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i-want-men-i-cant-have · 6 months

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𝒿𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒹𝑒𝓊𝓍. 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓉𝑜𝑒.

✿ summary: getting stranded at a party might not be the best thing ever, but meeting the famous french striker under mistletoe is definitely a plus

✿ ft. noel noa

sitting alone at the bar at a christmas party you weren't invited to wasn't the best feeling in the world. your best friend, who used you as her work partner's plus one, had left you, preferring to "work." the poor athletes were almost running from her if they saw her, leaving her to wallow in the corner without you.

the non-alcoholic drinks you were forced to consume as the designated driver weren't exactly helping you pass the time, only making your bladder feel smaller and smaller. getting up from the bar, you ventured deeper into the party to find the bathroom.

as you walked, your eyes couldn't help but wander around, trying to find your friend, but to no avail. you slowly remembered what happened right before you entered the party.

"[y/n]! you have to keep your eyes open!"

"what? take a breath-"

"i can't! not when noel noa is here!" she frantically flicked her head from side to side, scanning the empty streets like he was going to appear like magic.

“that’s the famous striker, right?”

"only the number one striker in the world! you have to find him and call me. if i see him here and interview him, i could get that promotion." she sounded hopeful, a smile on her face, but it dropped, her rbf shining through her happy persona when she saw your skeptical expression.

"pwease [y/n]~" she grabbed your hands and begged, almost getting down on her knees.

“ok, ok! i’ll help you find this guy. just please get off the floor. someone could have puked on that.”

"thank you, [y/n]!" her bone-crushing hug knocked the wind out of you. once that bodyguard let you in, she ran around like a chicken without a head, trying to find the mystery man. too bad you didn't know what the famous striker looked like. you didn't know his nationality or team; you just knew his name and the position he played. not very helpful.

the tinkling of martini glasses and the sound of heels across the marble floors echoed across the room. popping champagne bottles, squeals, screams, and forced laughter would occasionally pipe up, always sounding the same. a massive christmas tree filled with tinsel, ornaments, lights, and anything else you could imagine decorated the room perfectly, lighting up the space and almost brushing the towering ceilings. you felt like an ant in the room, as if the room knew you didn't belong here.

the bathroom line felt like eternity, like when you were younger and had a nightmare, that stupid clock ticking every second going on until you finally fell asleep under your blankets. soon the line dwindled and dwindled down until you finally could get in and out. you dried your hands on the air dryer and shook your hands to get any remaining water off as you walked out the door.

now, you have nothing to do. you didn't work for this company, hell, you didn't even know what they did. everyone here looked rich and reeked of money. at least when you were in line for the bathroom, you had a purpose. but now you were just standing there. you felt like a ghost, people passing through you, not even acknowledging your existence.

you just wanted to go back to the bar; who cared what look that bartender would give you. so that's what you did, walking past women with candy cane red lips and men who smelled like more than you would ever make in a lifetime. suits and dresses that seemed so foreign to you.

but out of the corner of your eye, you saw your friend in that velvet low-cut tight dress on the second-floor mezzanine. she was talking to some expensive-looking man with a girl probably half his age on his arm; she was putting on that fake smile and laugh.

she had left you for a solid two and a half hours; you were going to hang out with someone. and that someone was going to be her.

so you made your way to the luxurious stairs, cascading velvety carpets that could rival the British monarchs. you excused yourself when you bumped into someone and finally reached the stairs, some men coming down them.

while passing a rather tall and muscular man, one of his friends whistled and laughed at the man who paused, along with you. both of you turned to see his friends; the one whistling and giggling looked way too drunk to be going anywhere near stairs. the man was holding onto a bland-looking one with blue eyes who looked rather nervous, trying to steady the swaying one.

you shot him a confused glance, your eyebrows raising in confusion, before turning your attention to the man standing beside you. his head was tilted upward, his gaze fixated on an arrangement of ferns- mistletoe, delicately suspended above. the soft glow from twinkling fairy lights adorned the surroundings.

in that moment, realization dawned upon you, and your eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and understanding. the air around you felt harder to inhale. you instinctively took a step back, caught off guard by the situation. however, the man beside you moved quicker than you’ve ever seen, his eyes widening in concern.

time seemed to slow as his arms encircled you, preventing any further descent down the stairs. the touch was both reassuring and electrifying. as you looked up into his eyes, you couldn't help but notice the subtle warmth that lingered. it felt so cliche.

"are you alright?" his voice was filled with genuine concern, and you could feel yourself relax into his arms with those words.

but even with his words, your mind trailed off, going to admire him. what was he? a model? his cologne smells expensive, like every other perfume and cologne here, but at the same time it was distinct. there was an underlying uniqueness, a grounding minimalism that set it apart. you couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it held an allure that was nothing like you ever felt before.

you felt gross, disgusted even at what you were doing, taking him in like this, memorizing the details- his scent, the curve of his lips. god, you felt like a pervert. you chided yourself, feeling a twinge of discomfort at your own actions.

"i'm fine... sorry about that," you stammered, breaking the spell of your silent observations. awkwardness settled in, magnified by the awareness that his friends, the blonde one with a sly smirk and the black-haired one appearing uneasy, were keenly observing the exchange. your gaze flickered between them, questioning the dynamics of the trio.

"it’s fine. as long as you’re alright." the moment ended with him helping you back onto your feet, looking you over to double-check if you weren't lying.

"it's fine. as long as you're alright," he reassured, gracefully helping you back onto your feet. his lingering concern painted a genuine sincerity across his features, and you couldn't help but feel a flutter of gratitude. as the moment concluded, his eyes scanned over you once more, ensuring your well-being.

“don’t forget-” hick “to kiss you two,” the drunk man laughed hard, almost falling off of the bland one's shoulder who grabbed him quickly.

"don't forget-" a hiccup interrupted the drunken man's proclamation, “to kiss you two,” he abruptly erupted into laughter, teetering dangerously on the edge of his bland companion's shoulder.

who the hell was this guy? your life wasn't some circus to watch, forcing you to kiss this random stranger.

"i'm sorry about him," the boy apologized, his eyes reflecting a mix of embarrassment and genuine remorse. "come on, let's go." he attempted to drag the blonde one down the stairs, who continued to whine about wanting to witness some "action." eventually, the duo disappeared, leaving you and the intriguing white-haired man alone on the stairs.

the silence that followed carried a unique tension, the remnants of an awkward encounter mingling with the loud ambiance of the surroundings. The mistletoe above seemed to cast a soft glow, as if nature itself was conspiring against you two.

"that guy’s something," you remarked, breaking the quietude with a light-hearted tone, attempting to diffuse the lingering discomfort. The white-haired man offered a wry smile, his eyes holding a subtle amusement that hinted at shared bemusement.

“so… why are you here?” you ask him to try to prolonged the conversation for as long as possible.

"They're organizing this celebration for my team."

“you’re team?” you ask a little confused.

“Bastard München” he responds curtley.

Realization finally dawns on you, and you recognize the man in front of you.

“are you- are you noel noa?” you stammered, feeling like some teenage girl. you didn’t even know much about this guy, but your friend went on and on about him. you always tuned her out, but she seemed so passionate about him.

“kiss! smoochie smoochie time~!”

“kaiser!”

"get-" a loud grunting noise left the blonde, and a squawking noise left the other, "off of me, isagi!" they struggled against each other, arms reaching out to try and push them off each other.

“i thought they left,” you tried to laugh but when you looked back at the famous man in front of you, you stopped. his face almost seemed blank with a tinge of surprise if you could even call it that.

“it can’t be helped,” he sighed, his voice carrying a gentle undertone that resonated with unspoken emotions. as he reached up, his fingers delicately traced the outline of your face, tenderly tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. his eyes, a reflection of emotions too deep for words, held yours in a silent conversation.

a quiet pause lingered in the air, building anticipation, before he slowly leaned in. in that moment, time seemed to suspend, and the world around you faded away.

his breath, warm against your skin, and as he closed the distance between you, his lips met yours in a soft, lingering kiss starting with a tender press of lips. both of your arms remained at your sides not wanting to overstep the invisible boundary. even without hands, it was as if each touch was a gentle caress, a delicate deliberate pressure. the sensation was feather-light, a sweet brush of affection that spoke volumes in its subtlety. each movement was a caress, as if exploring the contours of your lips in a sweet, unhurried dance. it was the opposite of forceful, a slow, deliberate exploration, leaving a lingering warmth.

even when he pulled away, cheeks dusted pink, promising his manager would send you tickets to the next match, you could still smell that expensive cologne after he left.

#noel noa #noel noa x reader #blue lock #blue lock x reader #x reader #december #bllk #bllk x reader

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red1culous · 9 months

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Whatever Remains, However Improbable

For a moment the space was serene, except for the floating dust bunnies that caught the light. Squinting into the shadows she can barely make out light switches on the wall. Her eyes follow the metal pipes and plastic casings that snake up the cinder block wall to the ceiling painted a matte black.

Sighing she focuses her attention back to the ground. She can’t believe she’s just only noticed the oversized garbage can beneath the light switches. Her nose twitches as she gets a whiff of something sweet with a hint of sour at the end.

She sighs aloud. Wishing she was anywhere but here. There were wooden tables pushed up against the wall and a half dozen chairs scattered about the place. Some of them were stacked haphazardly but most of them were lying on their sides as if someone had kicked them over in a fit of rage.

She can hear faint voices and an opening and closing of doors. Finally a set of doors directly in front of her opens with a loud groan.

“What is it going to take for you to cooperate? Money or threats because either works for me.”

Her eyes sting and water as the overhead lights flicker on. You’re standing a few feet in front of her, watching her with dark eyes and smelling of fresh laundry and gun oil, a very potent mix. “Excuse me?” she quirks an eyebrow at you.

“I know you heard me.”

Your reply is simple but she doesn’t miss the warning behind the words.

“You have a lot of nerve for someone dressed in plaid overalls.” She rolls her eyes. If she were being honest she would admit she enjoyed your visits. It gave her something to take her mind of sitting there for hours on end.

You glance down at yourself and back at her with a smirk on your face. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“You look like a plaid monster chewed you up and spat you out.”

“And?” you reply indignant folding your arms over one another across your chest.

“Well it’s hard to be intimidated by someone wearing plaid everything. It’s very little-house-on-the-prairie. If you wanted to come here making threats you should’ve dressed in all black with a leather jacket or something.”

She watches as your expression tightens and your jaw clenches. Your eyes narrow slightly and she hears the huff of air you release from your nose.

“Rough day?” she asks, her voice sickly sweet.

“You could say that” you say stepping closer to her.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“I thought we were talking” you reply tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“No. That was more you threatening me” she answers shaking her head.

“Fine” you sigh.

“Fine?”

“I came to see if you’d have lunch with me at the Garrison?”You say holding her gaze.

She glances at the clock on the wall. It reads 8:25 pm in big neon numbers. “It’s dinner time” she replies with a chuckle.

“Exactly!” You groan slumping into the chair beside her. “I’ve been waiting to have lunch with you since noon. And you’ve just been sat there filling in these damn reports telling me ’soon soon soon’ so many times I’m pretty sure I’ll grow a beard before we finally go.”

“Fine” she all but shouts rolling her eyes again.

“Fine?”

“Yes just let me grab my jacket and then we can go eat” she gets up planting a kiss on your forehead before speed walking to grab her coat off the rack.

“OH MY GOD FINALLY” you call after her.

She chuckles walking back to you and you take hold of her outstretched hand.

“Here” she drapes the jacket over your shoulders.

“Oh I’m not cold babe” you go to shrug it off but she stops you by pulling you into her side.

She kisses your temple as you both walk towards the large double doors. “Mhmm but I was serious about the overalls, so the jacket stays on.”

-----

I have a taglist. If you want to be added click here.

@arcturusseer @readings-stuff @blackwidow-3 @justyourwritter69 @cutelittleakira @jareguiromanoff @sk1nnyftt @official-clint-barton @nattysredhair @black-kittycat18 @owloftheshadows @angryalpacachaos @iliketozoneout @marvelonmymind @wastdstime @lovelyy-moonlight @beholdagaywriter @inluvwithfictionalwomen @33-mrvl @wandanats-goodgirl

#whatever remains however improbable #redfic #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #black widow x reader

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lunnybunny12 · 2 years

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Eddie Munson X Reader

You play?

A/n: never written for Eddie before and not proud of this might edit this doen the line if i make a part 2

Masterlist

Requests are open

"You come across a mess hall, filled to the brim with all sorts of faces and creatures from far off lands that you had never heard of. everyone is holding frothing gords if ale and overall having a good time."

It was quiet. Then again the shop was always quiet on weekdays... and weekends when you thought about it.

"This is SO boring!" Jessica groaned. "We've been doing this for hours"

You glared at her. " Were not even doing a campaign. I'm just running through the story"

"It's still boring"

Dnd was never Jessies thing. It was just something she pretended to care about to keep you happy. She'd go along with it as long for short periods but she eventually tired of it.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and walked to the back room where tom was sat checking the computer.

"Oh let them complain." Tom chuckled " You won't see her again after today. Then you can clock out and forget all about this place."

You raked your hands through your hair and sat next to Tom.

Tom was the best boss you ever had. He was like if Santa Claus had a baby with John Candy. Very kind and sweet old man with a can-do attitude to boot. You always really liked Tom.

"I know, I'm just...."

"Nervous? Everyone gets nervous when they go to a new school. It's natural." He smiled and tapped your leg.

"What if no one likes me?"

Tom just laughed and looked at you through his thick glasses. "If no one likes you then THEY are the ones missing out. Not you. And with your looks and imagination? Their gonna love you in Hawkins."

"Thanks, Tom." You stood and grabbed your bag from the coat hooks.

"Will I still have a job here next summer?"

"Hell,y/n you'll have a job here for as long as you like. But on one condition."

"Shoot."

"Find some friends... Make an effort. Ok?"

"Ok, Tom. I will" you said hugging him. "Thank you"

---------

Hawkins High was small compared to what you were used to.

Built wall to ceilings with thick, cheap cinder blocks, painted in the school's green and orange colour scheme that made your eyes burn.

Dotted around the hallways were large panels of cork, drowning in sheets of paper and laminated notices.

You were about to walk past when you saw a piece of white paper with a devil on it that read "Hellfire club. needing new blood"

"Hellfire club?.... the hell is that?" you mumbled to yourself.

--------------------------

Halfway through lunch, you found a seat at an almost empty table and began scribbling in your notebook.

"A goblin enemy? no. half-ork? Dragon born?..... Dragon born."

At the other end of the table, a pair of eyes were flickering over to you every few seconds. They scanned you up and down in curiosity.

"Eddie, stop staring at the new girl dude it's creepy," Dustin said. mouth full of food.

"Hush Henderson, I am simply observing."

"Well "observe" them less creepily. Besides we need to be looking for new members, not girlfriends."

"I mean he's got a point there Eddie." Mike piped in from next to Dustin " With Lucas in the basketball team, who knows when he'll be coming next"

Eddie wasn't paying attention. He was still observing you intently. Your hands still jotting down whatever was in your head. He watched your lips move as you re-read your work. He was fascinated by you.

Your hair was done in your favourite style and the oversized jacket you wore made you look cute. At least to him anyway.

"shit!" you whispered to yourself as you tugged your book bag to the seat next to you and rummaged around.

The jibber-jabber of the freshmen was like white noise to the mettle head at that point. Twisting the rings on his fingers until he saw you pull a familiar red book from your bag.

He immediately sprang to his feet and walked to you. For a few seconds, he lingered behind you, reading what little he could see in your notebook. His eyes weren't deceiving him, what he saw you pull out of the bag was a pretty battered looking Dnd players handbook.

With a smile, he flapped his arms about and mouthed to the boys " She plays!!"

Both Dustin and Mike looked at him like he was crazy "What?"

"She plays DnD!!" he whisper shouted from behind you.

At hearing the little conversation you giggled and looked at the man behind you. He was pretty tall, lanky with chocolate brown eyes and hair that would make the whole band of Queen jealous. He wore black ripped jeans, a blue denim jacket that had different band badges and pins on it (some you recognised), white sneakers and a black and white baseball t-shirt with the words "Hellfire club" printed on it.

"Hellfire?" you mumbled

You must have been looking at him longer than you were supposed to because you were pulled from your thoughts when you heard the man joke " Like what you see, princess?"

"Yes, I'm loving the Ozzy Osborn look. very cute"

Eddie laughed and looked a little pink.

"Sorry about him," Henderson said. " He's just excited you play DnD"

You looked directly at the man in front of you and said "Dungeons and Dragons? Is that what Hellfire is? A DnD club?"

The smile that rose on your face when you realised what Hellfire was made Eddie smile right back.

He straddled the seat next to you and got insanely close to your face. In response, you laughed and covered your face trying to hide your blush.

At getting a closer look at him, you thought he was pretty. Deep brown eyes, a nice smile, practically invisible stubble and just an overall kind vibe.

"It is indeed little lady" Eddie smiled "Eddie Munson"

" (Your full name)... you guys looking for new members?"

#stranger things season 4 #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #hellfire club

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astrobei · 1 year

Note

28 jancy <3

28 for touch prompts: feeling for each other in the dark

The last time Jonathan was inside the Wheelers’ house, it was the week before he left for California.

He didn’t go over to Nancy’s very often. Partly because the kids were always hanging out in the basement, and it was kind of a real mood-killer to be trying to romance your girlfriend in her childhood bedroom– which was already kind of a tall order– just for her little brother and all of his friends– including your little brother– to run screaming through the hall.

Plus, Nancy seemed to like it more at his place anyway. Jonathan supposed he got it, kind of, because it probably had less to do with some inherent beauty she was finding in their run-down couch and the spots on the walls where the paint had gone all patchy and the mysterious stain on the ceiling of Jonathan’s room that had been there as long as he could remember, and probably more to do with the fact that his house had a distinct lack of her family. And she always slept over anyway, because it was a lot easier for her to sneak out and then into his– since his mom definitely knew and also didn’t care even a little– than it was for him to risk Ted Wheeler’s wrath if he found him climbing through his daughter’s bedroom window, so.

So it’s been a second, is the thing. The last time he was here, he’d found some of her stuff while packing for Lenora and he’d driven over to drop it off. He doesn’t remember exactly what they were– t-shirts, maybe. Probably a stray tube of lipstick or two she’d left behind while getting ready for work. And the house was total chaos with his mom running around everywhere and Will putting everything off until the last minute and he’d just needed to get out–

Out, apparently, had been Nancy’s room. And just because he never really snuck in didn’t mean he didn’t know how to do it anyway, climbing up onto the roof outside the garage and then hoisting himself inside. Her room looked different back then. The college posters weren’t up yet, for one. There were different sheets on the bed, the old pink ones he remembers from the first time he’d been inside.

“You got new posters,” is the first thing he says when he walks in. It’s not, like, the most charming thing he could’ve come up with, but it really is the first thing he notices. The purple and white of the Emerson College logo is scattered across the walls– a couple of triangular banners, a poster up by her bed.

