#so what if i go insane about how far removed eddie is from everything and still he sees it all but he has no way to come to the right

[flowercrowngods]

what if who did this to you part 4 is tinged in the pale blue of max klinger’s l‘heure bleu and what if it’s so liminal it doesn’t feel real because the after never does when you don’t even know the before, and what if robin turns into a caspar david friedrich painting and what if steve becomes the blue that depressed robin but she loves him anyway and what if i just lose my mind about them

#seriously just. man the world is ending. and there are monsters. and eddie doesn’t know shit about any of that. but he feels this fear that #is palpable and he sees the way robin looks at steve and he sees the way steve lets himself be held #despite the broken ribs despite the bruises like he’s used to bone crushing hugs when his body is already crushed #he should flinch he should wince and eddie’s witnessing and telling a story he’s not even a part of #so what if it all goes blue but it’s the wrong shade it’s the sad shade it’s the liminal shade that traps eddie in this moment #so what if i go insane about how far removed eddie is from everything and still he sees it all but he has no way to come to the right #conclusions and tell the correct story. so what if the narrator is not part of the story he tells. so what so what so what #who did this to you #who did this to you part 4 #also everyone look at the paintings: l‘heure bleu and wanderer above the sea of fog #these paintings are what my soul looks like (when i dissociate) (which is often)

[trashmouth-richie]

WE’RE THE LAST IN LINE: 2

W.C 2.6k

Pairings: mechanic!Eddie x fem!Reader

Warnings: NO MINORS: talks of masturbation, sex

Part: | 1 | 3 | 4

The night after the whole fiasco with Jason, Eddie knocked on your door around around 6:30pm. You had called Pete earlier and told him you needed a few personal days. He was cool with it. So you spent the rest of that day sitting around listening to sad music and trying to feel better. You open the door to see Eddie with a shy smile on his face. “Hey I uhh, didn’t know if you’d be home but I have some info from Chief Hopper.”

You smile up at him and slide behind your door, opening it wide for Eddie to walk in. The smell of stale cigs, motor oil and notes of burned cedar wafts in behind him. He’s holding a Manila envelope in his hands as he scoots back a bar stool at the kitchen counter and sits down. He’s wearing a pair of faded jeans and his converse are tucked up underneath the stool crossed at his ankles. A white waffle knit shirt is adorning his arms, peeking out small flashes of his tattoos.

“I’m just brewing up some coffee if you want a cup? Or do you want a glass of lemonade? Bottle of water?” You ask, peeking glances at him as you stand in front of the fridge.

“Uhh well normally I’d love some lemonade but the heater was out in the shop today so I’m freezing, coffee for me please.”

You grab two cups from the tall cupboards and get the creamer from the fridge. You dump a generous amount of coffee into each cup and slide the creamer towards him, offering a spoon to stir. “Thanks” he says with a smile as he grabs the cup and tips it back to his mouth. “How are you feeling? Were you rable to sleep?”

You stand in the kitchen across from him leaning against the stove. You take a long sip of your coffee letting the hot liquid burn down your throat. You want to tell him that no, you hadn’t slept at all actually. You kept having flashbacks of Jason’s hands on your legs. Your hair was wrapped on top of your head like a birds nest. You were wearing slippers and the same clothes he saw you in last night before he left. You were pretty fucking far from okay but you didn’t know how to say that to a complete stranger. You wanted to tell him everything, but instead you went with “mhmm.”

He smiles at you with a silent agreement hung between the pair of you. “I uh.. yeah so Hop went over the tapes and said it was pretty cut and dry the evidence was there and he would make an arrest this evening. You might have to go down and sign some papers but for the most part this is what he wrote up.” Eddie opens the envelope and skims his fingers against the paper clip removing it entirely. He goes into detail on paper about the things he saw and what else happened that night. Your breath hitches in your throat as you read what Eddie had seen.

“Sounds good,” you say as you turn away, your eyes about to give away that you’re not okay.

You hear papers shuffling as Eddie puts them back into the envelope. Tears are running down your face as you try your damndest to chase them away with the sleeve of your shirt. A small noise escapes your mouth as you set your coffee down and bury the heels of your hands in your eyes.

It was just too much. Reading what had happened felt like you were violated all over again. You hear Eddie scoot back out of the barstool and the squeak of his sneakers on the tile beside you. “Tell me what I can do to help you.” He nearly whispers.

You turn farther away from him and choke out through sobs “I’m- s-sorry! I j—- ”

Eddie closes the gap between you and rubs your back gently. You throw your body forward towards him leaning on his chest as your body shakes with violent sobs. It takes a minute before Eddie’s arms wrap around your back and his chin rests on the top of your head. “You have nothing to apologize for,” Eddie whispers, “you did nothing wrong, he’s insane, and he’s going to be put away for what he did to you.”

The sobs breaking from your body get louder still as you claw at his shirt, leaving a mess of wet tears on his chest. You are so overwhelmed and tired you could barely see straight. Everytime you closed your eyes you imagined you were shoved up against that wall, fighting Jason off of you, pleading and begging him to let you go. Eddie is stroking your back with light finger tip touches as you cry into him. “Come on, you need some rest.”

Eddie guides you over to your room and pulls back the blankets so you can lie down. He’s sitting on your bed rubbing your back as you face him. For the first time tonight you finally get a good look at his face. His eyes are full of concern as he gazes down at you, his eyebrows knitted together. His hair is falling beautifully by his face framing his sharp jaw. His pillowy lips parted slightly. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it but I just want you to know that I’m here if you —uh ever want to talk.” He scratches his neck and smiles weakly. He is the sweetest man, how could someone you just met be nicer to you than any other piece of shit in this town?

“Tell me something, anything to get my mind off of it”.

“Okay, uhh, I didn’t pass my senior year on the first try.” Eddie admits. Your eyebrows raise in curiosity as Eddie goes into detail, “yeah I —long story short finally pulled my head out of my ass on the third go around, it’s okay to laugh it’s funny… now.” He says with a wide smile.

Your lips stretch as a smile spreads across your face. You try to hold back a laugh but it escapes from your mouth. “I’m sorry I don’t mean to laugh,” you explain. You needed a good laugh, something to distract you from the imposing doom of reality.

“Like I said, it’s funny now,” he chuckles, “but back then, my uncle was ready to kick my ass.” A slight pained expression starts in his eyes as he shakes his head as if to deter his demons away.

“Everything okay?” You ask him as you sit up leaning your back on the headboard.

He swivels his body to face you, throwing an angled leg onto the bed. “Yeah, I um— it’s just been a wild ride since high school. Actually high school was a wild ride, now I’m just on cruise control with the windows down, well on most days.” That Cheshire Cat grin splatters his face, “but I don’t want to bore you with my troubles.” He stands to leave and bends backwards cracking his back as he does, his shirt lifts a bit and you see the delicate hairs of a treasure trail dipping into the waistband of his boxer briefs. You want him to bother you with his problems, hell- you’d listen to anything he had to say. “I should go so you can rest,” he says. He hesitates as he looks around your room, eyeing the small trinkets on your dresser and the polaroids you have strung along your walls lit by dainty fairy lights. A poster of The Lost Boys hangs on the wall by the closet. An array of succulents are perched below the window on various sized stands, craning for sunlight.

Eddie leans forward to get a better look of one of the pictures. You eye him as you realize which one he’s looking at. “Yeah that’s …from my 21st birthday” you say embarrassed, your cheeks burning red. The picture was of you riding a mechanical bull wearing a pink feathered cowboy hat, drunk out of your mind and your chest heaved out of a black bedazzled bralette. “My friends dragged me to Nashville.”

“Oh well you uh— look like you’re having a nice birthday.” Eddie chokes out as his cheeks fade to pink. A small smile creeping up his face as he hides it with a cough. “Well, I’m— yeah, I’ll see you later? I mean if you want to? I don’t know— okay I’m— bye.”

Eddie stumbles out of your room running into the wall as he turns to wave bye.

”Holy shit!”

“I’m okay!” He says rubbing his forehead, “D-do you have a pen?”

You lean over to your night stand and fish out a pen. You toss it to him but the toss ends up being higher than anticipated and hits the wall above his head. Jesus Christ could this get any more awkward.

“Alright Major League, be right back!” Eddie runs into your kitchen and runs back in with a small piece of ripped Manila envelope. Scrawled across it is Eddie’s phone number. “Y’know’ in cause you need some sugar”

Eddie’s face goes red at his realization.

“Like you need to borrow some— for baking not like sugar as in— sex— um okay bye.”

Eddie leaves with a small click of your door shutting. You hear someone scream “what the fuck!” And then nothing.

You stare for hours at the 10 digits that make up Eddie’s phone number. You take out your phone and add it in as a contact. Staring longingly at his name in your phone, as you finally drift to sleep.

—

The next morning you are woken up to the annoying buzzing of your phone. A number you didn’t recognize but the location read Hawkins, IN.

“Hello?” You croak as you search for the water bottle on your nightstand.

“Mornin’ is this Y/N Y/L/N?” A voice gruff though the phone.

“Yes it is”

“Y/N this is Chief James Hopper, I’m going to need you to come down to the station at noon today to fill out paperwork and do a line-up.”

“O—okay, I’ll be there.”

“Thanks”

The line goes dead indicating Hop hung up. You distract yourself with the impending shit day by taking a shower. You do your entire shower routine that you learned from tiktok. You play your favorite morning playlist and just take it one minute at a time. Stepping out of the shower onto the plush bath rug, you decide to call Eddie and tell him you’re going down to the station today and maybe see if he wants to go with you. Innocent enough right? Drying your hair you hum along trying to calm your nerves before you call Eddie. Would he say yes? Fuck would he even answer?

You get dressed in a simple black pair of jeans, your high top converse, an orange flannel and a tan beanie. You scroll to the E’s in your contact list and thumb on Eddie’s name. It rings twice before he answers.

“Yeah?” Eddie answers in a quick annoyed manner.

“Hi, Eddie this is Y/N” you mumble in a panic.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry!” He says immediately changing his demeanor, “I though you were… someone else what’s up, you calling to borrow that cup of sugar?”

You stifle a giggle, “no but I’m going to have to sweet talk you into doing me a favor,” you say as a prickle of blush rises on your cheeks.

You explain to Eddie what Chief Hopper asked you to do today at noon, he listens and immediately says yes when you ask him to go with you. “You don’t have to—if you’re busy I totally get it.” Silently hoping he wasn’t too busy to go with you.

“Nah, I’m just at work, I’ll tell Rob I need to leave early today. I’ll pick you up at 11:45 okay? Wear a coat, it's kinda cold on the bike today.”

You had never been on a motorcycle before but the thought of Eddie picking you up to ride with him was putting butterflies in your stomach. You open your closet and find the vintage leather jacket you picked up at a thrift store a few months back. You wait outside for Eddie to show and right at 11:45 he rises into the parking lot. You walk out to him and he throws the visor of his helmet up, winking at you. He takes it off revealing a black bandana around the top of his head, “Hey, you look, wow.” You blush a little at his compliment.

He puts the kick stand down and throws a leg over the bike and stands next to you. He reaches in the back compartment of the bike and wrestles out another identical helmet. “Hope you don’t mind wearing this, ya know safety and shit.” He glides the helmet delicately over your head being careful of your hair. It’s snug around your face and comfy. Eddie slides his back on and suddenly you hear him in your ears. “Luke, LUUUKE I AM YOUR FATHER!.. Bluetooth! Pretty cool right?”

You laugh hard at his joke, “this is awesome, I feel like the pink Power Ranger!” You say while laughing.

“Kim? Oh she was hot, total spank bank material.” You laugh even harder at Eddie’s admission as he shakes his head.

“Sorry I uh— shit let’s go.” Eddie hangs his head in defeat of his own mouth as he climbs back onto the bike, you swing your leg behind you and sit comfortably as Eddie shows you where to put your feet. “Alright now hold onto me tight and don’t worry, I’m an excellent driver I’m so good that they keep stopping me to tell me about it, even having me sign their fan mail!”

If this is how the rest of today would go, your stomach would be hurting from laughing in no time at all.

Taglist: @boomhauer @munsonficdump @sidthedollface2 @b-irock @manda-panda-monium @tlclick73 @creoleguurl

Dividers: @firefly-graphics

#eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson #stranger things x y/n #stranger things #mechanic!eddie #tattooartist!reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst

[clairecrive]

“Burn” - Bane x reader [Requested]

A/N: this is for this anon. Thanks again for requesting! I missed writing for Bane.

Warnings: angst

Word count: 2.5K

Taglist: @mollybegger-blog, @evelynshelby, @br0ck-eddie, @sopxhiea, @shadow-of-wonder, @fandom--0verdose, @fuseburner, @kind-wolf, @innerpaperexpertcloud (let me know if you wanna be added or removed)

The vastity of the night sky had always helped y/n ease her worries. Surely, whatever was bothering her couldn’t be as big and impossible to solve as she was making it out to be. Because, would you look at that? The universe is so big and we’re so small, so insignificant. and that applied to her problems too. 

At least that was what she always told herself whenever she’d feel lost and hopeless. Thinking this way helped her put things into perspective. And sure, not everything was as easily solved but, even in that case, it helped a bit.

And so here they were, she and Bane were laying down staring up at the starry sky. Sometimes, they would spend it in silence, just enjoying the warmth and comfort the other’s body would bring. Others, like this one, they would easily fall into conversations about everything and nothing.

“Was there someone special in your life? Someone you wish to get back to?”

“You mean, romantically?”

He nodded.

“No. Single for life.” She did a peace sign to lighten up her embarrassment but Bane was curious and did not pay it any mind.

“You mean to tell me that you’ve never given your heart to anyone?”

“Well, if you put it that way I have to change my answer to yes. Being in a relationship with someone and giving someone your heart are two wholly different things.”

“Let me rephrase then. Have you ever been in love?”

She really thought about the answer, her mind going back to any romantic involvement she might have had during her life. Even if she scouted her memories, she found that it wasn’t a yes or no question.

“I guess,” not only was the word she chose explicative of her indecision but the tentative tone of her voice left no doubts as to where she was standing. But Bane was confused, to say the least.

“I’ve always been under the impression that love was one of those things where absolute certainty was involved when it came to its presence or absence.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. I have had mostly one-sided crushes, you know?” she started but Bane could see the faraway look in her eyes and knew that she had more to tell but was lacking the right words. So he waited.

“I said ‘I guess’ because I don’t really know what love is. I mean, everyone has a different take on it depending on their experiences but I don’t think I’ve ever felt it,” she paused turning to meet his eyes, “once there was a guy I strongly had feelings for. Even that was one-sided though and it took me a long time to recover from that because he was my best friend at the time. Looking back to it, I guess it was love or the closest thing to it that I’ve ever felt for someone. It hasn’t happened again though so I don’t have anything to compare it to.”

“Maybe it wasn’t love, just deep infatuation. Or maybe I just confused my love for him as a friend for something more. I don’t know. I guess I’ll figure it out when I fall in love with someone else. “ She concluded and refrained from correcting that when with if. she couldn’t see herself being as lucky as to have someone that cared about her and that loved her in the future. But Bane didn’t need to know that.

Turns out that those unspoken words had become a sort of oracle, ‘cause here they were now, years after they had that conversation. Just when she thought that she had found that one person to share her life with, to give her heart to, life quickly come into play letting her know that that wasn’t the case.

Because the man that had saved her from a destiny worse than death, who had given her hope and made her trust him to the point where she had felt safe enough to open up to him and allow him close to her heart, had now shattered whatever remained of it.

"So let me get this straight, first you save my life than you decide to keep me with you so you basically kidnap me, get me to fall in love with you, put me through an insanely difficult training so that I could stay with you but it was all done in vain because now you’re  sending me away?"

"I'm not sending you away but you cannot stay here anymore. I’m doing this for you."

"And why is that? What changed?" and when Bane stayed silent she added, "what happened to 'I want you always' ?"

"I did not lie to you." His words were in striking contrast to the ones he had said before but y/n had learned to read him and could tell that this time he was not lying. But then the question naturally arises, what's really going on?

Nothing out of order had happened in the last few days. Bane and she had been the same as always, even his work had proceeded as usual. So what was it? What was she not thinking about? What was she not seeing?

Letting her mind go back through the last day to fat check that nothing happened, she went through their actions. Light breakfast together followed by a not so light tête à tête then they trained together until he had to deal with something for his work and she had occupied herself otherwise. She had called him to see when she could get dinner started and he said that he had a meeting with Talia first but had come right after. They had dinner and while they consumed their healthy and perfectly balanced meal she shared with him whatever came to her mind while he ate in silence. See, nothing out of order.

Wait a minute...

He went to meet Talia.

"It's her, isn't it?" Suddenly, everything was clear. She knew what had happened, what had changed. And she sneered at the pull Talia had on him. Suddenly, she understood but at the same time, the last year lost its meaning.

"I just wish I realized earlier that you didn't care about me as much as you said you did," turning she went to her cabinet to get her stuff, "I wouldn't have put myself through so much otherwise." 

Nodding, she knew what she had to do. She had to leave. There was no reason to stay. Resolute and defeated she put everything her eyes fell on that was hers in a little bag. Clothes, lingerie, cosmetics, books. But when her eyes landed on the little box where she kept everything connected to him, her heart broke further and her anger was fueled. 

In there, there was every present Bane ever gave her. Every little thing that made her think of him in some way. The letters he wrote her whenever spoken words failed him. She knew that going through its content would equal to a chronology of their relationship. If it was possible her heart broke even more. Everything she did to stay with him, everything he did to keep her now was all vain. She gave up so much for him, for a man. Her former self would be ashamed of her and knew that her heartbreak was contributing to making her feel something akin to that. 

"Here," she said walking where he was standing, "take this. I don't want it anymore," and she threw it at his feet. The only acknowledgement on his part was a tilt of his head but it wasn't needed. He knew what it was and what she kept inside of it. He felt a pang in his heart but kept his face void of any emotion. 

"I'll want you always," she said mocking his voice, still stuffing stuff in her bag and chuckled with mirth, "what a load of bullshit." 

"Actually," stilling for a second, with a shirt cramped in her fist she faced him, "I am the biggest clown between us because I believed you." retrying her stuffing, shaking her head she added in a whisper, "I should have known better," but Bane heard. 

As soon as he decided on this course of action, he had also prepared for her reaction. He knew her well and so far she hadn't done anything that he hadn't expected. And while he had been ready, he couldn't help but feel hurt by her words. He knew how she was looking at this situation, knew that his words had led her to believe it to be so. At the same time, a little part of him wished for her to oppose to his words, to see right through them and see that he was lying. That he had been honest when he had told her those things, he had opened up to her and meant everything. But knew that she was too lost to rage and hurt to think clearly. And it was also the reason why she was acting up and had thrown the box on the floor. He knew that she deeply cared about it and what it meant to her. He almost thought of offering some kind of comfort, to give her some hint about what was really going on. But knew that it would be unfair to her. After all, he was doing for the sake of her safety.

“You know,” her voice brought him back and his eyes were immediately drawn to her, “isn’t it funny how you man always pride yourselves to be strong and all that bullshit when even someone like you, who’s the epitome of masculinity and strength, at the end is totally subjected to a woman?” 

They would always have this kind of conversation. Bane, being a leader of a huge army, had the tendency to be bossy. Even in situations when it wasn’t needed. It was just who he was and he felt the need to remind her of his alfa status an unnecessary lot of times. While she could enjoy this inclination of his when they were in bed, she definitely couldn’t stand it in their everyday life. And now, it made her feel stupid that she had to put with it and learn how to deal with it but when it came to Talia, he just did whatever she told him to. Also, this changed her consideration of him. What a clown. She had tried to warn him about his rather toxic relationship with Talia but he’d always get angry and dismiss the conversation either by leaving or shouting at her. She could remember their last fight about it like it was yesterday. It was also the first time that she had ever doubted her relationship with him. The first time that she had thought that maybe she had made a mistake by staying with him, by falling in love with him. Maybe she should have left as soon as she had rescued her. It wasn’t for the motive of their fight, neither her jealousy and worry about his relationship with Talia, but it had all to do with what he shouted her in rage that made her blood run cold and her heart shatter. For it was said that angry and drunk people were the more honest ones. And since that moment she couldn’t help but wonder if he really thought what he said to her or if it was just an impulse propelled by anger as he had explained.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have saved you.” 

And then, as if that wasn’t enough, he decided to twist the knife further.

“I told you not to fall in love with me.”

As if one could choose who they fell for, she remembers thinking.

