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justauthoring · 2 years

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Shadow of Yourself [5/18]

Prompt: “You’ve changed, Eli. I barely even know who you are right now.”

A/N: guess who finally reappears? eliiiiiiii! look forward to come angst :)

Based off of: Cobra Kai 02x04 and 02x05 Warnings: some swear words (because tumblr apparently doesn’t like that), fighting, bullying, etc. Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x F!Reader

Tag List: @moonydrafts - @ashwhowrites - @traveleraroundsworld - @truly-abysmal - @likecherriesinthespring - @hollxe1 - @asonofpeter - @scarlett-verse - @musically-ambiguous - @kayda1 - @moon-zoons - @dwcode - @day-dreamsinthedark - @leilani788 - @silvermagnolias - @hawkinsavclub - @animewolflover278 - @gruffle1 - @b-tchymoon - @maggiecc - @beetea38 - @hawkinsavclub1983 - @crpytids - @embersparklz - @kimilight - @httpjiikook - @marauderssmut - @fyckcore - @multinci - @lqveabby - @oh-well-whatever-nevermind - @redskull199987 - @silvermagnolias if you’re in italics, tumblr wont let me tag you.

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

Learning karate was a lot different then you expected it to be.

Mr. Larusso—Sensei Larusso—was nice and super patient with you for someone who barely knew what they were doing. He also seemed entirely too giddy at the thought of you being a new student and could barely contain his excitement the first day you walked into his dojo.

Robby and Sam had been off on their own training, which you guess made sense given that they were a lot more skilled and proficient in the art then you were. It still felt odd.

Because instead of actual training, you were doing chores. Well, they’d seemed like chores at first but it became clear pretty early on that it was a trick for the muscle memory aspect — the defence would pay off upon doing the movements repetitively.

Waxing the cars, sanding the deck, painting the house.

At first you’d been afraid it was some elaborate trick of Sam’s just to get you to do the chores she didn’t want you to do, or that Mr. Larusso needed help with—but you knew Sam and quickly deduced that that was as far fetched as it could get.

Besides, while it hurt your back and your arms were incredibly sore, doing the chores got your mind off of things. Provided a distraction. One you’d desperately needed, and in the scheme of things didn’t mind all that much.

Enough so that when you finished sanding the deck on your first day, a good two hours later, you’d all but skipped over to Mr. Larusso with a smile on your face. “Mr. Larusso,” you call out to him, eyes flickering briefly to Sam and Robby whose stood next to him. “I finished the deck.”

“Perfect timing, Y/N,” he grins, causing you to blink in response.

“What’s happening?” You ask, tilting your head in confusion.

Sam and Mr. Larusso eye each other briefly, before the latter turns to you; “we’re going on a trip.”

Turns out the trip meant heading to the beach house that Mr. Larusso and his family often frequented, the four of you piling into Mr. Larusso’s car—the ‘banana boat’ Sam dubbed it, which you were told was a gift from Mr. Miyagi, Mr. Larusso’s Sensei. Sam was sat up front with her father, while you and Robby were in the back.

You haven’t really gotten the chance to talk to Robby beyond your small, rather awkward chat at the Valley Festival. You weren’t really sure how to approach him given that he didn’t really seem to, well, like you all that much.

“I still don’t understand how going to the beach is gonna help us get students.”

“It’s not the students that I’m after,” Mr. Larusso answers Robby, briefly glancing over at the both of you. “It’s the parents.”

“So,” Sam speaks up, her brows furrowing in disbelief. “You’re counting on kids listening to their parents?”

You nod, “yeah. No offence, Mr. Larusso, but kids almost make it their goal not to listen to their parents.”

“No, no, I’m counting on parents doing whatever it takes to protect their kids.” He rebuttals, shaking his head. “Look, I’ve tried everything else to promote Miyagi-Do. If this doesn’t work… nothing will.”

Well, you can’t help but think, hopefully then it will.

Mr. Larusso told you to make yourself comfortable…

What did that even mean?

You’ve never been to a beach house, let alone such a fancy one and the bathing suit Sam had let you borrow was far beyond your level of comfort. You can’t remember the last time you’ve gone swimming or worn a swimsuit, especially in front of others.

Especially in front of a boy.

Even, really, a girl too.

Your outings with Eli and Demetri had consisted of the comic book shop, the arcade or a movie at one of your houses. This was different—far too different and you felt extremely out of your element.

You’d yet to meet up with Sam and Robby yet, it felt a lot more awkward when you were with the both of them. Sam and Robby were obviously friends, close ones at that, and yeah, you and Sam got along but it’s like every time you were within the vicinity of Robby, he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

At the very least, away from you.

How were you supposed to approach that? You’d been friends with only Eli and Demetri for as long as you had because you didn’t know how to talk to people.

But you also couldn’t hide forever.

Unfortunately.

So, steeling your nerves, you pull the sleeves of your shirt further down your arms, making your way over to where you saw Sam and Robby settle down. Only, as you make your way over, you only see Robby.

“Hey,” you call softly, ignoring the slight shake of your voice. Robby turns to you at the sound of your voice, faltering slightly when he realizes it’s you.

You ignore the look, taking a seat on the bench next to him. “Where’s Sam?”

“She went to talk with Aisha.”

Your lips form an ‘o’, nodding to yourself as you shuffle back on the bench, trying to get comfortable. You can’t help but briefly glance to your left, at Robby, and hope that he’ll say something else. Anything else.

He seems determined to ignore you.

“Why do you hate me?”

The words slip past your lips before you even realize you’re saying them, shocking you just as much as they shock Robby.

Robby jerks at your sudden question, head snapping back round to glance at you in confusion. “What?”

“I mean, you must,” you mumble, fumbling with the hem of your shirt. “You never talk to me and you look like you’d rather be anywhere else then here with me right now.”

Robby frowns, unable to deny, shrugging his shoulders, “I don’t hate you. I just don’t trust you.”

Brows furrowing, you shake your head; “why?”

“Because you’re friends with Miguel,” Robby huffs, “and he’s one of them.” He spits the last word with such disgust, an angry look crossing his features as he scoffs at you.

“Miguel’s my friend,” you nod, shrugging. “But that doesn’t mean I agree with what they’re doing.” Then, after a moment, you add; “besides, you’re not the only one whose suffered because of Cobra Kai.”

Robby’s brows furrow but his face softens at your words nonetheless, a mixture of surprise and confusion flooding his features as he stares back at you. He hadn’t been expecting an answer, especially such a calm one at that.

Really, with the way he’d been treating you, you’d have every right to get mad. Or, at the very least, a little upset.

Swallowing thickly, Robby shifts; “why did you decide to join Miyagi-Do.”

“I dunno,” you whisper. “At first I was determined to avoid all karate. Karate is what took away my best friend. But then, when I saw your guys’ performance at the festival, I knew then that Miyagi-Do was different. I couldn’t look away.”

Meeting Robby’s gaze, you smile softly. “Besides, I could use some friends too.”

He blinks at that, lips parting in bafflement.

He hadn’t expected that. Any of it. Least of all the sadness in your voice as you explained your reasoning.

Suddenly, Robby feels guilty for the way he’d treated you. He’d barely even given you a chance before he just decided that you weren’t in it for real and that you were just like the rest of them. That you didn’t really care about Miyagi-Do. When really, you’d been just as hurt by Cobra Kai and all of it like him and Sam.

Lips parting, Robby stammers for a response; “I-I…—”

You just shake your head, waving him off; “it’s okay, Robby. You don’t have to explain yourself. I just hope you’ll give me a chance.”

“Yeah,” he nods, perhaps slightly too quickly as you let out a light giggle at his eagerness. “Yeah, sure.”

Your smile beams all too quickly and it’s clear you’re desperate for him to like you; “great!”

“Hey, have any of you seen my wallet?”

Turning at the sound of Mrs. Larusso’s voice, you blink as you watch her search through her beach bag, a look of desperation and slight panic on her face. Robby and Sam are stood before you, glancing at each other briefly before back at Mrs. Larusso.

“Wait,” Robby frowns, “you’re missing your wallet?”

“It’s gotta be around here somewhere,” she shakes her head. “Can you just spread out? I’m sure it’ll turn up somewhere.”

You nod, moving to walk off in search until you notice the look on Robby’s face. He’s shuffling off quickly, something in his gaze as he makes his way past Mrs. Larusso. “I’ll check the beach,” he explains, setting his bag down. “Maybe someone turned it in to the lifeguard.”

Your brows furrow as you watch him, something felt strange about the way he rushed off. You turn to Sam to ask if she knew but she’s already got her sights set on something and your eyes flicker upwards only to find the back to Aisha and who you assume is the new friend Sam mentioned she was with.

For a moment, you pause, unsure who to follow or if you should just go looking on your own. But the truth was, Robby had seemed uncomfortable the entire time you’d been there—it was subtle, but you’d gotten good at noticing things other people didn’t.

It was the perks of being in background.

“I’m gonna go help Robby,” you explain to Mrs. Larusso who nods at you distractedly.

It’s easy enough to follow Robby but you’re a few steps behind him, by the time you reach him he’s perched behind the stairs leading down to the beach. Your brows furrow as you watch him for a moment, slowing down your pace.

“Robby, what are you—”

The next second a handful of wallets fall to the floor. Sure enough, Mrs. Larusso’s is there as well.

“I knew it,” Robby huffs.

“How did you—”

“Yo, but did you see the shorty in the green thong?”

You blink at the new voice, mildly disgusted by the boys words as you glance up. There’s two footsteps heading down the stairs directly above you, just as a second voice calls out; “oh, man, I ain’t thinking about that right now.”

In the next second, Robby’s turning on his phone, starting a recording through the camera before he grabs you by the wrist, yanking you back. You stumble over your feet blindly for a moment, before catching your footing, turning to him in confusion as he tucks you and himself under the stairs, obviously trying to hide himself.

“All right, let’s get the stuff. We gonna bolt.”

“Just like that.”

He places himself in front of you, hiding you slightly from sight as the two boys come to a stop in front of you. By the looks on their faces, they know Robby.

“This guy here, man,” the one with the ball cap scoffs, shaking his head.

Stepping out from beneath the stairs, Robby shrugs; “same shit, different summer.”

Just what the hell was happening right now?

“What are you doing here, Robby?”

“Found your stash,” Robby gestures behind him, just as you slowly step out yourself. “You’re gonna give it all back.”