Nancy’s watching him carefully. “Yeah,” she says. “I– uh. Wanted to celebrate. After Early Decision came out.”

“They’re nice,” he says, and it’s not a lie. They are nice. They look good. They’re–

–making him feel like total shit, because he hasn’t brought up the whole college thing yet, but he just got back and he hasn’t even showered yet and–

Nancy lets out a small laugh. “Thanks,” she says, strangely genuine. “I don’t know, I thought about them a lot when I was younger. College posters. Sweaters and t-shirts and basically anything I could get my hands on with Emerson College on it because it was, like, I just needed the reminder that I did it. That I’d be gone soon. And I always pictured walking into school wearing this sweater and everyone would know that I did it too, you know?”

Jonathan doesn’t know. He doesn’t. He really, really doesn’t, because he’d thought about NYU, when he was younger, but it was in a much more abstract sense than Nancy’s vision of college sweatshirts and acceptance letters and the way she’d had the layout of the posters on her wall planned out since she was six years old. Jonathan never thought about NYU sweaters and posters and parading into school and bragging about how he was getting the fuck out of here in the fall, because it was never really in the picture. Tuition, first, and then– after Will, after the Mind Flayer, after the move and El and everything– it was the location. It had always been a pipe dream.

Nancy knew she was going to go. Jonathan knew he wasn’t.

“Yeah,” he says anyway, because Nancy is looking at him expectantly and he knows she thinks that his acceptance letter to a school he never applied to is still waiting for him, abandoned somewhere on a California doorstep. He smiles, and it’s easier than he expected. “I’m proud of you, Nance. Seriously.”

Nancy beams at him. “Thank you,” she says, and then she scrunches her face up. “Okay, Jonathan, I missed you and I’m glad you’re back and I really want you kiss you right now but– and I know I hugged you earlier but I’m chalking that up to missing you so bad that I didn’t notice the–”

“I know,” Jonathan groans, and Nancy stifles a laugh behind one hand. “I know, I know, you don’t even need to say it.”

“Well, the shower is free,” Nancy suggests, absolutely not sounding even a little subtle. “My mom can run a load of laundry and if you have any spare clothes, you can–”

“Yeah, okay, I get it,” Jonathan says, but he can’t help laughing. “I know.”

Nancy throws her hands up, but she’s grinning. “Jonathan, I’m saying this as someone who loves you–”

“Okay!” Jonathan heaves the duffel bag onto one shoulder and shakes his head. “Yeah, I’m going– do you have a towel I can borrow, actually?”

“Oh, yeah, hang on–”

—

Jonathan is coming to realize, slowly, that it’s all about the little things in life. Like whatever people had been saying about stopping to smell the roses and the morning coffee was totally true this whole time, but he’s also adding his girlfriend’s name-brand body wash to the list. God, okay, yes. This is nice. The second the cabin gets running water again, Jonathan is going to make it his personal mission to hunt down the generic version of this.

If the stores haven’t been swallowed up in the earthquake, he thinks gravely, running a hand through his hair and lathering up the suds there. He’s never taking something as simple as soap for granted again, is the lesson he’s learning here. And for a moment, as the water shuts off and the last of the soap swirls down the bathroom drain, thoughts of college and his family and the end of the literal world– for real this time, none of that rat-flesh-monster nonsense– swirl away with it. It’s just him and this stupid, wonderfully clean towel.

God bless Karen Wheeler’s taste in laundry detergent.

When Jonathan gets back to Nancy’s room, she’s sitting on the bed, knees pulled up to her chest, staring off into space and facing away from him. “Hey,” he says softly, just in case she didn’t notice him come in. “What’s on your mind?”

Nancy doesn’t startle, so she must have heard him after all. “Oh,” she sighs. “Nothing, I was just– nothing.”

That doesn’t sound like nothing, but Jonathan knows when to push and when not. Now, when things are still a little new and unfamiliar and it’s the second time Jonathan’s stepped foot in Nancy’s room in six months– counting twenty minutes ago– is not the time.

He lets it go. Later. They have time– they have to have time. “Okay,” he says simply, then runs the towel through his hair one last time. “Um, is there somewhere I can put this?”

“Oh!” Nancy jumps up from the bed. “Yeah, here, let me just grab– or you could just let it dry and use it later if you wanted– I mean, maybe you won’t need to use it again because maybe the cabin will have water after all, but you could– actually, I’ll just take it,” she finishes, all in one quick, frantic breath, then plucks the towel neatly out of Jonathan’s hand.

Jonathan feels a little bit overwhelmed. He’s tired and his brain has been operating at 50% capacity at most for days now, which is probably what he gets for subsisting solely off of gas station snacks for three meals a day. “I,” he starts, and then Nancy blinks up at him, eyes a little wide and very frazzled, and he pauses. “Are you okay?”

“Yes?” Nancy blinks again. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re a little all over the place,” Jonathan laughs, shifting his stance on the carpet. “It’s just a towel.”

Nancy looks down at the towel in her hand, up at Jonathan, back down at the towel again, then promptly drops it onto the carpet.

“What,” Jonathan starts, “are you–”

Nancy leans forward and kisses him.

It’s a little bit awkward, because Jonathan’s quite a bit taller than her– this, obviously, hasn’t changed, because they both stopped growing years ago– and it’s been a while. It’s been months, and they hadn’t so much as held hands or touched pinkies like repressed lovers in some old-timey Victorian novel.

It’s a little bit awkward, for a moment, where Nancy’s on her tiptoes a little and she’s holding Jonathan’s face in her hands, and he’s kind of caught off-guard. It’s kind of awkward, and then Nancy lets a little huff from somewhere deep in her chest, and the noise is so Nancy, so endearingly frustrated but trying not to show it, that it’s like his hands are moving on autopilot in response. He’s got two hands in her hair before he realizes that he’s moved, and she lets out another little huff from the back of her throat and then it’s not awkward at all anymore.

He thought it would take some getting used to, kissing Nancy again. Like riding a bike, like it was something they might have to relearn, like maybe they got rusty and out of practice in the time he’d been gone. But it’s not any of those things. Nancy smiles against his lips, so wide that he can feel it, and her hands slip off his cheeks and around his neck and suddenly it’s like they’re standing in his empty room again, six months ago with the October light streaming in through the patched-up blinds.

“Hi,” Nancy breathes out as she pulls away. More than anything else, she sounds relieved– the single syllable so saturated with it that in that instance, Jonathan knows she was thinking the same thing as him. She sounds happy. Exuberant, maybe, if he’s feeling generous. But mostly just relieved.

“I was scared it would be weird,” he admits, and Nancy’s smile grows. “Between us, I mean. Kissing you.”

She shakes her head. “I did too. Is that stupid? I mean, it’s us.”

“Us,” Jonathan echoes, the fading remnants of guilt nagging at him again “Yeah. It’s us.”

Nancy looks up at him like she’s about to say something, opening her mouth and then closing it again. “I– I’m glad you’re back,” she decides. “I missed you.”

That, at least, is a simple enough thought. “I missed you too,” Jonathan sighs. “Seriously.”

He’s still got his hands in her hair. He contemplates dropping them, stepping away, then thinks better of it. Contact– proximity– is something he’s never taking for granted again. He drops them to her waist instead, and she rests her forehead on his shoulder. “Maybe I’m just imagining this,” Nancy starts, voice low and muffled so that he can barely hear her, even speaking right up next to his ear. “And maybe this isn’t the time to talk about it, because you just got back and you’re tired and I’m tired and all I want to do right now is sleep, but–”

She sighs, and Jonathan tenses. Braces himself for the inevitable– college, we need to break up because of college, you’re not going to college with me, I’m breaking up with you because of–

“Did things seem– weird to you?” Nancy blurts out.

Jonathan frowns. Again, his brain is working at, like, 50% speed here, and dropping with every second he spends standing here awake and not asleep. “What?”

Nancy pulls her face away from his shoulder, but keeps her arms around his neck. That’s a good sign, right? You don’t keep holding someone you’re going to break up with. “I thought– for a while there, it seemed a little weird,” she says haltingly. “And I thought it was just me imagining it, but then I realized I was probably being a little weird too and I was wondering if it was just me, or if you–”

“Oh,” Jonathan breathes, then, “yeah, a little bit,” and Nancy’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Oh,” she echoes. “Okay.”

Jonathan leans in, rests his chin on top of her head. “I didn’t mean for it to be like that, I promise. Distance– it’s a bitch.”

“Agreed,” Nancy laughs. “I missed you so much, Jonathan, I– never do that again, okay?”

That meaning go away. Meaning be somewhere that’s not here. Meaning leave.

Jonathan swallows. He hopes Nancy couldn’t hear it. “Okay,” he says quietly. Not a lie, and not a promise either. Neutral territory, for now.

There’s a clatter in the hallway. Nancy’s room door is closed for now, but the noises from the house still spill through the crack underneath– people settling in, digging out old sleeping bags and clothes, rearranging and making room for a whole second household of people to cram in beside them.

Jonathan sighs. “Can we– table this, maybe?”

Nancy looks relieved. “Yeah! Yeah, I mean for now– I don’t care. I really don’t. I’m just glad you’re back.”

He drops a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m glad I’m back too.”

—-

Nancy’s shower is a lot quicker than his, but he figures that she’s also been bathing regularly for the past couple of weeks and therefore the miracle of the universe that is name-brand soap and lathered-up suds was likely lost on her. She comes back with her hair damp, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt that’s at least three sizes too big on her frame. Jonathan looks up from the bed and tries to pretend like he hadn’t just been lying there for ten minutes of agonizing silence, waiting for her to come back.

“So all the hot water was gone,” Nancy rolls her eyes, “because my idiot brother took the world’s longest shower earlier.”

“Can you blame him?” Jonathan laughs, sitting up further on the bed. “It’s been a long week.”

Nancy hovers by the doorway for a moment, like she isn’t sure whether she should walk back into her own room. “I don’t know how you did it. All three of them, for so long. By yourself.”

“Argyle was there,” Jonathan points out on a technicality, already distracted by the sight of Nancy all warm and soft in her ridiculously big pajamas. He beckons her forward. “Hey. Come here.”

She relaxes visibly. “So impatient,” she says around a growing smile as she makes her way over to him. “Are you tired? We can go to bed.”

She says that so easily too. We can go to bed, like it’s second nature, just the two of them.

Jonathan moves over on the bed to make room. It feels smaller than it used to, even though, again, neither of them have done much growing in the last couple of years. The whole room feels smaller. He wonders if that’s how it was for Nancy, tacking her college posters up on the wall and counting down the weeks until her flight was set to take off from the Indianapolis airport.

He turns to Nancy, who’s lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. It’s like deja vu, lying here on top of her covers and breathing in the scent of her soap and tracing his eyes over her silhouette.

“You’re staring,” she whispers, eyes darting down to meet his, and Jonathan blinks.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I was too, earlier. You just didn’t notice.”

That makes him smile. “Lights on?” he asks, then realizes that maybe that’s not something she does anymore. Maybe she’s moved past that, and now she’s insulted because she thinks that he thinks that she’s four years old, or something–

“If that’s okay,” she says softly, looking a little surprised. “It’s stupid, I know, I thought I’d stop and I almost did, and then– the last few days–”

Jonathan gets it. He thinks about Will’s body twisting around on the bed and lying awake at night into the early hours of the morning and then the first time he’d smoked, how he fell asleep faster than he can ever remember, and didn’t wake up at the smallest creaking of the floorboards anymore. How he’d asked Argyle if that was normal, if he should be worried about a bad reaction, and Argyle had just laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s not stupid,” he says, instead of any of that. “I have my things too.”

She looks like she might ask about it, what his things are, but then she yawns sharply. “Okay,” she says, through the tail end of it. “Let me know if you want me to turn it off.”

He won’t. “Okay,” he agrees anyway. “I will.”

There’s no weed in his system, so he doesn’t expect sleep to come easily tonight, even with this tiredness that seems to be seeping right down into his bones. This is restful enough for now, and he’s not complaining– a real bed under him, clean clothes. The weight of Nancy’s body next to him, the slight dip in the mattress where she’s laying. He waits, listens until her breathing slows, falling into an easy, tentative rhythm.

Jonathan doesn’t remember when the last time he slept over was. Again, it wasn’t really worth the commotion– her mother’s tendency to walk into the room without knocking, then getting worried if the door was locked. The hordes of kids that would be hunkered down in their basement, during the summer especially. Trying to get out without alerting suspicion.

He sighs, rolls over until he’s facing the back of Nancy’s head. She’s always done this– drift away from him in sleep, until he wakes up the next morning to find her curled up on the opposite side of the bed. He smiles, and for a moment, considers reaching out, maybe draping an arm around her waist, tucking his face into the warm curve of her neck. Kissing the top of her shoulder, just because she’s there, and he can.

He doesn’t though. No need to risk waking her up.

He’s about to drift off– sleep lingering, tantalizing, just out of reach– when it happens. Something shifts, something changes, and he isn’t alert enough to realize what’s happened until Nancy lets out a small noise next to him.

His eyes fly open. The room is pitch black.

The lamp has turned off, and the hallway light is no longer bleeding through the crack in the door either. The glow of the nearby streetlamp is gone too, even though the blinds open plenty wide enough to let it in.

“Jonathan,” Nancy gasps, and he reaches a hand out on instinct. Hers is already there, halfway between their bodies, fingers scrambling across twisted sheets until they interlock.

“I’m here,” he says. Any trace of sleep he might have been able to catch up to is gone entirely. “I’m here,” he repeats, and squeezes Nancy’s hand once. “What– why did the lights go out?”

“The electricity’s been going out sometimes,” Nancy says. Her voice is a little shaky. “Before you guys got here, after everything. The power lines are unstable, and it just happens sometimes but– usually I don’t wake up in the middle of it, and–”

“Come here,” Jonathan interrupts, and Nancy moves towards him until her body is curled into his. “I’m right here.”

“I thought I was back there,” Nancy says, muffled into the thin cotton of his t-shirt. “When I opened my eyes. I haven’t been back there since– and then Robin and Steve and– and Eddie and I had to go back and I opened my eyes and it was dark–”

She shudders, slightly, voice going thready and then trailing off entirely. Jonathan doesn’t say anything. What is he supposed to say? He hadn’t been there the second time around. As much as it kills him, this is a burden he can’t help her shoulder.

He wraps his arms around her back, pulling her in by the waist. He thought this would be strange and unfamiliar too, like he’d have forgotten what it’s like to have the shape of someone pressed up against you, like the weight of their body on yours would turn unfamiliar and alien with the distance.

It’s not, though, and it hasn’t. It feels like maybe Nancy never left his arms.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs into her hair. She’s got her hands against his chest, fingers uncurling slowly over his sternum. “I’m here.”

“This is so stupid,” she laughs weakly, but she doesn’t pull away either. “I’m sorry, I’m– I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He wasn’t actually asleep, but he figures that’s maybe not the most comforting thing he could say. “Don’t be,” Jonathan says instead. “Seriously. Wake me anytime.”

“You need sleep,” she protests, but this is halfhearted too. “You’re tired.”

“Stop,” he admonishes, and Nancy falls silent. It’s not an easy task, getting her to stop talking, and it’s also not one he’s inclined to try his hand at very often, but right now, he needs her to stop. “I’ll get my rest later,” he says. “It’s okay. I have plenty of time to sleep.”

Nancy doesn’t say anything for a moment. He almost thinks she’s fallen back asleep, except her breathing is too carefully controlled and he can feel her pulse still coming down. He moves his hands from the small of her back to her waist instead, holding her like she’s an anchor.

“Thank you,” she says at last, which is kind of ridiculous.

“For what?”

“Being there,” she says, then shuffles impossibly closer.

“I’m not going to– not be there,” he tries, and she lets out a small noise that might have been a life. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

“Before too, I mean,” she sniffs. “You’ve always been there, even before we– I just got used to having you around.”

Jonathan closes his eyes. “Me too,” he admits softly, more into the static air of Nancy’s room than to her. “I got used to you too fast. I’ve never done that before, with anyone.”

He’s never really had anyones before. He doesn’t say that.

“And then I had to forget that,” Nancy goes on, voice wavering slightly. “So fast. I finally had such a good thing and then it was gone.”

Jonathan makes a gentle, soothing sound, and brushes some of the hair away from her face. He can’t make out her face in the dark, but he can imagine it perfectly. It’s a skill he’s perfected, these last few months. Wide eyes, lips turned downwards just a little. Freckles, maybe, if it’s been sunny lately.

“You have me again,” he says, the fabric of her shirt bunching up under his palm as he shifts, rolling onto his back and pulling her along with him. She moves easily, pliant and warm, and makes a pleased sound as he readjusts the blankets around them. “You have me again,” he repeats. He doesn’t say for now. Maybe it’s the dark, or the proximity, or the gentle silence, but it doesn’t really seem like it matters. “I’m here.”

#this got away from me #i had originally intended to write something else and then this happened #my og vision was different and maybe i'll write that separately at some point but for now !! i hope this is good :^)#thank u for giving me an excuse to write jancy oh my god i love them they are everything and more to me #literally my entire world #head in hands #fun sized fics #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #jancy

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halogenrobotics · 1 year

Text

Cherophobia

Cherophobia: the fear of happiness. After the 3 star ending, Vanessa manages to get back to being more like her old self. But a chance encounter on a date with Luis might change all that.

I would like to say that I am not the one who wrote this story. I assisted in its creation but most of the credit goes to EclipsingJelly036. I am posting it on their behalf because they do not have any accounts on this site. Please go and check out his YouTube channel and show it some love!

Other places to read this

Fanfiction.net Wattpad AO3 Deviantart

The hallways were eerie…walls coated in stains…and the shadows gathered up at each corner…

Everything seemed to be faded. Metallic pipes crawled across the ceiling and branches out to different sections of the Pizzaplex’s loading dock. Vanessa was having a hard time eyeing her surroundings. The occasional red and purple static flashed with her vision. She was seeing things from electrical currents and sparks of light. Her sight was a warzone of glitchy lightning and zipping shadows. She could hear those voices. Those same voices telling her something. Over and over again. She couldn’t catch a break.

She caught her shadow as she skipped past another light cast. Bunny ears flopped from her head, a white sewn rabbit suit danced across the hallways. She felt her breath trapped in the mask she wore. She could sense she wasn’t herself, and yet she was still operating like this. It was like she knew she wasn’t in control and yet she had the conscience of knowing that….

Vanessa felt her mouth twist into a wicked smile. Something had sprinted across the far end. A short figure, she assumed. Her mind tried to fight it off. Why was she smiling? Why was she looking for him? Why was she in this suit?

Her heels continued skipping across the figure. He couldn’t have gotten far. She would find him. She knew this place like the back of her hand.

“Are you having fun yet?” She spoke in a distorted voice that would strike terror into the ears of any child.

That phrase somehow felt like it was meant for her. Someone was asking her that question through her own voice. But who?

