, I love these things,” they mused as Roman nearly choked on his own drink at the sight.

   Anxiety followed Cal’s example and chugged his drink, spilling most of it and let out a whoop. “That stuff’s so hard to swallow…” He glanced at Roman. “Don’t even think about making an innuendo out of that, Princey,” he warned.

    Logan huffed, displeased. As a robot, he was unable to drink. Cal assumed he was likely the one to deal with the drunkards. “Please don’t make me play babysitter again,” he pleaded, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes.

   “I’m getting another Wallbanger!” Cal scrambled out of their seat, nearly tripping over the lanky legs as they rushed for the counter, slamming a golden coin on the shiny surface as they ordered another glass. “Stupid fuckin’ metabolism, can’t even enjoy the good shit without getting tipsy,” they slurred. The bartender, after attending to patrons who had previously ordered drinks, slid the refilled glass towards Cal, who grabbed it eagerly as they ran back to the booth, magically not spilling any of the drink.

   This time, they sipped their drink at intervals, already feeling the room spin. “Calypso, I wish I could hold my liquor,” they said. “But, hey, it’s much more fun when I’m drunk and you all get to tell me about it when I wake up later with a brutal hangover!” they cheered, smiling lopsidedly. Patton offered them a grin as he munched contently on his cookie, appearing like a little child as he bit into the chocolate chips and baked flour.

   “Tell us, Cal, how did you end up getting on Draven’s bad side? Normally people just become his puppets and he doesn’t have to worry about them,” Roman asked, waving his hands enthusiastically. Cal took a long sip of the Harvey Wallbanger, taking their sweet time.

   “I dunno, he’s the asshole who likes fucking up people’s lives, isn’t he?” they grumbled, shaking an angry fist at the sky. Patton said something about language, but Cal couldn’t hear it. They were tipsy and had no time for a filter in the retelling of their dramatic origin story. “I have no shitting idea why in the name of Calypso the universe chose to bestow me with the most tragic backstory in all the universe,” they muttered bitterly. Anxiety downed his second glass and motioned for them to continue.

   “Do I have to?” they whined, the liquid in their glass already gone, so soon after their first. Their vision was starting to get blurrier, their speech thicker with the slight accent the others had hardly noticed at first.

   “Not if you don’t want to,” Patton said worriedly as Cal waved his concerns away.

   “I want to, but I want to just project into your minds instead of having to actually say anything,” they grumbled drunkenly. They coughed, their face marred as they gagged at the aftertaste of their drink. Anxiety barked out a loud laugh, he, too, already feeling the effects of sweet, sweet alcohol. “Fine, I might as well get it over with now before I drink too much and can’t even make a real sentence. It’s real easy for police to know you’re flying drunk when you keep screaming ‘Unicorns have feelings, too!’ at them,” they laughed. Their knees were bouncing rapidly underneath the table. They’d better start now before they drank too much.

   “Yeah, you better tell us before I regress into my emo phase,” Anxiety threatened.

   “Fine, fine,” they conceded, tipping their head all the way back to drink the final sips of their drink. “Dunno where to start, though. My backstory is too complicated for a drunken ramble.” They hummed, lolling their head back as they thought of a good place to start. “Hmm. I never knew my parents, first thing I remember is running around the orphanage as the Headmx tried to corral us for the weekly adoption day. Fuckin’ blast, amirite?” they huffed plaintively.

   “Anyways, I grew up in an orphanage, hated the place and the people, yada yada yada, no-one cares about that bullshittery, let’s get into the juicy details- are you going to drink that, Roman?” Cal asked, pointing to a shot of something purple sloshing around in the clear glass. Roman shook his head and Cal grabbed the glass, dunking it immediately with a whoop. “Right. Let’s do this.” They set the empty glass gingerly on the table.

   “I was, like, the failure of the orphanage. Nobody would adopt me. It’s sad, yeah, but at least I got food n’ shit. Ooo, there was this one kid, though. I still hate him. His name was something like, oh, what was it.” Cal snapped their fingers, struggling to put name to face. “Caleb, was it? No, he was a spring fling later on. Maybe Cerulean? No, that’s color.” Realization hit their face.

   “Cato! That’s his name!” They said, slamming their palm flat on the table with a loud bang. Patton paled; Cal noticed this out of the corner of their eyes. “Do you know him, Patton?” Cal asked loudly, definitely beyond their alcohol limit. Patton nodded demurely, flustered. “No way! How do you know that little shit?”

   “I… grew up in an orphanage, too,” Patton confessed shyly. “There was another Drisine named Cato there, but I didn’t like him very much. He was always picking on this poor kiddo,” he reminisced as Cal’s eyes blew wide.