The taller, skinnier one scoffs; “the hell we are.”

“You didn’t learn your lesson last time? That’s cool. We can give you a refresher course.”

Shaking your head, you step forward; “Robby, what the h*ll is going on? How do you know these guys?”

Turning to you, Robby frowns; “just step back, Y/N. These guys stole from Mrs. Larusso.”

“I figured that much out myself,” you deadpan, “why do you know them?”

“Because Robby used to do it with us, sweet cheeks,” the ball cap wearing one grins, stepping closer to you as he eyes you up and down. “Man, where’d you find yourself such a sweet piece of a**, Robby?”

Bewildered by what he said and disgusted by his treatment of you, you shake your head, scoffing.

Robby huffs, “just shut up and bring it—“

He steps forward in preparation but then a shadow falls behind the both of you and you notice the man stood behind Robby a second too late. He brings a paddle to the back of Robby’s head, knocking him off his feet and straight to the ground as you gasp in response, quickly jumping away from the guy.

The two others laugh, “what you forgot this was a three man job?”

Glaring at them, you spin to face them; “what is wrong with you?” Racing forward, you move to swing a hit, only to have it easily blocked. It’s the one wearing the ball cap that catches your fist and you freeze in realization—you’ve trained in Miyagi-Do for approximately one day.

And all you’d done was sand a deck.

Why exactly had you thought you’d be able to take these guys?

Spinning you around, he locks you in his grip, wrapping an arm around your neck to hold you firmly to his chest as you huff. You try to work your way out but all the guy does is squeeze tighter, making you groan out slightly in response.

A huff catches your attention however, and your eyes widen when you see Robby slowly crawling to his knees.

“Robby!”

“You know,” the boy holding you calls out, “for a smart kid, you sure do learn slow.”

The man who’d hit Robby makes his way over to him, picking him back up to his feet by his shoulders, all but yanking him to his feet before putting him in a headlock similar to you. Except the guy holding Robby is twice his size and by the reddening of Robby’s face, you figure he’s holding him a lot tighter.

“Maybe,” the skinny one laughs, “we need to leave him something to remember him us by.”

Your eyes widen when he pulls out a pocket knife.

“Wait, no,” you cry, fighting the boy who’s holding you grip. He just squeezes tighter, making your face feel hot as you gasp for breath.

“Just wait your turn—“

He doesn’t finish his words. In the next second the boy in front of you is knocked to the ground, knife falling out of his hands, by… “Mr. Larusso?”

“Let them go.” Mr. Larusso calls out, hands held out before him.

“Don’t listen to him,” the boy holding you orders, shuffling back as you get dragged with him. Then, he stops, and suddenly you’re being thrown to the ground, landing onto the sand with a loud huff, the wind knocked out of you.

“Alright grandpa, let’s do it.”

Bracing yourself, you turn your head over your shoulder, the frown on your lips turning to a smile as you watch Mr. Larusso kick their asses—not to mention with ease.

When the guy holding Robby is the only one left, he throws him to the ground similar to how you’d been, moving to attack Mr. Larusso. You rush to Robby’s side without hesitation, your hands falling to his shoulders as you gaze down at him in concern.

“You okay, Robby?”

Meeting your gaze, Robby nods before the both of you glance back over at Mr. Larusso.

You just manage to catch sight of him roundhouse kick the last guy.

“Your grandpa know how to move like that, huh?”

Helping Robby to his feet, you laugh; “that was incredible, Mr. Larusso!”

“Yeah, well,” glancing at the both of you, Mr. Larusso nods. “Let’s just get out of here.”

“Mr. Miyagi didn’t recruit me. He wasn’t looking for students.”

Sitting up from your spot next to Sam, you smile at Robby and Daniel as they make their way out.

“He took me in because I needed him,” Daniel continues to explain, “I came to him, not the other way around. It’s time we be patient. Let those who need us, find us. Right?”

Daniel smiles at the three of you, and when he’s eyes meet yours you offer him a smile and a thumbs up. To you, that sounded like a perfect plan.

“Excuse me?”

Straightening at the sound of a familiar voice, your eyes widen at who you see.

“Uh, it was unclear if the gate was the front door or if I was supposed to ring the door bell.”

“Demetri?” You call out, eyes wide with shock as you stand up. Everyone’s eyes fall on you, watching as you step forward, lips parting.

“Oh, hey, Y/N. I didn’t know you were here.” Smiling, Demetri’s eyes flicker past you, head tilting; “is that a koi pond? How much does it cost to maintain that—“

Shaking your head, you interrupt him; “what are you doing here?”

“Uh, yeah…” shuffling on his feet, Demetri’s hands fall to his sides. “I wanna learn karate.”

Eyes widening, your lips part. Demetri had always been so against karate, even more than you… then again, you haven’t really talked to him in a while.

Clearly things had changed.

Smiling brightly, Daniel nods; “you’ve come to the right place.”

Needless to say, Demetri was exactly how you expected him to be.

He’s been your friend for as long as you can remember, and although you haven’t talk to him in a while, you knew him well. His heart wasn’t in it, it showed in the way he reacted to Mr. Larusso’s teachings.

Given that the two of you just started learning, Mr. Larusso had decided to teach you both together. But it was clear what set the two of you apart when you completed each and every task with no complaints while Demetri seemed to try to get out of it in whatever way he possibly could.

The both of you had been training for a few days now while Robby and Sam continued on their own. The movements were becoming easier and were starting to feeling natural, a thought that easily brought a smile to your face. The hard work was finally starting to pay off.

It was the start of your training for the day, Robby and Sam had already gotten started given that most of their training happened on their own now. You were just doing some stretching and warming up when Demetri made his way in for training today.

“Uh, hey, are we doing shirts versus skins?”

Looking up at the sound of his voice, your brows furrow. You glance over at Robby and Sam, who Demetri was talking to, noticing that Robby had taken off his shirt under this heat.

“Cause I’d prefer to be a shirt. Not saying that you have to be a skin,” Demetri calls out to Sam directly, causing you to roll your eyes. “Unless you want to. I support your right to choose.”

Pushing yourself up to your feet, you make your way over to Mr. Larusso whose just walked in, shaking your head at Demetri’s words.

Mr. Larusso nods at you in greeting before turning back to Demetri; “Demetri! Over here.”

He listens without fault, making his way up the stairs, before coming to a stop before the both of you. “Hey, Mr. L, before we begin…” reaching in his pocket, you pause when he pulls out a slip of paper, handing it to Mr. Larusso.

Holding the paper out in confusion, Mr. Larusso shakes his head. “What’s…”

“It’s a note from my mom excusing me from any extensive arm and leg movements.”

Eyes falling shut, you press a hand to your forehead.

“So, uh, if there’s an alternative lesson I could do… Maybe a workbook.”

Mr. Larusso sighs at Demetri’s words, but instead of responding the way you expect him to, he turns to you. “Y/N, show me ‘sand the floor’.”

Pausing in thought for a moment, you nod, kicking your leg back just as he does, and in the next second he’s turning, kicking his leg out towards you. But instead of hitting you, you block it, your hand moving down towards your side. Your eyes widen as you do, surprised at the ease with which you did.

“Excellent job, Y/N.” He smiles at you, to which you return before he turns to Demetri. “Okay, Demetri your turn. Just like Y/N. Show me ‘sand the floor’.”

Mr. Larusso does the same movements as he did with you, only Demetri doesn’t block. He simply… let’s Mr. Larusso kick him.

“Ow! You kicked me!”

Huffing, Mr. Larusso shakes his head; “why didn’t you block, Demetri? You know this. This is the muscle memory!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have muscles.”

“Demetri,” you huff, shaking your head.

He turns to you; “what?”

“Just… do you… do you want to be here, Demetri?” Mr. Larusso asks, letting his hands fall to his sides as he turns to your friend, a frown on his lips.

“Not really.”

“Then why are you here?”

Eyes flickering to Demetri, you frown at the look on his face.

“My whole life I’ve been, let’s just say, less than popular. But at least I had a few friends.” You meet his gaze as he turns to you. “And then Cobra Kai comes to town, and next thing I know, my friends are taking karate and becoming alpha jerks.”

Shoulders falling, you glance at your feet.

“I’m literally be threatened by one of my best friends.”

Frowning, you shuffle on your feet, fiddling with your hands. You… you hadn’t know Demetri felt that way.

“I just wanted to show I could fight back.”

Stepping forward, you set your hand on Demetri’s shoulder, pulling his gaze on you. “I’m sorry,” you whisper, “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Demetri just shakes his head; “it’s the same for you.”

Sighing, Mr. Larusso steps forward. “Look… I understand what you’re going through. I do. But Miyagi-Do isn’t about showing off. It’s about—“

“Self defenSe. I-I know. Problem is, my ‘self’ is too weak.”

Demetri walks off at that and you turn to him, eyes watching his back. You guess you’d been just as lousy of a friend to Demetri as Eli—you can’t remember the last time you’d hung out with him, just you and him.

No one else.

And while Eli had decided on just blatantly ignoring you, it seems like he’d been terrorizing Demetri. How? You didn’t know. But you’ve never seen Demetri act like that, not for as long as you’ve known him and certainly not ever when talking about Eli.

They were best friends, friends longer then with you. They’d been through everything together.

And now, Eli had just tossed him aside.

Turning to Mr. Larusso and seeing the defeated look on his face, you swallow thickly. “Don’t worry, Mr. Larusso. I’ll go talk to him.”

“You will?”

Meeting his eyes, you nod; “I’m one of his best friends.”

“Hey.”

Your voice is soft as you call out to Demetri, taking a seat next to him on the step as you gently bump your shoulder against his own.

He briefly glances up at you; “hey.” He offers blandly, a single nod.

Feeling the slight tension, you bring your knees up to your chest, hugging them tightly for moral support as you let your head rest on your knees. “I’m sorry about Eli, Demetri.”

Shrugging his shoulders, he waves you off. “It isn’t your fault.”

“Well, I’m also sorry I haven’t been a great friend.”

Blinking, Demetri turns to you in surprise.

“I haven’t been there for you and for that I’m sorry,” you say honestly, eyes flickering past him to stare in front of yourself. “I just couldn’t bare to be around him anymore, after… well, you know. It was too hard for me. But I should’ve still reached out to you.”