Vanessa wanted to cry out for help, but she couldn’t force herself to stop. She continued skipping along the floor, unable to drop that gleeful forced smile spread along her face.

She reached a room, entering through the doorway. And there he was, the person she was looking for. Across the end of the room, sat a child. He was facing an arcade cabinet, desperately embracing the joystick controls like his life depended on it. He turned around to look at her, and Vanessa got a quick glimpse of horror shown by that child’s eyes.

“Game Over…Gregory…” she muttered, as she walked to the boy.

Gregory didn’t flee. He couldn’t. He was trapped. All he could do was play the arcade game. Vanessa’s hand was now inches away from grabbing his head. The screen flashed with the words “COMPLETED!!!” before the game configured it into “ERROR!”. Gregory froze. He had beaten it. Three golden stars appeared on the screen before the power cut out.

Suddenly Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks. Her vision went black. She stood still. The last thing she heard was the sound of a man’s distorted scream, it’s call left her. Her surroundings grew more quiet as the scream echoed away from her mind. She felt limp in the legs, crouching down before flailing her arm to grab on a desk. She almost fell, yet she remained conscious. Her hand willingly pulled off the rabbit mascot mask from her face, her eyes shut. She started to breathe the fresh air. Vanessa now felt that she had control over herself. Slowly she opened her eyes, only to see her vision had been returned to normal. She was free.

Several months later…

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Vanessa groaned sleepily as her hand slammed across her alarm clock. Her eyes peeked at the glaring red numbering of her wake up call.

6:00 AM

Vanessa rolled her eyes and got up slowly, yawning as she stretched her arms. Her hair was in a mess. She turned to the side of her bed and reached out for her phone.

“One unread text?” She stared, puzzled.

Unlocking her phone, she swiped until she found the message. “See you at 12, Ness” Vanessa blinked in confusion. She scrolled up a little further. Then she noted the time on her phone. It read 10:00 AM. Her alarm clock had messed up! Vanessa’s eyes shot wide open and she remembered. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!”

She quickly got out of her bed and rushed to the sink. She cleared her face, as she balanced the rush of dressing up while trying to look nice. This wasn’t a job she was preparing for. It was so much more. She glanced at her phone again. “I can make it! It’s not far from here.”

She brushed her teeth and hair before selecting something to wear. Her eyes fell on a black jacket to top it all off. “Oh gosh…I hope this will be enough..”

Her heart raced as she sprinted to get one last glance at the mirror before nodding to herself. Without another word, she exited her room. The living room was quiet. A piece of paper left for her by the exit door. Vanessa picked it up. It was a crayon drawing of Glamrock Freddy and a curly haired boy with the doodle of “See ya after school! -Gregory” sketched alongside.

Vanessa gave a warm smile as she pocketed the drawing and finally exited her apartment without another word.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

So much time had passed since she had left the Pizzaplex. Months in fact. Gregory back then was just a child without parents. Vanessa worked as a VR beta tester before she found a security job waiting for her at Fazbear Ent.’s latest establishment. What happened in the past, she could barely think about without feeling uneasy. As crazy as her story was, she was mind controlled. Under the influence of what she could only describe as a virus. It had infected her, twisted her imagination and bent her will. This virus, this evil presence had corrupted her back in her VR testing job. She kept acting strange, sometimes a sweet bubbly worker, and other times an unstable mess with strange thoughts. Thoughts that told her to commit murder. It scared her, knowing she could just snap at any moment back into what she believed to be a monster.

Gregory was a target. The virus infection kept telling her to capture him. And she had to obey. There was no fighting what was already inside her head. Sometimes she lost track of what happened when the virus lessened its influence in her normal state. But those memories were more buried than faded. Waiting to be dug up again, she feared.

Then the unexpected happened. The little boy she was chasing had freed her. Somehow, through the means of beating an arcade game, she no longer felt the presence of the virus in her anymore. Gregory had done it. It was over. It took some time but it all started coming together. Seeing that Greg had nowhere else to go, she decided to take care of him. It was a rough start as Greg had to learn to trust her. Vanessa understood, she needed to earn this child’s heart. He had been all alone, with her trying to chase him down. But as the days turned into weeks, Greg now feels safe around her. It was the least she could do, to provide a home for him.

Gregory preferred to catch the bus to school by himself. That youthful independent nature of his, never slept. He would get ready early in the morning, prepare and eat breakfast, go to school, and then return by early evening. He was more organized than her. Heck, he could be taking care of her instead!

Vanessa giggled on that last thought as she drove her car towards the main town. That kid never ceases to put a smile on her face. Then again…there was always Luis.

Luis Cabrera had always been one of her greatest friends. They had known each other since middle school and their friendship had only gotten stronger as time had gone on. He had always been really kind and sweet to her, and this had continued even when they started working at the same company together. He’d always stop by to say "Hi!" and talk with her whenever she was free in her office. Always knowing the right time to give her a compliment. Even when she had been mind controlled, Luis showed concern by noticing her change of personality and offered to get her some coffee and talk with her. Yet the virus had made her brush him off, and treat him like he meant nothing to her.

Vanessa hit the brakes as the lights at the junction turned red. The car halted in response. Vanessa felt a slight jerk forward as kept that last thought to herself. She didn’t need to think about the corruption and the virus. Now was not the time. She concentrated her mind on Luis, the reason she was driving right now.

After she had been freed, Luis had been the first person she had reached out to. She needed someone to talk to. Luis had been surprised but grateful to hear from her again and the 2 had settled for a coffee. Vanessa was conflicted on whether or not to tell him about what had happened to her. Would he believe her? Would he think that she was crazy, that she had completely lost it? But when Luis asked her about it, hearing the genuine concern in his voice and seeing the same in his eyes, she couldn't hold it in. Vanessa had told him everything. At first, Luis thought she was talking about a movie or a play she had seen, but he quickly realized that wasn't the case. Maybe it was the tone of her voice, her need for a friend by her side, that led Luis to want to believe her. Maybe he knew she wasn’t the person to joke about stuff like this. He had still wanted to meet with this ‘Gregory’ and after doing so and hearing his side of the story, fully believed what Vanessa had told him.

Vanessa carefully parked her car by the side street and got out. She took one more glance at her side view mirror before locking her car. Pulling out her phone, she texted. “I’m on my way :)”. Vanessa eyed for the correct diner they agreed to meet at and started walking.

After that, she and Luis had spoken more frequently. They were getting coffee almost every day of the week. Vanessa had to admit to herself that being with Luis just sparked something inside of her. She enjoyed being around him. Luis was a really good listener, someone who she could share her troubles with. Eventually she had finally told him she liked him. Vanessa remembered seeing the excitement and joy on Luis’s face, he had wanted to say the same to her. It didn’t take too long for them to plan an actual date. They talked about it for some time, and yesterday, they finally made up their minds to have one. A real date.

Vanessa came across the restaurant’s sign. Thai Restaurant. Vanessa blinked and laughed in her mind. That was sure some “creativity” with whoever that came up with that name. Having some mild humor driven into her mind, she didn’t feel as anxious anymore. Vanessa pushed the door open and looked around the tables. Far at the end by the corner seats she saw Luis, glancing at his phone.

He sat there silently, having his glasses fixed on his screen. His tan skin and neat mousy brown hair made him noticeable, as Vanessa started to feel a bit awkward as she approached their table. Her mind flooded with a hundred greetings. But she couldn’t make out which one to speak. What should I say….? I dunno, maybe start with a compliment? The classic “Good Afternoon?”

Her mind raced as she realized she had said all of those before on their prior coffee talks. She needed something special. But what should she say? Luis looked up from his phone, catching Vanessa's eyes. They both locked a moment of uneasiness. Urgh, we’ve talked before many times already, why does it feel so different?

Luis’s eyes sparkled in awe. Vanessa was dressed in a jacket, coating around her short sleeved shirt, and wearing a miniskirt. He had seen her before in her casual outfit and her security uniform, but this was definitely a first. Luis felt he couldn’t break eye contact with this moment of beauty. Vanessa’s blonde hair wasn’t in her usual ponytail, it flowed loosely downwards along her shoulders. Rainbow streaks coloured notches along it. Luis felt like he was staring at an angel. Was this a dream?

“Hi Ness…” Luis spoke first, sounding both nervous yet overjoyed.

Oh damn, he spoke first! Vanessa thought hard. Well don’t just stare! Say something back to him!

“Hi…” Vanessa responded, stopping herself from giving a handshake. This was a date. And she had to understand that. Her shoulders rose up a tad bit, her cheeks warmed by her bright smile.

“You look stunning today,” Luis managed to say.

“Thanks….” Vanessa replied with a blush. “You look great too.”

Seriously? Was that the best you could come up with? Vanessa shut her annoying thoughts aside. Her brain can shut up for all she bothered. She didn’t have to be perfect. Luis loved her the way she was. Why try being perfect, when you’ve already made him happy by arriving on time?

Luis got up and Vanessa suddenly felt her arms spread open instinctively for a hug. Luis caught the scent of flowers as her hair brushed against him during their short embrace. They both sat down and looked at the menu.

“Do you want to get some Pad Thai to share?” Luis asked her. “It seems to be quite a popular choice.”

“Sure! That sounds like a good idea” Vanessa agreed.

As the waiter took their orders and kept the menu, Luis couldn’t help but feel that the atmosphere around them had changed. It was like the fact that they knew it was a date had made it a bit… different to say the least. Vanessa felt she should start first this time as the waiter left them alone.

“So….” Vanessa twiddled on her napkin, before looking back at Luis’s sweet eyes. “You told me about your new position at work yesterday. How’s that job working out for you?”

“Oh it’s,” Luis paused briefly, “going fine. I mean, well not exactly as easy as my last job.”

“Hmm?” Vanessa gazed. “Busy schedule?”

“You could say that,” Luis nodded, “The advertising department can get pretty hectic.”

“Do they give you any breaks, Luis?” Vanessa asks.

“They’d probably charge me if I ever took more than one coffee break,” Luis grinned. Vanessa cracked a giggle. “Something you would expect from any workplace associated with Fazbear Ent.”

“Tell me about it,” Vanessa rolled her eyes as the thought of the so-called “management policies” crossed her mind. “The people who run that company would sell their own parents if it meant cutting down on costs.”

“Haha, true true,” Luis laughed.

“Have your colleagues been nice to you?” Vanessa continued.

“They uh, we don’t really talk much since we’re always busy. Plus the manager made sure we have all of our coffee breaks alone. Said something about being a “cost effective” procedure.” Luis explained.

“What!? Luis that's awful,” Vanessa commented.

“Total baloney I know,” Luis shrugged. “But I’ll manage….”

Vanessa looked at him with concern. All this time before the date, Luis had always asked her how she’d felt. She’d open up, and Luis would help her with any lingering issues she was facing. That's how a lot of their conversations had gone most of the time.

Now, Vanessa wanted to try and help Luis more. It was her turn to listen. And maybe, she could make things seem brighter. Luis could sense that hint of concern in her facial expression.

“It does get a bit….lonely,” Luis admitted. “I barely had anyone to talk to that I knew apart from you.”

“How long has this been going on?” Vanessa leaned forward, paying full attention.

“Months,” Luis’s head tilted down, not sure what else to say. “I haven’t really made any new friends. I guess I've felt …hated…”

“Hated?” Vanessa was shocked. How could anyone hate Luis? He was always so nice.

“Well, I also thought….” Luis didn’t know how to put his words in a sentence. Vanessa felt the need to speak instantly. “You can tell me Luis,” she whispered.

“So um, do you remember what happened at work months ago?” Luis recalled. Vanessa hesitated for a second before quickly nodding in agreement. “Well, when you stopped talking to me all of a sudden, I kinda thought you were trying to tell me something. I thought I had done something to upset you…” Luis paused before continuing. “I assumed I made a mistake and you didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. Or you were having some personal issues and I didn't want to accidentally offend you. So I just… I tried to respect your implied wishes and let you be…”

Vanessa’s eyes widened. “What? Why would you think that?” She questioned, saddened that she felt that this was allowed to happen to someone like Luis.

“But now I feel really bad doing that. If I had known what was really going on, I would have done something differently…” Luis commented, leaving no stone of emotion unturned. “I understand that it’s not your fault.”

“Oh Luis….” Vanessa placed her hands on Luis’. He felt that cold feeling of rejection leave him. Her warm hands gave off a comforting feel of love. Luis’ hand unfolded as they both looked at each other with affection. Whatever holding hands was supposed to achieve, it was working. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that I was pushing you away. You really mean everything to me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Luis felt those lovely words reach into his heart. His cheeks gave off a hint of red, as he noticed Vanessa blushing back at him. He couldn’t hide his emotions anymore. Vanessa leaned closer and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Luis…” she said.

The waiter returned to pour some fresh drinks on their table. Luis and Vanessa smiled at each other as the glasses of refreshments were placed. “Won’t be long,” the waiter promised before leaving again.

“Aw,” Luis stopped blushing. Their hands remained connected along the table. “They didn’t have chocolates.” He joked.

“Only you could think of chocolates at a time like this,” Vanessa laughed.

“Hey, what can I say? They’re my weakness.” Luis replied in a joking manner. The two of them chuckled lightly before they saw the waiter heading to their table.

“Oh it looks like our food has arrived,'' Luis said. The waiter had returned, carrying with him their order.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Mmm, this is quite tasty!” Vanessa remarked.

Thank goodness they didn’t order two separate meals. What they had ordered was too much for a single person to finish all by themselves. Vanessa and Luis shared their ordered meal together. This felt special and Vanessa felt she would remember this moment forever.

“Thanks for teaching me how to use chopsticks,” she winked.

“First time I actually got it right too,” Luis fiddled his utensils to pinch some noodles. That sparked an idea in Vanessa’s head.

“Hold on,” she told Luis as she gleefully got her phone out of her jacket and tapped on the camera. She held it from a side view to take a selfie. She opened her mouth with a smile as Luis held a pinch of noodles close to her mouth. She snapped a pic, and ate Luis’ offer. “Mmm thank you,” Vanessa was clearly enjoying herself. With a few taps on her phone’s screen, Luis got notified on his phone.

Luis swiped until he found the sent image. Him feeding Vanessa with chopsticks. How cute! He thought excitedly. “Guess this is payment for feeding you?” Luis flirted.

“What’s the matter, you wanted more?” Vanessa teased playfully.

The conversation moved on to how Vanessa thought of the Pizzaplex during her work shift there at that time. Of course she didn’t have many bright memories as a staff guard, but regardless of her experience there, she had to say the Pizzaplex was the dream jewel that any franchise would crave to have. A huge location would house huge attractions, and with them came huge visitors which generated more income to grow the foundation even bigger.

“How is that kid you’re taking care of Ness?” Luis decided to ask. “Gregory, was it?”

Vanessa nodded. “He’s at school right now and doing well. To be fair I think he has a higher chance of getting a job than me. Other than homework, he feels safe around me now that I am his legal guardian.”

“That’s great!” Luis happily followed on. “That kid does seem like a handful. I’m glad you're able to manage everything.”

“He's helped me a few times. I remember twice I had a really bad nightmare and he came up to my room and asked if everything was ok,” Vanessa recalled. “I also forget about some of the errands i have to do sometimes, but Greg always seems to remind me haha.”

“How nice of him,” Luis noted. “Have you been getting better sleep lately, Ness?”

“Hmm, I still have a few bad dreams occasionally here and there,” Vanessa replied while looking at Luis, lost in a thought of whether to compliment him or say again how much she loves him. “But it’s nothing too severe, just me being late for a few basic errands….and maybe being late to have a coffee with you…”

“Late or not, I’ll always wait all day for you,” Luis smirked.

“Oh stop making me feel bad,” Vanessa shyly replied in a sweet voice.

Soon the meal was finished. Luis was surprised at how much time had passed. It was almost 3. “Was the meal good?” Luis asked.

“Best food I’ve ever had,” Vanessa had her face brightened with joy. Her happiness was contagious, as Luis could feel a spark of passion between them. It was growing stronger. “We should do this again more often,” Vanessa suggested, her hand again holding onto Luis’s hand.

"How do you know if a boy wants to kiss you?" Vanessa thought to herself. "Is it something instinctual?"

“We should,” Luis replied to her. “I’m sure we’ll have so much fun together.”

Vanessa felt she would have given Luis a thank you kiss. But at the moment, something grabbed Vanessa’s attention from Luis.

Over at the far opposite end of the restaurant, was a couple with their child. Vanessa couldn’t help but notice how oddly familiar that child had looked. Where had she last seen a face like that? Her youth? Her work? Vanessa’s heart froze. The Pizzaplex. That child had a huge resemblance to someone she’d captured long ago, when she was controlled by the virus. This observation was starting to make her feel uneasy. She felt cold, as though a virtual tidal wave of regret started to fill her. Guilt, sadness, and depression had all started coming back to her. Why? Why now?

“Ness?” Luis realized that she was looking pale, like she had seen a ghost.

Vanessa couldn’t hear his voice. Just the sound of her own heartbeat beating slowly as all sounds in the world were muted. Vanessa felt the heaviness of guilt bring her head to gaze at herself holding Luis’s hands. Her hands. These held her focus. She felt a bulge swell in her throat to stop herself from sobbing. Her hands, they had taken the lives of innocent children. How many? Too many.

She remembered what happened to those who had been caught by her. She tried to shove the guilt back into her core, but it was too much. She knew what she had done. Those hands had done things that were unspeakably evil. How many families had been destroyed because of her…how many lives were touched by her actions….and now….those same hands wanted love…they held on to a caring man’s passion. But did they deserve it at all? After everything that had happened?

“Vanessa?” Luis looked at her, turned his head to look at what she was looking at before turning back to face her.

A tear escaped from Vanessa. She felt like she was barely holding it together. She brought herself to question. Did she really deserve a life where she could be loved? Did she really deserve Luis, Gregory and the others as a family?

“Vanessa?” Luis called out, touching her hand with concern. That warm feeling he felt from her hand earlier was void, replaced by a cold pulse.

Vanessa finally came back to her senses. Her head nearly jerked up. As if she was almost asleep in her own thoughts. “Oh…” she froze, realizing she had left him hanging. “Sorry….”

“Is everything ok?” Luis examined her with a sad look. He knew something was definitely up.

Vanessa didn’t know how to answer. She felt she should tell him. But was it worth bringing this up right now? Vanessa you didn’t mean to. You had no control over yourself. It wasn’t your fault that those kids… Vanessa shut her mind up again. She was left looking at Luis blankly before she quietly replied. “Yeah… I’m fine.” She felt another tear coming up, her hands quickly sprung to her cheeks to wipe her face. “This was nice Luis,” Vanessa said again. “It was a great date.”

Luis now was confused. She’s hiding something. He could tell a real smile from a fake one as of now. Vanessa’s smile was definitely forced. She was trying to mask her emotions. “I….I have to go now…” Vanessa said softly. “There’s something I have to take care of back home.”