Those words still haunted her to this day. It happened a while ago and Bane had made it up to her, mostly. But it was in situations like this that they would come back and mock her for even forgiving him and thinking that he loved her as she loved him. To think that even a small part of him thought that it was best that he had left her to suffer in the hands of a sex abuser until he would have eventually tired of her and killed made her sick. How could anyone say something like that to another human being? One they presumedly loved? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Bane had then explained that by that he didn’t mean leaving her with her captor but simply bring her with him and keeping her with him. Despite the fact that his explanation made sense, y/n still didn’t think it made things better.

And as for his second statement, it went mostly unmentioned. 

Sure, that had been something he had told her in the beginning. It was after her training required them to spend most of their days together since he wanted to attend to it personally. Y/n knew that being in the military and with his past, it wasn’t easy for Bane to show emotions let alone let someone close enough to him to allow himself to love them. She understood that. She had a few things she was dealing with that made it difficult for her to entertain the idea of something more between them.

But that was almost a year ago. So much had happened in their life and between them that even though the words were not spoken aloud, she felt the shift in both their behaviours when it came to them. Hell, they even started dating. 

Not that any of them labelled it that way. But that was beside the point.

They slept together, they ate together every meal, they lived together. If there was a band on both their left ring fingers and it was a more conventional setting, people would assume they were married. 

While y/n didn’t like thinking about what they had in that way, she surely considered the commitment they had made to each other equivalent to a marriage. 

She hadn’t considered Talia though. 

Or at least, she had hoped that if she ever would try and come between them, Bane would stand up for her. 

Turns out that she really was foolish.

“Whatever, I guess it’s not my problem anymore.” Giving him her back again, she closed the almost full bag and went to put on some shoes and coat. 

“I don’t have any use for it, you should take it with you.”

“Neither have I. Burn it, see if I care.” 

And with that, y/n turned around and walked out of their shared apartment at last.

It hurt to say the words, it hurt that things had ended to abruptly, it hurt that even after all this time he didn’t care about her, it hurt like hell but y/n was resolute in leaving all of this behind her. Yes, it wasn’t going to be easy and maybe it would be like leaving a hot fire trail behind her but at one point the fire would burn out, wouldn’t t? 

It may take a while but she would be okay,

#bane #bane dcu #bane imagine #bane x reader #bane imagines #bane one shot #bane angst #like super angst #mention of Talia #bane x oc #tom hardy bane #TDKR #tom hardy x reader #tom hardy imagines

[extasiswings]

It's the fact they we are going to linger after the call with the cheerleaders (in love). How calls always have some connecting thread back to the larger narrative, but on the rare occasions that we stay with the survivors and/or families from a call? That is ALWAYS super important. And it looks like there are several different scenes with the families, in the trailer alone.

This episode airs on National Coming Out day, Chapel. Can we talk about how it is so perfectly in the ethos of this show to be so non-subtly, full on earnestly, on the nose about something like this? Do we not think it is possible that when they were plotting out the story arcs for Season 5 (plotting out Eddie's queer awakening) that someone pointed out that National Coming Out Day is on October 11? Do we not think that Timothy would take that and run with it? Unabashedly corny and on the nose (I simply do not care. The cornier the better).

(Eddie is not coming out next week. He is so far from ready and has a lot of emotional work to do to get there. But he's on his way. And now that Eddie has removed a significant obstacle to his self acceptance — one he was clinging to so desperately — we are soon going to enter the queer awakening phase of his journey. We really are. So, Eddie is of course not coming out next week, but might we get a glimmer, a moment, something queer? I think we just might. I need to lie down now...)

The potential of all of it is making me insane. I personally would be inclined to think of the date as a coincidence, but you never know! But more importantly just...yeah, everything about it. Even if there isn't a "they were in love" twist, there's still "best friends being together when one of them died" and Eddie "I don't panic" and "I broke up with my girlfriend so I'm totally fine now" Diaz has a big storm coming. And just in general the placement of this episode, Home and Away, at this critical time in Eddie's arc, after the last raised many questions about what/who is "home" and how do you find it, and when the one following is going to force Eddie apart from Buck, who has evolved into his touchstone post-shooting...there's nothing I don't love about this at the moment.

#chapel talks #ask #yramesoruniverse

[plasticnightmaredoll]

This is an idea/scenario I’ve had for a good while now pertaining to Arkham Knight Riddler. I don’t know if it’s any good -- it may be too “fluffy” to be in character -- but I wanted to write it down and get it out there, see what people think. Ironically, the idea came from a similar one involving Telltale Riddler, and I may post that one someday, too, but this AK Riddler one is...very different. Different in regards to a lot of headcanons, imagines, drabbles, etc. about him.

So, the scenario is like this: Someone wants to fuck with this poor guy -- not Batman, not one of the Bat family, not even one of the Gotham Rogues. It could be some random new villain, someone who is maybe more sadistic than any of the Rogues (save for Joker). I thought about this antagonist kidnapping AK Eddie’s s/o and holding them hostage …

But with a twist.

Catwoman has nothing to do with this because she’s not evil, but I thought about the explosive collar Riddler put on her in Arkham Knight, and what if this antagonist -- to really mess with Eddie -- decides to put such a collar on his s/o? And Riddler has to show up and complete some tasks (dangerous puzzles and riddle-based traps most likely), or else, his s/o loses their head.

Of course, Eddie shows up because he’s panicking. This was never supposed to happen! Nothing was supposed to happen to his s/o. This is beyond anything Batman had ever done. This is so sinister, so vile, so abhorrent, Eddie can’t even begin to comprehend it. At first, he bargains, offering money, tech, robots, his hacking skills -- even offers himself up to wear the collar instead because he can’t take the sight of his beloved wearing something that could blow their head right off, right in front of him, and leave him emotionally and mentally broken for life.

But the antagonist doesn’t want to bargain, even when Eddie begs -- like, really begs to the point of tears, asking for mercy and pleading with the antagonist to let his s/o go free. They have nothing to do with any of Eddie’s work. They’re innocent, and they’re too important to him! He can’t let this happen!

The begging amuses the antagonist but once again, it’s not enough. Eddie has to do the challenges, and if he completes them all correctly, the collar comes off. If he messes up, then his s/o dies. Eddie reassures his s/o that everything will be just fine, he’s got this under control, they’ll be out of trouble in no time so don’t be afraid.

It’s difficult to not be afraid when you have a bomb around your neck and a sadistic psychopath with the trigger. As bad as Eddie can be, he’s not THIS malevolent. He has some humanity left in him. But this person, they’re just out there to make him suffer because it’s “entertaining” to watch him squirm. 

As you know, by this point in his life, Eddie is very mentally unstable and could have a mental breakdown if pushed even just a little too far. His s/o is the only thing keeping him grounded, the only reason he has to keep his sanity (or what’s left of it), and this is the only person who has ever cared for him despite the fact he knows he’s not worth it. If he loses his beloved, then what would he have left? There would be no recovery from such a thing.

So, Eddie completes the challenges, although he is internally freaking out the entire time, partly because he doubts himself and partly because he has no idea if the antagonist will just press the trigger and kill Eddie’s s/o without warning. By the time Eddie is done, he’s a nervous wreck and on the verge of a breakdown, but he hopes that, by enduring all this, by letting this person watch him squirm, sweat, beg, cry, and panic, that maybe it’s enough to end this madness without his s/o dying.

But the antagonist doesn’t care that Eddie completed all the tasks. In the end, it’s about making Eddie suffer horribly because watching a nearly broken man finally break -- shatter -- is the point of all this. So, the collar has a 30 second timer set, and as it counts down, Eddie obviously freaks out, hyperventilating as he tries to plead once again for his s/o’s life, offering himself up again in their place, and yet, it’s not enough (kind of reminding him how he was never enough for his father, even if he agonized over pleasing him). The antagonist just laughs at Eddie’s mental breakdown and tells him he better use the remaining time to say goodbye. And no funny business. If Eddie or his s/o attempt to remove or disarm the collar, then it will detonate. 

Eddie’s s/o, despite being terrified does their best to put on a brave face and they tell him it’s ok, it’s not his fault, just don’t look, look away, it will all be over soon, he has to keep going for them...Eddie doesn’t know what to do, and seeing as he now has 10 seconds left, he does the only thing he feels he can and should do, and he grabs his s/o despite their protests and holds them tight, crying and saying over and over how sorry he is, he’s so sorry. 

And the timer reaches zero on the collar.

There’s a soft click.

Then nothing.

No explosion. 

The antagonist bursts out laughing, confessing that the “bomb” is a dud, was never going to explode, and since both Eddie and his s/o were too distressed to think all this through, they never even considered this as a possibility. The collar has been unlocked and Eddie’s s/o just kind of sinks to their knees in complete shock, and he can’t believe what he’s seeing. At first, he’s confused, wondering if this is all some sort of twisted dream, then he’s relieved because his s/o is safe, then he’s angry because what the hell was this?! He vows to get revenge on the antagonist and throws the collar away as he all but screams in rage.

Now alone, Eddie remembers his s/o is still on the floor, pale as a sheet and unresponsive. Kneeling down, he asks if they’re ok, tells them they’re ok, that this was all some sort of sick joke. When his s/o snaps out of their daze, they get mad and push him away, yelling at him for being so foolish

“You were just going to let yourself die with me?!” they demand.

“Yes!” Eddie responds, too overwhelmed to even know how to respond to this. 

“Why? Why would you do that?”

“Because!”

“WHY?”

“Because I can’t go back to my old life! Not having known you! You think that I would just sink back into my old routine without a hitch? You think I would forget you? You think I’d just move on and live life normally? How could I do that? How? If I lost you, I’d have nothing, do you understand? Nothing. My life would be empty, more so than it’s ever been, and nothing could fill that void, not the way you do. No one has ever loved me, not even those who were supposed to! But you, you love me! I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t even deserve it, but you love me anyway. You make me feel valid, you make me feel like...like I exist, like I actually matter.”

His s/o is crying, and he’s crying, and they’re both going to be emotionally traumatized for a while. Sure, Eddie will get revenge but he’s also going to be having night terrors -- nightmares would be much better than what he experiences at night -- about his s/o dying in gruesome ways while is helpless to do anything. Sometimes, he won’t even be able to sleep because he doesn’t want those ghastly images in his head, and he’ll stay up holding his s/o as they (try) to sleep (they have nightmares of their own after this experience). 

He has to come to terms with his first real encounter with the threat of loss, a real loss. He never cared about anyone before because no one ever cared for him. He was used to being ignored, bullied and belittled, and he always had trouble trusting others because of how he was raised. He never had friends, never thought he would need friends because, well, he never had any. Forming emotional attachments was beyond him, as he never had such a relationship with his parents, and that is the first time children are supposed to experience attachment. If your parents don’t love you, you grow up feeling unloved, alone, and don’t understand what it’s like to be close to people, so you just push everyone away and look out for yourself. It makes you selfish just as much as it makes you feel lonely.

But now, Eddie has his s/o, someone who just kind of barged into his life and stole his heart despite his best efforts to not feel anything sentimental because being vulnerable meant he could get hurt, and he didn’t like the idea of forming an attachment only to have it ripped away from him due to the other person’s betrayal. In his eyes, love equals abuse, since that’s the only kind of “love” this Eddie seems to have ever experienced. 

It’s going to take a lot of time -- and patience -- for Eddie to deal with this, and he’s going to be watching his s/o like a hawk. They won’t be allowed to go anywhere alone, and definitely not at night. He’ll be very clingy, protective, maybe a little possessive but mostly protective. When he does eventually find a way to calm down, it will actually make him a stronger person emotionally, I think, because he will understand himself better, and he’ll understand the relationship he has with his s/o better. This experience has taught him -- in the most insane and unwelcomed way -- why his s/o is so vital to him, and while attachment like that is almost frightening because of the risk of loss, he doesn’t want to go back to his old life and be alone, being seen as some sort of joke by everyone in Gotham. He doesn’t want to go back to being isolated, left with only his thoughts to comfort him despite his dwindling sanity and self-esteem. He needs to have a reason to press on, and trying to be better than everyone just won’t do it anymore. He needs to be loved, loves to be loved, but is also thrilled to be able to give it in return, whatever the risks may be.

And you know the antagonist is going to be utterly destroyed by Riddlerbots. Or something. Something awful will happen to that person. We know that much.

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

Ugh, so let me know what you guys think! This is way out there in left field in terms of portrayal of Arkham Knight Eddie (or just Arkhamverse Eddie in general) but this idea has been stuck in my mind for so long now. Feedback is definitely encouraged and appreciated here because this is such an epic and crazy h/c. Constructive criticism is welcome. Just don’t be mean, please.

#arkham knight riddler #arkhamverse riddler #edward nigma #riddler #the riddler #edward nygma #riddler x o/c #edward nigma x o/c #riddler headcanon #riddler imagine #riddler h/c #edward nygma x oc

[reddie-fangirl24]

Losers Face the T-Rex at Jurassic Park (An IT Crossover)

NOTE: This is a crossover I thought up with the Losers in Jurassic Park in the scene where the T-Rex escapes from her paddock. I love writing crossovers! If anyone has suggestions for my future IT crossovers, let me know! Enjoy!

“Boo!” Richie jumped up onto the passenger side seat wearing these thick night vision goggles with a green glow, startling Stan and Eddie.

Richie laughed at Eddie, removing the goggles. “I told you that you screamed like a girl!”

“Where did you get those?” Stan asked sternly.

“They were in a box under my seat. Pretty cool, huh?” Riche responded checking out the goggles. 

“Are they heavy?” Stan asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“Then they’re expensive, so put them back before you break them!”

Richie scoffed, crawling his way into the back seat. “Sure, dad!”

Eddie lightly whacked his friend in the arm. “Don’t scare me! This place is giving me the creeps!” he said staring out the window at the thick dark jungle behind the fence. Rain pelted against the car. Now, the cars had been stopped for a while now. Why didn’t one of the adults go with them?

“What are you crying about? Your Grandfather owns one of the soon-to-be most popular dinosaur attractions in the world! The place is awesome!” Richie played around with the night vision goggles, excitedly exploring outside through the windows. He took a look into the other Explorer car which held their fellow remaining Losers.

“Is Bill actually drinking rainwater?” Richie laughed.

“Drinking rainwater does keep you hydrated,” Eddy commented.

“Bev looks bored out of her mind! Ben, man, you’re sitting right next to her! This is where you put your arm around her shoulder!”

“Rich, would you quit spying?” Stan warned him.

“Who put you as the parent in charge?” Richie retorted. He looked out at the goat which was still outside, standing behind a gate made up as bait for any dinosaurs.

Meanwhile, in the other car, Mike tapped at the car, trying to get a response from the computers. “Do you think I should check under the hood?”

“No, the cars moved on a track. It must be a technical difficulty,” Ben pointed out.

Bev looked out the window at the falling rain. She watched as water droplets race each other. Something about all this wasn’t right. The cars wouldn’t just stop. Today had been one of the most incredible days she could ever experience. First, she got to come back to Derry to visit her friends after a year. It was strange how at first she didn’t recognize Bill’s voice. And that was when everything came back to her from the summer before.

Dinosaurs. Real-life actual dinosaurs! None of this felt real. Eddie’s grandfather really wanted their opinion on this part to open it to the world?”

“D-Do you think we sh-should walk?” Bill proposed an idea. “It’s not that far to-to the g-gate, right?”

“No, Bill, we should stay put,” Beverly advised. “It’s raining.”

“And we don’t know what could be out there,” Mike pointed out. “I’m sure the power will turn on in a bit or Eddie’s grandfather will send some help.”

Time crawled by. It was getting later now. Stanley shut his eyes for a little rest as Eddie was in one of his long tangents about... well, whatever was on his mind as Richie kept looking out the window through the night vision goggles. That was when he... felt it.

Crawling towards the backseat, Richie pressed a hand against Eddie’s shoulder, interrupting him. “Do you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Eddie asked, looking up at his friend, alert. Oh, if this were a trick...

Without answering, the ground shook. No, it was not an earthquake. Glancing at two cups filled with water, at each moment that they heard something pound against the ground making the water ricocheted in perfect circular rings. This wasn’t good. 

“Maybe it’s the power trying to come back on,” Stanley tried to think positively, although he sounded scared.

Richie looked through the night vision goggles again. He looked out at the spot where the goat was. But, there was no goat. The chain that held the goat swung back and forth in the air without an owner. 

Eddie grabbed his inhaler in his pocket. “Where’s the goat?”

Something hit the window. Looking up, Stanley and Eddie gasped in disgust at the half-eaten bloody leg of the goat.

His mouth hanging open, Richie removed the night goggles to stare up at the gigantic, sharp-tooth T-Rex standing right behind the fence in which separated them. The creature devoured the goat in one thick gulp. And then it turned its head and looked right at him! Its claws clung to the fence. Di it... know that her electricity was off? Yes, it was smarter!

“Jeez, on jeez!” Stanley uttered in horror.

Turning around when they heard a door open, Stanley ran out of the car!

“Where the fuck is he going?” Eddie screamed.

Richie saw him run into a bathroom which was luckily close by. “Well, when ya gotta go, then you gotta go.”

Stanley locked himself in a stall. He was a sissy to run away! He kicked himself for doing that when his friends were in need. Losers stuck together after all. Something told him that it wasn’t a good idea to come here in the first place.

“Should we leave, too?” Ben asked when he saw Stan disappear into the bathrooms.

“No, we should stay put,” Bev told them. “It’s going to...”

Hearing this horrifying creak, the group witnessed the T-Rex biting through the wired that once kept her from escaping the paddock. The poles tumbled into the mud just inches from even hitting the cars. The T-Rex stomped out of her paddock, emitting this loud and terrifying roar that made their bones raddle.

“Oh, God...” Beverly shivered. Ben placed a calming hand against her shoulder. 

Bill’s heart pounded. “J-Just keep very very still...”

Eddie scrambled into the back of the car. Anything. There had to be something here to get the other car’s attention. Opening a suitcase, he found a flashlight. Bingo!

Turning it on, the flashlight had the opposite effect that Eddie was hoping for. The Losers noticed the frantic light, but so did the T-Rex who was already walking towards the light.

“Turn the light off. Turn the light off!” Mike gritted through his teeth.

Richie grabbed for the flashlight. “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Sorry!” Eddie cried trying to figure out how to turn it off.

“Turn it off!”

“That’s what I am trying to do!”

Hushing themselves, the T-Rex was right next to the car. The driver’s side door! It was open! Wow, Stanley didn’t even shut a door behind him.

Slowly, Richie crawled up to the front seat. He heard Eddie mutter something, but he ignored it. While the T-Rex was distracted, Richie reached out for the handle and shut the door. Unfortunately, the dinosaur heard and the creature snapped its head, staring at Richie with her ferocious eyes. Why-Why did those eyes look familiar, like another diabolical figure he knew all too well? 

Staying as still as statues, Richie just slightly turned his eyes to look at Eddie. The poor boy was shivering out of his skin. His breathing hitched, choking. The dinosaur peered in at them through the windows, staring right at Eddie who shined the light in her eyes.

“Nice move on the flashlight, dimwit!” Richie whispered.

“I didn’t know!”

Growling, the T-Rex studied the car. This gave time for the two to scoot as far back as they could. Then, thumping its mouth against the car, it dangerously rocked back and forth. Eddie screamed while Richie clung to whatever he could. What was she trying to do?

Richie climbed into the backseat, grabbing the flashlight from Eddie. “How dod you turn this thing off?”

“I don’t know!”

“How could you not know?!”

“Just find the button! It should be this one right...”

Right in sync, Eddie and Richie looked up to see the dinosaur plunging at them, breaking the glass window on the roof! It didn’t break into pieces, luckily. Screaming, Richie and Eddie could only hold the glass in front of them to avoid the T-Rex from grabbing them. What were they to do? Listening to Eddie scream in terror was bad enough, but it was the part about being helpless to do anything was what made Richie feel terrible and hopeless. 

Listening to the horrific echoes of their dear friends, the others were trying to figure out how to help their comrades if they could help them.

“We have to do something!” Ben yelled.

Beverly was already scrambled in the trunk trying to find something. Anything! “I got something!” She showed them a flare.

“Give it to me!” Bill ordered with a plan in mind.

“What are you going to do?” Mike asked him.

Now, the T-Rex capsized the Explorer making the two boys tumble with it! Pushing down on the car with her ginormous foot, she bit into the wheels. Muddy water pooled inside the car as Richie and Eddie struggled to do something.

“Richie!” Eddie hollered in fright and disgust. Were they going to drown? Oh, his mother would go insane if she were here!

Richie’s glasses were filthy that he could hardly see anything. “I’m here, Eds!” He called out to him.