Demetri pauses a moment before slightly bumping his shoulder against yours. “If it’s any consolation, I think he misses you as much as you miss him.”

Raising a brow, you scoff at Demetri; “yeah sure. I’m sure he missed me so much while he was busy making out with Moon.”

“I’m serious. Whenever he was talking about something or when he did something impressive to show off, he’d get this look in his eyes and he’d search for you. Of course, you were never there…” Demetri explains, “he’d never admit to it of course. But, I know what I saw.”

Feeling your cheeks warm and an uncertainty on how to reply, you just pull your knees closer to yourself. “Well, doesn’t mean he’s any less of an a**hole.”

Demetri snorts, “I definitely agree with you there.”

Smiling at your success at getting him to smile, you turn to look at Demetri. “I did miss hanging out with you too, you know. Not just Eli.”

Meeting your gaze, Demetri can’t fight the smile from his lips. “Yeah, I missed you too. You unfortunately are sometimes the only sane person I know.”

Letting out a laugh, you shake your head; “thanks?”

“You’re welcome.”

Licking your lips, you hesitate on your next words. You don’t know if you should bring up Mr. Larusso or just leave it—ultimately, that was a decision Demetri needed to make for himself. You can’t force him either way.

You wanted him to take Miyagi-Do lessons because he wanted to. Not because he felt he had to.

So, choosing not to mention the elephant in the room, you grin over at him; “Robby, Sam and I were planning on heading to the mall later. Did you wanna come?”

“I’m more partial to his performance in ‘Donnie Darko’.”

Rolling your eyes with a smile on your face at Demetri’s words, you take a seat across from him, the both of you having just finished grabbing your food. You’d purposely delayed Demetri for the sake that it looked like Sam and Robby wanted some time alone—it was pretty obvious the two of each other had a massive crush on one another.

And with Demetri here now, you didn’t have to play the awkward third wheel.

“Interesting movie,” Demetri adds, nodding before he falters. “Time travel logic left a lot to be desired.”

Sam and Robby chuckle to one another as you grin; “I personally agree with Robby and Sam, ‘Dirty Dancing’ is the best. I used to watch it all the time as a little girl.”

Demetri pauses, “really? I would’ve—wait, is today Wednesday?”

Reeling back from Demetri’s sudden change in conversation, you watch as Robby and Sam answer his question.

“Yeah.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Demetri is suddenly snapping his fingers in your direction, “the new issue of Dungeon Lord came out,” he explains, moving to stand as your eyes widen in realization. It’s been so long since you’ve been able to hang with Demetri or even think about stuff like that you’d completely forgotten.

It was, however, good to know some things never changed.

“Um, do you guys want anything from the comic book store?”

Robby laughs, “uh, no thanks.” As Sam shakes her head.

“I’ll come with,” you shrug, pushing yourself to a stand. “It’s been a bit since I’ve gone.”

Demetri grins, “okay, we’ll be right back. Make sure no one throws away my chicken.”

He’s racing across the food court before you have another second to think, and letting out a laugh you offer a wave back at Sam and Robby before you move to follow after Demetri. The trip to the comic book store is easy enough and the second you catch up to Demetri, you shake your head at the fact that he’s slightly breathless.

“I’m gonna go look around, okay?” You turn to him, laughing. “Let me know when you find Dungeon Lord.”

Demetri nods and with that, the two of you head your separate ways, a smile on your face. This certain comic book store is quite large and you find yourself reminiscing as you look at all the comic books, surprised at all the new volumes you’d missed.

You’d have to get Demetri to catch you up on all of them.

You’re so lost in your thoughts, you barely hear the sound of something being knocked over. It sounds like a stand, the sound of books clattering along with it startles you from your thoughts the second you hear it, glancing up from the comic book in your hands with furrowed brows as you glance to your right.

You can’t really see anything, tucked away in a aisle.

But it did sound like it came from the direction Demetri had headed in.

Thinking better then to ignore it, you put the comic book back, making your way over.

“You think I’m afraid of you?” Eyes widening in concern at Demetri’s voice, you move to quicken your pace until you hear his next words. “I know who you really are… Eli.”

Eli? Eli was here?

Slowly making your way forward, you pause at the sight of him. He hasn’t noticed you, and neither has the other two with him—nor Demetri. You’ve tucked yourself behind a shelf purposely, because the mere sight of him makes everything in your body freeze. Eli looks a lot different then you remember, a red mohawk instead of a blue, and there’s this look in his eyes.

He almost seems unrecognizable. You know it’s him but there’s no trace left of the Eli you once knew. It isn’t just his hair or the clothes he wears, it’s the way he’s looking down at Demetri.

You’ve never seen him so mad. Let alone at his own best friend.

“So, why don’t you, Rocksteady and Bepop just leave me alone, okay?”

Just as Demetri moves to turn, two others come up behind him, effectively blocking his path. Your heart falls to the pit of your stomach at the sight, a sick feeling enveloping you as you shuffle back on your feet.

Something told you this wasn’t going to end well.

“Great. So this is what it’s come to,” Demetri scoffs, “gang assault.”

“Take it down, or we take you down.”

You haven’t heard his voice in a while. Not since at he All Valley tournament. You hadn’t realized avoiding him as much as you had been would make seeing him again so hard. Something as simple as just hearing his voice was making you feel stuck in your place.

“You’d actually hurt me?”

Eli doesn’t respond, and that scares you more than if he had.

“Well, guess what, you’re not the only one that knows karate.” Eyes widening at Demetri’s words, you freeze—he’d barely even learned wax on, wax off. “I just joined Miyagi-Do.”

He kicks his leg back, before pausing, switching his side in preparation.

Scoffing, Eli rolls his eyes; “all right, let’s see what you got.”

It happens in the blink of an eye, you barely have time to process what he’s doing. Eli delivers a nasty kick to Demetri’s stomach before ducking, sweeping Demetri off his feet and having him crashing to the ground.

The sight is almost unbelievable to you—obviously, you’d known Eli had changed but… but to attack Demetri like that?

Demetri really was being terrorized by him.

“Demetri!” You act on instinct, your worry over taking your apprehension as you rush out from where you’d been hiding. Your eyes meet Eli’s briefly, and it’s as if time slows as he falters at the sight of you, lips parting in bafflement at the sight of you there. You just glare at him, rushing to Demetri’s side as you fall to your knees next to him.

“What the h*ll is wrong with you?” You cry at Eli, helping to pull Demetri up by his shoulders as you stare back at Eli in disbelief.

Eli pauses, hesitant on what to say. His friends are looking at him in confusion, obviously not understanding what the problem was before he scoffs; “he was asking for it.”

You just roll your eyes, moving to say something else before you’re interrupted by the sound of the store clerk calling out; “hey, what’s going on back there?”

Demetri uses that split second of distraction to jump to his feet, pulling you with him by the wrist as he races past Eli’s two other friends, making his way out of the comic book store. The second you’re out he let’s go of your hand, a huff leaving your lips as you follow closely behind him.

“What are we doing!” You cry out, distressed.

“Do you wanna fight him?” He calls back.

And you both know the answer to that.

Demetri bumps into two people before knocking over a sunglasses stand. You shuffle back as he goes crashing to the ground once more, quickly moving to help him back up to his feet, calling out a quick apology to the owner of the sunglasses stand.

The second the two of you reach the food court, you both rush to where Robby and Sam had been.

Only, they’re not there.

“Of course they left.”

You shake your head, glancing around, “they wouldn’t have—”

But you don’t finish what you’re saying because you catch sight of Eli, making his way into the food court and as you turn, the rest of his friends are there with him. They’re circling around the two of you, leaving no room for escape as you stumble back on your feet.

“It didn’t have to be this way,” Eli calls out menacingly, eyes set directly on Demetri, “you could’ve joined Cobra Kai if you weren’t such a pussy.”

He’s gaining on the both of you, specifically Demetri, the latter backing up as he pants out; “well at least I’m not an a**hole!”

In the next second he’s grabbed, and you instantly turn to his defense. “Hey, let him—” however, before you can reach him, you feel two hands grab you by the arms, tugging you back.

“You’re dead meat.”

Turning to Eli at his words, you shake your head; “Eli, please stop! He’s your best friend!”

Eli meets your gaze, and for a moment he pauses, faltering, this look of apprehension washing over his gaze before he blinks, and it’s gone. He turns back to Demetri, and panic crawls up the back of your throat as you watch him gain on him.

Except he doesn’t make it far. In the next second Sam is rushing forward, kicking the guy who was holding Demetri back and away, just as you feel the hands holding you disappear. Robby is suddenly in front of you, hands falling on your shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

Nodding, breathless, you shuffle back as he pulls you behind him, Sam doing the same with Demetri.

“You guys need to back off.”

When you turn to Eli, his eyes are on you and Robby, a deep frown marring his lips before he turns to Sam. “I don’t wanna have to hit a girl.”

Robby jumps forward; “you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Eli scoffs, “five against four?” Then, setting his glare on Demetri, he laughs; “more like three and a half.”

His jab causes a series of laughs from his friends to echo and then, with a single nod from him, everyone moves into action. It happens so quickly, you can barely even process what’s happening. Everybody is throwing hits at one another, Demetri huddled close to Sam as she blocks hits and takes just as many.

Before you know it Robby is suddenly no longer by your side and as you turn to find him, or get closer to Demetri, you pause at the sight of the boy from earlier who held you gaining on you.

He smirks at you, and then suddenly, without a thought, he jumps at you. It happens on instinct, your hand moving to block his punch before you stare back at yourself in amazement. It was the first time you’d been able to actually use any of what Mr. Larusso had taught you in action. The boy huffs at your block, not wasting another second as he moves to attack. He’s quicker this time, and before you know it you find yourself getting overwhelmed, unable to keep up.

It’s his third hit that nails you square in the stomach, the wind being knocked out of you as you fall to your back. A cry leaves your lips as you hit the ground, hands curling around your stomach.

“Hey! What the h*ll man!”

You don’t recognize the voice as Eli’s until he’s in front of you, pulling you up to your feet. He’s suddenly too close, hands falling on your arms as he guides you upwards. You blink up at him as he does, stunned silent at the concerned look in his eyes, a look that reminds you of the old Eli, until you remember just why you were here.

What he’d done. What he was trying to do.

“Don’t touch me!” You hiss out, breaking out of his touch. You slap his hands away, stumbling back all whilst trying to ignore the ache in your gut.