Her voice sounded more calm as she finished towards that last sentence. “Maybe she needs some space to take all of this in. Maybe she thinks it’s happening too fast?” Luis thought. “Ok Ness, but are you sure you’re feeling ok?”

Vanessa nodded too easily. “Yes Luis. I’m really glad we did this…” She wanted to leave. She felt sadness crushing her heart but also trying to contain it from showing. She didn’t want to push Luis away. But she really needed time to herself too. “Thank you.”

“Anytime Ness,” Luis replied as they both stood up and gave a goodbye hug. “It’s all good.”

Luis brought out his wallet to pay for the meal. Vanessa felt that she should leave now. There was nothing more to say. She couldn’t make things better, but maybe she could stop things from getting worse. As she trailed off towards the restaurant’s entrance, Luis got one more glance at Vanessa. She exited the door without another gesture. He sighed a little before shrugging. “She needs time,” he told himself. After around 5 minutes he had paid for the meal and was starting to head for the entrance too when the waiter stopped him.

“Oh wait sir,” the waiter called. He was holding something in his hand. “You forgot your phone.”

Luis turned around. “Oh no, she must have left it.” Luis recognised that it was Vanessa’s. He thanked the waiter for telling him and decided to take it to her. But Vanessa was long gone. “She’s gonna be wondering where her phone is,” Luis thought again. It was then he decided, he would just go to her apartment and drop off her phone. With that, Luis got into his car and began driving.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vanessa barged into her apartment, she shut the door behind her and collapsed on her couch. Her hand felt her forehead as she angrily threw a short fit. What were you doing!? You were having the peak moment of your life and you screwed it up!? Why!?

Vanessa let out a stream of cold tears. That memory of the child still was lingering in the back of her mind. She had done terrible things. Unspeakable of being forgiven. She didn’t feel well at all. Her mind was racing with guilt, drowning the love she experienced this evening. I ruined everything. What was stopping her from moving on in life with him? He wanted to be with her after all. At least it appeared that way.

Vanessa stopped crying for a moment. She thought about it over again. He knows everything that happened. She thought harder. And he hasn’t left you yet, so he has to at least want to try having a relationship with you, right?

Vanessa looked around. She was stressed and tearful. The agony was scratching hard against her feelings. It was emotional self-harm that was dragging to sink in the depths of sorrow. She began wandering around, trying to clear her head. Looking around, Vanessa noticed some clean laundry that she hadn't yet put away. So she decided to go ahead and take care of it to try and calm herself down.

She started putting away the clean clothes, going through the motions of hanging each piece in its respective place in her closet. It helped to distract herself from her intrusive thoughts. “Just calm down Vanessa.” As she kept reassuring herself, Vanessa’s hand happened to bump into something, it was a cardboard box, its top held closed by some packing tape. It was hidden on the floor of her closet, obscured from view by the hanging clothes. Vanessa looked at the box in confusion, she couldn’t remember why she had this thing. She pulled it out from where it sat and picked it up. Now where have I seen this before? She could feel that whatever was in the box was fairly heavy. Vanessa placed the box on her bed and, out of curiosity, decided to open it up. She quickly undid the tape on the top and looked in.

Vanessa felt everything stop, inside the box was her old VR headset. “No…it can’t be… ” She had thought she had lost the thing all those months ago, she had no idea it had just been sitting in her closet the whole time. Something else grabbed her attention, it was a small USB drive located next to the headset. It had a small label in marker on it that said “TAPES”

Suddenly, she remembered why this was here. She flashbacked to several months ago, she- no, VANNY, had saved the audio of the tapes, seemingly as a way to archive them.

Vanessa suddenly remembered some of the content of the “tapes” themselves, specifically the ones where they had said to not collect them. The memory was as clear as the day she had first heard those tapes. "finding them and reassembling them will also reassemble the very thing I’ve tried so desperately to destroy" And what had she done? She had collected them, assembling HIM.

Then more memories made themselves apparent of Vanny blaming her for everything, and the reasoning was sound. “You are the one who put him back together in the first place. So…”

“…It’s all your fault.” Vannys voice felt like it was right next to her. Vanessa gasped as her surroundings disappeared. She found herself in an alleyway of which she could see had a shadowy dead end. There she could see a pair of glowing purple eyes staring daggers at her. “ You put it back together.”

Vanessa noticed that the dirty ground was littered in broken tapes. “You did this!” She walked away from the alleyway and into the open street. She didn’t recognise the place she was in. Fog clouded the atmosphere and those staring eyes leaped out of the shadows. “Deep down you wanted this to happen.”

“No I did not!” Vanessa screamed as she ran from the creature. It was a pale yellow mascot suit that looked like a bunny. It skipped after her, leaping gleefully as if it was enjoying her fear.

As Vanessa ran away, her thoughts never stopped pursuing her. You were warned not to! But you did anyway, you created the thing that corrupted you! This was your doing!

“Stop!” She cried, taking a quick turn into another alleyway. She stopped as she came across another wall. Another dead end! She tried leaping but it was too high to climb on the edge. She turned around, seeing that pale bunny mascot lurking in between the only way out of the alleyway. “Leave me alone!”

“Are you having fun yet?” The mascot crooked its head, as those all too familiar words escaped its mouth. Its voice, distorted and demonic sounding. Vanessa could only stare in horror as the mascot looked closer and closer. Each step it took was making her heart drum faster.

In no time, it was within a yard of her reach. It offered her its pawed hand. “You enjoyed it, didn't you?” It said with a glitched laugh.

Vanessa tucked her head down with her hands covering her ears and closing her eyes. “This isn’t real!”

The mascot crooked its head again. “But what you did was!” It laughed loudly. Vanessa heard its voice vanish. She slowly opened her eyes again. The alleyway was gone. She was now in the Pizzaplex’s abandoned car park construction. Only a few lamp lights to shine the way. Vanessa could see shattered glass all over the floor. She suddenly spotted a large broken mirror facing her, making sure Vanessa got a good glimpse of herself. She wasn’t in her date clothes. She was suited in a white bunny costume. Her hands were now pawed fingers. Her face was masked by a rabbit face with red eyes. Her reflection suddenly waved at her and gave a shushing gesture.

Vanessa turned to run but stepped on a dark puddle of liquid. It was black, almost dark red. She raised her foot, seeing the liquid she touched was appearing bloody red on her white costume. Crimson smears started to appear on her hands and arms, and the torso of her costume. Her horrified face turned into a tearful broken mix of shock. There were more dragged blood marks all over the car park, barely noticeable in the dim light.

The lights brightened. Vanessa gasped and cried, her hand covering her mouth. The lights revealed nine children leaning against the wall on their backs. Their heads were nodded down, lifeless, black blood streaming from their eyes and mouths. They laid there in a pool of blood and agony. The wall behind them had a message written in what looked like red graffiti.

“THIS MAKES YOU A MONSTER!”

Instantly, Vanessa was hit by memories of every one of the murders she had done as Vanny. All of them flew into her mind from the buried past, starting with how she cornered them, making them suffer and scaring them. She remembered again how the virus within her made sure the death wasn’t painless. It wanted to feel their pain, and it wanted her to feel it too. She saw herself over and over again. Repeatedly using the knife she held.

Before she delivered the final killing blow to her victims, the virus would taunt her by forcing her to remove her bunny mask and stare straight into their crying eyes closely. They would always let out a final scream as she plunged the dagger into their souls.

Vanessa snapped herself back into reality at that instant. She looked around, haunted and terrified. She was back in her apartment’s room. Right where she was this entire time. Those hallucinations had weakened her mental state. Out of the corner of her mind, she heard a final breath of words. They weren’t clear, scrambled like a jigsaw. But she knew what it said. “You’re the monster. And monsters…”

Vanessa looked at her uncovered hands at this point. “Don’t deserve to be happy…”

Vanessa knelt, her legs sunk to the floor as those words crushed her within. She cried it out, sobbing as she felt the agonizing guilt of what she had done. It hurt so much, To carry the burden of being the cause of death of those children. To know that she would never deserve to be happy, after all she had done.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Luis parked his car outside Vanessa’s apartment, getting out with a worried expression engraved on his face. He gave the apartment a glare, before walking inside the building. Luis spots Vanessa’s door, and as he walks nearer, the sound of sobbing was audible in this silent place. Luis didn’t even have to press his ear against the door. He could definitely hear someone crying there. He had heard it a couple of times before. It belonged to Vanessa. He knew. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” he said to himself.

Luis, feeling hesitant, looks back at Vanessa’s phone, tucked in his pocket. “Well it would be rude to keep something that doesn’t belong to me.” Luis awkwardly raised his hand and started giving a gentle set of knocks on the door. “Vanessa?”

No answer. All he could hear was just crying. It was getting fainter however. “Maybe I should…” Luis’s hand touched the door handle. “No, I shouldn't disturb her.” He argued with himself. “But…what if she needs help?”

Luis felt his grip on the door handle growing stronger. “She always needed me when she cried. I have to do this. Whatever the reason…I have to be there for her.”

He twisted the knob, and to his surprise, it was unlocked. “Ness?” He called out gently. The crying got to the point where you could barely hear anything. Luis stepped inside, cautiously walking in a way not to scare Vanessa off guard. Her bedroom door was left wide open. And he could see that she was knelt on the carpeted floor, hands covering her eyes, head bowed, tears flowing across her cheeks.

Luis didn’t know what to do. Should he make his presence known? He had a feeling Vanessa hadn’t seen or heard him at all. He took a deep breath, keeping his distance as a single word left his mouth. “Ness?”

She wiped her tears, thinking she was hearing those “voices” in her head. Maybe she had gotten to a point where she was thinking of Luis to try and calm herself down. “But, I don’t deserve him'” She thought to herself, the pain of regret and guilt still present.

“Vanessa…” Luis called out, a bit louder but still gentle. Vanessa heard it this time as a real voice. She raised her head and turned towards Luis’s direction. She didn’t say anything. Her eyes filled with tears continued to flow, and she went back to holding her face in her hands, palming all the tears that streamed along her cheeks. Luis approached Vanessa slowly, unsure of what to say. His mind was blank, taken aback by Vanessa’s state and he didn’t want to make the situation worse.

Luis crouched down beside Vanessa. Her face hidden by her hands as she knelt. Luis gently wrapped his arms around his dear loved one. The embrace was soft and long, Vanessa’s mind felt a wave of comfort. She felt as though the agony was being driven away to a temporary halt. She wanted this, but at the same time, she felt as though she shouldn’t have this. Her arms instinctively gave Luis a deep hug. For a moment they just sat there, eyes closed, not letting each other go.

Luis waited as Vanessa’s tears dried. Putting his hand on her shoulder, Vanessa’s eyes met Luis’s. “Would you like to tell me about it?” He asked, reassuringly. Vanessa, not answering immediately, gave it some thought. After some time, she slowly nodded.

She started to talk to her dear Luis, just like back when she first opened up. She never left anything out of the picture this time. The guilt that haunted her was about to reach Luis’s ears. Vanessa told him how she felt ever since she left the restaurant. She continued to tell him her thoughts on herself. Luis listened with a sad yet understanding expression, taking in everything she said.

Vanessa held her breathe as she was nearly finished explaining. “And that’s what makes me…” Vanessa coughed on a sob. “A monster…”

“Ness…” Luis started while looking at her reassuringly. “You’re not a monster. It’s not like you were in control of yourself when it took over you. That doesn’t make it your fault.”

"I was warned, and I didn't listen. if only I had paid more attention to those fucking tapes" Vanessa cried, sounding angry. She quickly softened her tone, not wanting to scare Luis away. “It was me who let that virus in. I’ve suffered the consequences of that mistake. That one mistake I made was indirectly responsible for the deaths of so many. If I had just listened…I could have stopped all of this.”

“The tapes?” Luis asked, with Vanessa returning him another silent nod. Luis thought for a moment, unsure if he could find a way to justify her actions. "Do you think it would be possible for me to listen to them?"

“I don’t know...” Vanessa’s eyes landed on the packaged box she discovered earlier. She crept slowly to it and opened for a second look. Luis looked inside. “Is that your old headset?” He asked.

“Yes…” Vanessa reached in the box and pulled out an old USB, marked “TAPES.” She stared at it, rotating it with her fingers. “Actually, it could be possible… assuming I archived the Tapes… back then…”

“We can try…” Luis looked over to her desk, eyeing her computer. “If you’re ok with that?”

Vanessa sighed. She was ready to say no, but she couldn’t. She could see that Luis was trying to help her. How could she reject someone that was trying their hardest to prove her innocence? “Ok…let’s see if it still works.” she replied after a while.

Luis helped her boot up her computer and inserted the USB inside the drive slot. The screen didn’t appear glitchy, much to the couple’s relief. Vanessa seemed nervous to move her mouse to start playing the tapes’ audio.

As they listened, Luis held Vanessa’s hand. She was looking terrified and regretful. The first tape was about to finish, as Vanessa’s palm squeezed Luis’s hand due to the stress of listening to the audio. Luis looked at Vanessa, trying to see if she still wanted to continue. Vanessa gestured for him to continue, still holding his hand tight.

Luis played the audio of the second and third tape. Mentions of a “character” stalking the person who recorded the tapes. By the time they played the ninth tape, Vanessa was looking sick. The tape was mentioning the assumed death of a Vr tester. Luis could feel the intense stress building up in Vanessa.

He calmly drew Vanessa into a side hug with his arm. Vanessa shut her eyes as she shook, her head resting on Luis. They sat quietly on the floor as the twelfth tape played. Vanessa appeared to stop vibrating. Her heartbeat was getting slower, more relaxed, Luis could feel. As the sixteenth tape played, they both listened closely. More mentions of the virus and how it wants to escape by taking control of someone. A host. The last tape finished, ending with the blacking of the screen.

Vanessa felt the need to speak up. “I…I told you…” She fumbled with her words, trying to hold herself together. “I let it happen. I started all this. It should have been obvious to me that it was a trap.”

Luis chose the time to correct what he heard. It was now or never. “Ness…it really isn’t obvious…” Vanessa stared at Luis, puzzled by what he just said. He continued. “Those tape warnings sound like the average spooky messages we would find in a horror video game.”

“So?” Vanessa countered. “How does that prove that I’m not guilty of what I did?”

“Vanessa, anyone would think those tapes are just scary additions to make the game more spooky. They can easily be mistaken. It wasn’t that clear that it was trying to warn you,” Luis started again. I wouldn't even have taken the messages seriously unless I knew what was going on.”

“I still was an idiot to let all this happen,” Vanessa started sobbing. “It’s still my fault. I don’t deserve you…”

“Ness, look at me…” Luis told her. Vanessa looked straight at him obediently, more tears filling her eyes. “It isn’t your fault. The point of all this is that you were tricked. You didn’t deliberately ignore the instructions of someone. You didn’t know it was trying to warn you from a real danger. You couldn’t have possibly known the threat was actually real!”

Vanessa swallowed her sobs. Her gaze was still fixed on her boyfriend. Hints of “he’s right” and “that’s true” flew about in the thoughts of her mind. Luis proceeded. “You were just going along with what you thought was a gameplay mechanic.”

“You probably thought the virus was like a secret boss or something. That wouldn't trigger any red flags” Luis could only guess that Vanessa was now fighting in her mind. There was a storm raging in her head. She was arguing against her own thoughts. The clash of whether she was innocent or a monster.

Luis added on as he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. “Ness…you’re a good person. No…” he paused, “...you’re more than that to me. You can’t blame yourself for what happened. Here me out, it wasn’t your fault. You do deserve me. I…”

“I love you Vanessa….” Luis cried. “You’re not a monster. You hold a place deep in my heart. You deserve to be happy. And if being with me makes you happy, don’t force yourself to feel guilty. I’ll be with you. I promise.”

Vanessa, hearing all this, felt the rush of the storm in her head cease. She felt as though she had survived. Everything Luis said was running in her head by now. She tried finding a way to find guilt. Something she could connect herself into believing. But this time, there was nothing bad she could think of. Luis had proven his point. “This had to be my fault…” Vanessa thought harder.

Nothing. She couldn’t believe the reason she had given herself as to why she was guilty anymore. This whole time after she had been freed, she had managed to find happiness in the new family she had formed with her savior, Gregory. But she had denied herself this one thing, because she didn’t think that she deserved it. Luis had given her hope and love, all to prove that she really did deserve to be loved like this. It was time to let the past die and try to move on.

Vanessa, drying her tears, leaned forward to give Luis a big bear hug. She grew a smile, finally happy to be released from this guilt. Luis and her sat there as the comfort grew. Her heart felt Luis’ care and love all over again.

“Luis…thank you…” she whispered sweetly.

“I love you…” Luis said it again, this time in the most heartfelt voice she could ever hear.

“I love you too…” she replied at last.

It was all gone. The guilt, the self blame, the sadness, had vanished. Replaced with comfort, kindness, and most of all, the love surrounding her and Luis. This was her happiest moment. This memory, she would remember forever. She was truly free, having someone to share her future with, and even a little family to go along with it.

❤️THE END❤️

#fnaf vanessa #fnaf #fnaf sb #fnaf luis #luis cabrera #vanessa fnaf #fluff #hurt #comfort #angst #dates #fnaf security breach #fnaf sb vanessa #lunessa #guilt #regret

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georgiapeach30513 · 2 years

Text

Stained Like Georgia Clay, Part 7

Summary: Cole takes you out riding

Pairings: Cole Turner X Reader

Rating: explicit

Warnings: explicit sexual content, explicit language, smut, skinny dipping, fingering, oral sex (F&M receiving), swallowing, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 4.8K

Series Masterlist

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics

Cole walks through his parents garage, not looking for anything in particular, just looking. Digging through a few old tools when he comes across something he hadn’t seen in years. His dad’s old motorcycle, covered up and still looking every bit as new as the last time he’d seen it. It was beautiful and kept, and just the perfect thing to enjoy time with you. Cole would never just outright take the vehicle. Tapping his fingers on the body of the bike, he decides it’s best to just go and ask his parents.

He trots into the kitchen, making sure to give his mom a cheek kiss, and then he goes into the living room. Running his fingers smoothly over his dad’s hand, and he looks up at his only son smiling, “Found the old bike,” Cole tells his dad, and grabs the pipe out of his father’s hand who glares at him. “Really? More tobacco?”

“Let me die in peace. I smoked, let me smoke.”

“Why are you mentioning the bike?” His mom brings her husband his breakfast. Her hands pet over his cheek, and then moves to brush the hair away from his weathered face.

“I was wanting to take it out,” his dad looks up at him curiously, but nods his head. “I’m pretty sure everything is still in working condition.”

“You’re very eager.”

“Dale,” his mother giggles at him. Taking a seat at the couch beside her husband she looks up at her handsome son. She was so proud of him, and beyond excited to have him back in her life. “Would this have something to do with the girl you had a date with in the orchard?”