Eddie managed to crawl over to his friend and grasped him as the seats, now above them, were slowly being crushed against them. The boys held each other tightly. “Don’t let go!”

“I got you! Just uh... think about your mom sniffing dog poo!”

“She doesn’t do that!”

Bill got out of the car, lighting the sparkler. “HEY!”

The T-Rex roared at him. This was insane! Here was attempting to battle a dinosaur. Sure, this nothing out of the ordinary. He battled against crazier things! 

Slowly, moving the flare around as if the dinosaur was a dog, the T-Rex actually fell for it, curiously watching the movement. Bill threw it as far as he could to the side. It proved to be the perfect distraction. The T-Rex went after it. Good, now he could help Richie and Eddie.

“Hey, hey!” Mike’s voice called out. Oh no, Bill thought to himself. Mike caught the dinosaur’s attention carrying a flare in his hand, too.

“Mike, freeze!” Beverly screamed at him. Ben held her back so she wouldn’t make a move to leap out of the car, too.

“G-Get rid of the flare!” Bill ordered.

“I got it under control!” The T-Rex changed her course, chasing after Mike who went into the direction where the bathrooms were.

“Mike, no!” Ben called out.

“Get rid of the flare!” Beverly called out to him.

Stanley felt the whole bathroom shaking. No, it was coming towards him?

Lucky for Mike, whose foot was bitten into, the T-Rex crashed into the small hut, destroyed it altogether. Mike was covered in the rubble, passing out from the pain. Stan ducked out of the way, hiding under a fallen stall. What was he to do now?

Bill fell to his knees, almost touching his head into the muddy ground to look into the mess of the car. He could just barely make out Richie and Eddie huddling together, crying. Eddie was gasping for breath.

“Hey, guys, I’m right here!” Bill told them, reaching his hand in. Beverly and Ben also arrived, falling to their knees to help.

Eddie looked up, his face completely filthy, but relieved. “Thank God!”

Richie pushed him towards the others. “Go on!”

“No, we go together!” Eddie begged, reaching for him. Bill already had his arm.

“I’m stuck! Don’t worry, I’ll get out of here!” Richie said trying to pry his foot from under one of the seats.

Eddie was pulled out, once again, mud pouring all over his face, even into his mouth. Ben sat him on his knees, helping him clean up, as Bill and Beverly helped Richie.

As soon as the mud was brushed out of Eddie’s eyes, he screamed. “GUYS!!”

Ben slapped a hand over his mouth. Bill and Beverly stayed perfectly still, holding hands.

Could the T-Rex really not see them if they were completely still? The dinosaur covered over them, its warm breath in their faces. Beverly shook. Its eyes. Why did they...

Right then, the dinosaur hit the car, turning it to the side, taking the Losers with it. Fortunately, it gave a new opportunity for them to hide as they were facing away from the creature. 

“Richie, are you okay?” Eddie asked, bending down to look into the broken windows.

“Yeah, I’m fine! My foot’s free. I can get...”

The T-Rex rammed its snout against the car, making the group back into the wall. The car was going to crush them! “Get up on the ledge!” Bill called out.

They all climbed up, nearly falling over into the paddock. The T-Rex wanted to drop the car all the way down there?!

“What do we do?”

“We have to get Richie! He’s still in there! We gotta help him!” Eddie cried. Ben was just holding him back from going to help his friend.

Bill looked around, spying a rope. “Climb onto my shoulders!” He told Bev. “Ben, take Eddie!”

Following orders, the Losers shimmied down the wall of the paddock as the car dangerously learned over, about to fall at any second.

“What are we going to do now? The car is going to hit us?” Beverly alerted.

There was another rope just off to the side, out of reach. “B-Beverly, Eddie, gr-grab the rope! Ben, we have to-to swing ourselves to that rope!”

“Huh?” Eddie was so pre-occupied about Richie still being in the car that was falling over the edge, several feet below them.

“Hey, Eddie, you’re choking me!” Ben croaked.

“S-Sorry!”

Traversing along the wall, it took a couple of tries until Bev grabbed the rope just as the car came careening into the paddock, landing in a tree.

The T-Rex let out another ear-piercing roar and then stomped off.

Making it to the ground, some members of the group cleaned off by a nearby tunnel spewing water. Eddie was trying to breathe. Bill walked up to the tree which held the car up in the branches like an apple. The headlights were still on.

“Richie? H-Hey, Richie?! Are you okay?” Bill called out.

No answer.

Eddie walked up to the tree, shaking, his breath hitched. “We gotta go help him!”

“What about Stan and Mike?” Beverly asked, noticeably shaken.

“Should we go help them?” Ben asked.

“N-No, first we help Richie, and then tog-together we go see if Stan and M-Mike are okay! You guys, w-wait here, hide, and I’ll go get Richie.”

“I’m going with you!” Eddie stepped in.

“No, Eddie, you should...”

“I’m going with you, Bill! I have to see if he’s okay. Besides...” he paused. “What if he’s hurt?”

With no more questions, Bill and Eddie climbed up the tree as Beverly and Ben hid in the tunnel. What was going to happen now?

Getting closer as they climbed the tree, there was no sign of movement in the car. “Richie?” Eddie called out. Right when he was close enough to look in, huddled up in the corner of the passenger side of the car was Richie, shivering and sniffling. 

Bill opened the door which was tricky at this vertical angle.

“Rich, are you okay? Say something!” Eddie gently said to him.

Slowly, Richie lifted his head to reveal his tear-streaked face. “I fuckin’ threw up...”

Both their faces fell at seeing their usually uppity and energetic friend look so sad and scared. Bill reached in touching the wheel to get a better grasp, inadvertently touching the wheel. 

“Come on, Rich, it’s going to be okay. Let’s get out of here,” Bill urged him.

Richie just stared at him. “W-What are we going to do?”

“Stick together, Rich! We’ll find Stan and Mike and then we’ll get back to my Grandpa’s!” Eddie said to him with a smile.

The young man still didn’t show any signs of moving. It was starting to scare them.

That’s when Eddie had an idea. “Hey, Rich?”

Richie made eye contact with him as another tear fell.

“Who do you think is smarter? That T-Rex or your mom? I’d have to say the T-Rex!”

And finally, Richie movie, grabbing Bill’s hand and climbed out of the car. “Just you wait and see who’s smarter!”

Now, they had to get out of the tree. Slowly, climbing down the branches, the three easily made progress getting closer to the ground. “I’m never climbing trees ever again!” Richie said.

Just then they heard a snap. Oh no, the car was going to fall. Scrambling, as the branches broke Bill, Richie, and Eddie hurried down each branch. Getting his foot stuck, Eddie thought he was about to get killed just as the branch above him stopped the car from colliding with him.

“Come on!” Bill urged, helping Eddie.

Just as they got out of the tree, the car landed on the ground, tipped over, and the three boys fell in the line where the hole was in the car, as it smashed to the ground.

Beverly and Ben ran out of the tunnel. “Bill?! Are you guys okay?”

“Well we’re back in the car again,” Richie lightly jabbed, catching his breath. 

“At least you’re out of the tree,” Bill said looking at the bright side.

#Jurassic Park #It 2017 #It Movie #IT Fanfiction #Reddie #Stozier #Benverly #Billverly #bill denbrough #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #Stanley Uris #Mike Hanlon #ben hanscom #Beverly Marsh #Reddie fanfiction

[rydenstories]

A Spiral Staircase

REDDIT

My Grandma lived out in the country. Not the real country, with farms and cornfields. Just far enough away from the city that the houses are a good football field away from one another, with expansive backyards. Mom always said she felt we needed the space to run free, though we both knew it was just an excuse for her to drop us off for months at a time, obligation free. We were rambunctious kids, my sister Amanda and I, without a care in the world and so we spent those summers running all over the place.

Along with our energy, we were blindly friendly to everyone, despite most of the surrounding residents being more than a little annoyed with our presence, running through people's yards. Grandma's right side neighbors, though, were very kind to us. I had always found myself personally interested in their house, being much larger and newer than anything I'd ever even set foot in. I also knew there were children over there, though they rarely came outside to play. It was actually their father, Isaac, who initially invited us through Grandma to meet his children.

My sister and I and chased each other across the large field between the two houses. Isaac waved from his porch and as we grew closer and I noticed the two children behind him. Twins, a little girl and boy, who's names I learned were Eloise and Edward. They started off shy, but soon warmed up to us. Isaac suggested that we play in the yard. Both children looked at their father with a surprised look before booking it excitedly off the porch, yelling for us to follow them.

This started a friendship that, although only lasted only a few weeks, felt years old fairly quick. Both children, who my sister and I called simply The Twins, were quiet but incredibly intelligent. Mature. Knowing. They could both be bratty, having been home-schooled and sheltered most of their lives, but it didn't show often. It didn't take long after that initial play-date for the Twins to start staying over at our grandma's house nearly all the time. However, we'd never been to their house. My sister asked a few times during the early days. Either of them would just shrug it off.

"It's nothing special. We don't have a lot of stuff, and there isn't much to do. It's much more fun at your house anyway."

We'd correct them; it was our grandma's house, not home.

Mom hadn't been back to even visit in weeks. Hadn't even heard from her, at least not until she called my grandma up, near the end of July, and needed bailed out of jail. Grandma argued with her on the phone for a while before hanging up and frantically calling people in her phone-book, looking for ANYONE that could watch us while she tended to her business. Soon, she found herself walking us across the lawn with Amanda and I in tow, knocking on the back screen door, and politely asking Isaac to keep an eye on us. He hesitated but ultimately agreed and let us into the house. "Remove your shoes, please! I'll be in my office. It's by the kitchen, so if you need anything, just holler for me!"

Stepping into the door, I scanned the room and realized that the twins were right; there really wasn't anything in their house. Not even a TV set. Two white couches, a glass coffee table, and a plain grey rug. It all seemed nice but kind of.... bland. The room was far too large to be so empty, too. Isaac called to the kids, who jogged up from around a corner. Their faces lit up when they saw us. "Oh my gosh! Hi!"

Soon they were leading us around and showing us everything. Each room was very clean and mostly empty, aside expensive and bland furniture. The Twins led us to the den and something immediately caught my eye; at the corner of the room, a metal spiral staircase both rose into the upper level of the house and plunged into the depths of the basement. Without thinking about it, I exclaimed "Wow! That sure is pretty!" Eddie stopped and the rest of the group did, too.

"Yeah. It's really nice. My mommy had it put in when we moved here. There's another staircase in the hall but that one was hers. It leads right up into her bedroom and down into...." He trailed off for a moment. "Where her craft-room used to be."

Obviously, even as a naive kid, this all struck me as odd. I'd never seen or heard about their mom and this definitely didn't seem like a crafty-mom house. "Your mom?"

Ellie answered this time. "She left. She didn't like us anymore."

I immediately caught the frown that struck my sister's face and knew I probably wore a similar one. Both of us knew that feeling. We tried our best to pretend we didn't get that feeling, but we did. Kids aren't much to dwell on sour subjects, though, because the twins immediately moved on from it and so did we.

"Anyway, we aren't allowed to use it. Too dangerous, daddy says. Plus, we don't really wanna go down into that basement, either." Before I could ask why, the twins were already walking towards the swirling staircase and gesturing for us to follow. My sister stayed behind but I followed and looked down into the hole in the floor.

The basement was a stark contrast to the bareness of the rest of the house. Even from what little I could see, the entire place was packed floor-to-ceiling with absolute junk, filling giant clear and multi-colored plastic tubs stacked on top one another. "Who's stuff is it?"

With the statement, I looked back and realized that Eddie and I were the only two left in the room. Ellie must have noticed my sister's discomfort and led her to the next room. Eddie was quiet for a minute, almost searching for an answer. "I really don't know. Dad's I guess." And with that, it was as if the thought was out of his mind, because he turned away from the staircase and continued on his tour of the house. Nothing else stuck out like that staircase, and no other room had the same kind of insane clutter as that basement seemed to have.

The Twin's bedroom was large and about as plain as the rest of the house, though it definitely had more in it than all the other rooms (leaving out the basement) combined. The children owned dozens of books and puzzles. Ellie had an impressive collection of porcelain dolls that my sister couldn't keep her eyes off of, while Eddie's pride was a heavy stone chess table with perfect little glass pieces. They definitely had more than I expected, but I could see why they found our more modern toys had a wider appeal.

Still, we found fun easily. Both mothers and other oddities were out of our minds for hours as we played pretend and Eddie taught me how to play chess. Without notice, much of the day had passed and I eventually had to use the restroom. I tried to remember where it was but failed and had to ask the Twins. "Aw man, you forgot already?! I told you, the main bathroom is busted so you'll have to use the one in my mom & dad's room. It's just down the hall."

I asked one of them to go with me but they both laughed and asked if I was serious. Embarrassment washed over me and I quietly led myself out of the room.

Isaac's bedroom door was open wide and I could see the staircase from the hallway. I entered the room and veered off to the bathroom, which had a huge jacuzzi tub that had clearly never been used. After finishing my business, I exited the bathroom and began to leave before my curiosity stopped me and the staircase caught my eye again. Isaac had told us he'd be in his office, I told myself. He wouldn't notice or care if I just went down the staircase and into the den. I could run right back up and nobody would even know!

There wasn't even a question in my mind before my feet started moving and my hand went for the cold, metal rail. I almost expected a loud, rusted creaking sound when I put the first bit of my weight onto the top step but found the entire thing to be surprisingly stable and quiet. Immediately, being on the thing felt dreamy and the quick trek down was suddenly taking much longer as I studied the design of each step as my foot landed on it. Before I knew it, I was in the living room, and staring into a deep, crowded hole. I snapped back to the moment and realized that I probably needed to go back up before I got into trouble.

Before I could turn and escape back up the stairs, the low sound of humming coming from below caught my attention and I froze in place. Shoot. I'd been caught and my grandma would not be happy to hear that I'd been misbehaving when she was already so stressed. The humming continued, quiet and sad. I actually look back now and recognize the song as If Tomorrow Never Comes by Garth Brooks, though at the time I only felt it was extremely familiar. Somehow, my brain began to reason that the Twins had lied, and their mother really was around, in her craft room. Again, my feet began to move before my brain could put reason behind the steps and I was descending into the basement.

Almost immediately, I knew that my initial suspicions were wrong as soon as I hit the landing. The basement was much too dark for anyone to see anything down there. The walls of filled containers seemed even higher and more close together than they did from upstairs, but formed a path that led deeper into the basement. On the floor, I noticed literally dozens of moth balls spilled everywhere, a familiar scent that I picked up the moment I'd entered the house but couldn't place until then. Up close, the smell seemed almost enough to knock a full grown adult out, but I ignored it as the humming continued from somewhere in the darkness. I started following the sound and called out, sorta clumsily, "Hello? Uh, Eddie and Ellie's mom? I'm sorry to come down here it's just-"

I turned a corner in what now began to seem like a maze of junk and the humming halted, cutting off my speech and stopping me in my tracks. The manufactured corridor was nearly pitch black without the illumination from upstairs, though a little light still leaked through the cracks between containers. I stood there in silence for a moment before the humming picked up again, which seemed less pretty now and more labored, sour notes coming between low whimpers. I started feeling for the walls, continuing into the basement and towards the sound. I gasped after almost slipping on a large cluster of mothballs and the humming stopped yet again. The moment was much shorter and the humming never resumed. Instead, I heard someone softly gasp, then one of the loudest cracks I have ever heard in my life, like stomping on million dried branches.

Startled, I froze again for a long time, my curiosity dropping for a moment and reality reminding me that I was deep within somewhere I wasn't allowed to be. Before my good sense could make me turn around, something crashed somewhere in the basement. Pink light leaked through cracks on the far side of the basement. Again, everything sensible retreated to the back of my mind and I slowly began making my way through the zig-zag of big tupperware tubs and junk. Too much junk, I started to think as I turned the final corner.

Nobody was down there, but it was clear that one of the topmost containers had been opened and something had fallen out. It was a little music box with a bright pink light inside. I suddenly felt stupid, realizing that the music I heard could have easily come from this, although it didn't make much sense and the quiet tune didn't match. I walked over and picked it up. A container lid sat next to it. I grabbed it as well and recoiled at the foul smell that stuck to it, unbelievably somehow cutting through the raw stench of mothball.

On the other end of the row, there was the normal staircase that led up into the kitchen. It was clear at the other end of the house and even Isaac would notice, his office was right next to the kitchen. I didn't care anymore, though. It would be better than trekking all the way back in the dark, and they were gonna notice my absence regardless.

I picked up the lid and music box again, holding them far away from me as I searched for and spotted the tupperware container they likely belonged to at the very top of a stack. Somehow feeling a naive sense of courage after all of that, I began trying to climb up to put them back. Soon, I found myself standing on the very edge of a container and reaching with all of my might to just tip the little music box into the bin. After a moment or two, I was finally able to push it over, but not without my fingers catching the edge of the open bin. The surprise made me lose my balance and soon I was falling backwards. My caught hand pulled the bin down with me as the momentum caused my legs to knock the others I'd been standing on forward.

The contents of the container hit hard and heavy, causing my head to smack the ground. My vision blacked out and I laid there, feeling woozy. The smell from the container hit harder as well and I fought the pain and nausea.

I closed my eyes for a while, listening for an adult or one of the other children to inevitably come find me but as a few moments passed in silence, I started trying to move myself. Something heavy laid on top of my chest. I finally opened my eyes and my vision started coming back. As they adjusted, I realized almost immediately that a pair of glassed-over eyes were staring back at me. A girl, frozen stiff in the fetal position, lay on top of me, head laying lax over my shoulder, peering straight into my soul. Panic rose and I began to scream.

Fighting pain, I scrambled out from underneath the tiny dead girl, though I had trouble standing up. One of the other containers had also been knocked open, a much more decayed woman slumped out, feet bent unnaturally close to her face. The contents of another had clearly been jostled and I could see wispy black hair poking through the junk packed around the poor girl I knew was inside. Another scream rose but caught as the creaking of the basement door caught my attention and light from above spilled over decay.

Isaac looked in shock at the scene below him, covering his mouth to stifle a gasp before stepping backwards and running away to somewhere else in the house. The man was caught.

I froze there for a moment, having seen enough horror movies even at that age to know that he would probably be coming back with a knife or something. I really didn't want to be in that basement anymore. The girl with the glassy eyes stared blankly into me, and I finally pulled myself up off the floor, I weighing my options. I could go back, through the dark, and return to the spiral staircase or I could chance the set of stairs in front of me.

The sound of movement from above, in the kitchen, made the decision for me.

It took me another short moment to make myself go back through the zig-zags of variously colored tubs, frightened of what was probably inside, but fear of being killed overcame the fear of those who'd already met the same fate and I started running, only looking down at the floor below me to avoid slipping on mothballs. My vision was limited, though, and I fell a few times though I tried my best not to knock any more containers over. The scent of death had already almost completely overwhelmed the pungent mothball smell.

Through the persistence of fear, I'd almost gotten to the looming spiral staircase when a creak came from the other side of the basement.

I froze as Isaac called out "Helloooooo?" and began descending the stairs. Each footfall felt like a punch in the chest as I struggled to snap myself out of it and get moving again. I'd only need to pass through one more narrow passage and then turn the corner. I did my best to move quietly, quickly, but while still avoiding the mothballs. One fall could be it for me.

"You're not in trouble. I just want to talk. I promise." His voice was fake-gentle, almost sarcastic and annoyed. It made my heart race faster and faster. Still, I did my best to control my breathing, keeping low and quiet as I passed container after container, wondering again if they all held the same horror.

From upstairs, I could hear Amanda and the Twins calling out my name. Isaac had heard it, too, because I could no longer hear his footfalls on the concrete floor. By then, I was inching around the last corner. I peeked behind me one more time and saw someone sticking their head out at the end of the corridor. At first, I thought it might be Isaac - about to close the distance between us.

Then, I saw those glassy eyes. A shush escaped her decaying lips and she disappeared back into the darkness. I couldn't stop it - I just started to scream. Staying quiet, playing it safe, had completely gone out the window. Swear to God, I practically launched myself around the corner and towards the towering staircase, somehow avoiding the last of the mothballs without even trying. I ascended the twisting steps as quickly as my sore legs could take me. I couldn't bring myself to look back to see if the dead girl or Isaac were in pursuit, just keeping my eyes upward as the living room slowly came back into view. Amanda stood across the room, in the doorway. The Twins were nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing? What did you do?"