“Y/N—”

“What the h*ll is wrong with you?” You huff, turning distressed by this whole situation—a situation caused by him. “Attacking Demetri?”

Eli pauses, that look in his eyes washing away as his gaze hardens. “He deserves it. If you’d just listen to me, you’d understand—”

“Understand what?” You cut him off, your face hardening as you step towards him, still holding your stomach but putting on a brave face. “That you’re a bully?”

Lips parting, Eli falters.

“You’re just like Kyle and the rest of them!”

He doesn’t say anything, not at first. His lips have parted but no words leave his lips.

You don’t even realize that the rest of his friends have already been knocked down by Robby and Sam. And that now all the attention has turned to the both of you.

Eli steps towards you; “Y/N—”

“Get the h*ll away from her!”

It’s Robby who calls out, rushing towards you as he gently pushes you back, towards Sam and Demetri, the latter grabbing you and pulling you to his side. But your eyes instantly snap back over to Robby and Eli, watching as the latter knocks the former into one of the tables, shuffling back to race towards him in attack.

He jumps up, swinging his arm out for a hit, but Robby just shoots his leg out behind him, kicking Eli directly in the head and thus, knocking him to the ground.

Your lips part as you watch Eli roll on the ground, obviously in pain, feeling your hands shaking next to your side. The instinctive part of you wants to reach out for him, help him. But you don’t move.

Of course you don’t move.

“We saved your chicken,” Sam smiles at Demetri, handing him a to-go box.

“Thanks.”

After the four of you had gotten back to Sam’s house, you’d tucked yourself away.

You didn’t have the heart to listen to Robby and Sam go on about how proud they were of how they’d been able to fight together. It was amazing what they’d done, no doubt, but you couldn’t be there. And you couldn’t be there for Demetri, even if you should be.

The reality was you couldn’t believe what you’d seen.

Of course you’d known Eli had changed—it’s what started all of this in first place. It’s what had broken your heart. It’s why you’d had that fight that day. But… but to see him actually go after Demetri like that, with the full intent to hurt him… you never thought he’d actually stoop that low.

He’d even let you get hurt.

Sure, it wasn’t him who did it but it’d been his stupid friends. Who cared if he tried to help you up afterwards? What did that even matter? Is that who he hung out with nowadays?

Is that what he did now? Bully people?

Clearly the answer was yes.

You couldn’t stand it. It hurt too much. All of it. You wished Cobra Kai had never opened up, you wished Eli had never joined—where would you be now if he hadn’t?

Would he still be one of your best friends?

Would… would you be together?

You had no to talk to… Sam was too happy about her win, Demetri was dealing with his own stuff, Miguel was in Cobra Kai… and where was your mom? Not home, like she always was.

There was no one.

A soft knock pulls you from your thoughts, startling you as you blink away the tears that had begun to build. The sound of the door opening pulls your attention up and you falter at the sight of Mr. Larusso, embarrassed at how he’d caught you.

Wiping at your cheeks, you turn away. “I’ll be out in a minute, Mr. Larusso.”

“Y/N…” he calls out faintly, “are you okay?”

You feel a sob threaten to break past your lips at his words, swallowing thickly as you shake your head, still turned away. “I’m fine.”

“Did you get hurt? Are you injured—”

“I just got kicked in the stomach. I’m okay.” Managing to gather yourself enough to look at him, you shrug your shoulders. “Sam and Robby were good. I didn’t really have to lift a finger.”

Mr. Larusso shrugs, attempting to smile reassuringly; “I heard you blocked a couple of hits yourself, though, from Demetri.”

You just shrug; “I wasn’t able to do much else.”

Pausing, Mr. Larusso steps forward, letting the door softly shut behind him. He makes his way towards you, pointing at the spot next to you; “may I?” Nodding, you shuffle over and he takes a seat. He pauses a moment, breathing in, before continuing. “Can I ask you why you decided to join Miyagi-Do?”

Turning to him, you hesitate; “I didn’t want to. At first. But then at the Valley festival I saw your performance and… well, I decided to.”

“That was all?”

“I felt guilty,” you explain further, “because of what Cobra Kai did.”

Mr. Larusso’s brows furrow; “guilty? Why?”

Tensing, you swallow thickly. “Well, um… you know how Demetri mentioned that he was being threatened by his best friend?” Mr. Larusso nod. “He’s mine too and he’s apart of Cobra Kai. He’s the one who attacked Robby illegally at the All Valley tournament.”

Mr. Larusso’s eyes widen. “The kid with the Mohawk?”

You nod.

“Was he there today?”

Your body instantly tenses, giving Mr. Larusso the answer he needs. Still, he waits for you to answer, watching as you slowly turn to meet his gaze. “He was the one who instigated it.” You explain, frowning. “I… I just never thought he’d actually try to hurt Demetri. He’s is best friend.”

“Cobra Kai manipulates kids, that’s what it does,” Mr. Larusso sighs. “It looks like that’s what it did to…”

“Eli.”

“Eli.” Mr. Larusso nods. “But it doesn’t mean he’s gone forever.”

“It feels like it,” you whisper, hugging yourself as you sniffle lightly. “It feels like I’ll never get him back and that it’ll never be the way it was. And it just… hurts so much. It hurts so much I can barely stand it.” The words are pouring past your lips before you can stop them, shocked by how much you’re confessing to Mr. Larusso. “I just want him back.”

Shaking his head, Mr. Larusso sets a hand on your shoulder, squeezing softly. “It’ll be okay, Y/N. I promise.”

Feeling the tears slip past your defences, you shake your head, “and if it never gets better?”

“It will.”

And he says the words with such certainty, no doubt in his voice that it’s enough to pull you from your own desperation. Turning to look at him, you blink at the look on Mr. Larusso’s face, the smile on his lips and can’t help but think it’s been so long since you’ve had a parent show you any care or attention, regardless that you barely know him, that the ache in your heart lessens just faintly at the mere thought.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he smiles. “I’m positive.”

And it’s enough to bring the faintest of smiles to your lips, swallowing thickly as you wipe away your tears, nodding.

“Thank you, Mr. Larusso.”

“Of course,” he grins, “and you were amazing today. Standing up for your friend like that.”

Blushing faintly under his compliment, you shrug, letting out a soft laugh as he stands up. You follow him, allowing him to lead out of the room and back with with Robby, Sam and Demetri, feeling a lot better then you had seconds prior.

Then, the next day, the dojo is trashed.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Pausing at the sound of your voice, Eli turns. He’d just left the dojo for the night, having stayed a bit later then the rest—you’d texted Miguel beforehand, it was the only reason you knew. He thought you wanted to rekindle things with Eli, and honestly, you were willing to let him believe that.

It allowed you this opportunity.

“Y/N, what the h*ll are you doing here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” you scoff, shaking your head. “Tell me you didn’t actually do it.”

He just shakes his head, moving to walk past you. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Besides, you should go home. It’s late and what would your friends think if they say you here.”

You just huff at his jab, a humourless laugh leaving your lips as you step in front of him, effectively blocking his path. “Don’t try to turn this around. Someone destroyed Miyagi-Do, tore it apart. I… please tell me it wasn’t you.”

Tensing, Eli avoids your gaze. “You don’t know shit.”

“It was you,” you breathe, the truth revealed in the way he couldn’t meet your eyes properly. As his gaze snaps over to you, you shake your head, disbelief clear in your gaze. “You always avoid my eyes when you lie to me. You’ve done it since I first met you…”

Squaring his shoulders and knowing he’d been caught, Eli just brushes you off; “so what if I did? I was finishing the fight.”

“The fight you started!” You cry out, holding your hands out before you in exasperation. “How can you not realize what you’ve done is wrong? You attacked Demetri, trashed someone’s property and stole a veterans medal of honour!”

Eli’s cheeks warm in embarrassment, his eyes widening at your words. “Just… just f*ck off, Y/N. It has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me. Demetri’s my best friend too. Miyagi-Do is my dojo. And Mr. Larusso is my Sensei.”

Eli’s lips part, but no words leave his lips.

“I barely even recognize you anymore. What happened to you?”

“I changed for the better. It’s about time you and Demetri changed too.”

Stunned by his words, you falter, your anger suddenly shifting as the hurt resurfaces. “I thought you cared about me,” you whisper, moving to hug yourself as you feel your voice shake, digging your nails into your arms. “I thought you cared about us.”

Never once had you thought Eli would want you to change—to be someone you weren’t. He’d always told you you were perfect the way you were. To know that now he… he didn’t feel that way anymore…

You don’t see it but Eli’s face softens, regret flooding his gaze as he pauses.

Then, with a whisper, he shakes his head; “I do.”

You meet his gaze. “If you did you wouldn’t have done any of this.”

Eli shakes his head again, stepping towards you as you move to walk away. He grabs you by the arm, pulling you close before you can break free and when you meet his eyes, you’re shocked by the desperation in his own. “No, Y/N. I do. I do care about you. A-About us. I still do.”

You watch his face, seeing the look in eyes eyes and feeling the way he holds you, hesitating before speaking. “You don’t regret it though.” You finally say, the words feeling like poison on your tongue as you frown up at him.

Lips parting, Eli’s brows furrow.

“Attacking Demetri, destroying our dojo… you don’t regret it.”

Swallowing thickly, Eli moves to speak before he pauses, as if thinking better. Then, his eyes narrow and gone is that look of desperation. “Of course I don’t.”

Smacking his hands away, you step back.

“I can’t believe you.”

And then you’re turning without another word, refusing to meet his eyes once more even as he calls after you, practically yelling your name.

You just ignore it.

You can’t bear to look at him anymore.

#cobra kai #cobra kai imagine #cobra kai x reader #cobra kai x you #cobra kai series #cobra kai hawk #eli moskowitz imagine #eli moskowitz x reader #eli moskowitz #hawk x reader #hawk imagine #jacob bertrand #robby keene imagine #robby keene x reader #robby keene

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mollywall-e · 1 month

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Snippet of the upcoming chapter of Imodna Red Dead AU

Imogen's healed up a decent amount over the past week or so, but she's nowhere near full strength. Every step takes twice the effort it should, and by the time they've reached the woods' edge, she's exhausted and covered in a sheen of sweat. Tempting as it might be to just turn around and burrow herself back into bed, Imogen tucks her head down and pushes forward.