“Yes,” he had been waiting for this conversation. He was a grown man, but still the idea of having this conversation with his mom made him cringe. He had been trying to just enjoy his time with you. By enjoying his time, he was learning to care for you. It definitely wasn’t love, but he knew that it was growing. Wanted to make any excuse to see you. It had become a daily thing at this point. You or him was always showing up on each other’s doorsteps.

“How many weeks has this lasted?”

“Mom.” “Rachel.”

“I’m just saying. You’re a handsome man, I don’t know why you felt the need to be a philanderer,” Cole sighs embarrassedly, looking away from his mother. His crystal blue eyes staring at the ceiling and refusing to make a comment on that. “Oh, come on, Cole. It is what it is. Had I had known you would have taken all the time to get married or give me grandchildren, I would have had other children. So tell me about this girl that has captivated more than just your body?”

“She’s adorable,” Rachel tilts her head to the side with a proud smile towards her son. “She doesn’t want to leave here, but she wants to take time off to be able to travel and go. She likes the ambiance of the small town life, but she doesn’t think like these people. She actually takes no crap from men. No matter how hard they try for a date. She hasn’t dated, and honestly that scared me.”

“How old is this girl, son?” Dale lifts his hand up as if to take a drag from his pipe, only to realize it wasn’t in his hand.

“Twenty. I know, but in my mind I’m probably twenty. It takes a long time for men to fully develop, and yes, I’m taking my time with her. So quit judging me.”

“How did you meet her?” Rachel lifts up a glass of sweet tea, and sips on it a moment. “You don’t get out too much, and then this happened. So I’m curious, how did you meet her?”

“Her parents own the general store,” while Rachel wiggles around a bit, her smile getting larger, Cole turns around to look out of the window. Their house sat right in the middle of the orchard, high on a hill. Nothing but apple trees as far as the eye could see. Except over in the distance, you could see a driveway lined in peach trees, and a small quaint farmhouse. It was like he was destined to have you in his life.

“I had to go in to get some things for the house, and she was there. There was something about her. She doesn’t get involved in the small town talk or the congregation chats. She does her job, smiles, and then works on a book. She wants to be a writer. And she has this sweet little distant look in her eyes, and yeah, I can’t help it, there’s this part of me that wants to take care of her.”

“Maybe because she’s twenty,” Dale chuckles at his own joke, but then with a deep and painful cough, he stops to take a drink of sweet tea.

“No, it’s more than that. She needs me. Like we went to the swinging bridge, and she tried to be all cool about it, and she’s terrified of heights. I had to carry her away from the situation, and I have never felt more — needed or wanted. In that moment she allowed herself to be vulnerable with me, and she barely knew me, and she didn’t care. She just needed me.”

“Son,” Rachel starts, setting her glass down to fully look at her son. He lit up while he was talking about you. She didn’t even know the names of the other girls, and here her son was telling her things about you. What he liked, and maybe even why he liked it. “She sounds young and inexperienced.”

“Wow.”

“No, listen. With girls, it’s different. It just is. You’re literally letting someone into your body. Tread lightly with this. I’m sure her parents wouldn’t think kindly of you making their daughter the talk of the town because of a mistake.”

“She’s not a mistake. She’s…well, she’s different,” Cole bites at his lower lip. It was easy to have sinful thoughts of you dancing around in his head. But honestly, his favorite thing was thinking of the way your smile looked in the sun. The way your melodic giggle always made him laugh right along with you. You helped him forget for a moment how uncertain his father’s life was.

But his favorite was the way you looked while you drifted to sleep on his chest. He had never had that level of intimacy. Completely clothed, and things felt so raw and sweet. And he had never taken the time to notice what someone looked like on him. He was usually calling a cab to get them. You were different. If he could find a way to keep you with him all night, every night, without freaking you out, he would.

“She’s not a mistake, mom. She’s…she’s…”

“Son, you’re going to hurt yourself trying to think of another word besides love,” Cole shakes his head rapidly, trying to deny what he had growing within him. “Fine, keep pretending. The key to the bike is in dad’s office. Have fun today. Take a blanket. You know where would be nice?”

“The pond,” his dad’s voice scratches out. “It’s secluded. There’s a big field there, plenty of trails to go on, and no one to bother you. I think that’s a great place. And it isn’t far from here, in case that stupid bike breaks down. We’ll come and get you.”

“The pond?” Cole thinks about how it was in fact away from everyone. Beautiful untouched land, and one where he had hoped one day he could have his own house built there. It was in a valley, plenty of shade and trees, and complete privacy. No neighbors. It would be amazing. And just perfect to show you around.

Taking a bite out of your sandwich, Loretta stands at the door, pawing on the floor. Her brown eyes turn back to look at you before she starts barking loudly, “Loretta Lynn, you quit that right now,” she continues her barking until you walk out on the porch with her. That handsome man comes up the driveway on a motorcycle, and you can’t help but to feel those pesky butterflies in your stomach. He made you happy.

Stopping only to lean forward on the handlebars, smiling from ear to ear. “What cha doing, Bee?”

“I was eating a sandwich. Would you like one?”

“I think I would,” there was something about the way his foot pushed down the kickstand, and he throws his leg over the seat that had you gulping, and turning quickly to walk inside. With a quick pounding of his feet he comes up behind you. His arms wrap around your waste, and he pulls you flush against his hard body. Cole peppers kisses over your shoulders, and you tilt your neck to the side where he hungrily nibbles on your sensitive skin.

“You thought you were going to walk back inside without giving me a kiss?”

“I didn’t know you wanted one,” it was almost impossible to choke those words out. Your hand reaches behind you, and you weave your fingers through his fluffy locks. Obsessed with the way he was making you feel.

“I always want a kiss from you, Bee. You got some peanut butter and jelly?” With him still wrapped around your waist you waddle the two of you over to the table, and slide a bowl towards him. “What’s this?”

“Peanut butter and apple jelly.”

“Aw, honey, you shouldn’t have. You know a way to a man’s heart, huh?”

“It’s a classic. Don’t flatter yourself,” despite your words, you were softly rubbing your fingers over his forearm. The other hand, back to playing with his hair, and when he pulls off you quickly, he has to look away, pretending he didn’t see that pouty face. “When did you get a motorcycle?”

“It’s my dad’s. I thought you might like to ride around the property.”

“Is it safe?”

“Do you think I would hurt you?” You exaggerate a thinking face, pretending to contemplate if this gentle man would ever hurt you. “Brat.”

“Uh!” There that little stomp of your foot was. You were definitely a brat. “That isn’t fair.”

“Then get on the back of my bike, and go with me. After I eat my peanut butter and jelly though.”

“Fine. But…Do we get to kiss?”

“Whenever you want to kiss, Bumblebee, you just lean in and kiss me,” you bite at your lip, and take a step forward, your finger weaves under a belt loop, and you pull his hip forward, but hesitate, “You can’t be doing that if you’re not going to…” you don’t want him to finish.

With a hand wrapped around his neck, you pull him down to your mouth. Not hesitating to brush your tongue on his lips and tasting the sandwich on him. Cole reciprocates by sucking on your tongue, causing a spew of whimpers to release. Laying his sandwich down, both hands grab at your hips, and he picks you up to sit on the counter. His thick frame pushes in between your legs, and you pull him tighter to you.

Cole can’t help but to pull you closer. Have your ass sitting right at the edge of the counter so you’re forced to wrap your legs around him, and cling tight to his waist. This felt right, and better than anything he could remember. Just kissing you felt better than any woman. Grabbing onto his hand, you place it on your tit, and he pulls off of you with a pop, “We should probably go,” smirking as he glances down at where you put his hand before dropping it.

“Just let me finish my sandwich,” he takes a big bite and smiles through his chewing. “What?”

“Nothing,” you were annoyed. You don't know what you were doing, but you wanted things to go further. You spent every evening with Cole and it was always kissing. Just kissing. You wanted him to touch you. Cole, however, enjoyed seeing you frustrated. There was something about the way you would turn your chin up, and try to act like him pulling away wasn’t bothering you. When in fact, it got under your skin.

Finishing up, he pulls you out of the house, and you leave the lazy Loretta laying in her bed. And you follow an excited Cole out the door. Waiting for him to get on the bike, before you join him. Arms wrap around him immediately as you enjoy a nice summer ride. There wasn’t a destination, just Cole showing you his family property.

He drops his hand randomly, so he can caress it on top of your hand. Your fingers was dangerously low. Settled over his crotch, and he was supposed to not think about it. Had to keep his mind on the trail, and make sure he wasn’t going to hit some tree. He was almost positive you were completely oblivious, and if it wasn’t for your chin resting on his shoulder, he might have lost it all together. Thankfully the pond wasn’t far away, because he could use some cooling off.

You had never been to this part of the town, due to it being private property, but it was gorgeous. Almost wild, untouched, and more than once you saw a few rabbits, turkey, and deer. Cole slows down the bike, before stopping at the edge of water, “Come on,” laying down a large blanket, he pulls off his shirt, and starts kicking off his shoes.

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m going swimming,” undoing his belt and jeans, he pushes them down, and stands in nothing but his boxer briefs holding out his hand. “Come on. You can do it, Bee.”

“I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“Neither do I,” he drops his hand and runs out the dock before diving into the water.

When he disappears, you try to calm yourself. You weren’t prepared for this, but it didn't seem like he was either. You wanted him to touch you. Wanted to do more than kiss, and if you wanted that, you had to quit pushing these moments away. Cole comes out of the water, slinging his hair to the side right as you pull off your shirt. Getting down to nothing but your bra and panties, but with a deep calming breath, you take the bra off.

Arms wrapped around your chest as you walk out the dock. Cole’s head was barely above water, just his eyes as he watches you, and you jump in. The water was colder than expected, but mixed with the Georgia summer sun, it was refreshing. Coming back up to the surface you swim over to the man you were willing to give everything to.

There was a calmness here. The slight breeze mixed in with your heavy breathing and the odd chirp from a bird. “You okay?” Cole asks wading closer to you.

“I can’t touch.”

“It’s deeper than you thought, huh?” Pulling you into his body, you yip as your bare skin touches his, “Hey, I got you,” he peppers kisses over you face. One sweet peck after another. Reaching for his hand, you place it back on your tit. Your eyes wide as you pull back from him. “Is that what you’re wanting, hmm?”

His calloused thumb moves over your hardened bud, gripping tighter until he pinches you, and you lay your head on his shoulder, “Bee? You gonna talk to me, pretty girl?”

“I like it,” lifting you up out of the water a bit, exposing your tit. With his eyes only on you, he inches closer, looking directly at your eyes before his mouth closes around your nipple, “Mmm,” you moan out. His hand kneads your tit while his tongue kitten licks your pebbled peak. Continuing to suck until pulling completely off.

His nose nuzzles along the sensitive area, before readjusting your weight, “Let’s try the other one,” Nearly the same motions, but he keeps a hand on the other breast. Groping and teasing the other. You were mesmerizing. For once you were letting your body do the thinking as you roll your hips on him. Your hot cunt over his abs, and using the ridges to grind over. He pulls off you, and watches you for a moment.

Jaw slack and making the most beautiful sounds, “How does that feel, Bee? You like that?”

“Yeah,” leaning back, letting your tits float out of the water, you smile knowing that Cole was indeed enjoying the view.

“You want a little bit more?”

“Yes, please!”

When his hand goes under water, you were for sure this was the day. It was the moment that Cole was going to take your virginity. He reaches out to the gusset of your panties, and pushes it aside. You feel the pressure of two fingers pushing into your walls, and your head falls back on your shoulders, whimpering. This wasn’t what you were expecting, but you weren’t completely upset about it.

“How’s that? You like fucking my fingers?”

“Cole…”

“Does it feel good?” You nod your head. With your body still moving over him, he looks down into the water. It was a bit murky, but he could see your cunt swallowing his fingers down to the knuckles. His cock hard and neglected, but he didn’t care. The only thing that would make this better would be to have your juices leaking down his wrist. You were loving it. Your fingers could never compare to his thick beefy ones.

“God, you’re beautiful, but that pussy…keep doing that Bee. You’re doing such a good job. You like that don’t you?”

“Uh huh.”

“I bet you would taste just like candy.”

“Taste?”

“Oh, I’m sure no one has feasted on that pretty cunt. It’s a shame I can’t hear how wet I’ve made you,” his tongue pokes out of his mouth, and he draws his lip in. Each word out of his mouth has you riding his fingers with more enthusiasm. Had you taking even more of him. Your walls were so tight around him. He could almost feel you hugging his cock. Letting your walls mold to him. The only man that had ever done it.

“I wanna taste you, Bee. These fucking cotton panties are blocking my view. Will you let me lick on you?”

“Y-y-yeah.”

“You would? You’re fluttering around me,” he pulls his fingers out of you, and you glance up at him pouting. “Don’t worry, Bee. Let’s get to the dock,” but you couldn’t stop, you were so close. “Bee! Quit your pouting, or I might have to fuck you right here.”

“Will you?” Dammit, those eyes. You didn’t know. You couldn’t know, but the look you were giving him, he almost didn’t make it to the dock.

“I’m not fucking you, until you’ve touched my cock. I can tell you want to, but for whatever reason, you’re denying yourself. Let me taste your sweet sweet honey between your legs, and then I’ll show you how to pleasure me, okay?”

“Okay,” you squeak. He lifts you up to the dock, and your legs start spreading. Damn those white cotton panties. They left nothing to the imagination wet. Hauling himself out of the water, you admire his beauty. Beads of water drip down the hills and valleys of his muscles. You could see the outline of his thick cock perfectly. It was amazing he hadn’t ripped through his underwear with the strain it was causing. Reaching out your hand, you palm him, and his eyes roll back in his head.

“Not yet, eager girl,” getting to his knees, one hand on each of your knees, he splits you open. His body lowers down, and he presses chaste kisses over your covered core. Up and down your slit. Looking up at you as he continues. Flattening out his tongue, he licks up your slit, and your hands hold over your tits. “There ya go,” he whispers, sitting up.

Cole’s fingers move under the elastic of your panties, and he pulls down the innocent little panties. Looking up at you as you settle on your back more comfortable, until he stares at your weeping cunt. He thought it was pretty before, but when your legs drop to the side, and he sees the conflict in your face, it makes it that much sweeter. “You’re not doing anything wrong, Bee.”

“I know.”

“I’ll stop whenever you want me to, okay?” Nodding your head he inches closer. His tongue laps up your juices, and he moans at your tangy sweet taste. “I’m addicted,” whimpering out his name, he shimmies closer. Kitten licking up your tight hole, right over your sensitive bundle of nerves. “I want to taste this everyday,” he leans forward, letting his lips circle around your nub, and gives it a hard suck, and your head leans back. Panting at the feeling.

“You aren’t gonna last long, huh? You gonna taste me? Or you just wanna touch me?”

“T-t-taste.”

“Good girl,” he dives in and gorges himself on you like a man starved. Sucking on your clit and pulling off. Two fingers move into your cunt, and he pumps into you. Your hands are still fondling your breasts. Your hips rocking up into his hungry mouth. You were beautiful. Eyes blown full of lust, and finally letting your primal need for pleasure take over.

Your body thrusts with his motions, and he knows that his cock is going to be a tight fit, but he has no problem devouring you, and stretching you out everyday until then. You were beautiful. He could get used to this. Could see himself waking you up with pleasure. Could almost hear your sweet raspy morning voice moan out his name.

Your thighs tighten around his head, and you try pushing him away. You were almost there, but denying yourself a true toe curling orgasm. No words tell him to stop, so he keeps pushing you. Your back arches off the dock, and your walls squeeze around his fingers. When he gives your little pearl a nibble, your hand grabs at his head, pushing him more into your warmth as you completely come undone.

Falling back on the dock panting, Cole slurps up your honey, before moving to his knees, “How was that?” He chuckles, as you narrow your eyes up at him, unable to speak. Words just didn’t work anymore. “You still want to touch me?”

“Yeah,” sitting up eagerly on the dock, nodding your head, “Please?”

“Trust me, I will never deny you my cock.”

“Then fuck me.”

“Haha, you’re funny. I said, you needed to touch my cock before that pretty pussy did. Besides, I’m going to enjoy stretching you out a bit longer. Now, open up,” your face falls, and he stands up taking his thick and heavy cock out of his briefs. A bead of precum on the tip, and he steps closer. “Not gonna open your mouth?”

“Uh-uh,” oh you were playing coy now. Your mouth turned up into a mischievous smile, but you also had your hand resting in between your thighs. Oddly pushing your cunt against it.

He presses his spongy tip on your lips, and paints his salty essence on them. “I hear you, Bee. Breathing hard, and making a mess. Quit playing games with me, and just open up. I’ll make sure you know what to do. Go on. You can do it. Open that pretty little mouth,” you let your jaw go slack, “Stick your tongue out.”

You followed directions so well. Letting your tongue stick out as he softly pushes through your pillowy pout. His hips thrust him into you gently. Brushing back your stray hairs. “There ya go, pretty Bumblebee. Now, grip the base with your hand,” you hesitate. The last thing you wanted was to disappoint him.

“Hey, I’m gonna teach you exactly how I like it. You’re perfect. And my cock is in your mouth, so I’m not complaining. Now, that arm that’s getting covered in your juices, yeah, that one you keep hunching on,” you pull him out of your mouth, getting embarrassed. “Bee! It is fine.”

“You’re making fun.”

“No, I think it’s hot that sucking my dick was making you horny. Now, take your fingers, and get some of that mess in your cunt. I want your slick on my cock,” you smile, but can’t look at him. “Bee, my cock is hard and right there, baby. Later tonight, I’ll let you ride my face if you want. Just get some of your juices on your fingers, we’ll use that as lube.”

Sighing, you move your fingers to your cunt. Cole watches as you gather up your juices, letting your fingers get all shiny and pretty with your arousal, and you raise your hand to his cock, “There ya go. Wrap that sloppy hand around me,” you grip around his cock, and it terrifies you when your fingers don’t touch. He was thick. And you look down at your hole, and have your doubts. “Don’t worry about that now. I want your hand tighter.”

You grip him with more force, and he moans. So tight you could feel his cock throbbing. A vein right under your finger makes you have a need to feel it under your tongue. Holding his cock up, you let your tongue follow the trail until you get to his tip, and you lick at his hole. His musk was intoxicating as you sink over him.

“Oh, yeah, that’s good, baby. Now, mouth and hand work together. Pump me in your fist, and bob your mouth over me,” you followed directions so well. Naturally looking up at him through your lashes has him struggling. This felt so much better than his hand. You definitely looked so much better. Your body is still moving with your motions. Everything was so much. Too much. “Uh! Yeah, right there. Fuck yeah. You’re perfect. Yeah — Yeah,” he says out your real name as he spews into your mouth.

Hot cream fills your mouth, and you swallow it. Letting your tongue lick up any spillage, and still those sweet eyes stare up at him. “Fuck, Bee, I’m sorry. That…perfection. It was just perfect, and I couldn’t hold on. Fuck.”