Before I could respond, there was a loud but quick gasp from below. The noise itself practically propelled my body forward. I grabbed Amanda by the wrist and we ran back to grandma's house. Nobody followed. My sister continued to protest and beg for an explanation, but I said nothing as I grabbed the corded phone off the receiver and dialed 9-1-1.

It took a moment to get the dispatcher to take me seriously, believing at first that it was nothing more than a prank call. Eventually, I suppose the details were too much to ignore and the woman said she'd send a car over. She kept me on the phone while we waited, instructing me to lock both the front and back doors, and to stay away from the windows until we saw the blue and red lights of the cop car. By that time, Amanda had also realized that I wasn't joking and began to softly cry. "What if he hurts the twins? What if he hurts Ellie and Eddie?" I worried for them as well, but fear overcame worry.

Soon, we saw the flashing lights and watched from the front window as two cop cars came down the street, one pulling into our driveway and another continuing down to turn into Isaac's driveway. Our officer was a girl - short with light blonde hair tied high in a ponytail. She asked questions and I tried my best to give detail, but it was hard to focus as more cop cars pulled past, then an ambulance, then two. There would also be news vans, but that wouldn't come until later, when the word got out that a serial killer had been living among the quiet houses of that rural neighborhood.

Though not every tupperware contained a body, it was difficult to accept how many brutal murders he'd gotten away with. 15 women and girls, each with broken necks, over the span of six years. Isaac was smart - he'd put together the perfect cover family, only getting rid of his wife when she started to wise up to his awful deeds. He was charming, no doubt about it. Had my childhood curiosity not gotten the best of me, who knows how many more lives he'd end?

Speaking of lives ending - Isaac was found among the bodies that night, in the basement. Died of a heart attack, though there were whispers that his neck had been broken. The twins had locked themselves in their bedroom. Their father had taught them to do so whenever they heard commotion in the basement. They never knew what was taking place below the floors of their eerily bare home.

Somehow, our traumatic experience was enough to finally sober our wayward mother and tether her down. That was certainly the last time we ever had to stay with Grandma long term, and even in adulthood, I still avoid long visits if I can. The house still stands empty, unsellable with a reputation that so far precedes it, and I can barely look at it for fear that those glass eyes will be peeping out of the window.

#my story #mine #writing #creepypasta #nosleep #short horror story

[moonstone-blues]

Fallout 4 AU: October 24th

If you guys remember, a while ago I quickly sketched up an idea of a modern/what if the bombs didn't drop Fallout AU for FOCCA (I'll get round to finishing the rest of the submissions eventually.)

Well, I've been doing some thinking and just wanted to share my notes on how the story would go. (This is my own personal interpretation.) 

For now, the name is October 24th. Although the main story takes place after that, the name is supposed to symbolise that we're after the day of reckoning and everything is fine… mostly.

Be warned: This is a long one. 

Story:

Okay so the story starts on the Morning of October 23 2077. Everything is the same as in game. River and Jack do their thing, joking around and making sure they look good. Shaun in this story is older, being around eight years old. (This is because I wanted to keep the 10 year old Shaun element and he can't be an old man in this version.) The television continues playing the usual news and… The bombs never fall. Not a single detonation. The McConnell family continue on with their day and attend the event at the Veteran's Hall. 

When they go home, that night as they're sleeping, Kellogg breaks in and attempts to kidnap Shaun. In the struggle, Jack is shot dead and River is attacked, being knocked into a coma. This coma lasts a year with nearly another year of physical and mental therapy to go through before she returns home. Upon realising they never found Shaun or Jack's killer, she sets up on her own, trying to find her son and avenge her husband. The story beats are obviously very similar but adapted to be more modern. Synths are now clones because I felt like synths would be too Sci fi for this story. 

Factions:

The Minutemen - A kind of neighbourhood watch organisation. Funded by the army, they were supposed to try and keep the peace, without using violence. Thus made sure the military had all of their soldiers back so they could fight. However, after some fighting within the organisation and the military suddenly cutting off funding, things quickly went downhill from there. 

The BOS - This is simply the army. After the shut down of the Minutemen, a new group was made, the Brotherhood of Steel. These were soldiers sent by the military to patrol Boston, much like how they did before the Minutemen. However, since the threat of war is now gone, they have the soldiers to spare and want to show off their muscle to intimidate the people. 

The Institute - I'm still not entirely sure about the synths being clones instead things so this one is really up for debate. My thoughts so far are that the Institute still kidnaps people. They harvest their organs and make a clone to send off to replace the original person. I know, not the best idea. But I was thinking about what they would do with the kidnapped people that seemed justified in their minds? Well, they still have the same belief that humanity is doomed with the way it's going. Rioting, corrupt governments and the rest. They replace people with clones of themselves, engineered to behave. And they kill and harvest the organs of the original person and send them to hospitals for people who can't get organ donations because they're too low on the list. In their minds, they're getting rid of corrupt people, replacing them with people who they see as being better for society and giving people who may not have one a chance at life. They're technically doing good, but they are killing people. They still work out of the CIT but in secret laboratories.

The Railroad - Very similar to their in game selves. A secretive organisation dedicated to setting clones free and stopping the Institute. 

Characters:

Dogmeat - A stray dog that kept turning up on River's doorsteps during the first couple of weeks she stays at home. She eventually takes him in, being reminded of her other dog that ran away. She calls him Biscuit. 

Codsworth - Mostly the same. A faithful robot butler mourning the loss of two of his masters and constantly worrying over River. He makes sure she takes all of her medicine and never let's her miss an appointment. 

Preston - An ex Minuteman who spends most of his free time handing out fliers that promote it and tries to get people to sign a petition to bring the Minutemen back. His efforts are mostly in vain until he meets River after being attacked in an alleyway. 

Piper - The same noisy reporter working for the Boston Bugle. Known for her sometimes controversial articles and her willingness to do anything for a story. She's very interested in River since the kidnapping of her son seemed to be the beginning of all of what she believes to be the Institute's kidnappings. At first River wants to stay away from her as Piper is particularly intruding in her life but accepts her help. 

Nick - After the original Nick Valentine went for his brain scan, he was disposed of. The new Nick was made with Nick's DNA but due to the fact that the cloning technology had only just started being put to use, it wasn't perfect. He wasn't a complete copy of the original Nick and he was more than aware that he wasn't actually the original. At first he was loved up, the scientists not knowing what to do with him, but eventually Nick was broken out with the help of DIMA. He tried explaining that to 'his' boss and coworkers but they said he was mad. Eventually, Nick quit the police, feeling like he hadn't deserved to be there in the first place. After all, a man was murdered so he could live. He roamed the streets, no clue of what to do. He eventually found his way at the original Nick's home, still covered in evidence against Eddie Winters. Eventually, people started knocking on his door. They knew Nick Valentine was a great cop and did his job damn well. So when the police started ignoring missing person cases they came to him. Nick would've refused but without a job, he had no money to live. He begrudgingly accepted a job from someone in high power. (The same missing person case he dealt with in the original game but without the hilarious beeping part.) When he succeeded, he was overcome with a passion to help people. He stopped feeling sorry for himself and officially turned his place into Valentine Detective Agency. With the knowledge of his big case, people came to him from all over for help and he continued to give it to them. He had his lower right arm, some of his face, some parts generally all over damaged when one of Eddie Winter's men planted a bomb in his mailbox. He only placed his hand in so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. He did need everything below his left elbow removed and he now has a prophetic arm and eye. River Meets Nick when she rescues him from Mafia boss, Skinny Malone. 

Hancock - John and his brother came from a poor family. Honest but poor. Living in a bad part of town, their parents tried to instill good values into them despite their circumstances. Unfortunately, neither really took it to heart. They were still a happy family, doing the best they could, even taking trips to museums as a treat. As they grew up, John found himself in a lot of trouble. Joining gangs, drinking, doing chems. However, his brother was going places. He worked hard, eventually becoming assistant to the mayor. However, once it was found out the mayor was using taxpayer's money to build his own luxurious vault, he was kicked out of office. With a position to fill, Hancock's brother worked hard. His campaign was brutal. His major promise was to move the poor people to the opposite side of Boston so they couldn't bother the more wealthy. This also meant they would be receiving less help from tax payers and left to fend for themselves. The people, after having plenty of money taken off them for years, loved this plan. He won at a landslide. John was furious. He thought with their situation, his brother wouldn't dream to hurt those who could barely afford to live. But his brother still carried it out. He left the promise of a cushy life with his brother and decided to live with the less fortunate. It wasn't the best situation but anywhere would've been better than with his brother. The particular section of Boston was horrible. Mostly lawless, police not even wanting to go near the place. It was a dog eat dog kind of town. Eventually, a mob boss named Vic overtook the town, making himself the leader. Forcing people to pay for protection or they would be beat. John watched every day. Despite wanting nothing to do with him, the mayor still gave John protection. He hated it. Being treated better than everyone else who was suffering. He got insanely wasted one night, feeling horrible for the protection he got and the way he ignored Vic's actions. He needed things to change. He couldn't stand the man he saw in the mirror. He poured his remaining bear over himself and set himself on fire. Most of the damage was on the left side of his body, mostly burning his face so that he was hardly recognisable. After putting the flames out, he broke into one of the museums he loved so much as a kid. He remembered learning about the men that built America. It was when he looked up at the coat of John Hancock that he decided enough was enough. After a very long trip to the ER with a very expensive medical bill his brother paid off, he went back to the town with a crew who hated Vic and challenged him directly. He managed to kill Vic, albeit not as barbaric as he does in the game, and took over the town. Vic's old crew feared John's strength and left the people alone. Hancock stepped up to be the leader, officially naming the town Goodneighbor. He even changed his name to John Hancock, fully separating himself from his brother and becoming his own person. He runs it mostly the same as he does in the game. River meets him after going into Goodneighbor with Nick following a lead on her case. 

MacCready - Grew up in an orphanage in DC. He was roped into criminal activity at a young age. When he met his wife, Lucy, he claimed he was military being deployed in many places when he was off committing crimes. When his son was a few years old, Lucy was killed by a pack of rabid wolves when he didn't check out a camping spot. Duncan eventually became sick so MacCready moved to Boston with him after hearing that Med Tek was working on a cure. Unfortunately, that meant that Duncan had to live in the Facility and the cost to keep him safe and quarantined was high. MacCready works odd jobs, even stooping to criminal activity to help his son. He meets River after she hires him to help with doing some shady things since he knows his way around a lock and he's good protection. 

Curie - Curie's 'father' Kenneth Collins works as a scientist in the CIT. While he isn't aware of the Institute, he had a friend in it who he confided in about how he was sad he could never have a child since he was alone and old. This friend wanted to surprise him one day and using his connections, managed to get the Institute to create a clone for him. They created an amalgamation of personalities, most intelligent and scientific and put it in a young woman. This became Curie. Collins quickly figured out that his friend must've been part of the Institute. After all, the rumours were largely spread around the CIT building. He kept Curie a secret, knowing how suspicious it would be for a random woman with no records of anything suddenly popping up. She stayed in mostly total isolation, learning everything she could about everything to do with science. While she did very rarely step outside her home only under the supervision of her father, she still didn't understand a lot and yearned to be outside to explore and study. Eventually, the Institute found out that their 'property' had been given away. Kenneth was killed and Curie remained trapped, locked in her room. River meets her after walking past her house, hearing her bang on her window. She eventually gets her out of the house and with nowhere else to go and no clue of what the outside world is like, River offers her guidance. 

Danse - A Brotherhood member who is very patriotic and eager to defend the people and his country. However, despite his love for his country, he hates how the country is run. Despite the threat of nuclear war disappearing, Danse believes that America has become too relaxed and lazy, expecting everyone else to do the work. He believes the military are the only people pulling their weight and the American people need to wake up. He was replaced with a clone shortly after being deployed in Boston. River meets him when she comes across a small riot going on in the street between Danse's small squad and some members of the Minutemen. She steps in and resolves the situation. Danse is, of course, mistrustful since they were her people and he doesn't know if the Minutemen are a threat yet. However, River offers her help, guilty that Minutemen were involved in riots and Danse finds her to be quite useful for his mission. 

Deacon - He was always a con man, weaseling his way into situations for his own benefit. However, he was also very troubled by the growing tensions between America and China. He joined a group that were against the Chinese and harassed any they met, even lynching a young man. Deacon left the group after this, being disgusted by his involvement and soon met the love of his life, Barbara. A Chinese-American woman. Despite some lingering feelings of fear and hatred, he eventually came to love her, growing out of his previous beliefs. They were happy together, even wanting to have a child together, however, before they had the chance, his old group found out about the pair and reported Barbara to be a Chinese spy, taking her away forever to what Deacon assumed to be her death for sure. Using his skills as a master of disguise and a con man, he managed to ruin every single one of their lives. The least someone got was being put in prison for life. He felt empty after he had his revenge. He didn't know what to do with himself. That's when he heard about the Railroad. A group dedicated to helping people. Deacon found his new cause. He may not be able to protect everyone but he could at least try to protect some. River meets him when she finds the Railroad, looking for their help. However, Deacon has had his eye on her for much longer than that. 

Cait - Her parents abused her much like in the game. After she turned 18, her parents made her work on the streets to get money for their drinking, drugs and debts. Cait was isolated most of her life with the abuse and didn't know what she could've done to escape. Eventually her parents revealed their debt was too great to be paid off by Cait being on the street. So, as part of a deal she wasn't aware of, she was forced into an underground cage fighting ring. The owner of the ring itself was Tommy who was sympathetic towards Cait but the real people in control were the gang that took over, the people Cait's parents owed money too. She was forced to stay there under a contract, her only option to fight. River Meets her accidently when she wanders into a bad part of town and uses her legal knowledge to get Cait out of her contract. 

Strong - Armstrong was the youngest out of six brothers. With his parents dying too young for him to remember, he was raised by his brothers, being abused and neglected by them. He was looked in his room most days and given the scraps of food. His brothers would fight them, knowing he was a weak target. Armstrong became stronger this way. Eventually, he escaped from his home. However, due to his lack of socialisation and education, he couldn't find work. Fortunately, he eventually found a free education program for adults. There, he was taught by radio personality Rex Goodman about literature. Macbeth stuck with him especially. Rex offered him work in his studio, hauling equipment but Armstrong still doesn't have the best socialisation and Rex doesn't get to spend as much time with him to teach him. River Meets Armstrong after she is invited on Rex's radio show to talk about her son. River feels bad for Armstrong and after some explanation about his life from Rex, River offers to help Armstrong and educate him in her free time. 

X6-88 - A clone working as security for the Institute scientists. During the times the Institute scientists are not working, he works as a security guard at the CIT. He also brings in any clones who figure out they're clones. River first meets him when she enters the CIT looking for answers after she gets clues that the CIT is where the Institute is.

DiMA - Dima was the Institute's first attempt at creating life without the use of cloning. He was put with Nick who was the first attempt at creating life with the use of cloning and the two formed a bond with their imprisonment. They even considered themselves brothers. However, with Dima's lack of an imported personality, he tended to be quite unemotional, something the Institute would take advantage of when making their security. However, Dima could tell how much Nick was suffering and wanted to freeze him. He himself wanted to be free too, of course, but he wanted his brother to be happy more than anything. He eventually helped him escape but something happened. Nick was injured in the escape, causing him to lose most of his memory of the Institute and Dima. Dima was scared, especially since his brother didn't recognise him anymore so he fled. He hoped to see him again some day but he would wait for Nick to find him. 

Obviously there's more characters and stuff but this is what I've thought of so far.

Feel free to ask questions or request something about this! 

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout au

[reddiesetandgo]

A Hornet is the Best Wingman

My gift to @mrs-vh for the @it2ficexchange! I hope you like it, honey, I just shoved all of our favorite ships into it! It’s really just lots of fluff and pining! 

Summary: The Losers return to Derry the summer before their senior year of college. As they celebrate Georgie, they are ambushed by some angry bugs who force them closer together in ways they never expected.

Pairings: Stanlon, Reddie, Benverly, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips

Word Count: 3,480

Warnings: Bug mentions, sprained ankle, swearing, dummies who don’t know how to confess

Read on AO3!

~

“And then-” Georgie continued, looking to each Loser as he spoke. “At the last second, I took off running towards the goal. My friends were screaming for me, they were shouting ‘behind you, Georgie! She’s right behind you!’ but I knew I could make it.” He looked to Eddie, who had been texting him running tips since he made the Lacrosse team, sent him a wink and he smiled, pushing forward. “The goal was right there, my arm was outstretched, the ball cradled in my net, and I could hear Penny’s foot steps hitting the ground behind mine! So I gave it everything I had and threw the ball towards the goal! The goalie missed it by an inch. WE WON!”

The Losers howled and hollered with excitement, each of them rushing forward to congratulate him.

“Atta boy, Georgie!” Beverly called out, ruffling his hair as Mike and Richie lifted him into the air on onto Mike’s shoulder. “The Lacrosse champion of Derry, we knew you could do it, buddy!”

“We are the Champions, my friiiiends,” Bill and Stan began in unison and seconds later they were all singing and cheering. It wasn’t long before Georgie was laughing so hard he could barely take in any air. He tapped Mike who leaned down and he slid off his shoulder with ease.

“Next time you have a championship we want to know about it, got it?” Stan stated, serious but kind.

He nodded his head, “Got it.” And they pounded fists as a promise.

“Okay, so what are the celebratory plans, then?” Eddie asked, leaning onto Georgie’s shoulder and looking to Bill.

“Richie had a few ideas I think. Rich?”

Their heads turned to a surprisingly quiet and still Richie who was staring at the ground close to Mike and Beverly. “Uh, earth to Rich?” she questioned before following his gaze.

They all leaned down and narrowed their eyes trying to see what had Rich suddenly so spooked.

“It’s a-“

“A wasp?” Ben questioned, concerned. “Rich, it’s just a wasp, it won’t hurt you.”

“THAT,” he whispered, “is a HORNET.”

“So?” Bill asked, watching the easily angered insect as its wings retracted.

Richie swallowed thickly, eyes flashing up towards Bill. “What do you mean ‘so’?” His eyes shot back to the hornet as their feet. “They smell your fear and they will follow you. We gotta go. Like, yesterday. Everyone back away slowly.”

Stan laughed, but kept a watchful eye on the thing as it crawled in circles through the grass. “Afraid of that tiny thing are you?”

Richie took a step back, hands reaching out on either side of him for Ben and Eddie. “These things have nests, dude. There is never just one!” Eddie didn’t move, but Ben let Richie grab at his wrist. “Okay, Rich, we can go,” he said calmly. The others hadn’t caught on just yet, but Ben could tell he was serious. He was afraid. “Let’s go, guys.”

“To where? We haven’t made any plans yet,” Beverly quipped, a hand at her hip.

“Rich, my guy. It’s just one hornet. I think we’re okay,” Mike said, but he was already slowly backing away from it too. It was closest to him and while he wasn’t afraid of them, he wasn’t necessarily keen on getting stung. “Mike, look out for the-“

But he hit some boards that had been leaning on Georgie’s old playset, sending them crashing to the ground. Stan rushed to him, grabbing his arm to steady him before he fell over.

“My hero,” Mike smiled.

They began to pick up the boards and lean them back where they had been, most of them still keeping an eye on the hornet who had meandered in the opposite direction.

Then, as Georgie was lifting his final board back up, he heard something strange. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

He furrowed his brow, thinking. “Like, a buzzing?”

Richie immediately looked towards the rest of the boards on the ground and noticed one was slightly angled up in the middle. “Eds,” he pointed. “Look at that one.”

Eddie took a step forward but Richie grabbed a fist full of his shirt tail, keeping him from investigating. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked.

“I think we should leave that one the way it is, guys.” Most of the others were looking at it now with suspicion.

“Why?” Bill asked, reaching for it.

“Wait!” The others shouted, but it was too late. He lifted half the board and out came a swarm of hornets, loud and angry.

“Fuck this!” Richie cried and he threw Eddie over his shoulder as he took off down the street towards his car. Beverly grabbed for Ben’s hand while Bill tugged at Georgie’s sleeve and ran for the back door. “We’ll meet up later!” he yelled as he slammed the door shut and watched the other two run towards the street.

“Mike, the shed!” Stan cried out, ducking away from the angry insects and running wildly.

But he was already there, door open and waiting. “Get in, quick!” And Mike slammed the door shut, praying they weren’t followed.

The buzzing continued behind the door, but they heard nothing inside. The both backed away, hoping there were no cracks large enough for them to squeeze through. Stan took a deep breath to calm himself as he crossed his arms. “I guess we’re stuck for now.”

“I guess so,” Mike replied, looking over his shoulder at Stan. He immediately looked away as he felt his cheeks flushed.

The heat Stan told himself.