Their meager supplies are beginning to run thin, and the woods surrounding the cabin are bustling with black-tailed jack rabbit and wild carrot. With a bit of luck and a few well-placed snares, they'll have a hearty stew tonight. Laudna could certainly use it, the bag of bones that she is.

Saying nothing at Imogen's glacial pace as they venture into the woods, Laudna marvels at their surroundings, wide-eyed in awe. The songbirds chirp in the treetops, and Laudna hums in harmony. The brisk midmorning breeze cuts through the surrounding trees, rustling the bright green leaves that cling to the tree-branches, hints of yellow starting to creep up around the edges. The first signs of autumn have arrived in the Scarlett Meadows.

Fetching the bits of wire she'd gathered from the cabin, Imogen picks what seems to be a good enough spot and starts to work on her snares. She's done it countless times before, in these very woods, under the watchful eye of her father. It's familiar, but entirely different for a few reasons: her hands are bigger now, trembling slightly as she twists the wire into a loop, and Laudna is much better company than her dad ever was, content to turn over stones and poke at the bugs that come crawling out from underneath them rather than scrutinize her technique.

By the time Imogen's working on the last snare, it's only been an hour or so, her practiced hands making quick work of the simple traps. They could return to the cabin, Imogen could certainly use a bit of rest, but Laudna seems happy out here. Less restless, at least.

“Well, the snare's are all set.” Imogen dusts herself off as she stands, breaking their companionable silence. “You…you like spooky stuff, right? Creepy crawlies, dead things, stuff like that?”

“How could you tell?” Laudna asks, voice raspy but strong. She has to look up at Imogen, as she's still squatted next to an overturned rock, insects crawling across her open palms.

Imogen bites back a laugh, but a smile creeps to her lips as she replies cheekily. “Just a wild guess, really. Now come on, I got something I think you’ll wanna see.”

#silly little drabble for a silly little wednesday #my fic #posting snippets helps my productivity

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fruit-of-infidelity · 5 months

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🎄 Mrs. Claus has arrived!

Sitting right next to the Christmas tree of Ryuuto’s household, Scarlett, or Mrs. Claus’ been reading, over and over, the list he was on... No matter how much she tried to balance things out, or how seriously she took that ‘job’, something didn’t add up... or did it? Regardless, a small box was poking out of the red bag at her feet. It wasn’t exactly what he asked for, she knew it, but...

“...you really... made it to the good list—!?”

She was astonished! Did he really behave better with her? Compared to the previous year, at least, no stealing, much less degrading words, more quality time, and, if anything, the culprit for what could be the worst of his deeds was, actually——

Scarlett abruptly stood up.

“Good… job,” she faced him… but not for long, “… you have improved, I can acknowledge that. Good, good!” She fixed her hair, suddenly the festive hat was very itchy, “...Now, this—… Uhm, you see? About what you, what we— ...hm.”

Oh, dear. Things were hard to articulate when words like crush and situationship still plagued her mind; even her judgment was being affected. How was she supposed to deliver gifts in these conditions!?

“…are you sure you didn’t misbehave even a little bit? Be honest...”

"Misbehave~? Well, you tell me."

With a slightly wandering gaze, Ryuuto took in the sight of Mrs Claus before him; She always caught his attention somehow with her flaming locks, and bright lips, but... There was something far more captivating when Scarlett was covered in red, this time of year.

He barely casted a glance in the direction of the present. As far as he was concerned, she was his reward for being so good.

"My, you really are struggling to find the words, aren't you? Although, I am a little surprised myself. Me, a good boy this year? Fufu...You did make sure to check that list twice, didn't you~?"

It was a good thing, he supposed, that he tended to think twice before he spoke... Aside from that little mishap with the truth serum, that is. If Scarlett caught wind of even half the words that flooded his mind when they crossed paths, his name would have been condemned to the naughty list for the next century.

A soft rosy blush soon rushed to his cheeks, however, as his emerald eyes skimmed over her neck, wrapped up most invitingly with mistletoe. My, my. Perhaps those very human traditions this time of year wouldn't be too bad to indulge in once, in a while...

That would have to wait, however... As he cleared his throat, and drew his thoughts back to the currently situation at hand.

"So, is this the part where I receive my present? Or, should I go and fetch yours first~?"

#(( >< finally answered-#(( but OMGG good list!?!?!#(( teehee hes been behaving a little more it seems-#kindan-no-kanojo #scarlett wakahisa #ryuuto sakamaki #sakamaki ryuuto #diabolik lovers #diabolik lovers oc #dialovers #haunted dark bridal

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observeowl · 2 years

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Championship pt2 S.J

Scarlett Johansson x daughter!reader

Summary: How you went against Scarlett and how Scarlett wins back your attention

Elizabeth POV What in the world was Scarlett doing? I looked at her tear-stained face and her red eyes and nose as she hugged close to me. Being able to reach the championship is a huge accomplishment and what more winning it and yet she was being ignored like this.

The next morning, I woke Y/N up so she wouldn't be late for her school. I gave her a change of clothes since she slept in hers yesterday. I offered to drive her to her school but she said she's fine walking to school while I grab her stuff from her house. I guess she doesn't want to go too close to her house just yet.

I knocked on Scarlett's door and she came to answer it. "Lizzie, what are you doing here so early?"

"Where's your daughter?" I asked her, ignoring her question. She gave me a confused look. "Which daughter did you think of first? I know you want to spend time with Rose but did you ever spare a thought for Y/N? She wanted to invite you to her championship yesterday but you brushed her off like this." I said all of this while still standing at her doorstep.

"I- I don't know what came over me."

"You didn't even know she left the house yesterday." I brushed past her and went to her room. I know where it is since I've been here plenty of times. She gave me a list of things to take from her room for school, not forgetting the trophy that would be given to the school.

"She came home with this in her hand and I bet you didn't see it, she said you didn't even know she came home." I said, referring to the trophy.

"I'll pass the things to her." Scarlett said.

Scarlett POV I didn't realise I was causing her so much pain. I offered to bring her things to her school to make up for it. I know she won't forgive me this easily but I needed to put into action to show that I really care about her. I took the list from Lizzie and began packing her stuff before driving to her school.

Y/N was waiting near her school's gate and I noticed she changed her expression when she saw me with her stuff.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you." I said as I passed her her bags and trophy. "I'm really proud of you for winning the championship." She didn't even look at me as I spoke to her. "I'll come and fetch you after class, okay?"

She nodded. At least I got some response from her. I tried to kiss her forehead but she moved away. I can't blame her for it when I have been treating her this way.

>time skip to after school<

Reader POV I packed my stuff head to the school gate. Even though I want to patch things up with her. I wasn't ready for what's to come. I recognised her car and sighed as I walked towards it.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I have done-" She said immediately as soon as I got into the car.

"Let's talk at home." I cut her off. I was trying to give myself more time to collect my thoughts. Deep down, I really wanted her back but I was also very angry. I was thinking what to say in my head but my thoughts are all over the place. Before I knew it, we reached home already.

The both of us sat on the couch without talking until mum broke the silence.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you the past couple of months. I didn't know what I was doing but now I know it was wrong. I'm sorry that you had to escape from the house and go to Elizabeth's at night."

I couldn't bear to look at her face, I know she feels guilty from the sound of her voice. But here I am, trying not to break down as well. I've done so well at hiding my feelings, making everyone think I am okay when in actual fact, I feel like I'm useless, I keep putting other people in front of me and somewhere along the line. They took me for granted.

"I was thinking what to say on the way back home." I played with my hands. "All I want is some time with you. I know your family is important. Just an hour or two would be enough for me." I started tearing up, drops of tears staining my pants as I spoke. "I just- I just need to know that you know I'm still here."

She came over to my side and pulled me in for a hug. "No. I'm not going to just spend an hour or two with you. We are going to spend the whole day together. Be it with Rose or Colin, I'm going to include you in, I'm not letting you feel left out anymore."

At this point, I was unable to control my tears and let it all out, bawling into my mum's chest as she rubbed my back and tried to calm me down, whispering things into my ears.

"I love you." Was one sentence I managed to catch.

"I love you too." Eventually, after calming down, I laid my head on mum's lap and fell asleep.

#scarlett johansson #elizabeth olsen #lizzie #momfanfic #scarlett x reader #x daughter!reader #scarlett!mom #championship part 2 #championship #my writing

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jimsmovieworld · 6 months

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AS ABOVE, SO BELOW- 2014 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Scarlett is obsessed with finding the Philosopher's Stone which ive just learned isnt just something from Harry Potter.

Her search takes her deep down into the Paris catacombs where literal hell awaits her and her companions.

A few scary moments for sure. There's a lot going on, the settings great and some of the stuff they encounter is quite creative. Its pretty far fetched how they just go around immediately solving these insanely hard puzzles. Made me laugh when she just started knocking out demons at the end.

Directed by John Erick Dowdle.

#as above so below #movie #film #movie review #horror #scary movies

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sillyseaveerablogs · 7 months

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Finally, Part 1 of my MSM AU! Hopefully, it wasn't as short as the prologue.

Comforting Souls AU Part 1 ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ Breakfast. The celestials have gathered in the kitchen for their meals. The smell of crushed coffee beans and toasted bread is in the air, making the kitchen busier than yesterday.

The celestials were just chatting about their problems with their elemental monsters who were bored while Wilbur and his best friend, Humbert were asking who would win, eating their breakfast faster than lightning. “Alright! Whoever finishes the toast wins the game and gets on top of the Starhenge!” yelled Wilbur, in a shrill voice. He’s holding a toast with strawberry jam in his palm. “You bet!" Humbert challenged. He's a half-human, half-Humbug with bright green and black stripes that fall from his cowlick. He’s different from the celestials because he’s an ethereal monster that was adopted by his mother, Scarlette Poinelda. It was unknown how he got adopted. As the boys chomp down their toast, Berlioz is watching them from the table, interested in what the boys’ plans are up to. Galaxia then tells her first and probably last biological son to look at her.

She whispered” Don’t be like your brother, he’s like that sometimes,” But Wilbur didn’t bat an eyelid to his mom. He just continues to eat his toast.

Guess who wins the toast challenge? Yes, it was Wilbur. Wilbur

throws a plate from his hands and Pliro catches it. “Ey, what did I tell you the last time?!” Pliro scowled.”Hey, it’s supposed to be me who yelled at Wilbur, not you!” Vincent also scowled.