Cole takes a moment to steady his breathing. Stuffing himself back into his underwear, before he holds a hand down for you to stand with him. Completely nude, you stand up, and his hand goes to your cunt. “I believe you’re wetter now than you were earlier. You enjoy that?”

“I did,” he pulls you in for a bruising kiss. Letting the both of you taste each other’s arousal. It mixed perfectly. Like the two of you were meant to be.

“Why don’t we go in the shade, and take a nap. I know you got to be exhausted.”

“Okay…can…would you want to stay with me tonight? I won’t pressure you to have sex.”

“You’re calling it sex now, huh? You were saying fuck earlier,” you try to look away, but he holds your chin up, “Look at me when you’re asking questions, darling. I’d love to stay with you tonight. Clothes on. No church tomorrow?”

“No. I haven’t been going.”

“Feeling guilty?”

“Not when I’m with you.”

Cole nods his head, but doesn’t respond. Still holding your hand, he leads you over to the shade, and helps you put on your clothes, leaving your bra off, because he liked the way your nipples poked through your shirt. His hand holds over your tit as the two of you become a mess of legs and arms. Keeping turned towards each other, because you didn’t think you could ever get tired of his handsome face.

“You okay, Bee?” You smile nodding your head, and he starts to relax. Cole didn’t want to admit it, but he was falling, and falling hard. He doesn’t close his eyes until your breathing steadies out. He liked watching you. This was not what he was wanting when he came home.

He thought this summer was going to be filled with mundane everyday activities. A bit of heartbreak, because it was inevitable that his dad would pass soon. But then there was this pretty thing sitting in the back of a rusty old ford with baskets of peaches and jars of honey. The prettiest smile he’d ever seen. An odd familiarity surrounded you, and he wanted nothing more than to protect you, and keep you all to himself.

He wanted to make your traveling dreams come true. Let you explore the world, and then wanted to read everything through your eyes. You had captivated him. You first scared him, because he’d never been with someone so innocent and inexperienced, nor did he want to. Until you. You not only were worth it, but you were breaking down his walls of wanting to play the field. He didn't know why you were different, but he saw a future with you. He was willing to put in the time and patience with you, and he just hoped you were willing to do the same.

He brings you closer to his body, and gently kisses your forehead before he settles down. Even your body fits perfectly in his arms. He sighs as his eyes flutter closed. Feelings he had never felt were rising up, and he didn’t know what to make of them. He just knew he liked it more than anything. The sexual part was just an added bonus. You were becoming everything.

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @infatuatedjanes @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @peaches1958 @thedarkplume @rebekahdawkins @seitmai @patzammit @openup-yourmind @elrw24 @bxdbxtxh15 @buckysteveloki-me @lilac-tea-time @smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @feyfantome

#stained like georgia clay #young love #summer love #ghosted movie #cole turner #cole turner x reader #cole turner x fem!reader #cole turner x y/n #cole turner x you #chris evans #chris evans character

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my-beloved-lakes · 8 months

Text

@leveragetober

Leveragetober 2023

Prompt 9: Past

(this one was really last minute cuz I didn't get the idea for it until this morning, so I didn't do very much editing or anything like that.)

Eliot's past comes back to bite him in the form of a former employer with a grudge. It's up to Parker and Hardison to save him. (Under the cut.)

Parker knew not to ask about Eliot's past. She didn't really need to know anyways. It didn't really matter to her what he had done in his past. It was the past. The Eliot she knew now was the only one she needed to know. And besides that, she trusted that he would tell her anything that she needed to know. If it was important he would tell her.

But he wasn't here to tell her now, and she needed to know, now more than ever, because his life depended on it.

He had been captured by someone. she didn't know who, but she did know it was someone Eliot had worked for in the past. That was all he had managed to tell her before the comms had cut out.

Tracking his earbud had turned up a dead end after the signal cut out, but if she knew who had taken him she could use that to figure out where they had gone. She would also need to know how dangerous the kidnapper was, if he would kill Eliot, and how much time they had to plan a rescue once they found him.

"Parker, I think I got something." Hardison said.

Parker rushed over to Hardison and peered over his shoulder at his laptop.

"I managed to find the kidnapper's truck on the traffic cams. They stopped at an old warehouse by the river."

Parker felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Warehouses by the river were never a good sign. Rivers meant an easy way to dump a body. They needed to hurry up and rescue Eliot before there was a body to dump.

"I'm gonna keep looking to see if I can get a clear shot of his face so we can figure out who we're dealing with." Hardison went on.

"Do that while we drive." Parker said, grabbing the keys to the van and rushing out the door. Hardison grabbed his laptop and ran after her.

***

As Eliot came to, he realized he was hanging by his wrists from a chain attached to a thick metal pipe in the ceiling, his feet dangling a few inches from the ground. The chains cut painfully into his wrists and he could barely breathe from the pressure it put on his chest. He felt blood running down the side of his face from a cut on his forehead and more blood dripping into his mouth from his nose.

Eliot lifted his head and looked around, trying to get a better assessment of the situation. He was in a small warehouse, mostly empty except a few wooden crates.

There were three goons sitting around a small table playing a game of cards.

Eliot twisted his wrist back and forth a bit, trying to find a weak spot in the restraints.

The three goons looked up suddenly when they heard the rattling of the chains.

"Go get the boss." One of them said.

One of the others got up and left into a back room. He returned a few seconds later followed by the boss, an all too familiar face.

"Spencer!" The boss said with feigned pleasantry.

"Lang." Eliot growled.

He had worked for Lang shortly before Nate had put together the leverage team. Lang didn't take too kindly to Eliot's quitting and had tried to hunt him down after he left, but Eliot was good at hiding. He had managed to avoid Lang until now.

Eliot just hoped Lang hadn't found out about Parker and Hardison. He'd never be able to forgive himself if they got hurt because of his past.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Lang continued. "You're a hard man to find, but that only makes it more fun I suppose."

Lang walked over and stood right in front of Eliot eyeing him up and down. A pleased smile spread across his face.

"Y'know if I just let you hang there, you'd probably be dead within a few hours. The pressure on your arms closes up your lungs and suffocates you, but you already knew that. It'd be a really slow and painful death, but still kinda boring."

Eliot felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He remembered some of the brutal things he had seen Lang do to his victims, some of the things he had done for Lang himself.

Eliot wondered if Lang was going to hand off the chore of torturing him to one of the goons or if he was going to do it himself this time. It was always a toss up. He hoped it'd be the first option. In that case he'd actually have a chance at surviving, but if Lang did it himself, Eliot knew he'd never survive that.

"I've waited a long time for this." Lang smiled.

And there was Eliot's answer. Lang wasn't about to have his goons do his dirty work for him, not when he had waited so long to do it himself.

***

Parker waited impatiently for Hardison to get the feed from the security cameras at the warehouse pulled up. She knew he was going as fast as he could, but every second felt like ages

"Alright, I got it." Hardison finally said.

Parker's heart sank when she saw Eliot on the computer screen.

He was kneeling on the ground between two goons who were holding him upright, his head drooped forward. His hands were chained tightly behind his back and he was covered in bloody cuts and bruises. There were two other men standing nearby, but Parker couldn’t tell what they were doing because the view of the camera was partially obscured by a stack of wooden crates.

"We need a distraction. Something to draw them out of the warehouse." Hardison said.

Parker thought for a minute then glanced at the row of cars parked outside the warehouse.

"Can you make those car alarms go off from inside the van?" She asked.

Hardison nodded.

It was a rushed plan and not entirely well thought out. If the bad guys came out of the warehouse it wouldn't take them long to discover Lucille.

She glanced back at the computer screen and her stomach lurched as she watched the two men come out from behind the crates into full view. One of them was carrying a long rope with a loop tied in one end. He slipped the loop around Eliot's neck and pulled it tight.

Eliot struggled weakly against the goons that were holding him but it didn't do any good.

The second guy got up on a step ladder and strung the other end of the rope through a metal hoop in the ceiling.

There was no time for a better plan.

"Do it now!" Parker shouted and jumped out of the van. She dashed towards the warehouse, not even waiting to see if the distraction was going to work.

A few seconds later she heard the blaring of several car alarms, then three goons busted out of the door to the warehouse. She slipped silently in behind them without them even noticing her. She was just in time to see Lang, the only one still in the warehouse, pull hard on the free end of the rope, lifting Eliot off the ground, and secure the rope to a hook in the floor.

Eliot let out a strangled cry as his feet left the ground. Parker darted forward, grabbed the step ladder and slid it under Eliot's feet so he wasn't choking.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned just in time to duck out of the way of Lang who tried to grab her. The problem was he was between her and Eliot now.

Lang grabbed the step stool and pulled it out from under Eliot.

Eliot choked and gagged as the rope grew tight around his neck again.

Parker pulled out her taser and rushed towards Lang. He tried to dodge out of the way but she was faster. She shoved it against his chest and clicked it on.

Lang convulsed then fell to the ground unconscious.

Quite frankly, she thought she'd rather kill him, but she didn't have any lethal weapons on her and she didn't have time to dwell on it.

She grabbed the step ladder again, got up on it and reached above Eliot's head to cut the rope.

Eliot fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Parker winced as he hit the ground. It wasn't a soft landing and he wasn't able to catch himself with his hands tied behind his back.

Parker rushed over and crouched down beside him. She untied the rope from around his neck then quickly picked the lock on the chains around his wrists.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked.

Eliot just kept coughing and gasping, but nodded his head.

Parker waited another minute, trying to give him as much time as possible to catch his breath, but they needed to get out of the warehouse soon. Lang would be waking up any minute now and the goons would probably be coming back through the door soon. She didn't want to be there when that happened.

She turned quickly when she heard the door open, but it was just Hardison. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I took out the goons outside." Hardison explained as he rushed over to Parker and Eliot. "Damn, are you okay?" he asked, crouching down next to them.

"I'm fine." Eliot said in a raspy voice.

He rolled over onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, but that was as close to sitting up as he could get.

Parker helped him sit up the rest of the way and threw her arms around him. Hardison pulled them both into a hug.

"We have to go now." Parker said after a few seconds. She wished that hug could have lasted a lot longer, but there wasn't time for that now.

"Hardison, help me lift him."

Hardison and Parker both helped Eliot to his feet and supported him between themselves as they walked slowly to the van.

"We're gonna get you to a hospital." Hardison said.

"I don't need a hospital." Eliot said between shaky breaths.

"Eliot, you almost died." Hardison protested.

"I'll be fine."

"If you're absolutely sure." Parker said reluctantly.

It was probably better if they could avoid the hospitals right now anyways, Parker decided. They hadn't managed to take Lang down permanently and the hospitals were probably the first place he'd look for them. As a matter of fact it was probably better if they avoided the brew pub too. If Lang had managed to track Eliot all the way to Portland, then the brew pub probably wasn't safe.

***

Eliot reflected silently on what had happened as Parker and Hardison helped him walk from the van to the safe house. Those were memories he would have preferred not gotten stirred up. He had only ever done things he regretted for Lang and he'd never be able to forget any of it. He'd have to live with the guilt forever and he had excepted that a long time ago. His past haunted him all the time, always lurking in the back of his mind, but it was worse now. Now the memories were fresh again, more present, more painful.

Eliot let out a quiet groan as Parker and Hardison eased him onto the couch. He tried to hide it but his whole body ached from the beating he had gotten earlier and the van ride to the safehouse hadn't done anything to help. His neck and throat hurt too, but he figured he had escaped with minimal damage on that front since he wasn't having any trouble breathing anymore.

Eliot laid back against the arm of the couch and Hardison slipped a pillow under his head. Parker brought over a blanket and draped it over him, then laid down next to him and rested her head on his chest. Eliot didn't know how she did it but she managed to find the only spot on his entire body that wouldn't hurt to have that kind of pressure on it. It amazed him how gently she could be. Eliot wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her a little closer. Hardison lifted both their legs and sat down at the end of the couch then let them lay their legs back over his lap.

Parker had helped Eliot patch himself up and bandage all his cuts on the way to the safehouse so they could all just relax for a bit now. There wasn't anything else that needed to be done right now.

"We'll work on a plan to take down Lang later," Parker said. "once you're all better."

Eliot hugged Parker a little tighter. That didn't really matter to him at the moment. What mattered was that Parker and Hardison hadn't been hurt by Lang and his goons and that they were safe. That was the only thing that mattered anymore. He couldn't let them end up on his list of regrets. He couldn't live with that.

Eliot closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. The aspirin he had taken on the way here was finally starting to kick in and ease the pain a little, and he felt comfortable with Parker laying next to him.

"Let me know if you need anything." Parker said.

"Mkay." Eliot mumbled.

He was already well on his way to falling asleep.

#leverage #leveragetober #leveragetober 2023 #Eliot Spencer #alec hardison #Parker #leverage fanfic #whump #hurt/comfort

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ninjadeathblade · 7 months

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Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part twenty five)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 711

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Grooves is finally going to realise his feelings. Only a little longer until they admit their feelings. Enjoy!

Grooves sipped his mug of coffee, watching as Conductor trudged into the room.

He'd left the owl to sleep after Conductor had finished watching his reel.

Conductor had been nice enough to let Grooves stay and watch the rest too.

"Sleep well?" Grooves asked, watching as the coffee machine dispensed into another mug.

Conductor let out a grumbled string of words, snatching up the mug and downing the piping hot liquid.

"You need to say goodbye," the train chimed.

"Yeah, I'll go chat to Roxie in a bit," Conductor said. "Sorry about the, uh- the mess I was in the other night."

"Hey, no, don't apologise," Grooves replied. "You were there for me at that interview when I was out of it."

Conductor crossed over and sat down beside him in the booth, resting his head on the tabletop.

"Thanks Grooves," Conductor mumbled.

"Roxie is outside!" The train announced.

"Let her in then." Conductor waved a hand.

The ceiling lights flickered in a pattern, flashing in a row from one end to the end they were sitting at.

"So, how is the train, um, alive?" Grooves inquired.

"I don't actually know," Conductor laughed, sitting back up.

"She doesn't know either. The Express was like this when I got her. I've got the records from her previous owners and they didn't know either."

"So you're saying you've done peck all to solve the case?!"

"I appreciate you quoting my movies darling, thanks," Conductor said with a grin.

Grooves' chest fluttered slightly as his friend turned back to him.

"It's crazy, right?" Conductor mused, the corners of his mouth still pulled into a smile.

"Y-yeah," Grooves stammered, face heating.

The door at the other end of the carriage slid open and the lights flickered back to normal.

Roxie made a few gestures as she walked over, sitting down across from the two of them.

Conductor shrugged, signing something back.

Roxie looked between Grooves and Conductor, cocking her head to the side.

Conductor rapidly signed something before standing.

"I'm cold, I'm going to get my coat," Conductor announced, jogging up the stairs in the room.

"What was on the tape?" Roxie asked after he was gone.

"I think he should tell you himself," Grooves answered.

Roxie frowned, leaning back against the wall.

"Dad got me to go to a theatre club when I was younger. Apparently I had talent. I didn't enjoy it though," Roxie reminisced, propping her feet up on the table. "Dad got kind of upset. But Mum understood; she was nice about it. That was one of the last happy memories I have with her before she died."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You two would've gotten along really well. For more than one reason," Roxie chuckled after she said the last part, smirking as she looked over at Grooves.

"What do you mean?" Grooves asked. Roxie shook her head gently.

"You both loved acting. And you both love Conductor," Roxie whispered.

Grooves started to protest before Conductor came back out from upstairs, running back down to the booth and sitting beside the penguin. He'd put on his dark coat, buttoned tightly around him.

"What'd I miss?" Conductor asked, talons tapping out a tune on the tabletop.

"Hamilton songs on the brain?" Roxie teased.

"Shut it, peck neck," Conductor replied with a slight laugh, resting his head on Grooves' shoulder.

Roxie sighed, looking between the two of them.

Grooves looked at Conductor out of the corner of his eye, a faint heat rising in his cheeks.

He'd never seen Conductor so happy.

"Are you cold or somethin'? I can go grab your coat," Conductor offered, indicating Grooves' puffed up feathers.

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Grooves protested.

Roxie stood up, reaching over and quickly ruffling the feathers at the top of Conductor's head.

"I've got to get back. But I'll come visit the studio some time. And perhaps even come to your movie premier," Roxie said.

"Our movie is gonna win all the awards this year," Conductor bragged.

Roxie let out a bark of laughter, waving goodbye before she left the carriage.

Grooves stared at The Conductor.

"What?" The owl asked.

"You called it our movie."

"And?"

"It's the first time you've called it our movie."

"I couldn't make it on my own."

#discotrain #a hat in time #ahit #ahit conductor #the conductor #ahit au #ahit dj grooves #dj grooves #ahit oc #ahit moulin rouge au #moulin rouge discotrain au #the owl express

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hannahssimblr · 7 months

Text

Chapter Nine (Part 2)

He creaks open the door and as we step inside the echo of our shoes on the tile floor immediately rings through the cavernous building and bounces off every wall. I wonder in amazement how a place like this was just left to rot and crumble. Once a place of worship and community now just left to fall to pieces and be lost to time. Jude’s torch light skims over the floor, its colourful tiles cracked and sunken and littered with rubbish, fast food packaging, beer cans, and cigarettes. Clearly we’re not the only people who have found this place. The pews that are left are strewn around, some overturned and broken and others pushed up against the walls, and I see that the outside has slowly begun to creep its way in to claim back the ground it once owned. Moss has grown on the walls, and grass is pushing its way up through gaps in the floor. Old deserted birds’ nests rest in corners of the gallery, between the pipes of an old organ and right above our heads, conspiring with skeins of spider webs knitted across every ceiling and every wall.

Jude shines his light onto a stained glass window that I hadn’t yet seen. “This is what I wanted you to see.” It’s right over the place where the altar would have been. I look up at it and it’s so beautiful that it takes my breath away. It depicts two figures, one who looks like an angel, and another kneeling at her feet, a clear glassy tear rolling down his face. I never knew that stained glass could be like this, the intricacy of it, the colours and how they shine even in torch light, I wonder how much better it would look with the full light of the sun radiating behind it. It’s like one perfect thing in the middle of the disarray, it’s amazing to me that it’s never been broken. I walk closer to it so I can see the details better, Jude on my heels with the light.

“It’s incredible.” I say, because it is. Every tiny piece of glass, the long hands and melancholy faces of the figures depicted, it’s stirring something inspirational up inside me.

“I thought you’d like to see it.” Jude says. “It’s a mystery to me why it’s here, or why it’s survived. I found this place about three years ago and I always come back again expecting it to be ruined, but it’s always in one piece.”

“Do you think anybody knows it’s here?”

“I think it’s easier than we think for things to just be forgotten about. I kind of like it how it is, it feels like it’s just for me. And you now, I suppose.”

I turn to him. “Thanks for showing me.”