It was hot and stuffy and dusty beyond belief. A few spider webs hung at the edges of the small room, still and unmoving. If Mike hadn’t been here, Stan admitted to himself, he might have been spooked. They had never gone into the shed, even as kids all those summers ago. They preferred Bill’s garage or the quarry for their hang-outs. This place held no childhood memories.

“Here, Stan,” he heard. Mike was sitting on a small table, a white linen sheet draped over it and just enough room left for him to nestle next to Mike. He combed a hand through his hair and cleared his throat as he walked over. “Nice find,” he said.

This was either Mike’s worst nightmare or his wildest dream. He had been hoping to talk with Stan. He wanted to tell him he thought he was in love with him but he wasn’t sure he was ready. He had practiced telling him in the heat of a moment, not in the heat of Bill’s shed. Would he say the words right? Should he say them at all?

They sat in silence for a few moments before Mike was removing his shirt and wiping the sweat from his brow. “Sorry, Stan the man, it’s too damn hot in here.”

Stan was horrified. He had seen Mike before, they had gone to the quarry many times with the other Losers after they had met. But he had never seen him like this, arms wide with muscles and chest smooth and hard. Stan hadn’t known that Veterinary school could do that to a man.

“You look a little flushed yourself, feel free to uh-“ he motioned lifting his shirt, and his eyes momentarily fell onto Stan’s torso. It sent a rush of butterflies into Stan’s stomach. He nudged at Mike with his elbow. “Nah, I don’t want to embarrass you with my abs of steel,” he joked.

“Abs of steel, huh?” Mike smiled. “The way I remember it, your abs were just fine when we all swam at the quarry last.”

Despite his best efforts, Stan turned a deep shade of red. Mike’s chest swelled with hope.

“Then,” Stan started as he pretended to find something on the far table too interesting to leave be. He deadpanned, “you must have really, really low standards.”

Mike threw his head back with laughter, the sound echoing throughout the small shed. Stan found himself smiling fondly, loving the way Mike looked and sounded when he was laughing, and decided that he was the tiniest bit happy that Bill had picked up that board.

Suddenly, a box caught his eye just above Mike’s still laughing form, leaning out towards him from its precarious perch. Mike must have dislodged it when he slammed the door.

“Uh,” he began, already inching towards Mike. “I think that box is about to fall.”

Mike looked back to Stan with tears in his eyes and a big smile on his face and another rush of butterflies poured out into Stan’s stomach. He almost wanted to tell him so when the box began to slide forward. “Mike!”

Stan reached out and pulled Mike towards him just as the box fell. It crashed to the ground and Stan felt the wind knocked out of him when he collided with Mike, sending them both to the shed floor. Mike landed atop Stan, heavy with muscle and sticky from the heat.

“Holy shit!” he said, scrambling backwards off of Stan. “I could have- do you know how heavy I am? What if I had hurt you?”

Stan sat up so he was facing Mike and pointed to the box laying silently now behind him. “What if that had hurt you?” On the floor were some old and rusted tools, spilling forth from the decaying cardboard box that had fallen directly onto the table where Mike had been sitting seconds ago.

“Oh.”

Stan reached forward and gently brushed at Mike’s face. He was thankful he had gotten to him in time.

“Dust,” he lied, fingertips still lingering on his skin.

Mike leaned into his touch. “Dust,” he agreed.

~

“Richie! Put me down, are you insane?!”

Eddie was holding onto Rich for dear life, Richie’s shoulder poking into his stomach with every new stride forward.

“Hornets don’t follow people, you’re ridiculous, put me down!”

But then he heard a buzzing sound fly past his face and his mouth fell open. There was no way. No way these insects, these bugs, these things the size of his pinky finger were following them. But then he heard it again, this time much closer.

“Holy shit, Rich!” he hollered. “It’s following us! Don’t put me down, where the fuck is your car??”

Eddie tightened his hold, keeping his head low.

“This is crazy!” he thought. “This is absolutely crazy!” He knew Richie running down the street with him thrown over his shoulder must have been a sight but, Eddie had to admit, he didn’t mind being in Richie’s arms. Or atop his shoulder. Or whatever this was.

The bugs put a damper on things, though.

“Rich, hurry up and -!”

Before Eddie could finish he was being thrown into Richie’s truck and Rich jumped in after, slamming the door shut and breathing heavy. The two of them sat in silence for a short while, their eyes searching the windows and their ears tuned for the buzzing. But nothing came. Nothing landed on the window, nothing made a sound, nothing else was left. Just the two of them.

Eddie turned sharply to Rich, shoving at his arm and surprising him.

“What the fuck was that, Richie?!”

Richie righted himself in the seat, rubbing at his arm and smirking playfully. “What? You mean saving you from that flying insect from hell? You’re welcome, my love.” He leaned forward and pinched Eddie’s cheek playfully before Eddie smacked it away.

“No, smartass, I’m talking about running across the street with me slung over your shoulder like a child!”

Richie opened his mouth to say something but Eddie kept going. “Do you know what people might think? And I might have a bruise thanks to you! Who is that scared of a wasp-“

“Hornet,” he corrected.

“A hornet! Who is that scared of a hornet?!” he sputtered. “And who tosses their friend over their shoulder to run off like that?”

Richie watched as Eddie continued, gesturing wildly and looking far more perturbed than he actually was. Richie probably should have been listening, he normally loved hearing Eddie talk about everything and anything, even this. But something Eddie said felt heavy on his chest and he suddenly felt like he had to say something or it would sink lower and lower until his entire chest was exposed and bare.

“And you could have tripped and I could have gone flying! One scrapped knee on the bacteria ridden concrete and then BAM! My leg is being amputated.”

Richie could wait no longer. “What would they think?”

Eddie paused. He looked to Richie for anything more, an explanation maybe. But nothing came. “What?” He asked quietly.

“What might people think, Eds?”

Suddenly, Eddie’s mouth felt very dry.  And suddenly, everything felt very serious.

Eddie had meant that people might think they were more than just friends. He knew that they weren’t, but he also knew he was, in fact, in love with his best friend and he knew he probably shouldn’t be. He also knew that he could explain this away the same way he explained all the other stupid things he said. But something deep in his gut, maybe his heart since he’d tried to place it as deep down inside of him as it would go, whispered not to.

At a loss for which to listen to, his head or his heart, he changed the subject. “Why did you take me?”

Richie blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. Eddie didn’t wait for his question.

“Why did you take me with you and not Ben or Beverly? They were right there too.”

The silence between them wasn’t awkward or heavy, but it was like that breath you hold when you’re waiting for something, hopeful and a little nervous.

“Um...“ Richie began, looking at Eddie from behind his long lashes and blazing ember bangs. “I-“

Eddie was acutely aware that Richie was far closer to him now. So close he could see the specks of freckles along his cheekbones and across his nose. He willed himself to look no further, knowing just a short glance down would be lips he had thought about kissing too many times to count.

“I knew,” Richie whispered, “that your mom would never sleep with me again if I let anything happen to her little Eddie bear.” Eddie’s mouth gaped open but Richie dove across the seat, fingers reaching for Eddie’s sides and tickling him mercilessly.

“Richie!!” he shrieked, both of their laughter filling the car up and breaking whatever had been between them moments ago. “Richie, that’s disgusting!”

“That’s not what she said when I got back from California three days ago, Eddie!”

Eddie was in tears, cheeks aching and stomach burning. “Quit it!” he roared between gasping breaths and laughter. “You’re such a- you’re such an ass!”

He relented, hovering over Eddie with a big, goofy smile on his face. “I know.”

They stayed that way for the briefest of moments, just long enough for both of them to feel like they missed an opportunity they might not get back. But in that brief moment, they both thought to themselves-

 Next time.

~

Ben was out of breath. He was out of breath but he felt like he was soaring. Beverly was grasping his hand, pulling him along, and she was smiling while she was doing it. Her form was muddled by their running but she was still shining as far as Ben was concerned. She glowed from within like the sun was inside her and he was a moth to her light.

‘I wish more hornets would show up,” he thought to himself. ‘If I could just hold her hand like this again.’

He groaned to himself, embarrassed by his own thought, and shook his head as if to rid himself of it. Instead, he just focused on running, happy to be running towards her.

Beverly hadn’t been worried about the hornets. She had just seen Richie tossing Eddie over his shoulder like a maniac and Bill hiking Georgie into his arms as he sprinted to his house and she thought ‘grab important person, grab Ben.’ All of the Losers were important to her, but Ben had become something entirely different the moment he had left for college three years ago. She wasn’t sure what had done it exactly, but she hadn’t entirely wanted to know when it happened. Just that it had.

And now she was grasping tightly to Ben’s hand, pulling him along down the street. She was smiling wide as she ran, the danger buzzing behind them relatively small but the thrill of holding Ben’s hand coursing through her, filling her up.

But then Ben’s hand was pulled from hers violently and she slid to a stop, hands already reaching back for him. He was on the ground, a pained look on his face and his mouth contorted into a grimace as he leaned back and his hands came to cradle his ankle.

She rushed to him, kneeling on the concrete beside him. “Oh no, Ben, what happened?” Her hands roamed over him briefly before resting on his back and bent knee, craning her neck to see his injury.

“I think,” he bit, “I think I sprained my ankle.”

He gently pulled up his pants leg, showing a small, blood laced scratch and a just barely protruding bump on the inside of his ankle. Beverly reached a hand towards it, careful and cautious.

Ben was mortified. It hurt terribly, but his embarrassment was far worse. Couldn’t he do anything right for just a moment? Couldn’t he have run with Beverly however far she wanted to take him without making a complete fool of himself? He clenched his teeth in frustration and tried to right himself.

“Hey, wait!” But Ben was already up on his foot, arms outstretched for balance. “You should wait a minute,” she said, holding his arm to keep him steady.

“It’s okay, Bev,” he gritted. “Just gotta, see how bad it is.”

“Ben,” she warned, keeping her hold on him. But he took a step forward and howled, falling back down to the rocky floor.

“Okay,” he admitted, rolling back into a seated position, his useless leg outstretched. “It’s bad.”

Beverly knelt beside him, looking him over with nothing but worry in her eyes. Ben desperately wished for a do-over. Beverly was beside him within arms reach but he felt so far away from her. What could she possibly ever see in someone as clumsy as him?

She stood up abruptly, her face lighting up again with another smile. “Alright!” she said proudly, “I’ve got an idea!” Beverly reached both of her hands out to him and his gaze switched from her hands to her face, an eyebrow raised in question.

“Come on, Haystack, you can’t stay in the middle of the road forever!” His eyes widened before a smile erupted on his face. She smiled back playfully. “That’s right, I used the nickname, give me your hands!” For a moment he almost forgot his ankle was injured as he took her hands in his; he missed that one. ‘Haystack’ had been lost to their childhood, but every now and then, someone would bring it back. It sounded the best when she said it.

Once he was standing, she put her arms on his shoulders to balance him quickly before turning around and patting her knees. She looked back at him with a smirk on her face as she said, “hop on!”

His mouth fell open and his eyebrows shot up, a strained laugh bubbling up from his chest. “Beverly,” he said, feeling suddenly as self conscious as he did as a kid. “You can’t possibly-“

“I can,” she interrupted. “What? Don’t think I’m strong enough, Haystack?” she said, drawing out his nickname so it lingered between them. He set his jaw, looking down shyly at his feet. “No, Bev. You’re the strongest person I know.”

His eyes darted back to her just in time for him to see the smile he elicited. Softly, she  beamed, “then let’s go.”

He nodded once. “Okay, just don’t drop me. I’m delicate you know.”

“You are not,” she strained as he jumped onto her back. With hands grasping around his thighs she hiked him up with a quick jump, centering him at the small of her back. “You’re the strongest person I know too.”

He sheepishly buried his face into his arm which was slung around her neck, his other hand placed carefully on her shoulder. ‘This must be heaven,’ he sighed to himself.

“Just two blocks to my aunts place,” she mused. “Easy as pie. You’re light as a feather.”

And for once in his life, he felt that way.

~

It was two hours later that Bill texted everyone, asking to meet up at their favorite restaurant with Georgie. He asked if everyone would be okay if he brought one more. His girlfriend from college had surprised him.

I think you guys will like Audra, he texted.

And soon enough, they did.

#Reddie #Benverly #Stanlon #it2ficexchange #I had fun writing this one! #this type of fic is my MO I guess lol #I hope you like it dear! #why is Richie the smartest one here you don't fuck with hornets #reddie fic #benverly fic #stanlon fic #the benverly part has my whole heart #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #mike hanlon #beverly marsh #stanley uris #ben hanscom #georgie denbrough #bill denbrough #audra phillips #tw bugs #tw hornets #tw sprained ankle #tw blood #there's only one mention and it's very tiny but still

[angelskyladiana]

Mrs Black- Victor Zsasz

FULL MASTERLIST

CHAPTER 1: THE MADAME

Summary: Before there was Zsasz, there was Victor. Before there was a murderer, there was a businessman. Before his insanity, he had her, but under unforeseen events they were separated and that’s where his madness began. Will he find her once more? Will she be able to save him before he falls into lunacy? In a world under the thumb of a mysterious woman, can they escape her? Or will Mrs Black have the last laugh?

Warnings: Violence

Word Count: 1357

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

"Edith!" A loud yell echoed through the castle-like house, drifting through every room, crevice and corner of the large house. Her sleek, black Louis Vuitton heels clicked against the rich mahogany floors. Pouting her lips, she began applying the bright red shaded lipstick over them, only stopping to call out to her beloved housemaid, "have you seen my Cartier diamonds?"

There was no response from the short, bubbly maid, "Edith?" She hollered again, rounding the corner from her en-suit to her master bedroom where she found the greying woman sat on the automann at the end of the plush bed, staring at the television. "Edith-"

"They're on your bed side table, Madame," She brushed off the young woman, ushering to the table behind her as if they were scraps rather than priceless diamonds. The brunette raised an eyebrow at the feisty maid but nonetheless sauntered over to the table and snatching up the sparkly objects and adjusting them to her ears.

"Eedie-"

"Madame hush!" The elder woman snapped at her mistress before raising a pale finger towards the screen, "look!" Instead of focusing on the abrupt snappiness of her beloved maid, the woman's dark brown eyes shifted to the tv screen in front of her, just as Edith turned up the volume more.

A balding, chubby middle-aged man stood in front of a podium talking straight into the camera, "-This city desperately needs experienced, seasoned leadership. And so, in their wisdom, they have persuaded me much against my will, to resume the office of mayor-"

"What city is this, Edith?" She questioned, finishing putting her earrings on and sitting down on the beds silk sheets.

"Gotham, Madame." Edith declared, knowing exactly how the city once and still affected the blue-eyed woman. And that it did, her blood ran cold at the very name, heart beating faster and goose bumps forming across her skin.

"Stop! This proceeding is a sham!" A voice rand from the crowd.

Immediately the previous mayor hollered for back up, "Security, remove this criminal!"

"Criminal? I was jailed illegally by a corrupt system! A corrupt system that was put into place by this man, who has the audacity to put himself back into the position that he brought so much shame and dishonour to," The camera panned to the proclaimed criminal and the two women gazed at the scrawny, pale, dark-haired man, he wore a dark suit and clung to a cane as he stood in front of the previous mayor.

"How dare you!"

"No, how dare you," He spoke, walking closer to the stage, hobbling slightly, "waltz up there and announce yourself mayor? The people demand to have a say into who will represent them, who will protect them!" The crowd cheered back at what the small man proclaimed, "It was I, I alone who drove out the monsters that plagued our city."

"Oh, please..." The older man huffed, his hand grasping at the podium.

The pale man spun around quickly and accusingly spoke, "Where were you then, while I faced peril at the hands of those abominations?"

"Sir, are you challenging James's appointment to office?" A reporter clads in red asked.

"I most certainly am," The crowd continued to jeer him on as he wobbled up on the stage, "to govern this city, one should be legally elected, which is why I, Oswald Cobblepot, announce my candidacy for the office of mayor." He claimed, finally allowing the two women to put a name to a face.

"And I demand, and the people demand, that an emergency election be held forthwith!" Oswald ordered, a smirk gracing his face as he smiled deviently at his competition. The crowd continued yelling and applauding, even going as far as chanting his name, Oswald Cobblepot smiled in delight. The television paused on his grinning red face, for some reason dark eyes could not tear themselves away from the pale man.

"Seems the longer you're away Madame, the madder that place gets," The maid spoke, placing the remote down and turning to stand in front of the girl she had watched grow into the beautiful woman she was today. Edith reached out, brushing away the tear that had cascaded from her brown eyes and landed on her cheek, "I know you miss it."

"I won't lie to you, Eddie," she smiled slightly, eyes drooping, "It's still home. I miss it,"

"But you were there not too long ago, Miss-"

"Four years ago is quite long," She claimed, remembering the single day she visited Gotham. A funeral wasn't the ideal time to visit the city she once called home, especially when the deaths were practically family. It wasn't as if there was anything interesting or particularly spectacular in the city in fact it was actually a kind of terrible place at times, but nevertheless it was still home. "The man said something about monsters, do you know anything about that?"

"No Madame, but from what I've recently seen from that city it seems everything there is somewhat monstrous," The old lady answered sharply, walking over to the gigantic casement windows surrounding the master bedroom and pulling the curtains over them.

"Even me?" She questioned, smiling lightly.

The old woman smiled warmly at the woman of the house, shuffling over and moving her hands up to her hair, brushing her slightly curled long brown locks from her face and behind her ears, "especially you, Madame," She giggled in return, "I wouldn't judge you if you wished to return,"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Home is home, I'm not one to judge what a person defines as home. My idea of home has been here for the past thirty years, not a place but with your family, Madame," The old woman looked deeply into her eyes, the two different shades contrasting each other. "Is it a visit we are about to pack for or permanent residency?"

The brunette stood from the bed, "just a visit, Edith. Maybe a weekend. I want to meet the man ridding monsters from where most are born," The young heiress smiled slightly, her conflict of feelings present on her face as she stared down the mayor in running, the man who claimed to defeat all the monsters and she wondered, 'could he defeat hers?'

"And what of the master, Madame?"

Of course, she thought of him, what kind of person would she be if she hadn't? He was everything to her, but this was something it seemed she would have to do alone, it wouldn't be safe and God if anything happened to him, life would not be worth living, "I'll go on my own, Edith."

"Very well, Madame," She spoke without question, knowing full well that Gotham was not the place for someone like him. She quickly hurried into the massive walk-in closet and reached for the "you should hurry. Mr Falcone doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Indeed, he doesn't," The woman chuckled in reminiscence, "Call Calvin, tell him to arrange a dinner, I'll leave tomorrow afternoon." She ordered as her maid put the dark fur coat around her shoulders.

"Of course, Madame." Edith's voice echoed as the clicking of heels receded down the halls leaving the help in the gigantic, white room. The woman clad in white sauntered down the hall only stopping once she reached the tall white door left slightly ajar, a small glow of light trailing from the room. Tempted, she peaked inside, her eyes finding her greatest treasure, glittering gold and sparkling diamond. But she did not enter, only smiled at the features which she had known for so long on something completely separate from what it once was.

Mrs Black continued walking, passing so many staff and a thousand rooms and doors, wondering what she would find at the place she once called home. But was she ready to go back to Gotham?

Was Gotham ready for her?

CHAPTER 2

#victor zsasz #gotham #penguin #batman #riddler #wife #son #queen #oc

[just-jordie-things]

Drinking Confessions (and a miracle too) - Richie Tozier

word count: 6939 warnings: swearing, smoking, drinking (lots of it), mentions of possible sexual harassment, pent up derpession and anxiety, aaaaand Henry Bowers a/n: for @i-heart-movies bc y’all were ready for some Richie Tozier and I am servin it up on a silver bronzeish platter lmao enjoy

Becoming friends was just about the easiest thing you’ve ever done.  In fact, you couldn’t quite remember how it had happened.  Sometime in elementary school you were paired up together for some science project, and one thing led to another and now you were best friends.  And Richie Tozier did not look like the kind of crowd y/n l/n would waste her time with.

He was loud, and vulgar.  He wore ripped jeans and band shirts.  His language was about as foul (if not fouler) than a sailor’s.  While he was smart for his age, he put no effort into his studies.  He smoked on campus, spent fridays drowning in liquor at one of the more popular kid’s parties.  So drunk he’d barely keep his eyes open.  He got into fights with the Bowers gang, whether he started it or not, he always finished it.  He’d spend days away from home, crashing at a friend’s place, once so out of it on a park bench in November.