That didn’t matter to Wilbur the most. All that matters to him is that he’s the winner. “HAH, I WIN! SEE YA AT THE TOP OF THE STARHENGE!” Wilbur beamed, sprinting towards the trapdoor that his mother went up last night.

“NOT FAIR!” grouched Humbert. He just finished eating toast but instead of throwing the plate like Wilbur did, He rushes to the sink and puts it in there. He then opens his bug-like wings and starts to fly towards the trapdoor.

But it was too late for Humbert. ”Hehe, you thought you could win? Hah! Too bad! I’m opening the trapdoor!” Wilbur teased his best friend, who’s now gonna be his former friend, a few years later. But the trapdoor won’t budge.

Huh? Questioned Wilbur. What? How? The trapdoor didn't budge as when Galaxia used it that night to have a brief chat with her husband. Wilbur looks as if there’s a lockpick. No there isn’t, he thought. He gives Humbert a ‘Do you know where the lockpick is?’ look. Humbert shrugs “I don’t know”.

Humbert then goes up and pushes the trapdoor. And there it was, a Downpour. The rain poured its fill to the boys’ faces and Humbert slowly closed the trapdoor. Humbert, looking wetter than a cat that goes out to fetch a rat in the rain, looks at Wilbur, who still looks wet from the rain, and then tells him “We need to change our clothes,”. And so, the boys went down without their parents’ notice that they were wet.

The boys finally got into their shared rooms. They changed their damp clothes to their t-shirts, and long brown pants and dried their hair so the celestials won’t suspect a thing. They poke their head outside from their bedroom, wondering if their parents know where they are right now.

“All clear?” whispered Wilbur. Humbert nodded as a yes. And so, the boys quickly ran away from their room. Unfortunately, someone saw them, because there was a creak that only a mouse could hear. The boys slowly turned their heads toward the source of the sound. A 26-year-old half-Loodvigg with four bony, webbed hands and a hair that swirls at the end stood before them. He glares at them with a suspicious look and raises his eyebrow.

The boys stood there, shivering as they looked at the Spider. Humbert asked “Umm, hey Uncle… What’s with that look?” Ludo then took Hum and Wilbur to their parents by their shirts. They use sign language to Galaxia, Vincent, and Scarlette that they saw their children snuck out of their room, which made the three of Laxi, Vinci, and Scar stare at the boys.

Whoops. Didn’t see this happen.

“Wilbur, you’re grounded,” Ordered Galaxia, with disappointment on his face.

Damn.

Wilbur and Humbert into their room together.

After the boys entered their room, Vinci and Scar decided to go to look out their respective islands, which left Laxi and Ludo alone.

“Did you see their face, Luddy?” asked Laxi, a snicker coming out from her giggly face. Ludwig nodded with a smirk on the right side of their face. The Galaxia he knew was something he couldn’t help but always put his guard down.

He always sees her as his little sister.

Just like his friend’s son and his (not) adopted sister’s son

Not realizing that…

They’ll no longer be friends, in a few years.

#Forsaken Writing Corner #comforting souls #my singing monsters #msm au #msm celestials #celestials msm

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markwatkinsreviews · 11 months

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CINEMA REVIEW: ASTEROID CITY (2023)

I have mixed feelings, borne out in my rating, which I wish could be higher based on the superb scenery and weirdness of the plot and geekiness of the characters, especially the young folk talking to the old folk BUT although I did spontaneously LOL three times, overall, it was confusing to follow a colourful 1950s desert/space movie interspersed with a black & white subtext ( a la David Lynch's, Inland Empire)

...the word for it (I had to look it up!) is metatextual (plot)...

not to mention any split-screens- scenes which gave little chance to take in all the minor details - thoughtful touches placed.

Brilliant that the "cartoon" asteroid fetching alien (on later reveal) was played by Jeff Goldblum and I can only hope repeated watching's on DVD reveal more that hangs together, rather than my cinema experience, hanging apart.

Even with not so clear lines, there's a lot of good character cameos, including by Bryan Cranston (TV host), Maya Hawke (teacher), Steve Carell (motel manager), Willem Defoe (teacher of acting) with "scarlet-woman" Scarlett Johansson's star shining the brightest.

Conclusion: loving the set, loving the alien, not loving the script.

Rating: 7/10

Trailer https://youtu.be/9FXCSXuGTF4

Mark Watkins (seen at Reading Vue 6 July, 2023).

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melsie-sims2 · 1 year

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All of the guests arrived and started to socialize; some decided to play darts while others went for snacks.

Also Lazlo is definitely not interested in Avery by the looks of things. Good, because she’s a married woman now!

Scarlett thinks Rhett is attractive. She better keep her hands to herself otherwise Erin will have a thing or two to say about it.

Not seen in this screenshot is Travis, who was outside for most of the afternoon playing fetch with a wolf.

#sims 2 #sims 2 bacc #bacc: windy valley #rotation 1 #hannah fox #erin bailey #lazlo burns #avery wheatley #charles wheatley #scarlett gold

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ceciliatllis · 1 year

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I think I would've enjoyed 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo more if I hadn't finished A song of Achilles shortly before starting to read Evelyn. How Achilles was written, this whole story just broke my heart and this soap opera like narrative in Evelyn wasn't the best thing that happened to me then. I was still very emotional about Song and all the moments where Evelyn was pointing out how her beatiful body allowed her to get what she wanted and made others do what she wanted was incredibly annoying. Evelyn sometimes had similar vibe to Scarlett O'Hara, but as much as I love Scarlett, I couldn't force myself to feel similar way about Evelyn. Evelyn also reminds me of Marlene Dietrich from biography written by her daughter Maria Riva. But all those complexities I love about both Scarlett and Marlene, I just don't like in Evelyn. I think it has nothing to do with Evelyn as a character, but with writing style. I didn't like it.

That's an interesting perspective as I actually haven't read The Song of Achilles but have seen the book frequently talked about online as it's received tons of praise from people; I'll have to read it in the future! I completely relate and as I mentioned in my other reply, I also was not a fan of Evelyn as a character and felt she was written in a very underdeveloped way right from the beginning. I could not find myself truly invested in who she was as a person and while I understand she clearly spoke to many readers who connected with her as a woman, I found myself not relating to her at all and being tired of the self-absorption she oftentimes exhibited. I ended up just rolling my eyes every time we got to yet another description where Evelyn was talking about how magnetic and beautiful she was, how movie stars are basically akin to gods of some sort compared to other people, and how she could easily wrap anyone around her finger to get what she wanted with her irresistible charm and glamour. It got old fast. We kept being told that she was this force to be reckoned with and a classic "IT girl" of Old Hollywood but it was tough to buy into that because Evelyn as a character was not compelling enough to warrant this reputation.

I lacked an emotional connection to her as a reader and while I know that she is displayed as this confident, ambitious Hollywood movie star and most people in that industry tend to hold themselves in very high regard, her selfishness and hunger for fame at any cost at the expense of other people did not resonate with me and she came across as emotionally hollow in most instances. Same as you, I also did not love the writing style and I've said this before but it oftentimes felt like the author was trying too hard to convince the reader that these friendships/romances are really emotionally riveting and important without actually developing them. The interactions feel soapy and surface-level and I think TJR believes giving a character a cliché, tragic backstory will automatically provide them with complexity and nuance which is not the case (I noticed this while watching Daisy Jones as well). She gives them a troubled family life and expects people to root for them based solely off of that but the characters themselves are not that profound or layered. I will say she is smart in that she chooses these aesthetically-pleasing, mythologized eras which grab people's interest since they are periods with so much history (such as the 70s rock scene with Daisy Jones and the 60s Old Hollywood imagery with Evelyn Hugo) but her characters themselves are lacking.

Scarlett O'Hara is a clever comparison to draw because I too enjoyed Scarlett as a character when watching GWTW as a child and while she and Evelyn are both flawed, calculating women who unapologetically use people to get what they want, I agree in that Scarlett was generally more intriguing as a character in my opinion. I haven't read Marlene Dietrich's biography but it's not a far-fetched observation since TJR was clearly inspired by many "screen sirens" when writing this story. Overall, it's an entertaining read but I can't say I loved any character throughout the book.

#the seven husbands of evelyn hugo #taylor jenkins reid #evelyn hugo #re: thoughts #re: the seven husbands of evelyn hugo #re: lit #re: ask

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goats-r-cute888 · 1 year

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Rune Factory 5 - Alice/Priscilla - Gotcha Covered

This work was to fulfill a prompt on Ao3, and it features the Alice/Priscilla pairing. I hope you enjoy!

EDIT (7/5/23): I have also added the story here if you don't feel like accessing Ao3.

Rating: General

Archive Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply

Category(ies): F/F

Fandom(s): Rune Factory 5

Relationship(s): Alice/Priscilla

Character(s): Alice, Priscilla, Lucy, Scarlett

Additional Tag(s): Alternate Universe, AU, Coffee Shop Alternate Universe, Coffee Shop AU, College, University, Comfort, Rain

Language: English

Summary: After having some hot chocolate at a coffee shop, Priscilla waits for the bus back to her dorm room, when she realizes she forgot her umbrella. Luckily, someone has her covered.

Start Author’s Note: This is a Coffee Shop AU in a modern-day setting.

Gotcha Covered

-Priscilla-

It was cold and rainy – basically, the opposite kind of day that Priscilla typically enjoyed.

That was the reason she had decided to go to The Silo today. She’d been hounded by her best friend Lucy about visiting the coffee shop. The hyperactive girl hardly needed the additional caffeine in her diet, but Lucy still visited the place almost daily, despite it being somewhat out of the way.

Even though there were plenty of similar establishments near their university that Priscilla herself had frequented, Lucy swore that The Silo had the best of everything. Especially their hot chocolate.

Priscilla had a severe sweet-tooth, which some would say bordered on obsession. Priscilla thought it odd to ride the bus from their dorm to visit The Silo, only to have to ride back to make it to their first class in the morning. Nonetheless, her friend’s persistence eventually won out, and Priscilla decided to try the place out.

“Brr! It’s so chilly today.” Priscilla shuffled over to the bus stop, eyeing the bench. Rubbing her hands together and blowing on them, she hurried over and claimed a seat. She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and texted Lucy that she was on her way back. A few moments later, she received a confirmation from her roommate, saying that she’d meet Priscilla at the bus stop in front of their dorm.