He’s still glancing up at it. “A bit emo, isn’t it?” He says. “They both look so sad.” When he looks away from it and meets my eyes, I suddenly feel like I’m caught up in them; brown framed with thick black lashes, and I have a wild stirring thought that I wish he would kiss me now. I wonder what kind of madness it would take for me to close the gap between us and press my lips against his, here in the abandoned church at midnight under this gothic window. I’m sure I’ve never met somebody like him before, or made me feel the way that I do when I’m around him.

“Hey.” He says to me, “Do you believe in ghosts?” The next thing I know he’s flipped off the torch light and we’re plunged suddenly into heavy darkness. I shriek in fright, and the sound of it echoes around me and seems to awaken something high up in the rafters. The place is filled with the sounds of flapping wings and rustling that makes my skin crawl. “Jude!” I gasp. “Don’t do that!”

I hear him laughing. “Sorry! Are you scared?”

“Yes! And I think I’ve awoken the bats in the ceiling. Jesus Christ.”

I feel his hands reach for me through the darkness and they hold my wrists, warm and steady, my pulse jumping under his fingers. His thumb strokes my wrist almost absent mindedly. “I’ve got you,” he says easily “you’re fine.”

“That was mean.” I whimper.

“I’m sorry.” He flips the light back on, and I’m sure that I look deranged, and he points it up to the rafters to show me where the bats are retreating back into the shadows.

I slip my hands out of his grasp and use them to smooth down my hair. “I could almost feel them clawing at my head.” I say.

“They wouldn’t.”

“They might!”

“Let’s get out of here.” I say. “I can’t stand the thought of them coming back down and… getting me.” I spin around and walk back outside, Jude in tow.

“Sorry Evie, I really didn’t mean to scare you that much, it was funnier in my head.” He says again as we hit the night air.

“It’s fine, it would have been funny if it wasn’t for them.”

“Hah. Yeah, the bats. I forgot they lived there honestly. But they don’t usually come near humans from what I know.”

“Well I swear I felt something touch me. I still feel itchy all over.”

He shrugs. “Maybe it was a ghoul.”

“Come on, don’t say that!”

He laughs and starts weaving through the graves towards the stone wall, beating his way through the long, overgrown weeds. “So you do believe in ghosts.”

“Maybe. I haven’t put much thought into it.” I reply as I follow him, gazing down at some of the tombstones as I pass by. They’re all so old, some of them dating as far back as the eighteen hundreds. I shiver at the thought of all the bodies lying there under the dirt for centuries, many of them probably long forgotten about. “Do you believe in them?”

“I think so.” He says. “Not that I’ve seen one, it’s just I feel like there’s things that can’t always be explained.” He makes it to a bench at the wall. I perch beside him.

Prev // Next

#sims #sims 4 #ts4 #simlit #sims story #romance #fiction #writing #sims 4 story #sims 4 storytelling #sims4 storytelling #sims storytelling #lucky girl part 1

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writerwithbrainrot · 4 months

Text

Chapter one: Reader and the Ancient Waterworks (pt. 2)

Pt. 1 here!

warnings: None, but let me know If I need to add any :)

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The group stood infront of an old building entrance made of stone, overgrown and almost completely taken back by nature. The air was full of excitement, and a toothy grin was on [Reader]'s face. Their ears were red due to the chill as a few from the group started to work on the heavy stone doors. "Masks on!" Thomas yelled and the group did as told. Who knew what bacteria or mold lied behind those doors and underground. And the debris would be an issue in itself. [Reader] put their mask on, and soon, the sound of stone rubbing against stone was heard, and each person turned their flashlights on and entered.

The entrance seemed normal, empty with pillars leading to the broken ceiling, but immediately the team scurried over to the stairway down to the Waterworks underground. The walls had carvings thT were worn down and almost completely gone, with old iron torch holders still holding dusty torches, burnt down and left forgotten. [Reader] pulled out their camcorder and began to take photos, the flash on so they could obtain good photos for later use.

The echoing footsteps heading down the stone steps and the occasional tripping person swearing could be heard as [Reader] made their desent down with the rest of the team. The flashlights made the hall and steps down to the Waterworks creepy and unsettling, but [Reader]'s heart only increased its beating for the excitement rushing through their veins. Then, the floor flattened, and the air became chilly, like they had opened a refrigerator. The many lights shot to the now open area, and [Reader]'s light hit a large mechanism of cogs and what seemed to be a giant set of rusty copper pipes.

The carvings and ancient text on the walls and pillers confirmed it. This was the start of the Waterworks and excited whispered erupted, as [Reader] took a flash photo of the mechanism, a larger light lit up the room, and Thomas held a lantern. "Take notes and then we move. I ain't waistin my last years in one room."

[Reader] wrote down their thoughts and observations as Serena pulled out her own lantern. Thomas spoke up again as Serena peaked over [Reader]'s shoulder "We know our teams, yes? Keep your lanterns on and do not split up. And be mindful of everything around you. We do not know if there are any traps or not."

"Lets go!" Serena exclaimed and she rushed to the arch to a room ahead and [Reader] followed.

The room was massive, a huge amount of space and may Waterwheels and pipes, as well as empty fireplaces, areas on the ceiling above these fire placed black and crusty from past smoke. "This is wild. . . " Serena commented as [Reader] took some photos of the pipes up close and the room, trying their best to get everything in from. "Imagine. . . this has been under our feet this whole time, and this place is even more massive then what we see."

"This place is a labyrinth." Marco said, appearing behind the two making Serena and [Reader] shriek. He laughed and got hit across the chest by [Reader]. "Relax! The old amn said there are a lot of rooms like this, all for their own purpose. I'm staying with you, also-" he paused and pointed his light down the ledge that the stone path they stood on stopped on, showing a second floor. "I hope you don't have a fear of hights. We should find a way down." he said, going ahead. Serena groaned and followed, Reader taking another look down then across the empty space ro the other side, seeing fallen debris that were steep and covering the stone path. [Reader] then moves, and continues to write on their notebook, making a mini sketch.

The team turned, and walked more and more, [Reader] taking more photos and Serena stopping to look at the ancient text and writing to down to Decipher later. A few more turns and a walk across a very old stone bridge across the massive gap between each wall and walkway, [Reader] paused, looking at a strange set up connected to many pipes. Serena turned from an area that was blocked due to collapsing walls, a landslide that went down into the canal below the floor below, where water would have once flowed through, to [Reader]. "[Reader]? What's up?"

"Come take a look." They said and Marco stood behind them, Serena also taking a look. "This looks weird."

"Maybe coals went here?" Marco suggested as [Reader] took a photo and took a quick sketch. "You know? To warm the pipes?"

[Reader] pursed their lips "No. . . it looks like a power source once went here. See those weird areas that look like funky sockets?" they said, pointing them out. "It looks like maybe something that conducted some for of power went there once. . . but that wouldn't make since, this place was made about 600 years ago?" [Reader] pointed their Camcorder up to the ceiling, it's light hitting the dome like roof "Miracle it has collapsed with us breathing in here." "Maybe they-" Serena started but Marco spoke up.

"Hey! You!" he yelled, voice ringing and bouncing across the halls, his light pointed at something below. [Reader] and Selena turned and looked at what Marco was looking at "What are you doing here?! It's not safe!"

"Is that a child?!" Serena gasped in horror. [Reader] took a good look. It was a dark figure, small and thing with what looked like a silver and black tunic, before it rushed into the darkness. Serena turned and looked shocked at the two. "But how is there a kid in here?! this place has been sealed off for centuries!"

Marco grabbed his walkie talkie and kept the light on the dark child for as long a possible before it vanished around a corner. "Cheif! There's a kid down here! We are not alone!"

"What?!" Thomas yelled through the walkie as other voices yelled in shock as well, asking how and why and if it really was a child.

"It's true! A kid in black, it looks like a tunic is below us!" Serena exclaimed into the device "It ran off and- [READER] NO!" she yelled, Marco turning to watch as [Reader] slid down the mountainous debris to the canal below, jumping onto the path below the level she had just sild down from and ran the direction the child went as Serena's and Marco's crys for them to stop echos across the hall.

Using their camcorder light, the ran down the hall down the path after the kid before [Reader] skitted to a halt hearing running footsteps down a hallway in the wall, and pointing their light down, they saw not a kid, but a young adult dashing through the hall, far off. "Hey! Stop!" they yelled, running after "Come here! It's not safe! LISTEN!"

They didn't take note of Where they were, what paths they were taking, eyes only glued ro the figure, pushing through doors that the male closed behind him with ease before slaming into a room and panting. "Stop-" [Reader] inhaled and exhaled heavily, taking off their face mask to breath better, before looking up "I need to get out out of here-" they paused, and stood up, confused and alarmed.

The kid, confirmed as a young adult, maybe Serena's age, was no stranger. Standing infront of a pedestal holding waht seemed to be a ball that was white with blue and tan markings and metal pins sticking out of it. On walls were copper and wooden control panels with wheels and meters on them. But that wasn't what shocked [Reader]. No. . .

The person that they had just chased blindly, was a carbon copy of shadow link. But there was darkness surrounding it, like gas as it went and grabbed the strange object. They didn't know what made them, maybe a feeling of bravery or stupidity, but at the moment that the strange- whatever it was- move and took it, [Reader] tackled it, grabbing on and punching its jaw, and snatching the object in the air, but it lunged back, drawing a weapon as a wall of shadow in the shape of a triangle appeared, and as [Reader] jumped back, clutch the item to their chest with a gut feeling that whatever this object was, they couldn't let the shadow have it. But the feeling of ice cold hit them, and soon, as they fell through the strange wall of darkness and purple, the feeling of being ripped apart and put back together overwhelmed them.

Before [Reader] hit the ground, their world went black.

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Yaaaay! Chapter one done! Hope you enjoyed it! More chapters coming out soon, hopefully in one peice! have a good day/night!

#linked universe #linked universe inspired #legends of zelda #reader insert #gender neutral reader #isakai #I think I just did the putting into post wrong but I'm not fixing it #I'm tired

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an-aussie-button-masher · 8 months

Text

Everything You Should Know About Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Stock up on those 1-Ups and put on your plumber hat - it’s finally time for a new mainline Super Mario Bros. game! It’s been six years since Odyssey, but at long last, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is right around the corner. Releasing for the Nintendo Switch on October 20th, Wonder is bringing in a fresh new art style and direction for the franchise, departing from the “New” style phase that lasted 17 whole years. A bouncy new animation style, new additions to the playable cast, and even a brand new kingdom - this game is sure to be a real wonder. Even Mario and Luigi themselves are a little different this time; with Charles Martinet retiring after 27 years of voicing the most famous brothers in gaming, they’ll have new voice actors in Wonder. It’s still unknown exactly who their actors are, but judging by the trailers, I’d say they’re doing a spot-on job. If you happened to miss any of Wonder’s trailers, or the Nintendo Direct that showed off a lot of what we know, there’s no need to worry - I’ve collected all known info about the game and gathered it all here as a convenient refresher to catch up on news right before the game releases. Here we go!

The Plot - Welcome to the Flower Kingdom! If you’re expecting the usual Mario plot of “Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, so Mario journeys through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue her”, prepare to be surprised! In the neighbouring Flower Kingdom, ruled by Prince Florian, Bowser has stolen the power of the Wonder Flower, transforming into a gigantic flying castle and throwing the kingdom into chaos! It’s up to Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy (in her first non-spinoff playable appearance!), a pair of Toads, and Toadette to chase after Bowser and restore the Flower Kingdom back to normal. Additionally, the playable cast includes four Yoshis and a sneaky Nabbit, who all act as an “easy mode” and take no damage from enemies (but can still fall into pits). Throughout the adventure, Talking Flowers will pop up across the Flower Kingdom’s seven different areas, often giving hints about secret areas - or just providing some random commentary. Harnessing the mysterious power of the Wonder Flowers scattered around the kingdom and armed with new allies and new power-ups, it’s time to rescue the kingdom’s resident Poplins from Bowser’s clutches, gather the Wonder Seeds, and save the kingdom!

Wonder Flowers and New Powers Wonder’s central new mechanic is the Wonder Flowers - strange flowers found throughout the kingdom that, when touched, inflict bizarre effects on the players and levels. Expect the unexpected! They could do anything from transforming you into a helpless Goomba or sending you floating through space, to causing warp pipes to come alive and move around or even shifting the levels’ perspective so you walk on the “background”! Collecting a Wonder Seed, the game’s primary collectable, will revert the level back to normal, so keep an eye out! Meanwhile, a new arsenal of power-ups appear in this game. The Elephant Fruit will turn the player into an elephant (surprise, surprise), granting a strong trunk to swing around and splash out collected water, as well as the ability to easily smash through blocks and charge across gaps. The Drill Mushroom will equip the player with a fancy drill hat, letting you burrow through the ground (and even on the ceiling) to hide from enemies or reach inaccessible areas. Finally, the Bubble Flower lets you blow floaty bubbles that can trap and defeat enemies - even normally-invulnerable foes, or enemies hiding on the other side of walls. The bubbles can even be used as temporary platforms! The all-time classic Fire Flower also makes a return, letting you throw fireballs around and burn your foes to a crisp. Also, similarly to previous games like Super Mario 3-D World, power-ups can be stored and swapped out at will, so it’s a good idea to keep certain power-ups in your pocket to pull out when they’re needed.

Brand-New Badges One of the most diverse new mechanics introduced in Wonder is badges; as Prince Florian accompanies the player on their adventure, these fancy badges can be purchased or unlocked and equipped on Florian’s hat, granting unique abilities. Only a single badge from your collection can be equipped at a time, and you can switch them out between levels or after losing a life in one. Certain badges can be unlocked via completing special, themed challenge levels that teach you how to use the badges’ ability, or purchased with the Super Mario Odyssey-esque purple coins found in other levels. So, what kind of abilities do these badges actually grant? There’s a wide selection of powers, ranging from the useful to the unconventional: glide through the air, boost yourself up from wall-jumping, constantly dash at maximum speed, swing and stick to walls with a grappling-hook vine (not unlike a certain arachnid-themed superhero game releasing on the same date as Wonder), or even turn completely invisible to both enemies and yourself! One particularly useful badge revealed in trailers allowed the player to bounce back from certain death to bottomless pit, while another acted like a magnet that drew in those hard-to-reach coins right into your pocket. You’ll be able to mix-and-match based on your own preferences - or even coordinate badges with your co-op allies for the best combinations!

Multiplayer Madness Super Mario Wonder brings a brand-new twist to the usual multiplayer mechanics found in Mario games. While you can play local couch co-op with up to the standard four players (and even ride on the back of any Yoshis your friends might be playing as!), the real difference comes to play in the online aspect of multiplayer. Connecting online will reveal “player shadows”, other players around the world that are playing Wonder in real-time, running around the overworld and clearing levels right alongside you! Shadows can help you out by sharing their items or reviving dying players, and can place unlockable and customisable standees in levels that will also revive dead player ghosts. Additionally, you will be able to open an online room, inviting up to 12 friends to play together from anywhere in the world. In these rooms, you’ll even be able to race each other through courses, and communicate with other player shadows with emotes.

That’s just about everything there is to know about Super Mario Bros. Wonder before it releases on October 20th, 2023! I know I’m excited - let me know if you are too! Feedback, reblogs and likes are much appreciated, and thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher

#gaming #article #everything you should know about #super mario bros wonder #super mario bros #wonder #mario #bowser #luigi #princess peach #princess daisy #toad #toadette #yoshi #nabbit #prince florian #nintendo

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cabinofimagines · 2 years

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Day two; Spirit Halloween

Disclaimer; none American dealing with supposed liminal spaces; I watched 2 videos with the inside of spirit Halloween's. Don’t correct me if I’m wrong, also I do not condone stealing.

Pairing: Platonic Annabeth, Percy, Will, Piper and Calypso x gn!reader

Warnings: none, possible misinterpretation of Spirit Halloween stores

Word count: 1.3k

< prev - Halloween 2022 mlist - next >

-Asnyox

Everyone was really glad to finally be stretching their legs. There had been some grumbles when you brought up your secret missions from Leo, but no one stopped you from pulling over into the gigantic parking lot in front of the Spirit Halloween. You hadn’t even noticed the sign next to the highway before you mentioned it to Will, who was sitting next to you. And then you immediately nose-dived the car across three lanes to make the exit to the pop-up Spirit Halloween store. Safe to say that everyone suddenly was very awake in the car.

“Anyone else getting like, chills?” Percy asked as he gazed at the Spirit Halloween. There were dark clouds forming behind it. You interrupted the darkening mood quickly, before everyone decided that maybe Leo should fetch the decorations himself.

“I have always dreamt of visiting one of these.” You said wishfully, looking at the previously abandoned building.

“Why? I have never been either.” Annabeth said and you slowly started making your way to the store.

“I dunno, I thought that maybe Spirit Halloween stores were a myth.” you explained and Piper laughed behind you.

“Because they are pop-up stores?” She asked and you nodded.

“And they inhabit abandoned warehouses- plus all the spooky stuff.” You started walking backwards, so you could look at your friends.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never been,” Calypso glanced to the building behind you, “And this building does feel as if it shouldn’t be here.” You smiled at her.

“Thank you, Cal!” Calypso turned shy from your excitement.

“Wait, so no one here has ever been in a Spirit Halloween?” You asked. Most of your group nodded.

“I mean, I never said I had gone either,” Piper spoke.

“Nope, my mom never had the time of money to take me so,” Percy shook his head.

“I have, Nico took me on a date there last year.” Will piped up.

“Oooh romantic!” Piper joked, followed by some laughs.

───────────

As you entered the store, you all quickly lost your group. You had wanted to look out for Calypso, and you hoped someone was near her right now. You don’t know how it happened, but one second everyone was still together, than you looked at one animatronic and immediately everyone was gone. You wanted to look around to see if you could find anyone, but the heightened ceilings with bright lights prevented you from focusing on things too far away. Plus, all the sounds from the different toys, animatronics, and gimmicks around you were distracting you.

But you had a mission, with a basket in hand you started collecting various decorations for Leo. While you were at it, you somehow found a baking isle together with loads of Halloween candy. You grabbed some stuff for your baking session later this week with Nico, hoping that he would not mind.

You stumbled into the next isle, only to be met with Percy trying on a gremlin mask. Annabeth was laughing as Percy struggled to get the mask on right. You sneaked up behind Percy, his vision being compromised by the mask.

“BOO!” You scream in Percy’s ear, and he yelps as he turns around. Annabeth catches him quickly, preventing Percy from bringing down the aisles next to him. You laugh, as Percy struggles to get the mask off.

You reach out and help him. As he lays eyes on you, he is red in the face.

“Not funny, (Y/n).” He scolds you and Annabeth laughs behind him. Percy glares at her, but than breaks a smile himself. As she calms down, Annabeth turns to you.

Percy and Annabeth agree, and you quickly bide them goodbye as you resume your search.

“Having any luck with finding what you need?” She asks and you nod.

“Got a lot already, uhm,” you absentmindedly show them your basket, “Anyone seen Calypso?” You ask and both Percy and Annabeth shake their heads.