You weren’t a quiet girl, and you weren’t shy.  But you didn’t quite meet Richie’s extremities.  You wore jeans, a sweater, something comfortable and soft.  You swore, sure what teenager didn’t, but not to the extent of your friend’s obscenities.  You drank with him occasionally, even sharing a smoke every once in awhile.  But your clothes didn’t reek of cigarettes the same way his did.  You stayed clear of any sort of drama, no matter what disgusting thing Henry and his goons would slur at you, you’d turn the other way and pretend to not have heard it.  You followed your parents’ curfew, even though you knew deep down they didn’t give a shit if you ever came home.  And most of all, you studied your ass off for your grades, for at least two hours a day.

But oh, the time wasted with Richie was time cherished.

You were sitting on your desk chair, feet up on the edge of your bed and knees bent to properly keep your Bio textbook in place.  Flipping through pages and highlighting anything you felt needed reviewing.  Richie, who was sprawled on your bed and feeding you nonsense about some stupid thing Henry did, was not so eager to spend his Saturday studying in your room.

“y/n, this is boring” He complained for the umpteenth time.

“You said that” You replied, words awkward as the highlighter cap was between your teeth.  “I told you that you didn’t have to keep me company” You chided.  Also not particularly fond of him distracting you.

“Why can’t we just go to Jess’s? It’s supposed to be fun” He prompted, hoping you’d cave and go to the party with him.

“We went last weekend, what’s more special about this one? They’re all the same” You said, capping your marker.  Richie groaned and rolled his eyes, sitting up to face you.

“First of all, parties are for fun, and it’s the fucking weekend, so we should have fun” He argued.  You let him go on with hi persuading.  “Second, they’re not completely the same.  Bill said he’d go” This earned a chuckle from you.

“Really? Bill?” You stated sarcastically.  “He wants to go to party with a bunch of drunks, that always just ends with me trying to get you home before you puke on yourself?” Richie stared blankly at you.

“I’ve never puked on myself y/n” He stated matter of factly.

“Even if you had, you wouldn’t remember it” You said with a bark of a laugh.  “Face it Rich, you just go to get shit faced and why can’t you do that here where I can take care of you before you kill yourself?”

“Oh please, I’d never-”

“Two weeks ago you didn’t make it home, and you spent the night on a fucking park bench” You said, trying to not sound angry as you reminded him of the incident.

When he’d told you that he was that wasted, you had completely blown up on him.  About how irresponsible he was and that it was forty degrees outside and all he’d worn was a tee shirt and jeans last night.  You yelled about all the terrible scenarios that could have happened if Stan hadn’t found him on a early morning bird watching walk.  That he could’ve gotten kidnapped or molested or killed.  Your anger only bubbled more when Richie had told you to chill because he was fine.  He didn’t know your anger had come from a place of absolute concern.

“Right, and if you’re there, it won’t happen again” He promised.  You chewed on your lip, still not sure it was a good idea.

“I don’t know Rich it just doesn’t seem healthy”

“Like you’ve got a clean ledger” He retorted sarcastically.

“Alright so I’m not a virgin pure but I am not as insane as you” You said, and both of you began to laugh.  Richie shrugging, nodding his head knowing that compared to him, you were God’s favorite angel.

“Fine, I’ll give you that one” He said, liking the way you smiled as you tried to stop your laughing.  “But still, you and I never have fun together”

“What’re you talking about we hang out all the time” You said, scrunching up your eyebrows at such an accusation.

“Sure, but we don’t go out anymore” He said, looking down to fiddle with your sheets and avoid eye contact.  “We used to all the time, especially with the whole gang but…” You sighed, reaching your hand out to his, halting his fidgeting.

After the clown incident in ‘84, you and the Losers had made a literal blood promise to stick together, to come together if something this horrific ever happened again.  But after Bev left town a few months later, everyone began to break apart.  Ben was next to go, thn Mike, followed by Stan, and then Eddie.  Bill still talked to you and Richie here and there.  A brief hello in the halls, small discussion about your weekends in class. But other than that, it was just you and Richie.  Which you’d grown to be very grateful for.

“I know” You finally breathed out.  Keeping your emotions under control.  It’s been a year of managing them and so far you hadn’t broken once, which you prided yourself for.  It was much better to handle it internally instead of breaking down like a weak girl in front of him.  Richie sighed as well, and shook his head to rid his own feelings.

“Anyways.  We should go.  In like… an hour” He decided.  You nodded, half smiling as he grinned with excitement.  “Really? We can?” He asked eagerly and you laughed quietly, looking back to your textbook.

“One hour.  And no more than three beers!” You ordered, and he nodded, crossing an x over his chest with his finger.

“Promise!” He exclaimed, and you shook your head with laughter at his antics before getting back to your studying.

Now you could use those three beers.

“WHOOO!” All you could hear was booming music and screaming as you got out of your car, stuffing your keys into the pocket of your jeans.

“I can’t believe this is your scene” You sighed, but Richie grinned at you, pushing his glasses up his nose and slinging an arm over your shoulder.

“Come on babe lighten up” He said, taking an unopened beer right out of some guy’s hand.  The guy tried to chastise him, but was too drunk already to get the proper words out.

“Jesus it’s not even ten o’clock” You said, staring wide eyed at the drunken stumbling guy.  Richie didn’t even cast a glance over his shoulder, just yanked off the metal cap and threw back a long drink of the beer.  You cringed.  “Beer is ghastly” You muttered.

“Beer is ghastly” He repeated in a posh accent he often used to mock you.  Usually when you studied and would whisper things out loud to better remember them.  You laughed, nudging his rib with your elbow but he just tugged you closer, opening the door and letting you inside first.

The house was just raging.  With everything you expected to be at a high school party.  Drunks, stoners, sluts, sweaty dancing bodies, hormones off the charts.  You stuck close to Richie, like you did at every party you were dragged into.

“Come on hot stuff let’s go have some fuckin’ fun” He said, and you managed the best smile towards him you could as he pulled you with him towards the kitchen.

“No more than three” You reminded him, and he nodded, repeating the cross of his heart as he finished off the bottle he’d been holding.  You ogled at how quickly he’d drowned the liquid, but didn’t say anything about it.

“Number two doll!” He hollered, releasing you and maneuvering his way to the cooler that was sitting next to the counter.  He fished out a bottle, and you peeked down into the large tub of ice.  Multiple things in there, and you were certain none of them were a cherry cola.

You sighed, shrugged a shoulder, and bent over to grab a bottle similar to Richie’s.  He watched you out of surprise.  Sure, you were no virgin to alcohol, but you certainly weren’t… well… experienced.  Really just a sip when passing around a bottle, one drink from the spiked Prom night punch.

“Drinking for any reason?” He pondered, and you stared at him as you popped the cap off by wedging it on the edge of the counter.  It flung somewhere you didn’t see, but you heard the metal clatter on the floor.

“Yeah” You said, throwing it back like it was normal for you.  “To get drunk” You said.  You swallowed thickly, ignoring the disgusting taste and the way it made your mouth and throat feel sticky.

Richie just stared at you, still holding his unopened beer.  He didn’t know what to say, you’d never been like this before.  But he felt some sort of relief that he was there, that if you ended up sick that he could take you home.

“Alright just… take it easy babe” He said, copying your actions to remove the cap, and taking a tentative drink.

“Mhm” You mumbled, finally stopping for a breath and wiping your mouth with your sleeve.  His eyes flickered to your bottle to see half it’s contents were still there.  He looked around anxiously, leg bouncing as his thoughts wandered off.  “I know what I’m doing, I took Health last year” You told him, waving a dismissive hand before drinking again.

“Uh huh, stay here for a moment I gotta… I’m gonna use the bathroom I’ll be right back okay?” You nodded, beginning to bounce to the music booming throughout the house.  “Don’t move, I’ll be right back” He said sternly.  You grinned, setting the empty bottle on the counter and proudly looking at it.

“And mama says I never accomplished anything” You laughed at yourself and reached for another bottle.

Richie rushed out to the living room, pushing through the bodies in search of a phone, anywhere.

“Move, move, out of the way, move” He kept muttering, trying to keep his chill around the more… begrudging… bodies.  “Move, fucking move!” He started yelling louder, being more forceful and plowing past the crowd, towards the staircase.  He climbed the quickly, opening every door he passed, and jesus there were a lot of doors.

“Get out pervert!” A girl screamed, throwing what he through was a bra towards him before closing the door as quickly as he opened it.  Snickering and wincing at once.  Just as he was about to open another one, it swung open on it’s own.  Nearly hitting him and knocking his glasses off of his face.  But he stumbled back and adjusted them, seeing it hadn’t hauntingly opened.  The person exiting the room being Henry Bowers.

“Damn Tozier… the fuck you doing up here?” he asked, raising a flask to his lips and throwing back a quick gulp.

“Looking for a phone, now get out of my fucking way” Richie groaned, pushing the older boy, (only by a year, but Henry was repeating senior year because he didn’t have the credits to graduate) out of the way and searching through the room.

“The fuck did you just say to me Trashmouth?” Henry taunted.  Richie groaned out of frustration, not feeling the need to throw a punch and argue with Bowers, so he stomped back to the doorway, shut it, and locked the door so he wouldn’t give him any more trouble.  “Pussy!” Henry yelled, then made his way back downstairs.

“Mullet wearing pig fucking asshole” Richie grumbled, punching in one of the few numbers he still knew by heart and listening to the line ring.

He could’ve sworn it had been five minutes, tops.  Just five minutes of being apart from you.  It had to have been, how much time could have possibly passed? All he did was go upstairs, and make a call.

But when he came back down to see you on the dining room table, swinging your hips around seductively to a song he knew you couldn’t have known, time seemed to have been shorter upstairs.

(Another explanation, he thought, was that all time had stopped, and it was the end of the world.  Because this was never something he would’ve guessed to see)

And as he came back down to reality, that this was actually happening, he took in his surroundings.  There was a crowd around the table, around you, cheering you on, waving drinks and offering you more.  Richie’s mouth opened, and for a split second he lost all sense of how talking even worked.

“Dance! Dance!”

“Come on baby don’t stop those hips from moving!”

Everyone’s yelling and cheering and all the remarks- Richie was about ready to throw you over his shoulder and drag you all the way home, never to party again, never to drink again.

“Hey- hey everybody out of the fucking way!” He finally found his voice, shoving through a group of the more… vulgar commenting… boys.  And that was saying something from Richie’s perspective.  “Move! That means you asshole!” His voice grew more rigid, pissed that anybody other than him would dare speak of you in such ways.

“Richie?” You mumbled.  “Rich what’re… you’re… why’re you ‘ere?” You slurred, your movements stopping as he reached out for you.

“Come on y/n, we gotta get you home” He said in his gentlest voice.  You pouted, but took his hands and let him help you off the table.

“But I don’t wanna” You complained, and he wrapped when of your arms around his neck, seeing as even in flat bottomed shoes you couldn’t walk properly.  His other arm was around your waist, guiding you quickly away from all these freaks.

“Your mom will be pissed if I bring you back shit faced” He told you simply.  You stomped a foot, but it was a weak movement and didn’t even slow him down.

“But ‘m nnnot” You slurred.

“Yes, y/n, you are-”

“You heard the girl”

In seconds you were pulled out of Richie’s arms, and he spun around instantly to see Henry holding you upright, awkwardly.  Richie could’ve socked him across the face right there.

“What, the fuck, do you think you’re doing?” Richie gritted through his teeth.  Henry smirked back at him.

“Giving this girl the time of her life” He said.  “It is a party, isn’t it?” Henry asked, looking to you.  But your head was beginning to fall.

“No no y/n don’t fall aslee-”

“Fuck off Mama Tozier” Henry pushed Richie away, making the curly haired boy scowl and leap back towards him, taking you out of his arms swiftly and into his, embracing you against his chest carefully while glaring daggers at Henry over your shoulder.

“If you ever, fucking touch her again, I’ll shove that rusty fucking flask so far up your ass you’ll choke on it.  It’d be kinda hard for you to suck dick then wouldn’t it?” He threatened angrily.  Henry moved to swing, but some guy behind him grabbed his wrist and pushed him to the ground.  The bully toppled with ease from his intoxication, and Richie thanked the stranger before rushing you outside.

“Rich?” You mumbled, and almost fell over, bringing him with you, if he hadn’t secured his hold on you tighter.

“It’s okay princess, almost to the car” Richie said softly, rubbing your arms to warm you up in the bitter night air of Derry.  “I had a friend pick us up, okay? We can come back for your car in the morning” He knew that everything he was telling you was going in one ear and out the other, but he hoped that the gentle talking would calm you down.

“M’kie dokie” You mumbled, head falling on his shoulder as he guided you the rest of the way to the street.

“Fuck Richie” A familiar voice said, but you couldn’t quite place it.  And you couldn’t keep your eyes open long enough to see more than a blurry, but… short figure? “Can she even fuckin’ stand?”

“Nope” Richie replied, opening the back car door, and hoisting you inside.  You mentally thanked him, not realizing you didn’t even say the words out loud.

“Jesus” The voice sighed.  “I’ve never seen her so fuckin’... out of it”

“Yeah.  Me either Eds” Richie breathed.  It was quiet for a moment, before Richie climbed in behind you, and the other boy went to the driver’s seat.

“Eddie Spaghetti?” You called, Richie’s slip of a name tipping you off on who your driver was.  Eddie smiled to himself, glancing at the both of you through his rearview mirror.  Richie was placing his hoodie around your shoulders like a blanket, and the thing was already too big for him so it looked like you were swimming in the material.

“Yeah it’s me n/n” He responded in a quiet voice.  His mind filling with the sad but strong feeling of nostalgia.

“Yay” You whispered, fingers rubbing the insides of Richie’s jacket.  Sometime between then and Eddie starting the car, you curled against the boy sitting with you, finding his body warmth much more pleasing than a nice smelling sweater.  “Mm you haven’t been smoking” You whispered, and Richie looked down at you as you got comfortable against his chest.

“No babe, I’ve been trying to stop” He told you honestly.

“ ‘m glad, you smell so good when you aren’t” You mused happily.  Eddie looked at the mirror again, both him and Richie sharing a wide eyed look.  Eddie’s more of shock, but Richie’s filled with… well the germaphobe could’ve sworn he saw hearts in Richie’s irises.

“Thanks babe” He finally responded, and you smiled in response.  A few minutes passed before he realized your breathing had slowed down.  “Hey, hey try not to fall asleep yet okay?” He leaned down towards you more to tuck your hair back out of your face, rubbing gentle circles on your back.

“Okay beautiful” You murmured, and worked harder to keep your eyes open.

Eddie snorted.

“The fuck you laughing at?” Richie asked, still caressing your back.

“Okay, beautiful” He gushed mockingly.  Though it didn’t embarrass Richie the way that he thought it would.  Just made his cheeks slightly pink as he looked down at your resting form, smiling softly down at you.

“Just a few more minutes” He promised you, and you nodded against him.

The rest of the ride was quiet, more back rubs and little noises you’d make when Eddie went over a bump or you passed a light too bright.

When he pulled into the driveway, you were just a few more minutes away from passing out.  Richie slid out of the car, took you in his arms.  Surprising you, as you’d tried to stand but he just lifted you up completely.  If you were in your right mind, you would’ve insisted on walking yourself.  But you weren’t sober enough, or awake enough, to care.  So you wrapped your arms around his neck and snuggled into him best you could.

“Thank you, Eddie” Richie said through the window Eddie had rolled down.

“Anytime.  Really” He replied quietly. A sad smile on his face.  “I’m always here for you guys… even if things have gotten weird and we’ve… well we’ve grown apart but… Loser’s club forever” Richie smiled back at him.  “Give me a call in the morning and tell me if she needs any aspirin, I’ve got every kind known to man stocked up in my cabinet” Both boys laughed quietly.

“Alright Eds I will.  Goodnight”

“Night you two” He responded, then rolled up the window, and drove back off towards his neighborhood.  You looked up from his chest as he opened the door and went inside.

“Hey! Kidnapper!” You called out while he locked the door behind you.  “This isn’t my house!”

“No babe, it’s my place.  My parents are out on business… I think… and there’s no way in hell that I’m taking you home this fucking wasted.  Your mom would beat the shit out of both of us” He told you.  You pursed your lips and nodded, looking around like it was the first time you’d been there.

He carried you up the steps, not even turning on the lights so that your eyes wouldn’t hurt.  The hall was short, he thanked God it wasn’t a maze like party-house’s had been.  He walked into his room, carefully setting you in bed and wrapping you up with blankets.  Your arms were outstretched, like you were waiting for him to lift you up again.

“No no babe, you’re in bed now, you can go to sleep” He assured you, rubbing your head with a smile.

“Oh” Was all you said, your features saddened.  You shut your eyes and rolled over, and Richie took your turned away body to change into some sweatpants and a tee shirt for bed.

“What’s on your mind babe?” He asked you, adjusting his clothes as he walked around to sit on the side you were facing.

“I’m so tired of pretending” You huffed.  Richie rose an eyebrow as he began to rub a hand up and down your arm.

“What’re you pretending about?”

“Oh… just that everything’s okay, that Pennywise never happened and I don’t have night terrors, that my parents aren’t assholes, that Henry doesn’t make his comments and that I’m not in love with you.  Just tired of keeping up this whole perfect girl act in general” You were staring off at the wall, while RIchie was staring hard at you, his lips parted in surprise at what you’d said.  His hand stopped moving, his body completely frozen.

“What?” He whispered.  You yawned, covering a hand over your mouth before flicking your eyes up to his.  “Princess, did you just… did you say that…”

“Hm?” You hummed nonchalantly.  “I trust you, who’re you gonna tell?” You shrugged.  “Just don’t tell Richie!” You said, hand grabbing is arm and looking up at him nervously.  “He’d just-! He’d… well he wouldn’t be happy”

“Why not?” He asked, hand rubbing your arm again.

“Well he… he doesn’t like girls like me.  And we’ve been friends for years so… well it just wouldn’t work” Richie smiled to himself.

“I think you’d be surprised, princess” He hummed.  You stared up at him with round eyes, and he gave you a smile.  “Okay, it’s getting late now and I don’t want to keep you up.  You should go to sleep”

“Okay” You whispered, getting comfortable in the blankets and Richie fixed up your pillow for you.  “Goodnight” Your voice came out in a mere breath as your body began to shut down.

“Goodnight beautiful” The trashmouth said softly, and reluctantly got off the bed.  Just to sit in the old, and heavily worn down recliner chair.  “Sleep well” He said, before his own eyelids fell heavily.

He woke up when he heard rustling and groaning, mostly noticing the quiet, “Oh fuck… damnit… ah shit… goddamnit”  He peeked his eyes open to see the room was blurry.  He squinted but when he moved to search for his glasses, they were already on his lap.  They must’ve fallen off when he passed out last night.

“n/n?” He called.

“Shit Richie my head hurts” You cried painfully.  Richie put his glasses on and rushed out of the room. He came back just a few minutes later, a glass of water and a handful of aspirins in his hands.  You smiled as he handed you two of the pills, then the water.

“Drink that whole thing, every drop” He ordered, but kept his voice quiet so he wouldn’t disturb your head further.  A whine left your throat but you tried not to complain.  

You didn’t want to annoy Richie any more than you probably already have.  You were certain that last night you were not a pleasant friend to have around.  Besides the fact he had to take you back to his place, probably while you were disgusting and doing god knows what.  And he was stuck sleeping on a chair all night.

“Rich I’m sorry about last night, I hope I wasn’t awful” You said, eyes narrowing as the sunlight hurt to keep them open.

“No not at all.  The opposite of awful” He told you.

“Did I puke?” You asked, quietly, like you were ashamed of it.  RIchie chuckled and shook his head.

“No babe, really, it was fine” He assured you, adjusting his own jacket on your shoulders.  “I felt bad anyways, I knew you’d hurt this morning and,” He sighed, gesturing to yourself instead of finishing his sentence.  “Anyways, I’m going to go make breakfast, you hungry? Do you want anything?”

“No, thank you” You told him with a weak smile, and finished off the glass of water.

“You sure? I could go pick something up too if you’d rather, but I don’t mind making anything if you’re in the mood for anything specific” He went on, and you smiled to yourself as you put the glass on the bedside table, only for Richie to grab it.

“I’m really alright, Rich.  Thank you” You said, squeezing your hand around his wrist.  “You’re going soft” You mused, raising an eyebrow.

“Psh” RIchie scoffed and shook his head.  “I think not” He said, heading towards the door.  You shifted awkwardly as he was about to leave the room, then followed after him.

“I think you are” You said, stumbling on your own feet but catching yourself.