Priscilla pocketed her phone quickly, not wanting the cold droplets to collect on the screen. When Lucy had finally convinced her to go, the roommate had quickly realized that she had forgotten to finish up a homework assignment that was due today. Priscilla wasn’t surprised, but she did think it odd that Lucy had insisted that she go to The Silo without her.

Priscilla had assured her friend that she could wait, but with the back and forth of transportation, it would most likely make them either late to class, or feel rushed at The Silo, which wasn’t the first-time experience Lucy wanted her to have.

Which was why Priscilla sat on the bench alone, hoping that the bus would arrive sooner rather than later. She had checked the time on her phone earlier, and as long as the bus arrived when it was scheduled to, she shouldn’t have any problem making it to class.

Really feeling the rain, which was falling at an increasingly faster rate, Priscilla rummaged through her purse, feeling for her umbrella. She felt everything else – wallet, room key, make-up, a calculator for her math classes – but not her umbrella.

“Drat!” she cursed to herself. She must have left it at The Silo. She’d been so distracted making it to the bus stop in time that she must’ve forgotten it on the table.

She weighed her options. She would probably have enough time to run back and fetch it, but what if the bus happened to be early? If she missed this one, she would definitely be late, which, though not a big deal for many, was a big deal for her. She would rather die than have to feel the entire class’s eyes on her as she slowly slinked over to her seat. Her professor was nice, but they tended to make jokes, so she was sure that they’d make a comment at her expense.

So, she decided to just wait it out. Hopefully, The Silo would hold onto it for her, and she could come back tomorrow with Lucy to pick it up.

The rain was starting to soak into her hair, the pink strands sticking to her face. As she breathed more heat onto her hands, she noticed that the breath itself was visible. It was late autumn, which was why she was wearing a coat. However, it didn’t have a hood, so she was unable to cover her head, which was starting to get uncomfortably damp.

“Whew! I made it.” The sudden voice caused Priscilla to jump and look up towards to source. All she saw was pink.

“Um, hello?”

The stranger must have realized that Priscilla couldn’t seem them past the umbrella. “Oh! Sorry about that! I was just so excited that I caught up to you.” The stranger’s voice was bright and warm, the complete opposite of the current weather. They moved the umbrella slightly so that they could sit next to her, both of them being protected from the rain.

“C-Caught up to me?” Had this person been stalking her? She hadn’t felt anyone’s eyes on her, but she had been somewhat distracted making it back to the bus stop. She met the stranger’s eyes, which were a vibrant green.

“Yeah! I mean, Scarlett noticed that you had forgotten your umbrella at The Silo, so I ran over to catch up to you. I guessed you were headed for the bus, and turns out I was right! Lucky, huh?” The stranger laughed, and now that Priscilla realized where this person was from, she calmed down a bit.

She looked closer at the stranger, and took in the rest of her. Her hair was blonde, and was partially covered by a pink cap that was so dark, some might consider it red. She had a matching apron, with a white t-shirt and black pants. Definitely a barista.

“Thank you very much for… returning my umbrella.” Priscilla reached out a hand to take it so that the other woman could leave, but the barista moved her hand away before she could.

“Of course! But please, let me hold it for you, at least until your bus comes.” The woman smiled at her. It was so bright and cheerful that Priscilla couldn’t help smiling back.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Ah, I should probably introduce myself.” The woman laid her free hand on her chest. “I’m Alice! I’m a barista at The Silo. Scarlett is my coworker, and she was the one who served you.”

Ah. So that’s who this Scarlett was. She remembered a woman with serious red eyes and light blue hair tied back into a ponytail. Her uniform had been the same as Alice’s, though instead of pink, it had been green. Maybe to denote a rank or seniority?

“She had her hands full, so she ordered– er, told me to get this back to you.” Alice chuckled, her cheeks a light pink.

“Well, Alice, thank you for taking the time to deliver this to me. I’m very grateful.” She felt like she was saying ‘thank you’ too much, but she couldn’t think of what else to say. Lucy was usually by her side, and she tended to be the active communicator either between themselves or with other people.

Alice nodded. Her blush deepened as she looked up and down at Priscilla, her green eyes roaming. Priscilla felt her own face redden as the two said nothing.

The barista finally met her gaze once more, and her smile widened. “Tell me if I’m barking up the wrong tree here, but you’re really pretty. Especially with that rainswept look you’ve got going on.”

Oh! So that’s why she’d been staring. To be honest, Priscilla herself had been staring a bit, but she had thought it was just because this woman was so energetic, that it was hard to look away.

Maybe it had been for another reason?

“Th-Thank you. You’re… pretty too.” Priscilla looked away. Had the bus shown up yet?

She heard Alice laugh. “Why thank you! I try.” Priscilla looked back. “Though, it’s hard to look attractive when I’m wearing a barista uniform.”

“N-Nonsense, you look attractive!” Realizing what she had just said, Priscilla’s eyes widened. “I-I mean, you look pretty regardless of what you’re wearing.”

Priscilla sat there, wishing that the bus would not only arrive, but run her over after such a blatant verbal misstep. Alice was just being nice, a barista serving her customer, but Priscilla had been so flattered that she’d said too much.

Alice watched her, her smile melting into one of… contentment? Good, maybe she hadn’t really noticed how she’d said she was attractive. Maybe she’d thought it was just reiterating that the barista uniform didn’t detract from her appearance, rather than an admittance of… something more.

“Hey, don’t worry so much. I asked if I was barking up the wrong tree for a reason.” Alice gently placed her free hand on Priscilla’s, rubbing her thumb across the backs of her fingers. “I think you’re attractive too. I should have been more straightforward. My uh… ‘game’ could use some work, or so I’ve been told.” Her voice had turned to an annoyed mutter at the end. Huh. Sounds like her friends had teased her about it.

The feel of a warm hand on hers, as well as Alice’s self-deprecating response, made Priscilla’s chest flutter in a bubbly sort of way. Before she knew it, she was giggling. “Your ‘game’ seems perfectly adequate to me. I’m just… not great around people, so I find it hard to pick up cues sometimes.”

“I see. Well, that’s good. I knew you had to have some sort of flaw, since you’re so beautiful and kind. It wouldn’t be fair to have it all!” Alice laughed, squeezing her hand.

“You seem to be very unfair if that’s the case,” Priscilla responded. She surprised herself with how smooth that had come out.

Alice’s eyes widened. “Pretty, kind, and flirty? I think I just hit the jackpot!” She moved her hand off of Priscilla’s, and reached into her apron pocket. She pulled out her phone and unlocked it. “If it’s not too much to ask, could I get your number? I’d love to talk with you more, maybe over a cup of…?”

“Hot chocolate.” Priscilla filled in the blank for her. A small smile formed on her face. “Sure.” She reached out and took Alice’s phone, entering her contact information into it.

She handed it back, and saw Alice’s eyes scan over the screen. “Priscilla…” she sounded out the name. She almost purred it, and Priscilla felt her heartbeat quicken slightly. “I’ll remember that.”

The two stared at each other, until Priscilla noticed Alice look over her head. “Great timing!” Priscilla turned her gaze towards what Alice was staring at, and saw that the bus was slowly pulling up to the curb.

Alice handed Priscilla her umbrella. “I’ll text you later, ‘kay?” She winked.

Priscilla swallowed thickly, practically forcing a response out of her throat. “O-Okay.”

She stood up, closing the umbrella as she walked up to the bus, its doors slowly opening. As she climbed the steps and got situated into a seat, she looked out the window to see Alice looking at her. The barista waved, and Priscilla gave a small wave back.

As the bus drove away from the curb, Priscilla watched as Alice turned and made her way back to, presumably, The Silo.

Sighing contentedly, Priscilla leaned back into her seat, and closed her eyes.

End Author’s Note: I haven’t really written a character that just comes out and says they’re attracted to someone, so this was fun to write. Hope you enjoyed!

#prompt collection #rune factory #rf #rune factory 5 #rf5 #alice #priscilla #yuri #wlw #wholesome #my fanfiction #fanfiction

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randomly-a-fan · 1 year

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Aquarius’s dark secret behind her work

Warning: Abuse at Work

It’s been two months since Star has worked at the Ice Cream Parlor, and she’s still got the smile on her face. Until her boss has planned to retire from her career, so she hired her niece to take her place. It didn’t bother Star at first, since her boss was good to her in the past months, and since she was an aunt, how bad could her niece be? Well... Very.

Gaze; was her name, has been very pushy with her coworkers, including Star. She reminded her of her nanny from her childhood. She did not like the way Gaze treated her, so she chose to do as she was told and not lose her job; her children comes first, no matter the consequences. However, when she saw Gaze acting aggressively with the youngest coworker, it crossed her line when she saw the poor girl crying while being struck by her force. “That is enough!” Star suddenly spoke up. “Gracie, you can fill me in while I talk to Gaze.” Aquarius offered while helping Gracie up. Gaze was not pleased. “You mind your own business and your own duties, unless you want to mop the bathroom floors correctly.” Gaze ordered. “You weren’t supposed to act on your coworkers; that’s bad leadership, if you keep this up, you’ll--” “I’ll what? Fire you and not add you as a reference? I’d be more careful if I were you, you don’t want to make a bad impression in front of your family.” Gaze said with a wicked smile. “Now get cleaning!” Gaze added.

Aquarius furiously mops the floors in the bathrooms after keeping it closed from the customers. After she was done, she quickly went to fetch a wet floor sign from the closet. Apparently, Gaze needed to use the bathroom really badly, but the employee’s bathroom was occupied, so she had to use the public washroom that Aquarius just mopped. She was unaware of how wet the floor was. As Aquarius grabbed the sign, she heard a commotion from behind her. “Scarlett! Why didn’t you have the wet floor sign?” Gaze asked furiously. “I was getting it; why, did you slip and fell?” Star asked in concern. “WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Gaze yelled. “Gaze, please calm down, don’t create a scene; people will hear you.” Star informed. Gaze was going to snap until she took a breath and calmed down; as so Star hoped. “You’re right Scarlett, let us talk in the office.” Gaze said with a smile. Aquarius did as she was told, and was going to try to talk senses to Gaze until the lights turned off and felt something, or someone gripped the front of her shirt.