   “No fucking way! That was me!” they exclaimed excitedly. “Small universe, ain’t it?” A bolt of recognition hit them as they turned suddenly to Patton. “Were you that Drisine named Pattryon?” Patton nodded. “Oh, my Calypso, I knew you! How cool is that?” They flopped contently back into their seat, calming down some. “An’ways, Cato. Little prick who liked putting his fists to good work. I gotta thank him, to be honest. If it weren’t for him, I never would have run away.” Roman tilted his head.

   “Fucker tried to kill me,” Cal explained to the shock of the growing audience. Patrons from across the pub who had heard the loud story were clumping together in interest, dragging over bar stools and sitting on the floor, leaning forward as they drank in the eccentric storyteller. By now, Cal had managed to clamber on top of the table, towering over all others in their heeled combat boots. “He didn’t wield a knife too well, though. He tried to stab my heart and ended up stabbing the floor. I’m sure it didn’t appreciate the gesture very much.” A particularly rowdy patron roared with drunken laughter.

   “So I kicked the little shit where it counts and got out of there right then and there.” Cal posed proudly, earning applause from their audience. They smiled, waving like a diva at a couple patrons, and spun around, causing their dress to fan out. Cal sighed happily, the blush on their cheeks not just from drunken joy. “I don’t even remember how I did it- all I know is that I was picked by a ship of outlaws who called themselves ‘The Dragon Witches.’” A couple patrons recognized the name and made various remarks, most about how the gang had robbed them of their girlfriends.  “Damn right, they raised me, you little shit!” Cal screamed at a patron who had more than a grumble to say about Cal’s foster family.

   “Calypso, those were the days,” they reminisced. “Oh, we had so much fun. The captain was the best. Gee, I miss Talyn... Sometimes, when I missing the orphanage for Calypso knows why, Talyn would plop their cat in my lap and give me a talking-to. I mean, generally that consisted of a fuck ton of curses, so you see I resemble them, but it was still comforting to hear their words.” Cal smiled wistfully as the audience shook their heads in acquiescence, some wiping away non-existent tears from their eyes.

   “And then I met Cassandra Ildris.” Cal’s grin widened bittersweetly. “She was... just amazing. She grew up on the ship and had been Talyn’s favorite up until I showed up (because, let’s be honest, I am everybody’s favorite). At first, we absolutely hated each other. If I saw Cassandra, I would turn around and walk in the other direction after yelling something obscene. I was a fucking dick, lemme tell you,” Cal laughed. “Eventually we had one of those moments where you see things from the other’s perspective and BOOM, baby, we were inseparable.”

   “What did you do for free time?” a patron shouted. Cal smirked, hopping off the table and landing on the floor with a heavy thud.

   “Robbed bitches who didn’t know gratitude even if it slapped them in their ugly faces,” Cal replied with a flip of their hair. “We never got caught. The rich tend to be too stupid to realize that if a peasant has determination and a chip on their shoulder, you might as well leave the door unlocked at night.” The patrons drank to that, clapping exaggeratedly.

   Cal’s smile disappeared, leaving half-glazed eyes and a frown. “Then Draven came.” The pub fell silent at the mention of the ruler’s name. “To this day, I don’t know what we did to piss his royal ass off.” Cal shrugged, sitting on the edge of the table, swinging their legs forlornly. “That day… the heavens were painted crimson like Calypso herself was bleeding. We had celebrated Cassie’s seventeenth birthday. I was fifteen at the time. She looked so pretty in her dress, twirling under the stars in the Observation Deck, like a goddess.” Cal wiped away a tear that had spilled over their eyelids.

   “I should’ve known the joy wouldn’t last for long. It never does.”

   Cal took a shaky breath. “Draven him-fucking-self stormed our ship with his best soldiers. Half of them were my age; I can still see the fear in their eyes if I focus hard enough. Draven’s an idiot, using kids as his disposable pawns.” They shook their head, blinking away the hot tears threatening to show themselves. “It was a massacre. We put up our best fight, but it was useless. Cassie’s mother was shot through the fuckin’ head right in front of me, protecting her daughter. I’ll never forget the sight of the light leaving her eyes as the blood poured out of her skull, and I sure as fuck won’t forgive ever Draven.” They swallowed thickly, knowing what was coming up in their trip down memory lane.