“Did you just fall?” RIchie asked, turning and putting a hand on your arm to steady your balance.  You would’ve swooned if you didn’t laugh quietly.

“You’re going soft, Tozier” You told him, before descending the stairs.  Stuffing your hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt.

Richie huffed, throwing his head back as you went off somewhere on the first floor.  “Only for you sweetheart” He sighed, and followed down after you.

You both had a bowl of cereal, Richie being nervous that you wouldn’t keep anything else down very well.  You rolling your eyes at him as you tipped the bowl back to drink the leftover milk.  Refraining from making another comment about his softness.

Not that you were complaining, you were loving this from him.  The tenderness he now seemed to have with you.  And you noticed, it was just you.

Through the rest of the weekend he babied you like crazy, wrapping blankets around you making sure you finished your work and showered and took your medicine, everything from a to z.  He did it, and he did it well.

You found yourself falling more in love with him than you already were.

Monday morning rolled around all to quickly though, and when you dragged your feet out the door to where Richie was waiting, in your car, you scrunched up your face.

“Are you driving my car?” You asked, mind totally jumbled as to how he’d even gotten your keys.

“Yeah, you left it at Jess’s, so I got your keys Saturday night and got it back last night” You nodded, recalling now that you hadn’t driven since Saturday.

“Oh yeah” You said, buckling in and getting adjusted.  Still wondering what had happened after you’d walked into the party that night.  “I guess I’m glad it wasn’t stolen or anything.  And doesn’t have some obscene carving from Henry Bowers” You added with a chuckle.  Richie made a sound of disgust as he backed out of your drive and headed towards the school.  “What?”

“Nothing, we just got in another dispute Saturday” He shrugged it off, but you looked at him with worry.

“Did you get into a fight?” You asked him, not having seen any bruises like he usually wore after a few rounds with the older kid.

“Fuck no, he was holding onto you and I don’t fucking know what he would’ve done if I started swinging so I just yanked you back and got the fuck our of there” He said.  Your lips pursed, not having remembered Henry taking possession of you.

“He didn’t… he didn’t like… do anything… right?” You whispered, afraid to know the answer.

“Hell no he didn’t!” Richie called, suddenly turning sharply onto another road.  Aggression coursing through his veins.  “His ass would be grass, he’d be fucking rotting in a ditch somewhere right now if he had” He began grumbling angrily, and you reaching a hand out to his shoulder to stop him.

“Richie, stop, I believe you.  If nothing happened, then nothing happened.  I’m fine” You assured softly.  He sighed, glancing over at you before his hands eased on the steering wheel.  No longer gripping it so tightly.

“I’m calm” He said after a minute.  “It’s just a lot happened that night.  I was worried about you for a while there” He said.

“What happened?” You pondered.

“After we got you home, you just seemed really depressed.  I don’t think you realized I was the one with you”

You rubbed your eyes with your fists, under the illusion it’d help you remember better.  All you could come up with was a warm sweatshirt, and the smell of liquor on your own breath.

“We?” You asked him, having caught the nonsingular word slip.

“Yeah… I called Eddie to come pick us up.  I didn’t trust myself to drive, I’d had a drink too, and you’d had… I don’t even know how much you had” He said.  You shrugged, not having known that answer either.

“Eddie picked us up?” You smiled, and Richie nodded.  “Was he… how was he?” RIchie thought for a moment on how to respond, knowing you cared more about that than he had.  Richie had only cared about getting you home.

“He was happy that you were safe” He finally told you, which was the truth.  “And he wanted you to know he’s always there for you too” You nodded, content with his response.

“Thank you” You told him suddenly.  “I don’t think I told you that yet” You eyes wandered out the window, sighing as Richie pulled into the school’s parking lot.  Nerves settled in your stomach at the thought that you probably did something stupid and now everyone would know.

“You don’t have to thank me.  What was I going to do? Leave you there? Fuck no” You chuckled, smiling over at him.

“Alright, I won’t thank you then” You chuckled softly and gathered up your things as he parked.

“I appreciate that babe” He said, shooting you a wink, and tossing you your keys.  You caught them with an awkward fumble before stuffing them into a pocket of your backpack.

The both of you walked into school together, both feeling uneasy about the day ahead of them.  Richie more so than you, but you didn’t know what had happened the way he did.  He noticed instantaneously the whispers, the odd looks and side glances.  You didn’t seem to pick up on it, so he just directed you towards your locker as quickly as he could manage.

“So uh you have US History first period right?” He asked as you twisted in your combination.

“Yep, but I’ll see you second for Calc” You replied with a short smile towards him.  Richie returned it, but it was nervous and shaky.

“Oh my God I can’t believe she even came to school”

“I know right? I figure she’d still be hungover or something”

Richie turned sharply to the two girls strutting past, having heard their whispers, he pushed his glasses up and glared them down.

“You have something you want to fucking say Miss I-had-a-baby-last-summer?” He sneered.  You jerked your head up in surprise as to why he suddenly yelled out to Sofia Hasen, who had only been walking by.  The girl scoffed, pushing her long curly hair behind her sassily and turning to him in her heel.

“Ya betta’ watch ya’self Toziah” She said, in that voice that made you cringe on the inside.  The girl snapped her gum and glared at him.  “I’m only sayin’ what I thought was ta’ be true”

“Uh huh, fucking walk on you leftover pile of AIDs” Richie retorted, stepping towards her threateningly.  You knew Richie, and you knew that while he had his rough edges when it comes to fighting, he would never hit a girl.  But right now, the fire in his eyes sure made it seem to you that he was ready to rip out those fake extensions.

“Rich” You murmured, putting a hand on his arm and staring at him with worry creasing your forehead.  He looked at you for a moment, then back at Sofia.

“Just go fuck with somebody else if I hear your voice again, I might fucking kill myself” She scoffed, but walked off without another word.  “Thank fucking God” He mumbled, feeling full of relief right up until you slapped his arm with your once gentle hand.

“What the hell Richie are you looking to pick a fight?” You scolded him, grabbing your history textbook and slamming your locker.

“She was talking shit I wasn’t gonna just fucking let her!” He replied, leaning over you.  His curls bouncing as his body moved erratically.

“Richie what for fuck’s sake are you talking about?” You sighed, crossing your arms as you shook your head.  He was making absolutely no sense, acting out strangely, and it threw you off.  Not two days ago he was warming you up when you were already content, speaking gently and being an all around sweetheart.  Now he was being an aggressive asshole.

“You… I’m talking about you y/n” He said weakly.  Your lips parted slightly, brows drawn together with shock, and confusion.  Richie hung his head.

“No, not you” You whispered.  “They.  They were talking about me” You said, expression void of any emotion.  “What the hell happened on Saturday Richie?” You asked blankly.

“Nothing crazy… nothing crazy bad” He said.  “You just danced around… on a table” Your jaw fell completely open now, eyes full of shame but also anger.

“Are you shitting me?” You said, and for a moment he thought you were angry with him.  But when you ran your hands through your hair and your eyes filled with tears, he realized you’d directed that anger on yourself.

“No, no y/n hey” He whispered, holding your small wrists in his hands and trying to meet your eyes.  “Listen, it’s alright, everyone gets drunk and does and says things they don’t mean…” He trailed off, remembering what you had said to him in private later that night.

“Said? What’d I say?” You asked, anxiety bubbling up and you could almost physically feel it spreading from your chest all through your body.

Richie opened his mouth to speak, not even knowing what he was going to tell you, but was cut off by the bell ringing.

“We’ll talk later, I promise, okay?” He said, rubbing his palm over your arm.  “Let’s just get through the day and later we can chill out and talk” You sighed, but nodded.  Richie gave you a small smile before pulling you into a hug.

Hugs weren’t new, but it’d been a while, and for the few seconds you were wrapped in his arms, all of the crippling anxiety seemed miles away from you.  But as soon as he let go, you felt it creep back in.

“I’ll see you later babe” He said, earning a small nod from you, then walked off.

For the rest of your day, you noticed every whisper, and every look.  And for most of it, you were completely alone.

“I think I’ll never drink again” You sighed out to Richie, dropping your backpack on the floor by your bed and flopping face first into the covers.

“Don’t make promises you won’t keep” He chuckled, sitting on the edge of your mattress while you whined into your blankets.  “This is all going to blow over, and something else interesting will take over the gossip in the halls.  Who gives a shit about a drunk girl? There’s tons of drunk girls” He shrugged his shoulders but you didn’t move.  “n/n, really, you barely even talked until it was just us.  And I thought it was hilarious”

“I’m a laughing stock!” You wailed, rolling onto your back and waving your arms in the air.

“No, you’re really not” He said, though he chuckled at your movements.  “Really, you’re a sweet drunk.  A sad one too, but you were sweet”

“I’ve never even heard of a sweet drunk” You grumbled.

“Well if anyone would be, it’s you.  You were all cuddly and very… kind”

“Kind?”

“Yeah, you called me beautiful and would not stop snuggling on me on the way home” Richie recalled with a good laugh.

“Oh my god” You covered your face with your hands.

“Oh it was great” Richie said between his small bursts of laughter.  “Drunk you was in love with me, she told me so too.  Then she passed out” He shook his head, eyes getting wet as he laughed and smiled so hard his face hurt.  A true, genuine smile at hearing that slipped confession.

You sat up, sitting next to him now and staring at him seriously.

“What?” You murmured.

“What?” He repeated, unsure of what you were questioning.

“I told you that I loved you?” You asked, and he nodded and shrugged, not seeing the huge deal.  You were drunk, and of course you loved him, he was your best friend.

“Yeah, why?” Richie asked, shaking his head in confusion.  “It’s no big deal n/n, I love you too, you know that” He shrugged.  “We’re best friends”  It was quiet, with you still looking at him but much more saddened.

After years, you’d confessed unconsciously, and he didn’t even take it seriously.

“Richie, drunk me isn’t the only time I’m in love with you” You told him, nerves causing butterflies to flutter in your heart.  The boy chuckled, but you shook your head, covering his hand that was keeping him steady on the bed in yours.  “Rich I’m serious” You whispered, scared that he didn’t return the same kind of love you held for him.  His expression straightened, staring at you with shock, eyes scanning every part of your expression, like maybe you were playing some awful joke.  “I’m not talking about friendship-love of anything else I’m talking about actual, real-”

Richie leaned forward, holding your cheek in his palm and captured your lips with his.  You almost sighed but kept it inside, leaning into him and wrapping both of your arms around his neck.  Just as you broke for a quick breath of air your lips crashed together again.  Like they were magnets to close to not meet.  He was soft, his thumb brushing over your cheek, his other hand on your waist and drawing you impossibly closer.  Your eyes screwed shut, giving him one last little kiss, and drawing back slowly.  Reluctantly.

Neither of you let go of each other, just sat there for a moment and stared.

“You haven’t smoked in a while” You whispered, and a small smile tugged on Richie’s lips as he looked down at you.

“Yeah, you told me you hate the smell” He replied.  Your own lips mimicked his as you shook your head just slightly.  Your fingers moving to brush the long curls that hung over his face away from his eyes.  “I love you too y/n… and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you a long time ago” He told you, and you hugged him tightly.  Richie’s arms completely encircled your waist as he held you.  “I should’ve told you a long time ago” He added.

“Yeah well… I should have too, ya softie” He chuckled, pressing his nose against your temple as he whispered in your ear.

“If you tell anyone I’ve got a soft spot for you, I’ll smoke in your room, in your car, and everywhere you go” You giggled at the empty threat.

“Oh yeah?” You mused,and he planted a kiss on your pinkening cheek.  “Good job getting out a whole sentence without a single cuss by the way” You told him.  Richie’s face gaped, surprised himself.

“Wow” He whispered to himself.  “You my dear, are a Christmas miracle!” You laughed and shook your head.

“Richie, it’s June”

“Alright then you’re just a miracle” He said, and you laughed again.

“As are you Richard Tozier”

ok but finn sorta lookin like a grown ass man in that gif up there ??? he just gorgeous

xoxo ~ jordie

#it (2017) #richie tozier #richie tozier x reader #richie tozier imagine #richie tozier fanfiction #richie tozier scenario #finn wolfhard #finn wolfhard x reader #finn wolfhard scenario #finn wolfhard imagine #finn wolfhard fanfiction

[eene-fangirl]

Comfort Never Hurts an Ed [An EddEddy Fanfiction]

Note: Can anybody who reads this please leave a review? It is going into my senior thesis! Thanks and enjoy!

Eddy stormed out from his house into the cool night air. He was so angry that steam practically whistled out from his ears.

He was fine. There was nothing wrong with him!

'Eddy, we think you need therapy.' his mother said to him with clear worry and fear in her voice.

Therapy? Who the heck wants to waste their time in therapy?! He was fine. He would work everything out by himself just like always!

Eddy headed out from the cul-de-sac, ignoring his parents calling for him to come back home. Eddy just wanted to be alone.

Little did Eddy know that he was being watched by a certain friend.

                                                              -

Eddy sat himself in the dirt on a vacant hill which looking over the cul-de-sac. All the lights were still on in the little neighborhood. It looked brighter, and safer then it did in this spot with dark trees hanging over him as if they were claws. The moon was half full that night. It wasn’t lighting up the area like how it did on their journey a few days ago.

It had only been two days since he saw his brother.

Everything was different now.

He and his friends were finally accepted by the others. Yesterday was one of the best days of his life. Along with the worst. His body still ached from being thrown all around by his brother. He still couldn’t walk without a limp from how it was violently twisted.

They had spent the remainder of yesterday at Kevin's eating jawbreakers after returning home. Finally hanging out with the other kids felt… good? Eddy still wasn’t sure how to feel about the sudden kindness and acceptance. It almost felt as if he didn’t deserve it.

“Thanks for coming, guys. It was fun,” Kevin sounded appreciative as he gave Eddy’s shoulder a friendly pat once they stepped out into the fresh night air.

“Sure was, Kev. Let's have this again sometime,” Eddy jovially agreed. He remembered smiling. Was it fake? Or real?

“Totally. 'Night, Eddy!'

Eddy remembered when Kevin held up his fist and he flinched thinking Kevin were going to hurt him.

It was only a friendly fist bump.

'Eddy, we think you need therapy.'

Finally noticing his surroundings Eddy saw how dark it was. The branches scratched along one another making this eerie sound. It made shivers run up Eddy’s spine. He didn't want to be out here by himself, but he didn't want to go home.

He had no idea what was around him other then the trees.

But, what if he wasn't alone.

Would his brother ever come back to hunt down for revenge? He hit him in the face with a door for Christ sake! Why wouldn't he try and get revenge?

'I thought you wanted to hang with your hero,” His brother’s eerie voice mocked Eddy’s being destroying his every positive thought that his brother’s nature may have changed in the eight years.

Another chill ran up Eddy's spine. His heart painfully pounded inside his chest.

That stupid jerk never cared about him. All these years Eddy told himself that all the pain was his brothers way of loving him. That was so stupid! He wasted his childhood hiding behind his brothers mask to earn acceptance.

Everyone hated him. Or had hated him. Do they all still hate him?

Eddy hated himself.

He took others money, pushed his best friends around who were only trying to help him, and lead everyone to his messed up brother who could have harmed them all.

Tears threatened Eddy's eyes.

God, I'm stupid, stupid, stu-

Eddy stopped, realizing that he was hitting himself in the head.

'Eddy, we think you should get therapy.'

His parents had been worried about him for years now. They were scared that Eddy was following in the same tracks as his brother through all the scams and increasing negative behavior. They knew that the five years his brother lived with him really affected Eddy.

They disowned his brother.

That awful day his brother wreaked havoc in the cul-de-sac, caused a bunch of birds to go insane, hospitalized an old man, and abandoned his unconscious best friend.

The only reason his older brother saved Eddy was because Mom and Dad would be mad.

Eddy's throat tightened.

The darkness was all around him. It felt as if a hand was going to form through the darkness and grab him. His home was better then here, but he was too scared to move.

He was so pathetic. A loser. Nobody liked him. But, he was not-

'Eddy, where do you think you're going? Get back in this house now!'

'Watch me!'

-his brother.

His brother always walked out from the house. He never obeyed any of his parents orders.

Eddy was his brother.

Tears slipped down his cheeks as he slid his head into his arms and closed his eyes.

Please, let the darkness go away...

A twig snapped. "Eddy?" came a familiar voice.

Eddy let out a scream bolting around to see that it was only Edd.

"Jeez, sockhead, what's with the idea of almost scaring me?!" Eddy yelled trying to catch his breath.

The first thing Edd noticed were the tears. "What's the matter?"

Eddy swiftly removed the tears and sat with his back facing Edd. “Nothin'! Just go away!" He stared at the reassuring lights in the neighborhood. It looked so far away. Was it late? One of the lights in the houses had gone out, dimming a part of the neighborhood.

Edd approached him and sat down next to Eddy.

"Why are you here?" Eddy grumbled noticing a look of pity in Edd’s eyes.

"Why are you here?" Edd asked definitely, for any argument that may ensue.

"What's it to yah?" Eddy badgered. He crossed his arms tighter,  feeling cornered in a way.

"I saw you walk out of your house with quite a temper." Edd nervously explained staring down at the ground. He felt guilty that he had spied on his friend. Still it was for his own good.

"So?"

"Did you and your parents have a quarrel?" Edd asked concerned.

Eddy sighed. "Yeah. well, I mean, there wasn’t much fighting, just disagreeing."

"What did they say to you?"

"Nothin'!" Eddy huffed.

Edd’s demeanor turned more serious now. "Eddy, you wouldn't be out here if they didn't say anything."

"Why is this so important to you?" Eddy was practically barricading the tears by a thread. He’d done enough crying in the past few days. Only a baby cried.

"Because I'm your friend and I want to help you,” Edd earnestly stated reaching out to touch Eddy’s shoulder. Eddy only flinched away trying to avoid Edd, including looking at him.

They were silent. Edd stayed. Eddy reluctantly agreed to himself that Edd wasn’t going to leave this spot unless he started talking. That was the only way.

"My parents want me to get therapy,” Eddy admitted, his voice slightly muffled in his folded arms.

Edd immediately took his eyes off the setting. "I think that's a great idea..."

"No, it ain't! I'm not wasting me time talking to some person I don't even know. I'm fine!"

Eddy stared miserably at the ground. In all actuality that was a lie. He was far from fine. Eddy may not know it, but with his mind like this, he was at great risk.

"Eddy, I think your parents are right. Therapy will be good for you..."

"Therapy my ass!" Eddy gritted through his teeth.

"You see, Eddy!” Edd waved his hands in front of him. “This is what I'm talking about. You don't let anybody in! This all could have been avoided if you told everyone the truth about your brother!"

Feeling insulted, Eddy grabbed Edd tightly by his arm. "Don't you know I wanted to do that?! He made me think that he actually cared about me, but he didn't!”

Guilt washed over Eddy’s face upon realization that he was gripping Edd’s arm so tightly that it could leave a red mark. He let go, fear residing deep within himself. His brother always gripped his, or anybody’s, arm like that. He practically broke his arm when Eddy was four.

Eddy briefly stared into Edd's eyes before retreating to look back at the neighborhood He then stated brokenly, "He never did. So many times I wanted to tell you and Ed, but I couldn't,”

That confession felt so wonderful. But, it made him uneasy letting his friends into his dark world. They didn’t deserve that. They didn’t deserve him.

Eddy felt Edd’s arm around his shoulder. This time he didn’t smack it away. He liked the comfort. It made him feel safe.

The tears were threatening him again. Every time he pictured his brother’s nightmarish face, Eddy saw his own. He was going to look like that.

"I'm not going to therapy." Eddy stated once again, holding his ground.

"Why?"

"I don't want to go!" Eddy hollered. He was trying to make Edd flinch, but it was no use. Edd just stared at him. He was trying to see inside of him, trying to find out all his secrets.

Edd removed the comforting arm, much to Eddy’s dismay. "Because you don't want to let anybody in?" he asked.

"N-No."

"So they won't know that you physically harm yourself..." Edd continued.

"Stop talking!" Eddy’s voice echoed into the dark woods. Little did he know he scared off a rabbit.

"And that you're in the danger of having a mental breakdown."

"Shut up! Just, shut up!" Eddy hid himself behind his hands finally letting out such heavy sobs. He shook so hard that he almost choked on each breath.

Edd wrapped his arms around his shoulders and lightly brought Eddy’s head to rest on his shoulder. He gently moved his hands away and lightly wiped Eddy’s eyes with a handkerchief.

Eddy stared at the cul-de-sac, but the only thing that he caught sight of was his house.

"They think I'm him," Eddy’s voice cracked through the tears.

"Who?" Edd asked.