“Should we help you look?” Annabeth asks and you shake your head.

“No, just, keep an eye out? I don’t want her to be overwhelmed by all of this, y’know.”

───────────

You finally find Calypso, who seems frozen in time, in a corner of the store. You carefully put your basket down and stand in front of her. You take her shaking hands into your own. You noticed how this corner was relatively quieter to the rest of the store, but it was still loud. There were almost no customers around the two of you.

“Too much?” Calypso nodded, eyes shifting around.

“I just, I don’t trust it here.” Her voice comes out shaking, “It’s so loud, and so many things move-” you nod in understanding and open your arms as an invitation for a hug.

She quickly moves in and thanks you under her breath.

“Better?” You ask and she nods as she breaks the hug, “I should have staid closer to you, Cal. I didn’t know this store would be so chaotic.” Calypso shrugged.

“The modern world generally has just gotten so much louder. It’s something to get used to, I suppose.” You hummed in agreement. Then, the ugliest costume you’ve ever seen caught your eye. You picked it up, holding it in front of your body.

“What do you think?” you asked Calypso, who seemed appalled at the piece.

“The quality is horrible, (Y/n),” she stated as she touched the fabric. You saw her visibly shiver at the sensation. “Please, let me make you a costume and don’t even consider wearing this.”

“Oh, Cal is making costumes now?” Piper walked around the isle, joining you in your corner. Calypso nodded, a smile slowly coming on her face.

“I enjoy sewing, so why not.” Piper’s face filled with excitement.

“Can you also make my costume? I would love to wear your craft.”

“Sure,” Calypso’s eyes glittered at the prospect of making gifts for her friends, “I can make everyone costumes if they need them!”

Suddenly, Annabeth walked up to you nervously, holding Percy’s hand. Will was close behind them.

“There are monsters- the entire staff is monsters.” She whispered. You looked up confused, before staring intensely at the worker stocking the shelfs. Your eyes widened the worker morphed into small cyclops right before your eyes.

“Piper- no,” he objects, but Piper took the basket out of his hands, and nonchalantly started walking to the door. You followed trying not to look like you were about to steal probably a hundred, if not more, dollars’ worth of Halloween goods. Will angrily followed, but he did not complain anymore as he warily stared at the cashier.

“Ah fuck,” you quickly looked around the group of friends, “Let’s check out and run for it?”

Piper shook her head.

“The manager, a manticore, is glaring at us- I think they know,” she whispered, “Let’s just, hold on tight to the goods and run for it.”

“And steal?” Will whispered in disgust, and Piper nodded.

As you left, the alarm of the store rang- You all got into a sprint, clinging to your basket. Percy reached the car first, and quickly sprang in the driver’s seat, turning on the car. You dumped the goods in the back, closing the trunk and getting in the backseat yourself. As you heard the screams of the monsters getting closer, Percy drives away, breaking the speed limit by just a little bit.

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ala-baguette · 1 year

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Returning Home

Summary: One year has passed since the War ended, and Harry returns to Godric's Hollow. Relationships: Harry Potter/ Ginny Weasley Rating: G 1400 words | Read it here or on AO3

Harry stepped out the front door of the cottage and paused in the sunlight on the garden path. The breeze rustled through the new spring growth of the trees lining the lane at the village edge. He heard the faint tinkle of a windchime outside one of the houses a few doors down. It was so quiet here. He pushed his fists deeper into his pockets.

In the entry behind him, Hermione was still grilling the estate agent on minutiae that he didn’t care about but probably should. Appliances and piping and cesspits and roofing and insulation and flood maps. Harry tuned it out. Instead, he merely stood and breathed the crisp clean air and listened to the wind. He could smell lavender from somewhere. He wondered where it grew.

An arm snaked its way around his own, and he blinked away the reverie about nothing and everything to look down. Ginny looked up at him and smiled. There was a subtle question there, but it was not insistent. So Harry merely extracted his hand from his pocket and wrapped it instead around her. Ginny seemed content with this. She rested her head against his shoulder and the pair of them merely stood there quietly. Listening to the wind.

“It’s a wonderful community here. Both Magical and Muggle alike,” the estate agent was saying to Ron and Hermione behind them. She’d clearly given up on trying to talk to Harry directly. “You should take a bit of time to explore, if you have it. See the village centre. Maybe have a bite in the Lion and Flame.”

“Where is that?” Ron asked.

“Wizarding pub. In the main square. The entrance is in the alleyway just to the right of the Muggle pub entrance. You’ll see a brick wall with a lion and phoenix. Just tap your wand and you’ll be able to step through.”

Harry did at least manage to muster himself to offer a smile, a thank you, and a handshake as the estate agent bid them farewell. What had been her name? He probably should have been paying better attention. No matter. Hermione would know.

The four of them walked along the village streets. Ron and Hermione were talking about asking price and cost of living and more things Harry didn’t care about. He remained quiet. They passed a small community play yard and Harry smiled a little, imaging bringing Teddy here when he came to visit. But he didn’t raise his head to look down the street where he knew the ruins of a long-destroyed house still stood. And he kept his eyes on his feet as they passed the war memorial, even when he caught the transformation out of his peripheral vision. When they passed the church, his eyes did dart a glance to the graveyard behind. But he didn’t slow. Not today. He would be back. He felt Ginny give his hand a small squeeze.

The pub was just where what’s-her-name had said it would be. They melted through the door one at a time and let themselves down the torch-lined steps. At the bottom of the stairs, Harry paused to look around. He took in the old-fashioned wood bar with its many beer taps and liquor bottles. The dim but warm lighting. The dark wood ceiling beams and panelling. The mismatched tables and chairs scattered across the well-worn red carpet. Harry loved it immediately.

“Alroigh’ me’ansum?” the barkeeper called to them, glancing up from where he was filling a round of pints; it seemed an automatic greeting he offered to any who entered. But then he did a doubletake and stared at Harry for a moment, his face inscrutable. The gaggle of middle-aged men who were leaning against the bar and chatting merrily, followed his gaze and stilled as well. Then the old witches in the corner who were gossiping over their sherry and knitting. Then the pair of boys who Harry vaguely recognised as Hufflepuffs who’d been a few years ahead of them at Hogwarts. Harry flattened his fringe. Ron and Hermione exchanged a smirk, and Harry reminded himself of the futility of this habit.

Harry braced himself for the onslaught, but the barkeeper merely went back to filling his pints. His patrons, albeit reluctantly, seemed to take their cues from him. They turned back to their conversations, though eyes continued to dart in Harry’s direction periodically.

After a moment’s hesitation, Harry sidled up to the bar, his friends falling into step beside him. “Hello,” he greeted as the barkeeper filled the last of the middle-aged men’s pints and passed them across the bar. The barkeeper jerked his chin up. Harry couldn’t say if it was an acknowledgement of his greeting or a request for his order or both. “Four butterbeers, please?”

The barkeeper merely nodded, unsmiling, and ducked under the counter. He reappeared a second later with four bottles. He tapped his wand to pop the lids and slid them across the counter as one. Harry reached into his pocket for his gold, but the barkeeper said, “On the ‘ouse.”

Harry shook his head. “Thanks. But I insist.” He slid a handful of coins across the counter.

The barkeeper shrugged. “Sui’ yourself.” He counted out the appropriate coins, and slid the remainder back to Harry. “Welcome ‘ome, Mister Po’er,” he said, still without a smile.

And there were murmurs around the pub as others intoned the same.

“Welcome home, Harry.”

“Glad to have yeh back.”

“Your ‘ealth, Mr. Po’er.”

Harry nodded at them awkwardly in thanks and picked up the butterbeers, passing one each to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, all of whom were quietly watching him. They seemed to be waiting for him to pick the table. His eyes roved the pub.

“Tha’ table in the corner.”

Harry blinked and turned back to the barkeeper. “Sorry?”

The barkeeper nodded toward the far corner of the pub. “Tha’s the one your dad and his mates used to si’ in. Every Friday noigh’. Least ’til your mum and dad wen’ into hidin’.” Harry followed his gaze to a round table with four empty chairs. Harry merely stared at it for a moment, before he remembered himself.

Blinking, he looked back to the barkeeper. “Thank you,” he said earnestly. The old man just nodded again, then turned his attention to wiping down the bar.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny followed him to the table. They seemed to sense that he was not in much of a mood for conversation and were content to let him sit quietly as they chatted. He sat in the chair in the corner and stared around the pub as babble continued around him. Harry watched as two older wizards debated politics; he watched as the Hufflepuff boys moseyed over to the dartboard on one wall; as one of the witches worried over a dropped stitch in her knitting and fretfully counted along her needles.

“—What do you reckon, Harry?”

“Huh?” Harry blinked and looked around to find his friends all staring at him expectantly.

“The house,” Hermione clarified patiently. “We were discussing the house. Just wondering how you liked it.”

“Oh. Right.” Harry’s eyes took another promenade around the room before they landed on Ginny. She was merely looking at him, patiently awaiting his answer. Harry swallowed, suddenly strangely nervous. How could he put into words that her opinion on this mattered more than anyone’s? Perhaps more than his own. He looked down at the butterbeer he held in both hands atop the table. “I thought… maybe it seemed like it could be home.”

He chanced a glance back up to Ginny. But she was beaming at him. He smiled back.

“Well, cheers to that, then,” said Ron, holding out his butterbeer.

“To home,” Hermione agreed.

“To home,” said Ginny softly, her eyes not leaving Harry’s.

His heart felt light as they clinked their bottles. He looked around the room again as he sipped his butterbeer, feeling affection for this room full of people he’d never met. His eyes fell on the barkeeper who was making his way toward their table with what appeared to be a large bowl of chips and a dipping sauce Harry couldn’t recall ordering. He suddenly realised he was famished.

For more about the Lion and Flame Inn, see the Remus Lupin installment of my Left Behind Series, 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables'.

#harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfic #ficlet #harry potter #ginny weasley #godric's hollow #canon compliant #hinny #post canon #post war #harry deserves a place to call home

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woodworkzz · 11 months

Text

Ship: IceHell padlock

Prompt word: cold

Warnings: body description, suggestive themes (no NSFW)

Paige had won; even though Tony had managed to free himself, his system was too overrun by anesthesia for a proper counterattack.

And currently, Paige was rudely dragging his body down the basement stairs. Her plan was to tie him up by the wrists on one of the many pipes that ran across the ceiling and simply wait. It might be boring to wait until he's awake, but nothing brightens her day like watching Tony fall unceremoniously to the floor and stumble to his feet to chase after her.

When she finally reaches the basement, however, something catches her eye.

A freezer. A working freezer.

Time to experiment, she thinks.

She picks him up, hurling him over her shoulder and muttering about how his bones must be made of lead for him to weigh so much. She usually didn't have an issue carrying human bodies, even those bigger than herself, but something about Tony made him exceptionally heavy. She theorizes that Concepts are just... Denser than humans.

Anyhow, she carelessly drops him in the freezer, and slams it shut. She won't bother to lock the door, or bind him by any means. The cold temperatures will be enough of a nuisance.

She happily hops up the stairs and out of the basement. Now that her main chore is over, she could finally check on her garden! Her precious flowers hadn't been watered yet, and she'd hate for them to die.

When she was done, she stepped into her room and eyed the three or four unfinished canvases abandoned in a random corner. Might as well...

When she was nearly done with the last one, she looks out the window, expecting to see the sunset. After all, Tony's annoyingly numerous clocks scattered across the house marked six in the evening.

But the sky was still bright blue, not a sight of the sun setting.

... Was he messing with her? He must've already woken up, and chances are, he's trying to disorient her so he can have the upper hand. How clever.

She thought about going after him, but if he hadn't showed up to pester her yet, that means he's planning an ambush. That's the not so fun part of putting him in the basement.

Tony had his qualities, but his main fault is his predictability. She knew he'd always take advantage of being hours alone somewhere she'd inevitably walk into. Besides, his own perfectionism won't let him mess up the passing of time long enough before it starts ticking him off, so the wisest thing to do would be to wait.

The night went by with the sun still shining through the window, and in the following morning, all news reports talked about how the sun refused to set across the country, despite the rest of the world being unaffected.

Robin very hesitantly asked her if Tony had something to do with that.

"Well," she replied. "Either he's very committed to his little trick, or something is wrong. Have you seen him, by the way?"

He shakes his head no.

She sighs, and grabs a butcher knife before kicking open the basement door. "I can't believe you're making me do this, you bastard."

Her voice echoes down the trepid staircase and reverberates off the walls, but no answer comes.

She cautiously walks down the stairs, her knife held tight, and scours every corner of the basement, but he's nowhere to be seen.

Certain that this would be the stupidest thing she's done in this century, she reluctantly opens the freezer door.

Well, she found Tony. But he didn't leap at her throat, or pulled her down by the hair.

He laid just like she had left him, frostbite darkening spots of his skin to a disgusting purple, and a thin layer of frost encasing his body. His eyes, which were left open and were now frozen that way, were dull and faded. His suit was mostly hardened by a thin layer of ice. However, all the wounds she'd inflicted had healed perfectly.

If he was alive in those conditions, Paige would have to applaud his endurance.

She reached for one of his hands, grabbing onto the frozen, hardened flesh, and pulled.

The sound of skin peeling off his muscles as it stuck to the freezer's walls wasn't pleasant, but it was over soon enough. She threw his frozen body to the floor, wincing slightly at the dry thump it produced.

"And now, what to do with you?" She spoke out loud, prancing around the basement. "Maybe I could go at it with a hairdryer, but-"

She turned around at the familiar sound of flesh and muscle sewing back together.

Tony was healing, his torn off flesh stitching itself back together. She curiously watched as he stitched himself together in a matter of minutes, knife still tightly clutched in her hand.

And he breathed in, opening his eyes wide.

Paige fixed her stance, ready for combat.

But he didn't get up. He barely moved enough to curl up on the floor, breathing heavily and shaking.

Something was... Wrong.

"... Tony?" She called out, taking a single, cautious step further.

His eyes moved towards her, and although his fury was tangible, he didn't raise a single finger.

"I came after you." She hesitantly continued. "The sun hasn't set since yesterday, and I thought you'd done it."

"... The sun didn't set?" He asks, his voice hoarse and weak.

"No. It's all they talk about on the news."

"I need to fix that." He mutters, valiantly trying to get up on his feet, but stumbling to the ground before making it.

Paige stands in the same spot, unmoving. Her chest felt too heavy as the realization came to her.

"You're weak." She whispered. Usually she'd sneer it at him with a smile, but now she was worried. Was she about to lose her playmate?

She walked closer, and kneeling to the ground, gently laid the back of her hand on his neck.

Cold.

Freezing cold.

He stared fiercely at her, bright yellow eyes burning holes into her soul, but she knew better than to be intimidated. The same way a wounded animal bares its teeth at whoever dares come closer, regardless of the other's intentions, fallen Concepts such as them couldn't recognize solidarity if it hit them across the face.

Which is what Paige did. "Don't give me the eagle eyes, I wanna help you. Come on, frozen bastard," She grunted, picking him up bridal style. "We're getting you somewhere warmer."

He huffed, but didn't protest further. His suit was now soaking wet and likely ruined, none of which helped him while he trembled in Paige's arms, trying to leech off whatever heat she produced.

The trip out of the basement and into Tony's room was a rather quick and unperturbed one, except for perhaps the confused stares from the trio in the living room, but they knew better than to stare too long or ask questions.

"There you go," she sighs, as she nudges the door of his room open. "This should be warm enough, since it's been closed and getting sunlight for a solid twenty hours."

And indeed, the room felt quite stuffy as she laid him down on the floor, right on a patch of sunlight. But for him, it was simply perfect. He allowed himself to relax and stretch on the warm floor, a content moan escaping his lips as he did so.

"Feeling better?" She asked, taking a seat not too far from him.

"Mhm." He curtly answered, his body still shaking, but the relaxed smile on his face said all she needed to hear.

"So..." She awkwardly started, fumbling with her hair. "What happened?"

He sighed, rolling on his side to look at her. "You froze time."

"Why, you're such a jokester today, Tony." She sarcastically replied. "Really, though... Why didn't you wake up?"

"Well... I'm not sure. I was able to heal just fine, but due to the temperature, I was conscious for only a few seconds before my body gave in to the cold and lack of energy." He replied, his expression becoming more and more vacant. "And it kept happening, over and over again... Until you finally got me out of that damned thing."

"Yikes."

"Indeed."

Paige messes with the fabric of her skirt, her eyes low to her lap. "... I'm sorry."

To her surprise, Tony's response wasn't bitter. "It's alright, dear. You didn't know."

"... You should take off those clothes. They're all wet." She airily comments.

"You really can't spend a night without me anymore, can you?" He replied with a smug smile even though his voice was still weak.

It takes a second for her to process what he said, and her eyes widen as it clicks in her head. "You pervert! I was worried about you and that's how you speak to me?"

"I jest, I jest." He smiles, carefully raising his hands up in surrender. "Really though, how did you spend the night?"

"Well, the sun was shining outside, so... There was that." She started. "But I did miss you. I had nothing to climb on top of while I slept, after all."

It was a frequent occurrence; every other day Tony would wake up barely able to breathe because of the 65 kilos of Creativity sprawled over his back. He'd then have to nudge her off and hold her so she doesn't attempt to flatten his lungs again.

"I missed you too, Paige." He simply answered, unbuttoning his jacket and sliding it off. His frostbitten fingers certainly weren't helping him with any more buttons, he concluded as he analyzed the slowly healing flesh.

Paige undoes the shirt buttons as she speaks. "You seem to be in a very good mood today. Despite being locked in a freezer for several hours."

He chuckles, taking off the shirt. "I think the warmth put me in a nice mood." He kicks off his pants, with some difficulty as the wet and hardened fabric clung onto him, but he managed.

Now, all he wore was his bowtie, his gloves, and soaking wet boxers that left nothing to the imagination. And that was an image she quite enjoyed, and savoured every last drop of. Even if his indigo body was covered in dark purple bruises with flesh damaged or missing on certain spots.

"Paige," Tony called, in a teasing voice. "I know those eyes..."

She looks at his face like a deer in headlights, gray blush dusted over her cheeks. She had forgotten to look at his face for a moment. Or a minute. Or several minutes.

After an awkward second, she gets the courage to whisper, "Please?"

"Paige, darling, I've been locked in a freezer for a whole day. I'm just starting to feel my legs. I'm sure you can understand when I say I'm not in the mood."

"Oh. That... Makes sense." She mutters, looking away. "That was stupid."

"You are stupid." He deadpanned. "Never forget that, dear."

"Wow, okay! Back to the freezer with you!" She laughed, sliding a hand under his back and lifting him off the floor once again.

"Paige, no, please- Paige! Let me go!"

#dhmis #tony the talking clock #dhmis padlock #paige the sketchbook #dhmis sketchbook #ice hell #icehell #dhmis fanfic #dont hug me im scared #∆F → fanfic tag #is this anything #im so cringe nobody talk to me

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