   “I took Cassie’s hand and we ran to the storage bays. We were transporting a shit ton of stuff then, so I thought it would easy to hide among the crates. But Draven found us.” A hush fell over the crowd leaning in their seats to hear what happened next. The tears began falling quickly, streams and rivers down Cal’s cheeks. “I just wish I could have told her how much she meant to me. How much I loved her.” Cal heard their voice crack, covering their mouth to choke back a sob. “Draven ordered some soldier not much older than us to hold me back. I could feel his trembles. That little fucker of a king made me watch as he… he…” Cal shut their eyes, the memory flashing before them. The audience gasped, understanding what Cal couldn’t voice. “He finished by shooting her three times in the heart.” The thick silence fell once more, despair and depravity coating the grief in a wool blanket made of memories.

   “I couldn’t stop screaming,” Cal whimpered, wiping away more tears with the back of their hand. “I blacked out or something. I woke up who knows how long after in a small escape pod. Talyn was piloting. They told me they found me passed out over Cassie. My hands were stained with her blood… Talyn told me they had no idea what happened to Draven and the soldier.” Cal squeezed their hands on the edge of the table where the crew of the Sanders Yersinia was watching them with full attention, utterly engrossed in Cal’s story.

   “I told Talyn like the dramatic motherfucker I am I was going to kill Draven, or at least overthrow him so he couldn’t destroy any more lives.” Some of the audience members cheered, shaking their fists in the air. “That dickbag needs to be taught what happens when you bite one too many. ‘Cause, bitch, I. bite. back.” A raucous cheer went up from the crowd. “So who wants to know what happened after?” All but a few patrons raised their hands eagerly, ready to devour more of Cal’s fierce words.

  “I got Talyn to drop me off on Aeolos and I headed to the Infernal Havens. Y’all don’t need to know the details, but let’s say I did what I had to do to survive.” Several patrons nodded, coming from similar histories. “Sucks fucking dick, living on the streets, but, hey, it made me who I am today.” Cal hopped off the table once more. “At least I can say that if you piss me off, you’re going to say hello to my combat boots. They like meeting new people,” they joked bitterly, still on edge on from the narrative known as their life. “A couple years ago, I started noticing wanted posters for me. Damn Calypso, the prices on my head! I half-want to turn myself in, if only to get a piece of the reward money. Course, then I won’t get to Draven’s ass, so that’s out of the question, ha.” Anxiety laughed along with Cal, snorting at their dry humor.

   “People started recognizing me from the posters, so I got the fuck out of Aeolos. Stole a ship and wandered about for a bit, nicking what I could. I stumbled upon this little gem of a pub soon enough, met Remy, and so began my career as an outlaw.” Cal bowed theatrically as the crowd burst into applause as though they had witnessed the best show of their lives. Cal collapsed in their seat at the booth.

   “So, that’s about it,” Cal said simply, swiping Anxiety’s long-forgotten drink and downing it with a smirk. The group stared at them, still trying to process half of the story they’d listened to. Cal raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Don’t everybody talk at once,” they mumbled.

   “That’s… wow. And I thought I had an angsty backstory,” Anxiety said. “I was wrong.” Cal shrugged. “I would offer sympathy, but seeing as I have no soul…”

   “Eh, it’s fine, I don’t have one either. ‘Sides, I hate sympathy. Got enough of it to last me a lifetime from the Headmx back at the orphanage. I’m sick of hearing ‘I’m sorry’ by now,” Cal stated, handing Joan the bartender a couple gold coins to pay for their drinks with a friendly, fanged grin.

   Their eyes turned thoughtful. “I do miss Talyn, but it’s best that I’m gone from their life. I was putting them in danger. I hope they’re doing well…” they mused wistfully, sighing. “I really wish I could see Cassandra again. Just, you know, see her smile and her eyes and her everything, and be able to tell her how fucking much I loved her.” Cal paused, swirling an unused straw in the empty shot glass mournfully. “I promised her the night before she died that I would stand up and fight next time I was in danger. But when push came to shove, I was a fucking coward,” Cal scoffed ruefully.

   “I’ve tried to sneak into Draven’s palace a couple times, but I’ve never been able to… y’know, do it.” Cal emphasized the unspoken action by drawing a line across their throat. I don’t want to fall to his level, killing just for the fuckin’ sake of something. I couldn’t do that to Cassie, or her mother, or Talyn, or anybody else who didn’t manage to slip out of Draven’s cold-hearted grasp.” They sighed, resting their head on the table.

   “It’s probably just the alcohol talking by now,” Roman began, “but I think we should overthrow Draven.” Logan opened his mouth to start arguing against a certain doom, but Roman cut him off. “Think about it. He’s absolutely horrid, he doesn’t deserve to be king, he’s murdered dozens, if not hundreds, of innocent people, he’s ruined all of our lives, and... other stuff,” Roman rattled off, ticking a finger for each point against the deceitful ruler.