***

Back at home, Archie was playing with Kandy until they heard their mom coming in. “Hi mah--wahh! Mom, what happened to your eye?” Archie asked in concern. “Don’t worry about me, son... It was just an accident... Where’s your dad?” Aquarius asked. “Dad went out to catch some prey for dinner. But how did you--” “Never mind how I got my black eye, it’s just part of the job, don’t tell your father!” Aquarius said quickly before she rushed over to the bathroom to wash her face. Aquarius added some cold water and ice in the sink to wash off the bruise in her eye. Once her black eye fades a bit, she put on some makeup to hide the dark area better.

It’s quite remarkable how Aquarius can handle the pain and fear from her abusive manager; if she can handle her sick-minded nanny from her childhood, she can put up her pain and continue on supporting her family. Even if it means that she had to keep her suffering a secret from the family she loves, especially Pennywise.

***

When it was time to prepare dinner, Pennywise came from behind and gave her a surprise back-hug. “Hiya Gumdrop... Did you miss me?” Pennywise asked with a chuckle before giving her a kiss by the cheek. “Ow...” Aquarius said accidentally; the pain below the cheek is like tender from that hard punch in the face. “Oh, sorry... Guess I kissed you too hard...” Pennywise said with a smirk and a wink. “How’s work working for you?” He added with a laugh. “Well... Gaze is getting rather... strict... with me, but I’m not letting her behavior stand in the way of supporting my family. Especially you.” Aquarius answered with a tap on his nose. “That’s nice, love. It shows how strong you’re getting; just remember that if you needed a shoulder to lean on, I’ll be there 24/7.” Pennywise assured as he laid a thumb on her tender cheek.

Pennywise could have sworn he saw a tear down her eye, but it could be just the condensation from the boiling water. “Well, I’ll just let you be with you and Archie’s dinner, I’ll get the meat ready for me and Kandy.” Pennywise said as he left. But when Pennywise looked at his glove, it got dirty with... Makeup? ‘Why did Aquarius wear makeup at this hour?’ Pennywise asked himself. He knew that Aquarius is hiding something from him, and he’s going to find out what.

***

Once Aquarius was going to put Kandy to bed, Pennywise waited by the door for his wife to put Kandy into her crib. Star jumped once she saw Pennywise standing and leaning against the doorway. “Penny... I thought you were in our bedroom waiting for me.” Aquarius said in surprise. “Actually, I wanted us to have a talk outside in the backyard, after all, it’s not that late anyway, so you’ll still get into the morning routine.” Pennywise said as he gently took Aquarius’s hand before replacing it to wrap his arm around her waist.

Pennywise got the bonfire started as he was burning up the bones from the children that he have captured that day. “Star-baby, I want you to know that you don’t have to keep secrets from me, if it’s concerning your physical and mental health.” Pennywise started off. Aquarius was concerned; Does he know about the abuse she received? “What got you to bring that up? I’m okay.” Aquarius said. “I just want you to know that I want to be there if you’re in need.” Pennywise replied. “Which also means that you have to explain to me, what it was that you’ve been hiding. Are you going to tell me the truth, or will I have to look into your soul and read your sense of that event at work?” Pennywise asked while staring with his yellow eyes. “Pennywise, stop it! Look, you’re right that we shouldn’t keep secrets, but when it comes to work and business, they are worth keeping as a secret, for the sake of the family.” Aquarius explained.

Pennywise rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index-finger before turning towards his wife again. “Aquarius... If your job causes your life, would you tell me?” Pennywise asked. “Of course I would, but the job I had was not life-threatening, it’s just cold...” Pennywise just stared blankly with that remark. “Cold... Ice cream... IT’S COLD!” Aquarius explained. Pennywise laughed at her reaction. “Okay, okay... I get the message... But it doesn’t matter if the job you had is cold or not, if you somehow get hurt at work, I want to do something about it.” Pennywise informed.

Aquarius was getting cranky and tired from Pennywise’s way to make her express her situation at work. “Pennywise, I have already told you that I’m fine, and I’m coping with my new boss no matter the cause!” Aquarius snapped. Not realizing that what she just let out. “So it had something to do with your boss...” Pennywise assumes. “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE.” Aquarius yelled with tears in her eyes, before she stormed off back into the house. Pennywise hated to see his wife this upset, but at least he got most of the puzzles put together.

***

In the middle of the night, Pennywise was woken up to Star crying in her sleep. He can sense that she’s dreaming of her experience at work; it also relates to her childhood nanny, So Pennywise did a tender thing, where he gently wrapped his arms around his wife, give her a gentle squeeze and a soft rub on her bedhead hair. When her cries soften into sniffles, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see her husband with his beautiful blue eyes staring down at her. “It’s okay Star... I’m here... I’m here.” Pennywise quietly said while gently closing her eyelids with his two fingers, before kissing her by the forehead. Pennywise decided to stay up and watch, since he’s used to staying up all night without sleep, besides, he loved the sight of his beautiful wife, even if she looked like hell.

It was four in the morning when Aquarius woke up, realizing that her husband wasn’t sleeping beside her. Why is Aquarius up that early? she wanted to soak her face in icy-cold water with ice cubes so she can fix her face from the other day. After she was done, she went right back to bed and tucked herself in to get warm.

Then it was time to get herself ready for work while helping her son get ready for school. “Okay son, so you’ve got everything ready for school?” Aquarius asked. “Yes mom, and I’ve checked on Kandy after I washed up, she’s still sleeping soundly.” Archie said. “Alright son, now you better go to your bus stop to catch the bus.” Aquarius informed. Archie hugged his mom before heading out the door, until he nearly bumped into his dad. “Oh, sorry dad... I’m off to school now. I’ll see you later.” Archie said. Pennywise chuckled before waving to his son.

After Archie is gone, Pennywise walked towards his wife and grabbed her by the hips to give her a kiss by the lips, before inserting his tongue into her mouth to meet with its ‘dance-partner’. “Pennywise, I may be into that back then, but I feel like I’m getting old for that.” Aquarius said while blushing. “That’s not what your cheeks said.” Pennywise said with a smirk, then a pop of laughter. Aquarius had to admit that Pennywise is usually right. “Okay you ol’ smarty-loons, I have to get to work, while you stay and watch Kandy until Archie gets back.” Aquarius reminded her husband.

***

When Aquarius went to her workplace, she noticed that the ice cream parlor was shut down, there was caution tape on the doors and windows. “Hey, what’s going on?!” Aquarius asked one of the coworkers. “Apparently, there has been a murder in the store; it happened somewhere in the middle of the night.” Gracie explained. “Well, where’s Gaze? She should have called us about this.” Aquarius said with confusion. “Actually, it’s kind of hard to inform everybody when she was at the end of her rope.” The other coworker said.

While Aquarius tries to process everything, the police detective came back with the news on the cause of death. “I’ve checked the cameras, and it was the strangest and the stupidest cause I’ve ever seen; it’s not even relevant.” The detective said before he showed the coworkers the footage.

It shows that Gaze was in the backroom to get ready for the opening, but then, there was an ear buzzing glitch and static; Once the static is gone and the noise was toned, her body was on the ground with a missing arm.

Everyone was shocked, one even threw up from the sight. The one thing that Aquarius didn’t bring up to the police or her friends, is that she saw the red balloon floating off screen. ‘Could Pennywise have something to do with this?’ Aquarius thought to herself. Normally the police would sign the co-workers up as suspects, including her. Apparently, thanks to Pennywise and his power to ‘mind-wipe’ the accomplices and the police forces, they’re scot-free. However, those that have been working at the parlor lost their jobs and have no choice but to go home and find a new living. Aquarius was furious. “Penny, you are so fucking dead!” Aquarius said through her grinding teeth.

***

Once Aquarius entered the house, she was looking for her husband to talk some senses to him. But her rage melted away when she saw Pennywise teaching his baby girl how to walk, by making her reach for a balloon. “Come on, Kandy, come on.” Pennywise encouraged. Right now, Kandy was standing on her two wobbly feet, but she’s getting close to reaching towards it, then she’s starting to take some steps.

“Come on, take it... Take it Kandy...” Pennywise said in a smile. Kandy peeped and started to walk a little faster, then she got a hold of a balloon and nearly fell on her face, but Pennywise caught her before she did so. “Yay, Yaaay! That’s my big girl, I’m so proud of you Gumdrop!” Pennywise cheered before giving her multiple kisses.

Aquarius’s heart soared from her chest, after seeing what a great father Pennywise was being, that she decided to go easy on him; besides, Pennywise did not meant to do what he did to ruin her reputation, he just wanted to protect her.

Pennywise sensed Aquarius’s presence and give a big grin. “Look who’s home...” Pennywise said to Kandy. “Mama!” Kandy peeped before she squirmed to get out of her daddy’s arms, so she can walk towards her mommy. “Our little Gumdrop is really growing; she’s starting to walk. [to Kandy] Show her Kandy, show mommy what you can do.” Pennywise encouraged after he put her down. Kandy did as she was told and indeed walked towards her mommy, and then started to run towards her as she was about to tumble. “That’s my baby girl!” Aquarius said after she picked her up to give her a kiss. “Mmm... I love you...” Aquarius added while hugging her daughter. “Do you love me too, mommy?” Pennywise asked as he wrapped his arms around his wife. “Get away from me Penny! This is mommy and Kandy’s bond right now.” Aquarius jokingly snapped. Of course, she did give him a puckering kiss by the lips. “And yes, I love you just as much. Aquarius added.

Pennywise decided to go ahead to ask his wife a question about work. “So... What got you to arrive back home so early, did something happen?” Pennywise asked rhetorically. Aquarius knew that Pennywise was on to her, so she gave him a positive answer. “Well... Apparently, Gaze got what she deserved, and that I decided to quit and do what I do best... Hunt for sinners.” Aquarius said. Pennywise was shocked. “So you’re going back to hunting for prey again, as a ware-cat?” Pennywise asked hopefully. Aquarius nodded with a smile. “Of course... It does mean you have to do the nightly feeding and changing from now on.” Aquarius informed. Pennywise rolled his eyes before accepting his nighttime position.

‘Maybe killing off her abusive boss was a mistake...’ Pennywise thought to himself, until he looked over at his wife and daughter. ‘nah, this is a better start!’

The End

#IT #IT Chapter 2 #Pennywise #Pennywise the Dancing Clown #Fandom #Fanfiction #Aquarius #Aquarius the Singing Clown #Archie #Kandy

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