"I'm turning into my brother."

"Eddy, you're not..."

“The night he left my parents said to him, either its therapy or you can get out of this house. He left and so did I." Eddy sat up and looked at Edd with the most broken look ever. "I-I don't want to be like him. I don't want to turn into him... I-I don't want..."

"Come here, Eddy," Edd more so commanded holding his vacant arms out. Eddy didn’t hesitate to lunge into his best friend’s arms, gripped the shirt who let the tears fall on him. He never felt so safe in a hug. He always steered away from the affection, believing he’d only look weak.

"There there. Everything will be alright," Edd comforted rubbing Eddy’s back in circles.

They stayed in this embrace for the longest time until Eddy opened his eyes. The neighborhood came into view once more. Only four lights remained on in the houses. The darkness wasn't so intimidating when someone else was here.

"Edd?"

"Yes?"

Eddy nuzzled into Edd’s shoulder, gripping his shoulder a little tighter. "I just want to be me, but I don't know how."

"That's why you need therapy." Edd said to him.

Eddy was quiet, sniffling.

"You need help, Eddy.” Edd sounded as if he were going to cry now. “You've been hurting yourself both physically and mentally. Ed and I want you to be okay. Therapy is going to help everything make sense. You need this. Please."

Edd sounded as if he were begging. Until two days ago he never knew how important his friends were to him. Ed and Edd looked up to him. He wished Ed could be here also, but his punishment for leaving without permission prevented him from leaving his house. Together they explored the world. They were always there for one another.

Sighing, Eddy said, "Okay."

Edd took a breath of relief. Although he wasn't admitting it, Eddy too felt better.

"Come on, I'll walk you home." Edd smiled helping his friend up from the ground. Their hands hugged one another. Eddy stared at this new kindled affection. He didn’t want to let go, feeling safer.

"Thanks for coming out here." He said to Ed, gripping his hand a little tighter while walking through the forest of trees.

"What are friends for?" And Edd returned the squeeze.

#Ed Edd n Eddy #eene #eene fanfiction #EddEddy #friendship

[raging-violets]

36.) “Why are you looking at me like that?” for cade and ave and gabby and bo. so yes, two each >:)

Cadence

Cadence looked at her watch, sighed hard enough to breathe fire, and clenched her hand into a fist. It took a second for her to control the flames that shot from between her fingers before she slammed her fist against the door.

“Cisco!” She shouted, banging on his front door. The door rattled on its hinges. “Come on! We’re going to be late!” She dropped her hand from the door and waited for any sign of life from inside.

When that didn’t work, she pulled out her phone and dialed Cisco’s speed-dial number once more. Again. And again. And again. Humming, Cadence lowered her phone. What was it that’d keep Cisco from his phone. He practically lived on his phone. Not just because of the metahuman app, but because it was the quickest way for him to follow along with new memes and pop culture he showed the rest of Team Flash at a moment’s notice.

“Cisc-ooooo!”

Finally, she heard rapid footsteps coming to the door before it was flung open to reveal an angry  Cisco. He glared at her, pulling his hair back into a ponytail. Cadence smiled sweetly in response.

“Hi,  Cisco!” She lifted a hand and waved cheerfully. Completely ignoring how high she could sense his body temperature was, complete with red cheeks and and ‘I’m-going-to-kill-you!’ look in his eye.

“What. Do. You. Want?” he demanded.

What did she want? Cadence’s eyes brows rose in offense. “Um.” She gave him a pointed look. “We’re supposed to be going to the movies remember? All-day feature? We need to get to the theater in–” She cut herself off, noticing Cisco glance over his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sort of busy,” Cisco muttered. He ran a hand through his hair–tried to, quickly running into his ponytail. “Can we do this later?”

“It’s a one day thing. And I’m not going by myself. No one else likes to talk back to the screen like you do.” Cadence pouted, sticking out her lower lip as far as she could make it go. “Please, Cisco? Please? Please?”

Cisco glanced over his shoulder once more. He sighed heavily, clearly torn. “I mean, it’s just, I have someone over and–” He stopped, noticing Cadence’s suspicious glance. Her eyes roved over the apartment, slowly shifting into her thermal vision. Okay, so there was someone there he didn’t want her to see, who could be so–?

Oh.

Cisco groaned, noticing Cadence’s eyes shift to orange. He hung his head, knowing he was caught, unable to keep the blush from his cheeks when he looked her in the eye again. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked.

“When did Gypsy get in?” She asked, unable to keep the sly tone from her voice. She cuoldn’t help it. Seeing a thermal image of a woman figure in Cisco’s bed–and very warm from the look of it–wasn’t something she could miss. And wasn’t something she could pass up teasing him about.

He leaned against the door frame. Looked past her. “Last night,” he mumbled then yawned.

Cadence giggled. “And I’m guessing you haven’t gotten a lot of sleep? Well, that explains why you missed my zumba class last night.”

And she laughed harder when Cisco’s blush deepened. Cadence’s inappropriate smile grew. “Well, you’ve got to get some exercise somehow.”

But she gave him a reprieve and promised to see him later. Though, he had to notice when she teleported away and he closed the door behind her, that she hadn’t said anything about not telling the others. That she hadn’t said anything about not wanting to talk about it later.

He could only imagine what was waiting for him when he got to work.

Averey

If looks could kill, Caitlin Snow would be six feet under. Cold. Stiff. And as far away from any iteration of Oregon Trail as possible. Who knew a simple game night at Cisco’s apartment could result in a game to see who could make it as far through a game. With Caitlin’s “expertise” there was no way Averey would make it to the end.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Caitlin asked, frustration laden in her voice.

Averey didn’t break her harsh stare from over the top of her computer. It was Caitlin’s fault she was put in this position. Any more losses and there was no way she’d make it through to Salt Lake City.

“It’s not my fault you started sending your crew in circles,” Caitlin commented, carefully spinning the wine around in her glass.

“It’s a bloody blizzard, it’s not like they had road signs back then,” Averey said with a scowl. She lowered her voice to a defensive tone, almost pouting. “It’s not my fault the only option was to double back.”

“Just like it’s not my fault you decided to leave in the middle of winter,” Caitlin pointed out.

“It’s better to get the winter months out of the way so you’re not dealing with it at the end,” Cisco spoke up from in front of the TV where the computer was connected - projecting the game onto the bigger screen. He started counting off on his fingers. “No snake bites, no having to ford a river, no drowning–”

“But, you can still freeze to death,” Eddie pointed out. He should have been bitter. He had died quickly upon the start of the game.

“If it were up to me you would have been attacked by the natives, mate,” Averey said darkly. “Gradually warm the area. Excellent advice, Dr. Snow.”

“That is how you would treat frostbite,” Caitlin said, defensively. “I mean, rubbing snow into the affected areas?“

“It was actually used for a while back then,” Averey explained. Finally removing her stare from Caitlin, she turned back to the game. “It was a well known theory around this time until it was debunked later on. I always thought it was more homeopathic.” Using her finger, she pushed her glasses up her nose. “But even then, people had to worry about rapidly heating their travel buddies with fire because then they’d have to deal with frostbite and burns. Although, I do reckon that numbing your body part so you won’t feel the pain wouldn’t be too bad and…” She stopped talking when she realized everybody was staring at her. “What?”

“If you knew all that, why are you asking me?” Caitlin asked, throwing her hand into the air.

“You’re the doctor, mate, not me.”

Gabby

“So, you have to tell me.”

“I have to tell you what?” Gabby looked at Cheryl with raised eyebrows. Weren’t they, just a minute ago, working on their history project? What in the world did she need to tell Cheryl about Ulysses S. Grant that she couldn’t already figure out from her own textbook?

“Who’s escorting you to the dance?” Cheryl asked. “We need to have the best dates.” Gabby gaped at her. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Cherry, homecoming is a few months away.”

Cheryl placed a hand to her chest. “And that’s not nearly enough time to get everything together. For our first prom, we need to make a statement.”

“Prom?!” Gabby repeated. She stared at Cheryl as if she grew a second heard. Or a triplet. Whichever came first. “Cherry, it’s September!” It was official. Cheryl Blossom, Cheryl Bombshell, Cherry Blossom, Gabby’s best friend, had finally cracked.

It was along time coming, she supposed. Her family was completely nuts with Cheryl and Jason the most sane of them all. And if that was sane, Gabby didn’t want to know what insane was.

“Yes, the month signifying change, the growth of a new harvest. And as the new captain of the River Vixens, I have to make sure I have the best piece of mindless man candy on my arm. We have a new crop of boys this year.” Cheryl waved her hand. “It’s up to us to take our pick, you can even ask Jay-Jay if you like. He’s plenty suitable.”

“’I’m not asking Jay to go with me as my date.” Gabby’s nose wrinkled. “He’s like, my brother. That’d be like dating you.”

“And I’m a catch,” Cheryl pointed out.

Gabby laughed.

Cheryl sat up straight, moving her long red hair behind her shoulders and laced her fingers together. She blinked once. “Just like cupid wrangling true love together with his arrows, I’ve compiled a list of suitable dates that we need to go through. I’ve put height and weight into consideration to us and each other–”

“–Did you mark down whether they’re friends, too?” Gabby teased. “And their hair color? Eye color? Future aspirations? Trace their family lineage? Determine if we’re going to take our last names or keep theirs? Spern count? You know,”–Gabby leaned in and whispered conspiratorially–”sperm count is really important.”

Cheryl’s eyebrows came together as she tilted her head. Not taking her eyes off her best friend, she unfolded a sheet of paper and spread it open. “Of course! I have to take all of it into consideration.”

Unfazed, Gabby laughed again. Cheryl’s antics would never get old. No matter what it was, it didn’t take long for Cheryl to get an idea and for Gabby to go along with it simply because, well, because she was Cheryl’s best friend. Her ride or die. Her sister from another mister. They’d done a blood pact to prove it. Even if I had to talk Cheryl into that one, Gabby thought, finding it ironic considering Cheryl’s favorite–and signature–color was the same crimson shade.

Gabby watched as Cheryl pushed the list into the center of their table, waving away the prying eyes of the rest of the River Vixens and started to explain the pros and cons of each of the boys on their list. As she did so, Gabby lifted her chin and looked around the library. The rest of their classmates were busy with their work; Reggie, Moose, and Midge sat at their own table, laughing quietly while Reggie and Moose played paper football. Kevin Keller sat a table away, taking obvious peeks over the top of his textbook while trying to appear inconspicuous. The rest of the football team slowly chanted louder and louder for their teammates to win. Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones sat at their own table, working quietly all the while Miss. Grundy oversaw them from the circulation desk.

Had Gabby known that a year later all that happiness would’ve been torn apart, friendships changed and tragedy would strike the town of Riverdale, she would’ve allowed herself to stay in the moment as long as she could. Now, she stood on the front lawn of Riverdale High in her leather jacket, watching her classmates swarm inside for a new school year.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

It took a moment for Gabby to realize Cheryl stood in front of her, arms folded over her chest, staring at Gabby with a flat expression. The same expression she held since Jason’s death. Gabby’s heart hurt for her, but, selfishly, hurt more for herself. That she hadn’t been able to keep things the same between them. Cheryl had been the one to pull away, not Gabby.

There was nothing stopping Cheryl was taking a trip to the Southside to see her. Things didn’t have to change between them. Though from the disgust Cheryl showed while looking over Gabby’s Serpent jacket, Gabby knew she was lying to herself and she had to break that habit sooner than later.

Everything changed.

Gabby studied her former best friend. “Just thought I saw someone I knew.”

Bo

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Bonnie lifted her eyebrows, waiting for Ethel to glare at her over the top of her math book. Again.

Ethel clicked her tongue. She made a show of folding the corner of the page she was on. Slowly, she closed the book with a snap, and held it close to her chest. “Are we not going to talk about it?” she asked.

“Talk about what?”

Ethel took a step closer to her friend, lowering her voice. “Talk about the fact that you were busted for trespassing at the Sweetwater River?” Bonnie stared at Ethel, lips parting. “I was covering for you, remember? Imagine my surprise when your parents called mine asking if I was ok. You know. For being in jail?”

“I wasn’t in jail,” Bonnie protested. Ethel scoffed. “I was just stuck in the back of Sheriff Keller’s car until my parents could come get me.”

“Bo.”

“And i wasn’t trespassing. I was on my parents’ boat.”

“Bo!” Ethel hit Bonnie on the forehead with her textbook. “They found you in the river in a canoe. After hours. That’s trespassing.” Bonnie’s shoulders slumped. “And worst of all, you lied to me. You had me cover for your lie, and my parents were terrified thinking I had been arrested. Arrested, Bo! Me! Ethel Muggs!”

“I’m sorry,” Bonnie said quietly. “I just needed to check some things out.”

“Things you can’t tell me?” Ethel asked. “Still?” Bonnie just shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head.  She turned back around to her locker and started shoving her books into her backpack. “I’ve got to study. Don’t bother me, Bo, I need to ace this test.”

Bonnie gave a half smile. “You always ace them, right?” she asked. Her eyes widened at the look of annoyance and frustration that Ethel shot her over her shoulder. “What? You do!”

“I need to keep my grades up even more right now, ok?” Ethel asked. She slammed her locker door shut. “My parents will see I’m still the same Ethel, and will stop worrying so much.” Clutching her backpack tightly in her arms, she hurried down the halls of Riverdale High.

Bonnie watched her go. She barely acknowledged Kevin when he stepped up beside her.

“You know, there are people who get excited about riding around in a cop car,” he commented, watching Ethel’s retreating form, “but it’s got to be getting old for you.” He finally looked at Bonnie. “Right, Bo?”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “I could say the same for you.” She started following Ethel. After a few steps she turned around to face Kevin. “Thrill’s still kind of there. Especially when he puts on the lights.”

[ PROMPT LIST ]

#answered ask #ceruleanmusings #oc: cadence nash #oc: averey moore #the flash #the flash ocs #oc: gabriella rush #oc: bonnie evans #riverdale #riverdale ocs #authored by: riley #authored by: rhuben

[fmlfpl]

Lineup Lamentations - GW3

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week!

—

WALSH

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Robinson & Aubameyang

IN: Pukki & De Bruyne

CalRob riperino

As shouted on the pod, I did these early to catch the rises with no midweeks it felt fine to do. As much as I am sad to bin Aubz it just seemed like the best place to get money while also addressing a massive problem in my XI - the countymaker Cal.

It looks foolish to continue going without Kevin given how he's looked at the price he's at. As pod partner mentioned - pure value here.

Pukki was also talked about at length on the pod so nothing really to add to that. Just looks a strong long term pick.

GK:

Pope (wol)

Pope at Wolves seems pretty great. Could easily haul here since Wolves suck and are really just a bus + 2 attackers. Up the Pope.

DEF:

Alexander-Arnold & Robertson (ARS)

Standing by Trent and Robbo in a tough on paper fixture for a clean. It's definitely sketchy, but I'm going to still stick with the lads here for a few more games at least.

Doesn't feel like a place where I'll really be getting ahead fo the field by fucking around with them when I have other more pressing issues in my team so here we are. Attacking returns always an option as well so feels fine.

Montoya (SOU)

Montoya is actually getting his first start for me this weekend home to Soton. Not really sure what to make of this game in the battle of the beach towns but it's a good on paper fixture so we'll see how it goes for Monty. Still playing as a wingback so maybe a cheeky assist could come in.

Söyüncü (shu)

Finally, soy sauce umlaut man Soyuncu is at SheffU in a pretty good defensive fixture in my view. I expect this one to be tight and Leic might get their fair share of set pieces in this one...starting Soy feels great.

MID:

De Bruyne (bou)

New friend Kevin is in to increase my City player count from 0 to 1. 1 is better than 0 I think.

Salah (ARS)

Mo has a nice normal week of chill vibez before Arsecast roll up to Livp. I like that people are selling Mo. I have no plans on removing him anytime soon.

Martial (CRY)

Tony M has been fantastic and I am well pleased with myself that I started on him. Feels like a long term hold and United finally have their first good fixture of the season. I expect him to keep banging.

Pérez (shu)

Finally, Ayoze gets a stay of execution after two blanks in two. I'm not expecting much from him this weekend, but if Br0dge would play an attacking lineup that would be a nice start. He looked to be getting into reasonably good positions last game so will keep an eye to see if that keeps up. I still believe in Ayoze but a good performance with even just an assist would do a lot to calm my nerves on him.

FWD:

Kane (NEW)

Kane with a big game this weekend. If he can outscore Raz by a bit I will be flying. One time Harold you cuck don't cuck me.

Pukki (CHE)

Next to Kane is Pukki. Rough on paper fixture but in reality the game should be open based on what both of these teams have shown us so far.

CAP:

Kane (NEW)

It's gotta be Kane. I don't own Raz so it's not really in question. Hopefully Spurs just dominate and Kane gets in there with a double return. Rose hasn't been swimming around in the box much..maybe he'll trick VAR for a pen15 this game? One time please, dealer.

—

ALON

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Wilson

IN: Pukki

Kinda weird to just follow the herd and auto transfer out Callum after he’s returned in 2/2 for me but Bournemouth don’t look very good and of course the City fixture weighs heavily in the decision as well. Also the Pukki train, as mentioned on the pod, feels like it actual comes from a real place (the team, the eye-test, the previous success, etc etc...).

It’s an extremely slow and passive move for me but like I said on the pod, and Walsh had to say it all back to me as I was panicking last night, I have my eyes set on the right guys for next week. I’m just taking my time and riding a few good fixtures and making my moves soon...

At least I hope I’m being passive and not just scared. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.

GK:

Ederson (bou)

I find that I can’t root for City despite owning the guys in FPL. Owning Eddy is like a job for me - I’m just clocking in... Maybe I’ll get points, but also if Harry Wilson wants to bang one in from 30 yards I’m down for that.

No Stones this week so an Ota red card is right around the corner too.

DEF:

van Dijk & Gomez (ARS)

Real tough clean shout here. We’ll see how attacking of a lineup and a setup Arsenal go for... My gut tells me that Emery will learn from last season’s spanking at Anfield to go a little less gung-ho but who the fuck knows.

Not expecting a clean at all but it’s possible.

I think Gomez will be straight back in after he was rested from the Supercup 120′ nightmare... If not then he’s another major issue that I need to deal with next week.

Söyüncü (shu)

This seems early doors like it might be one of the best fixtures for a cleansheet shout... I don’t think Sheff U. are terrible but they are pretty conservative and Leicester are pretty tight and good. I expect Leicester to totally control this match.

Digne (avl)

Villa have been putting up pretty solid attacking numbers and decent attacking performances. I do not expect a clean in a match where Villa will feel they need at least a point to get their season going, Villa Park is going to be insane.

All that aside Everton have been cleaning for fun and Villa’s defense can definitely be ripped to shreds by Digne so let’s cheers to that. Digne to Rich please fucking god.

MID:

Salah (ARS)

Pretty ok attacking fixture for Mo and the boys.

Mo got absolutely no service whatsoever against Southampton - for example Trent passing to Mo did not happen one time - everything was up the left through Robbo and Mané... I expect a lot more action with a week off for the team.

Sterling (bou)

After dropping points last week I fear for what Pep’s boys will do to Bournemouth this week.

Pérez (shu)

Extremely tough start.

Also don’t feel like he’s gotten a fair shake playing super wide being asked to do things that he can’t do or at least has never done at this level... It’s been a feels bad man so far for Ayoze but I believe in the player and Brodge and the team.

While Sheffield United are tough to break down and Leicester have home Bourney next week, it may be do or die / now or never time for Ayoze in FPL.

Richarlison (avl)

Rich has gotten chances in both matches so far and just not put’em away... Away Villa is his time. Come on you Rich.

FWD:

Pukki (CHE)

I straight up agree with what Walsh said on an open match above and also add to that potentially no Kante is just even more open for Pukki and the boys.

I actually fear for Chelsea here and I think this is a trap game for them. Norwich can slice them to bits on the break if the boys are up for it... I love Norwich.

Deulofeu (WHU)

Another rough start for Team Alon with Gerry D...

Created the best chance of the match last week but also didn’t take a shot... Watford in general from the end of last season and through how they’ve started off this season look baaaaaaaaad. Like, relegation levels of bad.

They need to figure out something and I hope it’s not sacrificing Gerry D but who the fuck knows.

West Ham might be the best attacking fixture in the league for FPL? They’re up there. So if Gerry keeps his place then I really do expect points. Praying for points... Here we go we’ll see.

CAP:

Sterling (bou)

Anything less then a 0-3 would stun me from City this weekend.

And Raz should have a big day.

Easy call for me with no Kane.

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