   “We know the palace like the back of our hands,” Patton chimed in, his face flushed with alcoholic excitement. “And Anxiety and Logan, you can plan the stuff, since you’re really good at that!” Cal nodded eagerly, adrenaline lethargically picking up pace as it coursed through their veins.

   “Any endeavors will surely end in destruction and countless deaths,” Logan countered. “We would verily lose our lives and put innocent civilians in danger.” Cal snorted.

   “As if Draven wasn’t already doing that. Besides, who cares if I die? No-one will mourn me if I fall victim to a corrupt regime playing with everybody like they’re puppets on a string. At least I’ll die for a cause. At least I’ll die knowing I did something, instead of letting somebody else step up for me. We don’t even know if there’ll be somebody else to do the job for us. If we don’t step up now, who will? Who else has fury for blood, has vengeance for a heart, has justice for a brain?” Cal swallowed thickly, flames burning in their eyes.

   “I promised Cassie. I promised her I would fight. Well, guess what? This is me fighting. This is me standing up for what I know is right. This is me fulfilling my promise. I met you guys only a few weeks ago. You don’t have to come. But I’m going no matter what. I’m done hiding in the dark, waiting for somebody else to be the light. This time, I’ll burn so fucking bright, they’ll mistake me for the sun!” Cal slammed their hands on the table fervently, lunging to their feet.

   Logan blinked, dumbfounded at Cal’s sudden impassioned speech as the others looked at them, determination written across their faces. “Well, you’ve convinced me,” Patton said, joining Cal on his feet. Roman stood silently, a grim expression on his face.

   “I sat through an entire war just watching people die, watching brothers cradle their dead sisters, watching doctors breaking down after failing to save another civilian, watching buildings crumble after suicide bombers pulled the trigger. It’s been far too long since I’ve stood on my own two legs and walked into battle,” Anxiety said, grinning lopsidedly. “Let’s bring down this motherfucker.”

   Cal turned towards the robot, who had yet to say a word. They reached out a solemn hand, willing Logan to take it. “Come on, Logan. You know we can’t do it without you,” they begged. The robot closed his eyes, sighing.

   “You’re not going to be convinced any other way, are you?” he asked. Cal shook their head vehemently, urging the AI to realize how much he was needed. Logan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Fine,” he muttered. Though he seemed reluctant to take part in what could very well be the last adventure of his lifetime, Cal could detect that slightest hint of enthusiasm in the robot’s tone, elated to be wanted and needed for more than just defining large words.

   “Then it’s settled,” Cal said.

   “Before we try to spur any revolts among the people, perhaps we should acquire a weapon of mine,” Roman suggested. Cal motioned for the prince to continue. “It’s called the Halo Sword. I’ve defeated many a foul beast with it. I believe it could be of some use to have it when we cross the point of no return.” The prince grew quiet. “We’ll have to go home…” he mumbled. Patton gasped softly, knowing what it meant. Before Cal to analyze the reactions, though, Roman put on his charming façade once more, a brilliant smile crossing his lips.

   “Don’t worry, my dear friends. We shall vanquish the vile villain ruling over the galaxies together!” Cal cheered, pumping their fist into the air. “Alright, let’s get drunk now!” This time, Anxiety and Patton joined Cal and Roman in their cheers.

   “Let’s get fucking wasted!” Cal cried.

   “I’m quite sure you already are,” Logan muttered under his breath. Cal shot him a glare and proceeded to heckle Joan the bartender until they arrived with a new round of drinks. “Bottoms up!”

   The sun rode across the sky in its chariot of fire, witness to the declaration the group had made, waiting to see if they would follow through or fall through, studying the lights that flickered across each of their faces. As the moon climbed onto the horizon, waving goodbye to the flaming star, it, too, observed the now inebriated companions. Come next morning, they would leave for Roman and Patton’s home. They would begin the destiny written out in the stars, unable to retrace their steps once they set foot on the ground. They would endure heartache, elation, fury, and terror. But none of that came now.

   For now, the moon and sun, the silver-lined skies, the heavens, they all waited for the Pirate to make their move. For now, they listened as the Pirate sang out a love song in a foreign language, clutching their heart dramatically. For now, all that could be said for certain was this: from now on, they wouldn’t back down the fight.

(I have to admit, I had some of the most fun in my writing life while writing down Cal’s speech at the end.)

Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this installment of the story I’m now calling Starbound because it’s a lot less to type and it sounds so much cooler. Feel free to send me an ask about the story or my version of the characters!

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